In this issue: Biathlon rifles Re: Rifle shooting glasses Pistol training plan needed!!! Rifle torque settings BRNO TAU7 info needed Re: Pistol aiming technique Re: Pistol aiming technique How to use iris in pistol Re: Rifle shooting glasses (followup) ******************************************************************** Does anyone other than Anschutz make biathlon rifles that would be easily available in the US? I haven't seen any offerings from Walther or FWB. If you know of any, please pass on the US distributor info if possible. Thank you. ****************************************************************** I also have really bad eyes (-10.25R, -10.5L) which comes with an astigmatism. In talking with my doctor, he suggested that upon discussing what I needed and how the glasses would be used, he said that I didn't need to have an astigmatism correction in my shooting glasses, as that wouldn't help me see any clearer. I have had this correction before in my shooting glasses and had problems getting a crisp, clean sight picture. Now I have no problems getting one and can see a lot better. The glasses I use a Champion Olympic with a small lens holder. I feel that a small lens holder forces you to always look through the center of the lens. As for checking wind flags, I don't have a big problem with moving my head slightly to see flags, as long as you can put your head back in the same place with the same cheek pressure. When the sight picture is there don't admire it, break the shot. [Editor - because I found his non-correction for astigmatism comment quite unusual, I asked Henry for more info. This was his reply so maybe we'll find out soon. Does anyone else know why you wouldn't correct for it?] Hi Michael, I can't remember what the reason behind this was. I will try to get the answer for you as soon as possible. I'm not sure how this works but for some reason it does. I know that when we talked about my shooting glasses he did noticed that I had incorrect correction for astigmatism in my regular glasses (in fact it was backwards) and I had this incorrect correction for some 5 years! This might have done something to my eyes, I not sure, all I know is that I don't have a correction in my shooting glasses and I do in regular glasses. With my shooting glasses I can see the shot holes in air rifle and indoor .22 half of the time. Henry Gerow 1995, 1997 Prone Champion Shooting for Gold at Pan Am '99 and Sydney 2000. http://www.escape.ca/~sniper ****************************************************************** [Editor - to clarify, Harold is asking how he and a junior should go about training for the Olympics in a country with basically no shooting support program. Any suggestions?] Hi Michael, In my country, Guyana, I am considered the best with any open site handgun, this is so, for I had bought a Walther CPM-1 and was constantly training with it about 6 hrs per day, with some fantastic scores on the 10 meter APT, I was self taught, not formal training and use my left hand for my right was almost severed in '84 and only got back 90% use in 96. I now have a youngster, who in my mind has shown great potential to the Olympics. How do I go about it, I am 43 years of age and think I am too old for it, I can still do the same sores I did three years ago, my highest recorded score was 590 out of 600 in 1hour 30 min, I was exhausted after this, but I stopped training. I have the time and resources to restart. Please advise. I am 6 feet 1" and about 220lbs, no heart problems and do not smoke. Harold "Topgun" Hopkinson CEO TOPGUN Inc. ****************************************************************** I also have a question to the list: What kind of torque settings you are using in your rimfire rifles? Please specify action/stock. Thanks. DVC Heikki Ovaska , heesu@icon.fi , http://www.icon.fi/~heesu/ [Editor - I use the recommended 5 Nm on my Anschutz guns, largely because I don't have a machine rest to see if another setting would be better.] ****************************************************************** I was reading article in " Target sports " about brno tau7, but i did not find anything how many bullets is possible to shoot without recharging. thank you ****************************************************************** As regards the technique of raising the pistol point of aim above the target before bringing it down into a proper sight picture: It seems to be a waste of time and effort and affords no advantage that I have ever heard discussed. It is probably just a harmless affectation. Indeed, it seems to be little more than an acquired habit that becomes part of the shooters pre-shot kinesthetic rehearsal. It is used by some shooters primarily during slow fire courses, but I cannot imagine even a self taught beginner using this technique in a rapid fire course for very long. When raising the pistol from the ready position, the aiming eye should engage the sights at approximately the mid point in its arc of travel, bringing the sights into alignment as the pistol continues upward towards the target. The pistol should arrive at the proper point of aim with the sights aligned without overrunning the mark. Timing, trigger engagement and point of aim will vary depending on the course of fire. Best regards, Phillip Williams [Editor - Indeed, this is exactly what I observed at the World Cup. RF shooters never go above and then back down. Of course, their target is not the traditional circle either - they have the horizontal lines now. I saw many free and air pistol people going above and then back down. I think it's a waste of time and energy myself. But then I'm a rifle guy. ] ****************************************************************** Re: Pistol Shooting, coming down to bull. I understand that this is known as the East European method and that shooters who have really mastered the technique move down through the target without stopping, just releasing the shot on the centre, then continue on to stop below the target. I have a friend who is a pistol coach and I will try and get some more info. ****************************************************************** I wonder if anyone can help, I am currently useing champion frames with lense to correct an astigmatism, For air pistol I have been experimenting with an iris, does the iris locate on the front of the lense or on the inside close to the eye, Does it make a difference? kathy wilson@tac.com [Editor - I've never seen anyone where it on the inside. In rifle, they say you should have at least 2" eye relief. However, if you get a better picture with it on the inside, I don't see why you couldn't.] ****************************************************************** > Shooting athletes should have the Eye doctor make a lense out of Poly > Carbinate for a focal length equal of the distance from the front of the > front sight to the eye ball. This will correct any problems a shooter may > have and is also correctable for eye problems as well. Pardon my ignorance, but what should I be seeing more clearly: the front sight or the target? What I've found is that the target tends to get blurry much more quickly than the front sight. Am I using too small an insert up front? Right now I'm using a 3.0 mm front insert with an adjustable iris rear aperture on a 75 cm/30 inch sight radius. Why? Because this was what I used to shoot when I was ten years younger and I figured that I should start with a set-up I knew worked. While my eyes went through a lot of adjustment during my "growing years," they stabilised when I was eighteen and haven't changed much since. > The eye tiredness is really a clue to the fact that the shooting athlete is > using incorrect sighting procedures. Extenders or bloop tubs will only > place the front sights beyond the eyes ability to focus correctly. > Therefore, they will cause the same condition the shooting athlete is > complaining about in the UIT list of the eye becoming over tired in a short > time. My rifle doesn't have a bloop tube, I always try to keep my glasses as high on my nose as I can, I blink lots, and frequently rest my eyes while I'm shooting a target. Could it be that the strain of looking through the weaker top part of my glasses does me in by the time I've only shot 50-100 rounds? If so, I think I'll be on the phone today pricing various systems! Thanks once again! Jason W. Jarvis Pioneer Shooting Sports Club, Kitchener, ON marynjson@golden.net [Editor - your main focus should be the front sight. Yes, I think your app is too small unless you're shooting in sunlight (assuming a normal ISSF target size and distance). Most top shooters use larger ones. I won't let my kids go below 3.2 unless they can prove they have no performance issues with a 3.0. I now use 3.4. If you're serious about shooting, get the glasses! Knoblochs and a lens will cost you about $130 US.] ****************************************************************** End of UIT Mailing List #9 Michael Ray - Systems Engineer Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. Rifle Coach UIT Shooting Page - http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1190/index.htm