# Looking through the forks



## you'llshootyereyeout (Apr 5, 2014)

*How do you aim*​
*How do you aim when shooting sideways?*

Sight over the top fork4473.33%Sight between the forks711.67%Other915.00%


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## you'llshootyereyeout (Apr 5, 2014)

When shooting side ways I look between the forks to aim. I am starting to think I might be alone in this. How do ya'll line it up?


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## SmilingFury (Jul 2, 2013)

I voted for the top fork option , but sometimes I use the area at the end of the fork to aim. If held gangsta, it is to the right of the top fork tip but right up against it where the band lays. Ttf I aim like the second picture suggests the sight window is. Good questionbtw.


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## honorary pie (Feb 12, 2015)

When I shoot sideways, I usually sight from the top corner.. Looking over. I answered my own question by looking better at the pics. I have tried that way, but doesn't line up well for me.


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## Emitto (Sep 11, 2013)

I was going to vote, then I remembered that i shoot straight up! :screwy:

Cheers.

PS: When I tried it, I used Bill Hays method.


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## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

I like my tube attachment because it gives me this handy little sighting system.


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

distance of target determines my aiming point


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## miles2k6 (Apr 29, 2015)

If TTF then aiming dimps in middle of each fork. If ott then top right hand corner of fork

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## M.J (Nov 1, 2010)

I voted for "other".
I always hold sideways and anchor the same way (unless shooting PFS) but don't reference the frame at all when shooting.


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## BeMahoney (Jan 26, 2014)

OTF..


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

What MJ said. I don't usually shoot sideways, I shoot at about a 45 degree angle. But I shoot the same way MJ does either way. (Not as well, of course. LOL)


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## Aefr (Jul 20, 2014)

Both


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## nike (Oct 26, 2013)

Sight over the top fork :violin:


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

i spray and pray :rofl: i figure eventually i'll hit it


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## DiddleyDee (Dec 3, 2014)

Shooting cans etc gangsta style I do the sighting over the top fork thing but when I really really need to hit the target (vermin, food etc) I just shoot instinctively. The need to kill seems to sharpen the senses (primeval urges) and I invariably hit. Also when showing off with cans to mates I am usually dead on for the first and/or second shot but then the desire lessens and I might miss the third. Excuses then follow 

So for me, aiming the slingshot brings lesser returns than just point and shoot with desire.


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## Bob E (Mar 23, 2015)

Ha, that happens to me too, my first couple of shots are almost always very accurate. Then I become progressively worse. After a long shooting session I might as well just throw a rock. :banghead:


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

Sighting or "judging instinctively" without consciously sighting I think are the two ways people shoot. I found the anchor point I liked best, in regard to how consistent I can repeat it, then figured where on the slingshot the target was at say 10 meters. By coincidence it was a bit above the band attachment. I realize this does not apply nor translate to another slingshot for I have about 14 of them and some of them need say a centimeter along the fork one way or the other to line up to the vertical axis of the target...that is a 12 o'clock 6 o'clock. Then elevation goes into the eye's computer and I release. Elevation varies between my slingshots at a given range and of course banding strength greatly affects elevation...stronger bands have less of an arc in trajectory and are "flatter shooting".

If my anchor point lined up with the middle of my forks, I'd shoot like Matt. So it all depends on where Matt's (or anyone's) anchor point is as to what part of the fork would be used to sight...and the angle of which the slingshot is such as my 90 degree side "gangsta" style, a 45 degree style or a straight up Jorg type style.

Summing up, anchor point determines the sighting point on the fork. Lots of things contribute to where exactly the anchor point is..flying, referenced ot some point of the face, or what. It boils down to whatever works for your shooting style and skeletal configuration is whatchagotta use.

When I was a kid I simply judged instinctively where to shoot and got pretty good. When I resumed shooting slingshots years later I tried instinctive and lost my touch and never regained it. A few years ago when I took up slingshots again, I started aiming over the band attachment per text above and it seems to work pretty well. My anchor point and release and pouch hold are in error when I miss a target for I am sighting dead on it...lining up the bands perfectly and releasing yet sometimes I miss. Pouch "flutter" and other inherent inconsistencies of slingshots account for some of the misses but I think it's my release and inconsistency of anchor point that causes most of them.

I figured out using a simple ratio formula of just how much deviation from center a slight deviation of the anchor point gives. Only a 2mm difference in the anchor point will make you miss a 4 inch target at 10meters...so anchor point, whether physically on the jaw/face or a flying anchor point is extremely important to consistency. I started a thread on this giving the formula on the General Discussion section.


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## Chuck Daehler (Mar 17, 2015)

Diddley, I have an inconsistency problem or two myself. Some days I can really hit, some days I can't. It seems (seems) that everything is the same but obviously it is not. Sometimes I get a good string of hits,say 8 in a row then I descend to no hits in 8 shots...although everything seems the same but obviously something changes. I can't figure it out for the life of me. Obviously I will never be a competitive shot if I don't correct this.

My first shot is always wild even tho I flex my bands a few times to warm them up, and the 2nd or 3rd shot finally settles down and I hit. My targets are usually tuna fish cans, jar lids or can bottoms that measure about2.5 inches across and my favorite range is 10meters. Try as I may I can't hit the first shot which precludes me from hunting (as tho there is anything to hunt here and there isn't).

Now, with my carbine I can hit the first shot and the last shot and all shots inbetween since there is zero deviation in anchor point and release because it's a mechanical release and sear. So obviously there's something wrong with my anchor point consistency or pouch pinch or release or a combination of any of the three.

Making that carbine taught me that any fork through which the bands and ouch pass freely is just as accurate as the next fork with the same attributes...so it frankly tells me, "you dah one bubba who can't shoot, it's not your slingshot or ammo or bands or pouch". Making a carbine at least is good for that. When I have a bad day and can't hit well I get out the carbine and tear up cans with vengeance, LOL


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## SmilingFury (Jul 2, 2013)

Chuck Daehler said:


> Sighting or "judging instinctively" without consciously sighting I think are the two ways people shoot. I found the anchor point I liked best, in regard to how consistent I can repeat it, then figured where on the slingshot the target was at say 10 meters. By coincidence it was a bit above the band attachment. I realize this does not apply nor translate to another slingshot for I have about 14 of them and some of them need say a centimeter along the fork one way or the other to line up to the vertical axis of the target...that is a 12 o'clock 6 o'clock. Then elevation goes into the eye's computer and I release. Elevation varies between my slingshots at a given range and of course banding strength greatly affects elevation...stronger bands have less of an arc in trajectory and are "flatter shooting".
> 
> If my anchor point lined up with the middle of my forks, I'd shoot like Matt. So it all depends on where Matt's (or anyone's) anchor point is as to what part of the fork would be used to sight...and the angle of which the slingshot is such as my 90 degree side "gangsta" style, a 45 degree style or a straight up Jorg type style.
> 
> ...





Chuck Daehler said:


> Diddley, I have an inconsistency problem or two myself. Some days I can really hit, some days I can't. It seems (seems) that everything is the same but obviously it is not. Sometimes I get a good string of hits,say 8 in a row then I descend to no hits in 8 shots...although everything seems the same but obviously something changes. I can't figure it out for the life of me. Obviously I will never be a competitive shot if I don't correct this.
> 
> My first shot is always wild even tho I flex my bands a few times to warm them up, and the 2nd or 3rd shot finally settles down and I hit. My targets are usually tuna fish cans, jar lids or can bottoms that measure about2.5 inches across and my favorite range is 10meters. Try as I may I can't hit the first shot which precludes me from hunting (as tho there is anything to hunt here and there isn't).
> 
> ...


Umm, Chuck, there is a blog section on the forum you may want to check out. Maybe you can write a blog. I would hate for you to feel like you didn't get to express yourself fully, hahaha. Your posts are always so short and on topic. 
Don't get all crazy, I am just messin' with ya Chucky. 
Be well,
SF


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

Sight over the top and the neon green paracord helps to quickly see where I am:









wll


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## ChapmanHands (Oct 14, 2013)

Lmao! Nailed that one SF! Funny stuff right there


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## PeskyMaus (Mar 10, 2015)

The first shot of the day is invariably on target - seems like it just gets worse from there on, and no amount of internal calculation results in an improvement. Having a cup of coffee, relaxing and thinking about how much I hate David Cameron, however, always makes the next session far more productive! [Actually I tend to watch one of Bill Hays' videos, you know, where he hits matches with absurd, annoying regularity - I then mentally lacerate myself for being so spineless and am driven to try again]. For me it's not a question of how I aim, but more about how long a shooting session lasts. My initial targeting is always better, whether I'm using pre-calculated reference points or just shooting instinctively. After 10 minutes or so I find that I've lost my connection to the 'zone' and carrying on just results in my repeating the same mistakes. I'm lucky, I guess, in that my shooting range extends from my kitchen to the bathroom, so I shoot regularly all day without having to relocate to a dedicated shooting area. I'd be interested to know just how long any shooters can maintain their accuracy before tiredness/boredom/muscle-stress kicks in... I'm coming to the opinion that lots of short, intense sessions lead to better overall 'shootism' than long, dedicated sessions.

Oh yeah, my target is always a 2-inch square of cardboard completely covered in duct tape at 8 metres [trying to get my landlord to smash down a wall to give me 10 metres but he is strangely uncooperative!].


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## SmilingFury (Jul 2, 2013)

PeskyMaus said:


> The first shot of the day is invariably on target - seems like it just gets worse from there on, and no amount of internal calculation results in an improvement. Having a cup of coffee, relaxing and thinking about how much I hate David Cameron, however, always makes the next session far more productive! [Actually I tend to watch one of Bill Hays' videos, you know, where he hits matches with absurd, annoying regularity - I then mentally lacerate myself for being so spineless and am driven to try again]. For me it's not a question of how I aim, but more about how long a shooting session lasts. My initial targeting is always better, whether I'm using pre-calculated reference points or just shooting instinctively. After 10 minutes or so I find that I've lost my connection to the 'zone' and carrying on just results in my repeating the same mistakes. I'm lucky, I guess, in that my shooting range extends from my kitchen to the bathroom, so I shoot regularly all day without having to relocate to a dedicated shooting area. I'd be interested to know just how long any shooters can maintain their accuracy before tiredness/boredom/muscle-stress kicks in... I'm coming to the opinion that lots of short, intense sessions lead to better overall 'shootism' than long, dedicated sessions.
> Oh yeah, my target is always a 2-inch square of cardboard completely covered in duct tape at 8 metres [trying to get my landlord to smash down a wall to give me 10 metres but he is strangely uncooperative!].


Not that I am the model of consistency , but when I can get a song stuck in my head I seem to play better golf, cast a fishing lure where I want it, throw a dart to the point I needed, hit my target with a catty, etc. 
It has something to do with keeping my focus coming from a relaxed place. Sometimes the agitation of missing when I am shooting is all it takes to get me off the zone. 
So I say , try a song. Sounds stupid, and it might be, but it works for me. Good luck!


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## PeskyMaus (Mar 10, 2015)

Thanks for that, but it's usually the song that I was listening to just before I crashed that's in my head. Either Talking Heads 'Psycho Killer' or The Killers' "All These Things That I Have Done". Should I be worried?


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## wll (Oct 4, 2014)

PeskyMaus said:


> Thanks for that, but it's usually the song that I was listening to just before I crashed that's in my head. Either Talking Heads 'Psycho Killer' or The Killers' "All These Things That I Have Done". Should I be worried?


Talking Heads "Psycho Killer" is always a nice relaxing tune to free up your thought processes, IMHO ;- )

wll


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## PeskyMaus (Mar 10, 2015)

wll said:


> PeskyMaus said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks for that, but it's usually the song that I was listening to just before I crashed that's in my head. Either Talking Heads 'Psycho Killer' or The Killers' "All These Things That I Have Done". Should I be worried?
> ...


You Californications are always so difficult to read... which, I guess, is why you have the FBI. Seriously though, thanks for the input...do you get better when you shoot for longer or do you find, like me, that your accuracy decreases with time?


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

PeskyMaus said:


> You Californications are always so difficult to read... which, I guess, is why you have the FBI. Seriously though, thanks for the input...do you get better when you shoot for longer or do you find, like me, that your accuracy decreases with time?


i was listening to suicidal tendencies, slayer and john lee hooker last time i shot with a slingshot. once i start to go wayyyyyy off target, i just put the slingshot down, open up a beer and just chill. take it easy homie, dont let the clock determine your improvement. get out of the sandbox of time and just "be" the moment, "be" the shooter, "be" the fun.


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## honorary pie (Feb 12, 2015)

OK.. How the heck does one look Through the forks? I can do it. Sort of, but it puts my anchor way higher than usual, like somewhere around my eye or higher, seems wrong to me.. Is this the scoop?


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## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

PeskyMaus said:


> The first shot of the day is invariably on target - seems like it just gets worse from there on, and no amount of internal calculation results in an improvement. Having a cup of coffee, relaxing and thinking about how much I hate David Cameron, however, always makes the next session far more productive! [Actually I tend to watch one of Bill Hays' videos, you know, where he hits matches with absurd, annoying regularity - I then mentally lacerate myself for being so spineless and am driven to try again]. For me it's not a question of how I aim, but more about how long a shooting session lasts. My initial targeting is always better, whether I'm using pre-calculated reference points or just shooting instinctively. After 10 minutes or so I find that I've lost my connection to the 'zone' and carrying on just results in my repeating the same mistakes. I'm lucky, I guess, in that my shooting range extends from my kitchen to the bathroom, so I shoot regularly all day without having to relocate to a dedicated shooting area. I'd be interested to know just how long any shooters can maintain their accuracy before tiredness/boredom/muscle-stress kicks in... I'm coming to the opinion that lots of short, intense sessions lead to better overall 'shootism' than long, dedicated sessions.
> Oh yeah, my target is always a 2-inch square of cardboard completely covered in duct tape at 8 metres [trying to get my landlord to smash down a wall to give me 10 metres but he is strangely uncooperative!].


Howdy bud,

I strongly strongly recommend backing down on your band draw weight. Get a luggage scale and get the pull under 10 lbs for sure, preferably under 8 for target/practice. You'll just stare down the unsympathetic maw of frustration ad nauseum otherwise.


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## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

honorary pie said:


> OK.. How the heck does one look Through the forks? I can do it. Sort of, but it puts my anchor way higher than usual, like somewhere around my eye or higher, seems wrong to me.. Is this the scoop?


Sounds like you'd be better off looking over the outer edge of your top fork.


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## honorary pie (Feb 12, 2015)

I always go over the fork, a



Byudzai said:


> honorary pie said:
> 
> 
> > OK.. How the heck does one look Through the forks? I can do it. Sort of, but it puts my anchor way higher than usual, like somewhere around my eye or higher, seems wrong to me.. Is this the scoop?
> ...


 but curious as to the sighting one would use to actually look between them...


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## you'llshootyereyeout (Apr 5, 2014)

honorary pie said:


> OK.. How the heck does one look Through the forks? I can do it. Sort of, but it puts my anchor way higher than usual, like somewhere around my eye or higher, seems wrong to me.. Is this the scoop?


That is exactly right. I realize I have a high anchor point. When I line up a shot I like to see the bands form a "V". Some times the bands touch my cheek when aiming. I'm thinking about changing my anchor point so that I can aim over the fork because as it is I can't wear safety glasses. The bands touch them and I can't shoot comfortably. Normally it wouldn't be a prob but at the ECST glasses are required.


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## honorary pie (Feb 12, 2015)

Ahhh.. I see. Well I don't think you'll have any trouble with the transition. I practiced from the hip so my anchor point becomes little more flexible.. Dunno if it works for others,.. But I'm sure you way definitely helps alleviate elevation issues.


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## Byudzai (Aug 31, 2013)

yeah I don't like bands or ammo whizzing past my eyeball, and I wear glasses so I can't get an anchor point that high anyway


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## scooters (Apr 27, 2015)

Bill hays method but with both eyes open and a bit more instinctive than aimed. Starting to get a bit more formal with Hays method though and it does improve my consistency.


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## PeskyMaus (Mar 10, 2015)

Byudzai said:


> PeskyMaus said:
> 
> 
> > The first shot of the day is invariably on target - seems like it just gets worse from there on, and no amount of internal calculation results in an improvement. Having a cup of coffee, relaxing and thinking about how much I hate David Cameron, however, always makes the next session far more productive! [Actually I tend to watch one of Bill Hays' videos, you know, where he hits matches with absurd, annoying regularity - I then mentally lacerate myself for being so spineless and am driven to try again]. For me it's not a question of how I aim, but more about how long a shooting session lasts. My initial targeting is always better, whether I'm using pre-calculated reference points or just shooting instinctively. After 10 minutes or so I find that I've lost my connection to the 'zone' and carrying on just results in my repeating the same mistakes. I'm lucky, I guess, in that my shooting range extends from my kitchen to the bathroom, so I shoot regularly all day without having to relocate to a dedicated shooting area. I'd be interested to know just how long any shooters can maintain their accuracy before tiredness/boredom/muscle-stress kicks in... I'm coming to the opinion that lots of short, intense sessions lead to better overall 'shootism' than long, dedicated sessions.
> ...


Yes, I see where you are coming from. I originally thought that it was fatigue [resulting in front-fork 'wobble'] that was causing me to lose accuracy - I am, however, as weak as a little girl [a particularly ill one] , so I have been using gold theraband cut from 20mm to 15mm to ensure that I don't stress my [putative] muscles. Seems like its a mental problem rather than a consequence of my shameful lack of muscle, but thanks a lot for your input.


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## PrideProducts (Jan 4, 2012)

I remember you talking about this at the ecst. Alot of people have alot of different styles. If it works keep at it bud!

Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk


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## oldmiser (Jan 22, 2014)

Well as for my self what seems to work ..I hold sideways & banded for OTT...when looking at the target I use the top ..looking straight down the band

I anchor at my lower right ear lobe..Hitting 99% of the time for me....when I shoot indoors I have 25 feet to work with..soda can as target..

normal hitting is 9/10 hits = 1 miss....Target I use 8 lbs draw weight..latex .030.....I can also do well shooting straight up..but have to use left top corner on fork as a ref point....same as 45* angle......ya just have to work with it ..to find what works the best for your hitting that target almost of the time..then stay with it..

Maybe a curtain band set or shooter works the best when shooting....if so stay with shooting only that shooter..get to know it well..so you will always be hitting

your target..practice..practice..practice..if you stop shooting for awhile you will loose it..have to start over..your arm muscle's have a memory as to how you shoot

That is my input what works for me..Best to ya my friend..May Your Ammo fly Straight

~AKAOldmiser


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## Slingshot Silas (Apr 4, 2013)

PeskyMaus said:


> *The first shot of the day is invariably on target* - seems like it just gets worse from there on, and no amount of internal calculation results in an i*mprovement. Having a cup of coffee, relaxing and thinking about how much I hate David Cameron, however, always makes the next session far more* productive! [Actually I tend to watch one of Bill Hays' videos, *you know, where he hits matches with absurd, annoying regularity.*
> 
> Oh yeah, my target is always a 2-inch square of cardboard completely covered in duct tape at 8 metres *[trying to get my landlord to smash down a wall to give me 10 metres but he is strangely uncooperative!].*


Hey Maus,

First off, *GREAT AVATAR!* I too am Dead-Eye D!ck on the money on the first shot. Maybe on the second and third too (very seldom though). Then three or four misses, followed by two or three back on target. I dunno'. It is very annoying. I know that everything is not lining up. Duh! When I was a kid, I too shot "instinctively", like a few of the other fellows, but that was a looong time ago. He he. I just keep trudging along, and everything settles back down, and I resume being mostly back on target. Some of the videos on the forum have helped, when I can remember to think about what I am doing. But, then again, sometimes I do better with a song in my head, or with a vacant head, or as you write in some other posts here a "Talking Head". Those guys are frickin' great. I especially dig Wild, Wild Life. Great video from when MTV actually played videos! David Cameron and the A-Hole Landlord had me rolling. Thanks for the laugh!

Keep Shootin'

SSS

:woot: :woot:


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## Slingshot Silas (Apr 4, 2013)

PeskyMaus said:


> Thanks for that, but it's usually the song that I was listening to just before I crashed that's in my head. Either Talking Heads 'Psycho Killer' or The Killers' "All These Things That I Have Done". Should I be worried?


Nah, don't worry. I'd personally be more worried *about myself* if I thought listening to Kenny G, or Neil Sedaka, or some such crap was "relaxing"! I would be scared enough to get somebody to get me to the hospital! I would be terrified I had had a stroke! You sound like you are perfectly sane. Or at least as sane as anybody that I would want around me! :rofl: :rolling:

Sane a I ever was, sane as I ever was, sane as I ever was, sane as I ever was! Letting the days go by!

SSS :screwy:

:woot: :woot:

:screwy:


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## Teach (Jul 5, 2014)

My concern about sighting through the forks is that in order to do it, I'm thinking you'd have to be eyeballing down the bands from the pouch bringing the pouch too close to the eye for comfort.......not for shooting comfort but for safety. If a band ever broke it could come straight back and hit you in the eye. I get nervous anytime something lines up with my eye with the exception of a rifle barrel or other firearm.

I anchor at the same place each time and reference the top of the fork shooting gangster style and TTF. I'll try to position the middle of the band from side to side in line with the target and then adjust for height instinctively. With that said, my anchor point changes from frame to frame up or down on the side of my face using landmarks such as my cheek bone or the knuckle of my thumb at a certain point on my cheek etc. But the pouch is always held below and away from my eye so if a band breaks there is less chance of it coming back and taking my eye out.

re your question about practice times. I set out each session to take a minimum of 100 shots and if I can do more due to time constraints etc. I will do more. More strengthens the muscles you are using to gain a steady hold which make you more accurate. No such thing as bad practice, but it has to be as consistant and as often as possible. Oh and another thing, I never quit the session on a missed shot. I always finish the session with a good solid hit on target.


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