The following is a collection of informative tips offered by our Own "Crash STP"
also the owner of Crash Landing Paintball (SCP's Online store, Team captain of
"Action Markers Mayhem" AM's Factory team, a noted Paintball equipment designer
and consultant, as well as many other things, but most importantly, just a great guy!
Thanks To Finnigan for collecting and presenting the article for publication, With Crash STP's
permission ofcourse.
Q: Crash, could you give us
newbies any tips on shooting with a pump?
A: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and PRACTICE............. Okay that's always my
answer, but most of the time it's true. The only time it is not is when
you are practicing wrong or bad habits. Have a solid shoulder mount with
the gun. With a pump I use a stock or my 68/45 'geddon. With the marker
snapped up, with a full hopper, it should be tight enough to hold the gun
and point at a left - right arc of coverage of at least a 40 deg arc
(10 o'clock to 2 o'clock) with out moving your shoulder to stock weld. The 2 biggest things to do here are fit the stock to you. Hold the marker
pistol grip in your hand and the stock length you need is the distance
from the crook of the elbow to the first knuckle of your pinkie finger
on PB marker stocks. Why you ask? I originally started out years ago to
be a gunsmith and apprenticed for 2 yrs to be so. One of the quickest
ways to improve a customer's trap/skeet shooting was to fit the stock to
him. A stock longer than the above description tends to put your shots
above and to the direction of your hold arm (right handers shoot high
and right) shorter stocks cause the opposite effect - low and to the weak
side (right hand shooter will shoot low and left). As far as angle of
drop goes, it varies from individual to individual and marker to marker.
What you want is your line of sight, when snapped, up to be level
and parallel to the bore line or slightly above. On my sterling due to
its height I run a straight T-stock. On my illusion I'm running a slightly
rebent IYF 12 deg. 12" stock. On my phantom the 12 deg 14" IYF stock.
...and the drop does affect the length.
Here's some more speed shooting tips:
Use a stock.
Practice.
Lock your elbows to your body so your upper arms are solid to your chest.
Practice.
Work the pump with the wrist and fingers -stay loose with them and allow the natural spring action of
your joints and muscles work.
Practice.
Use your strong hand to run the marker and the weak hand on the trigger.
Practice.
For aiming start at 10 ft. (yes 10 ft.) and put 10 shots in a row
into a coffee can, then step back 2 paces and do it again, then 2 more
paces and do it again.
Continue doing this until you hit 50 out of 50, moving
back 2 paces between each evolution. When you can do this
find a smaller target and take a day off, then do this
drill on the smaller target till you get it 50 for 50
like the first series. Again, take a one-day break and
find a soup can to shoot into the same way. On all of
these you shoot into the end of the can. If you do this
for about a case of paint you'll be instinctive shooting
with the marker you've been using on paper plate sized
targets at 100 ft w/o thinking. There'll be no thinking
to aim, just point and shoot thru muscle memory. For this
to work you have to do it as posted starting on 10 ft on
all the sizes and take the breaks between cycles. You'll
start making shots with just shooting and not thinking.
Once you get the static targets down you move onto the
fun stuff.
Moving targets - The best one I have found for
this uses a remote control car or truck. Pick up a couple
of those super heavy balloons for kids that have the
tether strap for punching. Have them inflated with helium
so there about 18" - 24" in diameter and secure one so it
floats about 4 feet off the ground to the RC vehicle.
Have some one else control it and see how many times you
can hit it. Start at about 30 feet away and move it back
as you're hit ratio increases. You won't get many splats
on the balloon but you'll hear them. Increase speed and
distance as you improve.
Snap shooting - I use a large
tree in my backyard as my cover and a 5 spinner disc
target I use for firearm training; but a couple old
vl-200 on steel rods pushed into the ground works great
too. A second person to call the target - one, two, red,
left, ect. This helps break it up but you can pick it
yourself. A snap shot always starts with a target of
opportunity so visualize where the targets are when you
tuck in behind your cover. When you walk a field always
try to visualize the targets you'll see from the bunkers
you'll be using and how you will engage them. With a
pump, flick out and pop a shot off and snap back, then do
the same on a different target. When you do the following
shot use you're peripheral vision to assess for a hit on
the prior one. It doesn't really help to snap out on the
same target as in real life they usually won't give you
time for a second shot with a pump. Do this until you get
a hit on all the targets then change positions (stand,
kneel, right, left, off hand, strong hand).
I know by now
some of you are saying "that's a lot of paint!" and it
is, but think of all those times you come home from a
field or tourney with paint left over. This doesn't have
to be top-shelf tourney paint, anything will work from
junk Wal-Mart stuff, to seconds, to that bag of hellfire
or evil left over from Sundays tourney; plus it's a one
day on, one day off schedule.
Thanks Crash That was Awesome..im going to go practice now!!!
