Gunnery

[Rolex]

Here's an idea that may or may not apply to you, since you say that you can saddle up OK.

Some people have a tendency to aim slightly high of their target on straight forward shots, unconsciously trying to allow for bullet drop that isn't there. Same thing with crossing shots, they miss two ways: with lead and the phantom drop that isn't really there. Your convergence setting has already accounted for the drop, but your brain is thinking too much.

Another thing is to be conscious of any drift. That ball on the bottom of many gun sights is there for a reason, so "step on the ball" to straighten up and fly right. Try a little right rudder if you're at full throttle and see if that tightens up your shots.

Good luck!

[MajWoody]

I am an avid waterfoul hunter. I am quite proficient at dispatching ducks from all angles with a 12ga shotgun. For some reason the angles don't translate over to the game so well. Add to that the nose bounce from my stick etc, makes my gunnery suck arse. I have noticed from quite a few ah films that the guys using the CH gear are smooth as glass. Does the stick itself make a lot of difference?

I am using a Saitek X45 & CH pro peds. Stick scaling is Ack-Acks stick scaling. I am flying less & less because of my pizz poor shooting. 

[Dichotomy]

hey Rolex things I've never considered

Thank you sir 

[SPKmes]

I think that is part of my issue...thinking too much....many has been the time that I will fire by reflex/gut..in the back mind thinking this won't work, only to nail it...and then when I am thinking about my shot (trying to replicate an earlier shot) placement too much I am totally tukka ....

Looking through this so far I have many things to look at ..... cheers for you input guys ....

[Ghosth]

Woody stick and scaling can make a huge difference.

Learning to have one mode of input for getting behind a con, and another mode (steady freddy) for shooting with very small precise inputs may also help.

Lowering scaling just near the center may also help a bit, depending on the stick.

Mounting the stick where you can comfortably brace your arm while flying can be another thing that helps.

[Muzzy]

And now a few words from the experts:

I fly close to my man, aim well and then of course he falls down.

— Captain Oswald Boelcke, probably the world's first ace.

Aerial gunnery is 90 percent instinct and 10 percent aim.

— Captain Frederick C. Libby, RFC.

I had no system of shooting as such. It is definitely more in the feeling side of things that these skills develop. I was at the front five and a half years, and you just got a feeling for the right amount of lead.

— Lt. General Guenther Rall, GAF.

You can have computer sights of anything you like, but I think you have to go to the enemy on the shortest distance and knock him down from point-blank range. You'll get him from in close. At long distance, it's questionable.

— Colonel Erich 'Bubi' Hartmann, GAF.

I am not a good shot. Few of us are. To make up for this I hold my fire until I have a shot of less than 20 degrees deflection and until I'm within 300 yards. Good discipline on this score can make up for a great deal.

— Lt. Colonel John C. Meyer, USAAF.

Go in close, and when you think you are too close, go in closer.

— Major Thomas B. 'Tommy' McGuire, USAAF.

I opened fire when the whole windshield was black with the enemy . . . at minimum range . . . it doesn't matter what your angle is to him or whether you are in a turn or any other maneuver.

— Colonel Erich 'Bubi' Hartmann, GAF.

The most important thing in fighting was shooting, next the various tactics in coming into a fight and last of all flying ability itself.

-- Lt. Colonel W. A. 'Billy' Bishop, RAF.

[maddafinga]

I'm certainly not a super gunner yet, but I usually have my hit% in the high 6s and this camp the low 7s, which is, I think, better than average.  I usually get 300 or less to shoot, and I usually try to set up crossing shots, where I can aim with the nose of my plane.  I like to line my nose up where the bad guy's flight path will cross directly in front of it, at point blank range, and start shooting a second before that happens.  The closer the better if you ask me.  I can't much hit at all on longer shots, say 400 or more.  I do hit the odd tater shot at long range, but not frequently.  If I'm using deflection, I do try to shoot where they're going to be and not where they are.  I think that makes a huge difference.  Also, I use the dot gunsight, but I have the alpha turned just about all the way down, so it's essentially invisible.  The sights just get in the way to me. 

[jocrp6]

I still cosider myself a rookie even after the first year!  I would not say my gunnery has doubled, but has gotten mighty more better with with the CH stick!  It does make a differance,  almost like learning to fly all over again!
But with better planes,  don't know if ya'll have seen the guy's fly inverted thru hangers?  I would say(How the F--k do they do that?) Now I know!  CH Products rule!
                                                                     Misfire out,

[JC67]

thx for the input, all of what was mentioned should be helpfull. off i go to offline mode to practice before the real deal.

[CAP1]

I still cosider myself a rookie even after the first year!  I would not say my gunnery has doubled, but has gotten mighty more better with with the CH stick!  It does make a differance,  almost like learning to fly all over again!
But with better planes,  don't know if ya'll have seen the guy's fly inverted thru hangers?  I would say(How the F--k do they do that?) Now I know!  CH Products rule!
                                                                     Misfire out,

i love my ch stuff. it doesn't help me though. i went from a ms sidewinder force feedback with twisty grip to a full ch setup. the setup helped ma a little in the 38, but otherwise, i still basically suck.

 and after about 5 years, i still think i'm a rookie.

[bj229r]

I have the same problem I think alot of mine is due to lag though, right when I'm about to shoot they warp 50% of the time.

I used to have that, a couple-three computers ago. The SOUND file of my own guns was causing pc to hiccup. Finally just deleted the sound file...not as realistic, but warps quit (I think it was an over-taxed laptop)

[BaldEagl]

Ever since I started playing in AW I've worked hard on perfecting snapshots and now they are my preferred shot.  I've gotten very good over the years at judging lead and judging when a plane is going to cross my nose.  The beauty of a snapshot is you hit an enemy in full profile.  I take just a very short burst at the moment I believe I will hit and am usually right.

I also set most of my convergences to 650 yards with a few exceptions set to 400.  I'll fire at 1000 yards, again short bursts, to get a guy to turn and have gotten kills at that distance, however, I don't like being saddled up on someone's six.  Their plane profile is small and they are usually manouvering to try to avoid my shot attemps leading to a lot of wasted ammo, even using short bursts.  I'll normally fire inside 400 when saddled up.  I don't mind letting someone think I'm going to overshoot if I think they'll turn and allow me back into snapshot mode.

I have noticed that if I'm fighting from my enemy's six my hit rates drop from the 10-12% range into the 6-8% range although lately, with the minimal time I have available to play, all my stats have been suffering.

[TonyJoey]

My philosophy on gunnery: Only shoot when I have a 90% chance of hitting or when I have a 90% chance of dying if I don't hit.  Convergence wise, I've always stuck with 400 for almost every plane, with nose-firing planes the only exception, and have gotten quite used to it. Over the course of a couple years that 90% chance of hitting category has increased immensely, simply because of the second desperation category. Through that you slowly learn what will hit and what won't, increasing your overall accuracy for non-desperate situations, i.e. the first category. With consistency to this philosophy, I think anyone's gunnery can improve greatly.

[grizz441]

You have to identify the problem first.  Why is your aiming bad.  Is it a bouncy nose, over shooting, undershooting, missing below, missing above, etc.  After you identify specifically what you are struggling with, you'll be surprised how obvious the solution to the problem becomes.

[morfiend]

 Wise words Grizz.


  1 thing you can do is strafe the ground and watch the pattern the bullets make. If your having a "nose bounce" problem and the rudder is to blame,you'll see a serpentine pattern or even something that looks like a question mark.

 If the problem is the pitch axis,this is harder to see,but the use of the .target command can be used to check.

 Then of course you can film your sorties and watch where your making your mistakes.

 Once the problem is identified,as Grizz said, then you can develope drills to help or adjust your setup as the need may be.