A couple of things that have helped improve my shooting skills

**Zhohar** · 08-05-2010, 10:32 PM

This is offered in good faith, in that someone may find it useful. I'm not a particularly good shooter, but my heart is set on the team. I'm real frustrated when I want to help the team but I can't barely stay alive to do it.
So, I took a bit of time to focus on shooting, and these are some of the things I've learned. Maybe you'll find them useful.

1. Get a gold star in all the weapons. Be open minded and experiment with it. Each weapon has its "sweet" spot -- try to find that. The extra points won't hurt, but the perspective shift will definitely make you a better player. Even if you go back to your "main" weapon, you'll be much more effective.
Also, it's just plain fun.

2. Every now and then, stop in your tracks and ask yourself "if an enemy appeared right there, could I kill him with this weapon?" Stand and look around to every piece of cover you can see, and ask yourself if you could win against a soldier standing there. If you couldn't, then switch your weapon, or switch how you move. Try to get it so that every possible engagement is within your weapon's "sweet" spot.
Sounds too tedious and far-fetched, I know, but try it out and see if it helps you. You'll begin to appreciate how certain weapons excel at some things and not at others. I started to move through maps in a completely different way, especially after I started using the M16. Try it out.

3. Shoot for the head. You'll begin to appreciate subtle things like which ARs benefit from burst fire and which ones you can simply spray for the head. You'll start to appreciate the trade-off between lightweight kits (faster running) and the red-dot sights.
Again, it's a perspective shift.

4. Experiment with using no scopes. Some weapons (G3, M14, M1) have no RDS and awful scopes so they're not real useful for sniping or accurate fire. Practice just using the weapons unscoped and shoot for the head. You might be surprised with the results.

I hope that's helpful. A lot of us have the heart set in the right place (team 1st, self 2nd), but remember that the team benefits more from a better you.

Happy hunting~

**Vulcan** · 08-05-2010, 11:33 PM

The biggest one is burst fire and slow and steady. Recoil will be your worst enemy if you let it.

**Xen** · 08-06-2010, 12:43 AM

Originally Posted by Zhohar

2. Every now and then, stop in your tracks and ask yourself "if an enemy appeared right there, could I kill him with this weapon?" Stand and look around to every piece of cover you can see, and ask yourself if you could win against a soldier standing there. If you couldn't, then switch your weapon, or switch how you move. Try to get it so that every possible engagement is within your weapon's "sweet" spot.
Sounds too tedious and far-fetched, I know, but try it out and see if it helps you. You'll begin to appreciate how certain weapons excel at some things and not at others. I started to move through maps in a completely different way, especially after I started using the M16. Try it out.

Also, by doing this, you learn battlefield awareness. Which helps your Team 1000%. If you're aware of the situation unfolding before you, you can communicate it to your team. Good Write up Zhohar.

**N.B. Forrest** · 08-06-2010, 09:35 AM

Good post Z. For the past few weeks I've been working through golds on all weapons and I have to agree that it is not only very educational, but has helped me become a better shot.

For one I've realized that as I was working up through the unlocks that I hardly used some of the weapons - for example many of my submachine only had 1-2 kills on them. Since I've been using them the last week or so exclusively, I've really developed a greater appreciation for them.

Secondly, I've really begun focusing on headshots and knowing how each weapon performs makes it much easier to get those headshots - which weapons climb when firing, which ones stay level, etc.

Besides, rotating through the weapons has made the game more interesting.

**MacLeod** · 08-06-2010, 09:50 AM

I have learned not to sprint around corners anymore. 90% of the time, if you do so you will lose in a 1v1 situation, because it takes your gun about a second to be able to shoot after you stop running.

**Sting79** · 09-29-2010, 11:47 PM

Number 1 is extremely valuable advice. Not only does it make you a better shot, but it also keeps you from being a one trick pony. 11 more kills til I have gold on all weapons and the XM8 will be my first platinum.

**Abel** · 09-30-2010, 01:50 PM

I'm gonna throw in a little tip of my own here..

Go and pick up the SV98, attach the red-dot scope and magnum ammo.. Thats all

**MacLeod** · 09-30-2010, 08:24 PM

Originally Posted by Abel

I'm gonna throw in a little tip of my own here..

Go and pick up the SV98, attach the red-dot scope and magnum ammo.. Thats all

Scopes are for the weak; Abel I thought you were better then that

**Sting79** · 09-30-2010, 09:19 PM

Fortunately red dot is not a scope as it adds no magnification

**Pvt Brokeback** · 10-01-2010, 11:20 AM

Just to add to this, Voodoo and I have been using the M95 with RDS. With the long bolt action reload, your shot has to count. It really helps you focus on placing a well timed shot, as opposed to just instantly pulling the trigger as soon as the enemy's "within scope".

Just last night, I tried just using exclusively smoke nades. IMO, that makes the job even harder, since smoke nades actually have a trajectory to account for. Either way, unconventional one-shot-kill weapons (especially non shotgun) really emphasize on lining up properly and making sure your shot counts.

**RawDawg** · 10-07-2010, 12:35 AM

Good pointers on here. Definitely been keeping some of em in mind as I play.

I have learned not to sprint around corners anymore. 90% of the time, if you do so you will lose in a 1v1 situation, because it takes your gun about a second to be able to shoot after you stop running.

This actually helped me a lot. I realized I used the sprint key WAY too much so I unbound it for a day and played just walking. Really made me pay attention to how I use cover and concealment and carefully move across open areas.

Even though I still get owned on the TG server, I feel like I'm at least improving.

**ProjectNA** · 11-09-2010, 08:57 PM

Darn, I just found this, but glad I did. Great stuff, I'll try it out. I had no idea on the running, but I am always running, that may explain why I seem to always be a tad slower than Zho.... I mean my opponent.

I have been using the shotties on big maps and M16s on small maps, probably the exact wrong combination, but only rarely thought about it (til now).