MaY 2012 Issue - Target Shooter Magazine

ThisSMALLBOREBusinessThis Smallbore Businessby Don BrookeCan you aim where you wantto place the shot?This is a tough ask for many shooters, asthey have grown up with centre aiming.This particularly applies to fullboreshooters, as it is also a tough ask to aimoff centre when faced with 1000 yards.BUT, it can be done!Smallbore and 300m shooters, as a method of windcombat, have mastered this aspect and I have seenmany counts of the intelligence of their method, andwind reading. An example of this was with RaymondDebevec when he won the Sydney Olympic Final andGold Medal with it.Faced with an unprecedented wind change out there,for the last shot in his final, he was very quick to geta look at where Harald Stenvaag’s shot went whenHarald got one away smack in the strength of whatwas out there.From my position as commentator for the USA mediamachine some 20 feet away from him, I watched themuzzle of his rifle move to 10 o’clock and the shotreleased. He shot a tight ten with that shot, while theother seven struggled to hold the eight ring! Big grin,as you would expect from the world record holder andI gave him 10 points for thinking. He obviously trustedHarald’s shot release!So, how do you learn toshade the aim, or evenfurther in graduation, aimthe shot off?44