By Kimu Sensei
I started by looking at the POMW methodology and examined through networks, what standards I would expect to meet.

The distance up to 300 metres was quite easy, as it is part of the civilian shooting standards, but distances above this distance was a very different matter. As a bachelor of engineering, I know that there is quite a big difference between 100 m and 1,000 m, – and that passing a rifle test with all six shots in the “plate” from a distance of 100 m, could mean missing shots by 2 metres when shooting from a 1,000 metre distance, and this even in calm weather.

In the US, I was told that before participating in a F-class standard shooting, it was a good idea to have a rifle and equipment that could shoot a minimum of half-inch shot collections from 100 m, and that the level of competence preferably should be the shooter was able to fire five harmonious shots within 10-15 seconds.

My first reaction was “Buuuull-shit! – pure Batman! – 5 shots within 1.25 cm in 10-15 seconds! – It just cannot be done! “.

I had just seen that many of the civil standards and rules said that it was not unusual to shoot 20-30 shots within 30-45 minutes, which corresponds to one shot per. 1-1½ minutes. The LBP standard would therefore theoretically mean that the rate of firing would be 30-45 times higher than the civil competition standard, – and that all the shots were 10s! It did not seem very likely that by the time the civilian Olympic shooter had shot once, the F-class shooter already would have fired all of the shots!
It turned out, however, that this is not exactly how it is, but it was not far from it. The reason why they fire 5 shots within 10-15 seconds, is not because they are “Lucky Luke’s or Batman,” but this is the timeframe where they can be lucky that “wind window” is open i.e. having the same wind or lack of wind conditions during these shots.

In the US it is quite normal that there are wind flags on the shooting range, just like many 300 m matches have 3 wind flags on the shooting range. This is only possible because they are permanent civilian shooting ranges. In a military context the shooter and the spotter form a team, where the spotter usually is the most experienced and competent shooter of the two. Generally it is the task of the spotter to measure distance and wind conditions and then to propose a shot so that the shooter can adjust the telescopic rifle sight accordingly. The shooting solution usually comes from a LRS computer programme, which today can be run on most mobile phones, directly connected to the anemometer or rangefinder, or even to the telescopic sight. Today, the use of spotters has spread to the civilian LRS shooting world where they, like in the military, mainly serve as wind spotters who inform the shooter when to fire.

I immediately knew that this meant that I not only had to be trained as a LRS shooter, but also as a LRS spotter in order to become fully competent within this shooting discipline.

Having said so, it was just to get started 🙂