When I started getting serious about offhand shooing some years ago a very good shooter gave me some advice.  "First get your equipment right. Shortcut is to use what the best shooters use. "Next to shoot better in matches eliminate errors.  Bad shots and mistakes cost way more  points than anything else." "At some point you are going to have to learn to cut your wobble and hold the rifle steady. "  "In the end the thing that separates shooters is the ability to see a good sight picture and execute the shot. "

The execute advice seems easy but in fact is the hardest part of all. Personally have been working on holding the rifle steady for a long time.  To the point that I am not going to get much more out of it.  I don't have the best offhand position but it's about what it's going to be. Improvements are going to be slight.  The see a good shot and execute is what I have been experimenting with lately.  In the "Russian" book, "Competitive shooting"  A.A. Yur' Yev spends a lot of time examining this part of the problem.

He gives a good explanation with supporting data that there is a small window to break a good shot. After an offhand rifle settles into position the best hold is in the next 3rd  to 5th second, then rapidly deteriorates. At times it's easy to see and break a center shot. Other times you will see centers but for some reason cannot get the gun to go off, or worse go off too late. 

Yur Yev relates an experiment were top level Russian shooters were tested with a buzzer buttons and colored lights.  At the flash of the light they had to hit the buzzer with times recorded.  Next test was to have the shooter hit the buzzer when the correct color light was illuminated.  Times increased significantly.  The real test came when there was a reward attached to hitting the buzzer on the correct light with a penalty for making a mistake,   Times really increased.   He related the hesitation and fear of error to failing to execute the shot when the correct sight picture is obvious.

He claims it's possible to train and improve the reaction time.  In fact some shooting sports require breaking a shot in very shot time periods with no 2nd chance or hesitation. Skeet or Trap shooting is a good example.  Action Pistol requires fast breaking shots with the best shooters making aimed multiple shots in fractions of a second shot to shot. The old trick shooters hit multiple targets in very short times.

I suspect it's not possible to improve this skill significantly with a breech seated heavy offhand Schuetzen, just not enough shots available to drill and re-drill the break. Even with a modern bolt Silhouette rifle you have 30 seconds to break a shot and most people use most of the time. No pressure to break quickly.  Still it ought to be possable to improve reaction times.  Thats how I am spending my training time, looking for answers on reaction times.

Boats

when i was 21, i could 'hold' on a 1/4 bull at 50 feet. now that i'm old, i can't even hold on the target paper.. .. the longer i hold, the tireder i gets..

..ttfn..grampa..

The whole key to the buzzer and shooting is the developement of your focus. by doing the training they are teaching you to clear your mind and center your focus on the lights. the emptier your head of verbal thoughts and the more centered you are on the target the more apt you are to sub conciuosly react at the right time. Visuallization is also part of this training. The more you can train your brain to recognize the target the quicker it will realize what it is looking at and be able to respond.

boats;
         I wonder too if the German's had it right. I've tried to shoot a semi-heavy 12# rifle for fifteen years, I recently aquired a German Aydt, the rifle seems made just for me, I shot it better the first week,iron sights of course, than I've every shot anyother rifle, so maybe these barrel heavy American rifles are just harder for some of us to master.  Now i'm wondering what would happen if I put a scope on the Aydt--I know its an ugly thought but I wonder.   leadball

Lot to think about here , appreciate the input from all.   One thing in common with the Shotgunners and fast Steel plate pistols shooters.   They focus on the target not the sights.  When the sights cross the  intended spot then they break.   Most times precison rifle shooters do it the other way around primary focus is on the rifles sight.

Pete you are right when you break a center you know it.  Tell you another thing.  Breaking a wide miss I can predect exactly were it's going to be on the target.  Even bad shots your eye sees were it's going with a remarkable degree of precesion.

Leadball, my 7 1/2 lb sporter class Bolt Silouette gun is real muzzle light. And in pratice on the ASSRA target there is little difference in scores between it and my 14 lb Schuetzen,  I suspect if fatigue is an issue there is an advantage to the light gun,  Only thing about the heavy muzzle is it slows down your swing.   

Anyway offhand those 3-5 seconds are the ones important. 

Boats