Proper Shooting Technique

[gerry]

To piggy back on Guy's thread on marksmanship and GySgt Carlos Hathcock who by the way I have even heard of living here in Canada, maybe we could discuss proper shooting technique. I would love to hear more about how you guys do it and maybe even see some pictures if possible. I rarely shoot from a bench rest these days, only if I am testing loads and even then I'm most likely to se shooting prone from a bipod.

This year I started shooting more without a rest of any sort out to 300 yards or so and it has been quite fun, I would like to learn more from the rest of you as I'm sure many others do.

 

[Guy Miner]

Breathe
Relax
Aim
Sights
Squeeze

BRASS - from the Marines

 

[Guy Miner]

Bone support, not muscle support.

Build your position from the ground up. As much contact with the ground as possible. Lower is stable, higher is less stable.

USE THE SLING!

Cheat. Nobody deducts inches off the mule deer or elk rack if you use a rest.

Gentle on the trigger, like pressing a button on the cell phone.

Squeeze or press the trigger when you pause your breath. Inhale. Exhale about 2/3 or so, hold. Squeeze off the round then.

Pay attention to the environment. Wind? Did it just let-off? Is it a fishtailing wind? Temp. Humidity.

Pay attention to the basics, master them, master marksmanship.

Guy

 

[Vince]

Very well said Guy.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk

 

[Guy Miner]

I use a .22 as much as I can during the year, even with the ammo shortage I've been able to do so. Any low-powered round, like a .223, will do nicely too.

With the .22 I practice at 50 yards on a swinging metal target:
10 rounds prone
10 rounds sitting
10 rounds kneeling
20 rounds standing

As hunting season approaches, I bump it up to 300 yards, with a centerfire rifle. Usually my "Green Machine" .308 at first, then switch to my hunting rifle. Once a week.
10 rounds prone
10 rounds sitting
10 rounds kneeling
20 rounds standing

When I'm hitting that steel gong at 300 yards consistently, I know I'm doing good. I've done this with my .25-06, .308, .30-06 and even the .375 H&H in recent years.

I don't do 50 rounds from the .375! That was a one-time only deal. Not repeated by me. I do however practice all the positions.

Consider dry fire, it helps.

Regards, Guy

 

[nvbroncrider]

Well Guy I think you covered absolutely everything in a nutshell. It's really fun to practice that with my 338 standing on an idling quad.

 

[SJB358]

I was taught the same as Guy and have practiced it many times. The sling is the cheating part of this aspect to me. Once I got back into the proper slings, my LR shot groups really started to tighten up and settle down. Now, once I have a good load, I sling up, over my pack and zero the rifle for the prone position. It seems to be working and I do get a noticeable POI change going from the bench to the ground shooting from prone and sitting.

I gotta say, all last year I spent all of my time on the ground shooting prone without the use of a rest, then started adding in my pack. I feel very comfortable out to 500 yards like this with my 338.

Some great slings out there now. I bought 3 of the Turner's slings and couldn't be happier. It feels very "locked" in when you get it right. Even the sitting position with the sling makes shooting to 300 a pretty easy shot.

 

[velvetant]

Guy and Scotty are spot on.
Proper technique and lots of practice from field positions.
I only use a bench for load development. After that everything is field position.
Bi-pod, backpack, jacket on sagebrush.
Whatever you think you would do in the field practice it.

 

[Darkhorse]

Cheat. As I've aged I have learned the value of an adjustable shooting stick and/or a folding bipod.
I want all of me out of the equation I can get.

 

[ldg397]

Use the same routine every time. Mine when shooting game is one full breath with my eyes closed to calm nerves second full breath with eyes open third breath in and let it one third out and a slow steady squeeze of the trigger try to feel it moving and the shot will surprise you as it should.

Other tips are only use the tip of your finger on the trigger, next point your thumb forward instead of across the stock you can twist the stock without thinking by gripping with your thumb as you pull the trigger. Lastly if I use a rest I always put my hat or a glove between the rifle and the rest.

 

[Osprey78]

I just started using a bi-pod this year, more for stability for load development, but it seems to have it's benefits so far, I've found.

When shooting handguns, I know when I pull the trigger and when i squeeze the trigger. Way better groups. I find I squeeze the trigger more on my rifle than I do with a handgun. Don't know why, maybe because it's slower and more deliberate? (not a question more just a thought that came to me as I was writing this).

 

[Anonymous]

Many of the comments here mirror my own thoughts...

Once the load is chosen and the scope is "mostly" zeroed then I never shoot that rifle off the bench again. Practice from a bench is worthless unless you hunt from stands or from shoot houses with rails.

Shooting practice mirrors what I do in the field- final zero is prone. Practice out to 350 from prone, over a pack from a bipod on the Scout. To 200 or so sitting in a sling. Kneeling and offhand at 100. Rimfire practice is the same to reduced ranges.

Since I typically hunt open and mountainous country I haven't taken a shot for blood offhand in years. Prone is preferred, sitting if I can't make prone work out due to terrain and cover. The more of you that touches the ground when you shoot, the more likely you'll be successful. I'm no great threat past 100 from offhand and I'm not really any better from kneeling unless I have a stump or rock to rest over. Sitting is good for as far as I'll shoot, prone is better from a stability and confidence factor. My last two caribou were from 350 sitting, looped in a sling and 150 prone over a pack. There was a fair amount of good luck involved in the 350 one....the 150 felt like a chip shot.

 

[gerry]

Some good information here, thanks. I have used a sling wrapped around my arm to shoot from several positions and it helps a lot. Maybe someone has some pictures of how they do it? There is something about the McMillan Edge stock on my 35 Whelen that just feels right and I shoot it much better in the field than any other rifle in the house although a couple of others feel pretty good too.

I use a bipod for load development and it is great for that, in the field it works well in open areas and animals that don't know you are there. A bipod also has hindered me in the past when animals were closer and a shot needed to be taken quicker.

This winter on our elk hunt we experimented with a Bog Pod and it is easier to use in some ways than a bipod other than the fact we had to carry it around a lot, for sitting and waiting for the elk to come in to the field it was quite nice so it does have it's place, it will be coming along spring bear hunting and will be handy for longer shots on them. My wife shot well from the Bog Pod, bipod, kneeling and the sitting positions, off hand was OK at close range for her but that is something we will practice more.

Bottom line is we probably most of us really need to be shooting more from field positions, myself included. A fun way to practice around here is to shoot rocks at longer ranges where it is safe to do that, you definitely know when you hit one

 

[Osprey78]

Bottom line is we probably most of us really need to be shooting more from field positions, myself included. A fun way to practice around here is to shoot rocks at longer ranges where it is safe to do that, you definitely know when you hit one

Amen to that, Gerry.

This is something I am going to strive to do this year. I am on the finishing stages of my load development. Once that is completed, I will be doing this.

 

[gerry]

It is a ton of fun and I bet in your area there are lots of great spots where no one will be around so you can bust up rocks in peace

Another thing that is fun is to cut down small saplings and larger stems of brush with the 22 lr or other rimfire. it is neat to see how few shots it takes to cut down an alder Shooting leaves at different ranges is great too although cutting down small trees is definitely more fun.

 

[Guy Miner]

Found a couple of photos my son took, I'm in prone at the range, with my .308 Win.





And one of me practicing "wide-leg sitting" without bothering with the sling, using my .375 Number One. I've probably taken more game from sitting, than any other position. Prone is just too low much of the time, and often doesn't work when there is intervening grass, logs, brush or other obstacles:



Usually I'll use the sling from sitting. Was practicing going from standing to sitting and getting off a quick shot at 100 yards.

Regards, Guy

 

[gerry]

Good pictures Guy, thanks. I wonder about using the sling and if it changes where the bullet hits? With my McMillan stock which is quite stiff there has been no difference but wonder about more flexible stocks and guns with barrel bands like your No.1.

 

[SJB358]

My POI changes Gerry with just about every stock. Not drastic but I'm just set up differently behind the rifle so it changes a bit because of that.

I'm in the same boat as the others. I do load work and rough zeroing from the bench and then the real zeroing happens from the ground with the sling attached. Just the tension on the sling accounts for some of the difference as well. It tends to hold barrel flip down which will lower the POI a decent amount up close and quite a bit further out.

Once I zero with the sling, that's all I'll use from there on out. Just to keep it the same.

 

[truck driver]

Cheat Hmmm. I wouldn't think about it. :shock: I guess that is why I use any solid object to help steady the rifle and do a lot of standing off hand shooting using any tree I am close to. :roll: :lol: :mrgreen:

 

[Guy Miner]

Somewhere, I've got a good photo my buddy took of me right after I shot a muley out at 400 yards in Wyoming. 2009 I think. I was standing, but using this wonderful big branch to rest the rifle on... Ol dead snag of a tree in just the right spot, branch at just the right height. Worked perfectly as a rest!

Guy