November 22, 2002
A Shooting Test for Murphy
While not a fan of shooting games, I find shooting competitions a useful tool for learning to manage stress and providing a benchmark to monitor skill progression.
In the November 2002 edition of Cooper’s Commentaries the Initial Radial Deviation test was proposed. The IRD provides an excellent metric for measuring the precision of a rifleman and his equipment but is not feasible for competition.
Inspired by the IRD I give you Murphy’s Radial Deviation:
Upon a signal the shooter will fire a single shot if he is using a long gun or two shots if using a handgun. The score for a given round is determined by the radial deviation (distance between the point of aim and his worst shot) plus the number of seconds taken. For final total simply add the score for each round. Lowest score wins and ties are broken by having the lowest maximum radial deviation over all rounds. Missing the target entirely or a weapon that becomes inoperable are instant disqualifications. Properly corrected malfunctions are scored normally. After all, it is Murphy’s radial deviation.
For added stress a maximum radial deviation could be set beyond which the shooter is disqualified. Range, weapons used, starting position and the number of rounds shot can all be set as desired.
A recent course of rifle fire consisting of 3 rounds at 100 meters fired from the high-ready went like this:
| Shooter 1 | Shooter 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round | Time | Distance | Score | Time | Distance | Score |
| 1 | 4.5 sec | 6.0 in | 10.5 | 5.0 sec | 4.1 in | 9.1 |
| 2 | 5.0 sec | 3.7 in | 8.7 | 5.1 sec | 3.7 in | 8.8 |
| 3 | 4.8 sec | 2.3 in | 7.1 | 4.2 sec | 6.3 in | 10.5 |
| Total | 26.3 | 28.4 | ||||
It looks like shooter 2 had a solid lead until he rushed his last shot.
Shooting as fast as you can guarantee your hits is the essence of defensive marksmanship. It is my hope that Murphy's Radial Deviation proves useful in measuring that skill.
Posted by Julias Shaw at November 22, 2002 07:53 AM | TrackBack