Simple question, but I'm having a hard time finding the answer

[noahmercy]

I desperately want to attend a Quigley Match. I am only about 160 miles from Forsyth, Montana. I have a Pedersoli Quigley Model in 45-70, a fantastic 525 grain Money bullet mould from BACO that throws unbelievably consistent bullets, a set of decent Soule sights, and I will make or buy a good set of shooting sticks. Should be an easy one to check off my bucket list (see what I did there? )

What I don't have is a spotter. Not the scope...I have that covered. The person who sits behind the scope and calls hits and misses. My wife is willing to fill the role, however I don't know how to coach her on performing the job, and she works herself up when she can't tell where the misses are landing, and has a hard time determining how far off the misses she can see are hitting. I'm sure I don't help, because I get a little tense when I blow through twenty to thirty bucks worth of ammo and still have no idea where I need to adjust my sights.

Is there a book, manual, video, or something out there that explains proper positioning of the spotter relative to the shooter as well as some basics of judging distances at long range? I have tried searching several different ways, but mostly get links about how to spot "mass shooters". My Google-fu used to be strong, but now thanks to the far-left search engines and AI, it's near impossible to sift through the dreck.

 

[Dan in MI]

I can give you some tips from my silhouette days.
Have her sit nearly directly behind you.
Watch the target, your eye will pick up the misses
I would say at this point don't worry about distance. Just high, low, right left. How far will come with practice


You can work out the distance if you know your clicks. Just base it on her response as to how much the shot changed. If she can't tell much difference double or triple your previous adjustment.

You could also practice with her spotting near home with any gun you have. Even if it is sighted in, just aim off target to get her used to what to expect.

 

[blume357]

Or just call the clock position out... 3 o'clock or 7 o'clock or such and like Dan above said don't worry about distance... if several hits are at 8 then just try two correction clicks to the right and up and see what happens.

 

[Kevin]

I'm sure I don't help, because I get a little tense when I blow through twenty to thirty bucks worth of ammo and still have no idea where I need to adjust my sights.

Now, I'm not being critical, so no offense meant; however:
You are still have a good time with your wife, right? It sounds like a fun time at any rate. So what if she makes you shoot a few extra bucks worth of ammo? You can't get upset, lest you come home to a cold dinner.

 

[Dave P.]

I have spotted some for people and if was trying to "teach" someone how to do it would start with the obvious.
First shoot something cheap at a moderate distance against a background that helps locate the misses.
Someplace where you as a shooter can hit what you want and can coach were to look in relation to the
"target" that you're not really aiming for. Example....tell her you're going to hit something 1-2 feet right
of the target and do it until she sees it, then start moving point of impact around till she can call them without
help. Progress to more distance and tougher backgrounds. Just like any other skill in that it'll take some work
to become proficient, well that and decent eyesight.
Maybe if you were a better shot, she'd need less practice

 

[mishtub]

Report Bullet Impact. We have already touched on this subject a bit, but once the bullet is fired it's the Spotters responsibility to tell the shooter where it went. In a perfect world the round will go right where the shooter was aiming. Unfortunately, with all the variables involved, it is not always the case. Due to distance, terrain, and environmental conditions the Spotter can not always see bullet impact. So he is forced to rely on other methods of observation, primarily Reading Trace. A quick explanation of Trace can be described as follows: as the bullet in flight is pushing the air in front of it, It's rotation and heat disrupts the light waves behind it creating a path the trained eye can follow when using optics. The "path" looks somewhat like a tiny boat wake of mirage. With the help of a high quality spotting scope on the correct power, the eye is capable of following that path from about midway of the bullets trajectory to the bullets impact, and sometimes even more. Without positive identification of the bullet impact the spotter is unable to give effective corrections to the shooter, which places more emphasis on being able to see trace.
spotter communication

 

[noahmercy]

Report Bullet Impact. We have already touched on this subject a bit, but once the bullet is fired it's the Spotters responsibility to tell the shooter where it went. In a perfect world the round will go right where the shooter was aiming. Unfortunately, with all the variables involved, it is not always the case. Due to distance, terrain, and environmental conditions the Spotter can not always see bullet impact. So he is forced to rely on other methods of observation, primarily Reading Trace. A quick explanation of Trace can be described as follows: as the bullet in flight is pushing the air in front of it, It's rotation and heat disrupts the light waves behind it creating a path the trained eye can follow when using optics. The "path" looks somewhat like a tiny boat wake of mirage. With the help of a high quality spotting scope on the correct power, the eye is capable of following that path from about midway of the bullets trajectory to the bullets impact, and sometimes even more. Without positive identification of the bullet impact the spotter is unable to give effective corrections to the shooter, which places more emphasis on being able to see trace.
spotter communication

I understood trace is associated with supersonic rounds. These bullets start out at about 1,250 FPS and go transonic by 300 yards, so would trace work out at the 800 yards I'm shooting?

 

[Garth69]

I understood trace is associated with supersonic rounds. These bullets start out at about 1,250 FPS and go transonic by 300 yards, so would trace work out at the 800 yards I'm shooting?

you are expecting a wife to tell you where a tiny piece of lead fell 800 yards away? Give her a break. I can't see where bullets go at 100 yards but my one eyed neighbor can. Some folks aren't made for spotters.

 

[noahmercy]

you are expecting a wife to tell you where a tiny piece of lead fell 800 yards away? Give her a break. I can't see where bullets go at 100 yards but my one eyed neighbor can. Some folks aren't made for spotters.

Just to be clear, she is not someone unfamiliar with marksmanship. She is a four-time women state champion Cowboy Action Shooter, and makes little groups with her rifles and handguns...small enough that I often let her shoot a new handload to see what it's actually capable of. A 525 grain 45 caliber bullet isn't exactly a "tiny piece of lead". It generally makes a pretty big "splash" when it hits, target or backstop. And I'm not expacting her to do it with naked eyes. She's sitting behind a 60X spotter. I'm simply looking for some experienced recommendations on techniques that will help her feel more confident, and get me on target at long range with iron sights.

 

[Hvymax]

Just to be clear, she is not someone unfamiliar with marksmanship. She is a four-time women state champion Cowboy Action Shooter, and makes little groups with her rifles and handguns...small enough that I often let her shoot a new handload to see what it's actually capable of. A 525 grain 45 caliber bullet isn't exactly a "tiny piece of lead". It generally makes a pretty big "splash" when it hits, target or backstop. And I'm not expacting her to do it with naked eyes. She's sitting behind a 60X spotter. I'm simply looking for some experienced recommendations on techniques that will help her feel more confident, and get me on target at long range with iron sights.

Well then she deserves Noahmercy on being able to assist you

 

[Bullthrower338]

I have always preferred mine to be as close next to my rifle as possible or behind and directly over my rifle. A good way to practice her calls is to set a piece of plywood covered in white butcher paper and then place your target in the middle of it. This will allow her to get used to calling corrections as she will be able to see where the bullet impact is on the paper. After she is comfortable communicating corrections, move away from the plywood and let her get comfortable watching bullet splash on the berm. It will make it easier for her the better she is aligned with your bore axis as it will minimize optical illusion. This has worked for me, good luck, hope to see you at the shoot, I plan on being there.