Effects of Rifle Handling, Target Acquisition, and Trigger Control on Simulated Shooting Performance

Abstract : Recent technological innovations have made highly-specific measurements related to shooting performance available to researchers. This study utilized data from several simulated shooting experiments to analyze specific patterns among rifle handling and trigger control, and to determine how they affect reaction time and accuracy among shooters of differing skill levels. Results demonstrated that relatively consistent patterns of specific variables occur among shooters of varying skill level; however, the magnitude of correlation between these variables, reaction time, and shot accuracy differ depending on shooter skill (e.g., trigger pull in skilled shooters seems to be more affected by reaction time than in less-skilled shooters). Findings suggest that Engagement Skills Trainer shot variables have the potential to be a useful measure of highly-precise marksmanship performance across multiple populations.