Marksman !!! please help...

[revi]

I would like to hear some ways in which you bring down a BF 109. Does anyone bother shooting at one when it spirals down? Where is the best place to hit it. Do you actually aim somewhere specific? What position are you most likely to make the kill in.

[Zoom2136]

I always go for to cockpit....

You just have to time it right... I use 110 meters convergence... and alway get in close before I shoot... Usually I'm well within 100m when I pop someone...

With such a close range... deflection is not as important... maybe just a few feets... works like a charm... I most have killed a couple 1000s 109/190s online in the last 2 or 3 years... with a average gunnary of about 10%. All my burst are usually about 0.5 to 1 sec long... I never spray a target (well only when I'm out of 20s)...

Also when very close (read just a few meters) you have to offset your shots to account for wing mounted guns (I fly only the Spit). Its a blast to see a bandit break up just a few meters from you as you fly by him... Same for long distance shoots (read about 200m) usually aim for mid wing in order to hit the fuselage or wing root... but these are lower % shots and I mainly use short burst (303s or 50s only) to get a bandit to turn... getting them as close to the cockpit as possible tend to make them turn

Once he turns... go into a high yo-yo and kill him...

[1.JaVA_Sharp]

best answer is still to get close and let fly with everything.

I'd also add to either try the sp campaign(s) or the quick mission builder. both are uncomplicated ways of having lots of targets at your disposal. I'm sure you'd improve your aim with little effort in that way.

[BG-09]

The tipe of aircraft does not mather, but the pilot is the most important in to the combat. Shoot stright in the target and every aircraft will be going down.
For example when I fight with P-38 I got several online kills of pilot who was flying Me-262, but the enemy pilot was relying of the speed of Me-262, not on tactics.

Thats why I got him several times but he never got me.

Yor bullets must hit the enemy - that is enough.

S!


BG-09

[76.IAP Männis]

Well it depends on your armament. If you've got the 303 Brownings then its best to get up real close to make the kill, I've fired all my ammunition into 109s several times from greater range with the MkI Hurricane, but I just killed a Stuka with a one second burst as I made a high speed pass. He lit up like a candle just after one burst.
I do think range is a very important factor. And I would say that there are different ways of bringen different enemys down. Heinkels for instance can be killed pretty easy when going for the tail. The aileron and ruder comes of pretty quick, but headon the cockpit is a predestinated target.
But I usualy don't have the time to be picky when online fighting I just blast away as soon as I can hit the target.
But my gunnery isn't the best anyway

[HanzBlixz]

Hi Revi

The others have offered some great advice. Some have become excellent shots after years of experience.

To develop shooting skills faster, practicing in a target rich environment offline can really help. The BattleBox server in hyperlobby has a website that offers a download called the “Target Arcade”. It gives you the opportunity to shoot down dozens of different aircraft in just a matter of minutes. Several offer the 109 as a target at both high and low altitude. I sometimes use it for a few minutes to warm up my aim before I go online.

A quote from its readme.txt
“This was designed to give players a target rich environment to improve aim and deflection shooting. Practice getting a position advantage and avoiding the head-ons. Use short burst to save ammo.”

If you would like to try it, the link is posted in the server description in hyperlobby.
I’ll post it here as well. http://battlebox.webhop.net/
The download is near the bottom in the FAQ section.

Happy Shooting.

[Chivas]

With wing mounted guns by far the most important thing is shooting and hitting at your convergence setting. Especially if he hasn't seen you , you must make that first shot devistating, that we you avoid a long drawn out dogfight, which attracts unwanted attention.

If the diving 109 is in a tight spiral...aim for the center of the spiral...if its a consistent wide spiral you should be able to tell the next spot he will travel thru. Fire a wall a bullets that he will fly thru it.

Like Zoom said get close, if your convergence is close, but when I'm shooting him I stand off alittle because those Spits blow up real good.

[revi]

Thanks for the link HanzBlix, the "BattleBox" download is great to get into the action real fast, and has good selection of planes.

Thanks also for the good advice so far from everyone, it has given me alot to think about. Please dont hesitate to post more than once if you think of something else.

Regards Revi.

[proton45]

my advice is a little different then some I have read here...For the most part I feel lucky if I can hit any part of the fighter (LOL). But the thing I have discovered is that you can take almost anything down if you hit it with enough ammo. I'm not that good at hitting selected parts of an airplane (with the exception of engines on the big birds) like the pilot or the engine...so what I do is practice "tracking" the target. I figure out how much distance a head of the target I need so that I can "hit" the fighter and then I hold my aim their as I fire my guns...I have found that if you hit any part of an airplane long enough it will come down, burn, or loose parts.