Low magnification shooting

[DKG]

I changed from shooting at 24X last year to shooting at 10X-14X this year.   I am sold on lower power settings (at least for me at my present skill level -- struggling AA), but wonder if it would be beneficial to use a different point of aim.  For instance on the chickens, should I aim for the center point of the leg and adjust the scope to shoot high...pigs aim for the hole, etc.?   I catch myself aiming at the whole animal instead of the center of the animal.   Has anyone had success with this method or is it a path to frustration? Thank you in advance.

Daly

[longgun]

DKG,  I want my gun to shoot where I have it pointed, not where I think it might go.  Is best to develope the discipline  to break the shot where you would like it to go.  This is not easy  but you will get better results that way.   Don

[Gringo Grizzly]

I often use a different point of aim.  Especially if I'm having trouble breaking shots on the center of the animal.
Truly a mental thing, but as Yogi Berra once said - "90% of this game is half-mental"!

It does work but really isn't any easier than shooting dead on.
You still have the break the shot JUST RIGHT.

My feeling is that this often helps me to shoot at a particular spot - something I find is more difficult for me when I try to shoot a bullet hit or paint fleck on an animal.
The POA's I use do breed consistency for me.
I use it with pretty good success on all of the animals EXCEPT the chickens.

Those little critters have such an irregular shape, the different POA doesn't help me as much.

On the Pigs and Rams, I usually hold on the back line of the animal and come down on my sights enough to produce a dead center hit.
On turkeys, I hold on the leg and come up 1.75 MOA.  

On those pesky chickens, I have mixed results, but when I do, I hold on that little hump on the back and come down a minute or so.

This technique really isn't any different than holding a six o'clock POA on a bullseye target.

Beware of a few things - you really have to be honest with yourself on calls.
You can sometimes find yourself hitting high even though you thought you
"were about right".  

Another pitfall is adjusting for conditions.  You have to think a little more about what you want to do with your windage and elevation knobs with this technique.

That said, it doesn't hurt a darn thing to try it out.

Try comparisons on your range (not in a match!) between the different POA's.
I do this from time to time at 100 yards using a reduced size paper target.
This gives me more accurate feedback than dry-firing and the hits are easy to see.

When you're warming up for the match and using this technique, be darn sure to get a good DEAD ON zero so your adjustments will connect in the right spot!

Gringo

[dave imas]

i shot on 6x for two years.  best scores were 38x40 and 58x60.  dead still dot.  just put it in the middle and squeeze.  it is still about sight picture, trigger control, and follow thru.  the sight picture is somewhat like shooting with iron sites.  not suggesting it is easy but it can be done as long as one is executing well.

black lined up in your site correctly =  let the shot go.

still need a good break and follow thru.  

i would think if you were to shoot spots or lines you would want greater magnification so you could see them.  at the lower powers it can be difficult to get to exact and actually know where you are.  typically you have to think center break... with, perhaps, just a bit of shading to address whatever wind condition you might be contending with.

i bounce back and forth with equipment and magnification because i get bored quickly.  shooting at the lower powers certainly changes things up a bit.
dave

[Tony Tello]

Daly, whatever you decide to do take the time to go to the rifle range and try it out.  Many times I have seen people constantly changing their equipment and getting to the matches without knowing their sight settings because they either changed the scope, rings, mounts, stock, etc.  

Experimentation works only if you take the time to practice to see how comfortable you feel with the changes you make, also as a rule you should only make one change at a time and stick with it long enough to determine if was a good change or not for you.

At home I practice with an air rifle and I like to aim at different parts of the targets to work on my trigger control.  I have many times at matches aimed at the legs of the targets and have also tried 12” O’ clock hold, some times on purpose and others out of desperation because I could not bring myself to break the shot when I was inside the target.  At times it seems easier for me to break the shots outside the target.

I agree with the people that advised you to hold right on because there are less chances of making a mistake with the sights but if you decide to hold outside the targets make it sure you write down on a piece of paper your elevations and where you are holding, do not trust your memory other wise you will end up making costly mistakes.

[DKG]

Thanks for the feedback.  As a followup, I made a paper target of a chicken.   I have shot the paper targets the last two times at the range.   The thought was that if using the leg as an aimpoint was better then it would be reflected by a smaller group size.   This was not the case.   Both aimpoints produced the same group size as well as the same approximate location on the target.  I will stick to aiming at the center.  
Thanks,
Daly