Baseline Shooting Skills: 20-Shot Test

Описание: The 20-Shot Test is used to measure basic shooting skills and accuracy and uses two 10 ring small caliber rifle paler targets (see the attached file). It is considered the most basic of biathlon tests and does not have a timed element in the test, which is important in races. The 20-Shot Test is done with a resting heart rate. For new biathletes the test can be used to determine if basic shooting skills (breathing, sight alignment, trigger pull and follow through) are being developed. The test can indicate if rifle fit needs to be adjusted or if patterns of shot placement need to be corrected.

The 20-Shot Test can be done every one to two months to track shooting progress. Do not be too concerned if a test score is lower than previous test scores. Wind, heat, cold, mental stress, fatigue, and other forces can impact shooting results on any given day. What we are looking for is improvement over time measured in months and years.

Remember, it can take several years to develop good shooting skills. During the test it is best to focus on the basics of shooting and develop a rhythm to each group of five shots. New biathletes will often forget every aspect of shooting basics once the test begins (similar to their first races).
Keep track of your 20-shot test results and hopefully you will see improvement over time. Like anything, improvement in biathlon shooting skills takes practice. Don’t expect to get better without working at it.

20-SHOT TEST PROCEDURES:

Begin by siting in and making any needed sight adjustments.

Utilize two 10-ring small caliber rifle paper targets placed so one target is directly over the other at 50-meter distance. 10 points for a dead center hit and progressing to 1 point for the outer most ring on the target.

The first 10 shots will be taken from the prone position at the upper 10-ring paper target. After the first magazine of 5 shots it is allowable to make sight adjustments to re-zero for the next 5 shots.

The second 10 shots will be from the standing position at the lower target. Resting or leaving the firing line after the first 5 standing shots is allowed.