shakes!

[JDMAG]

:twisted:
Well my son has pretty much gotten his flinch under control. But now he is not able to hold the scope on target because he skakes too much. From a rest(sandbag, deck rail, jeep hood) he shoots ok and the shake or wobble is not a problem. but if he uses shooting stickd, or a tree or telephone pole as a rest, he visibly shakes so much he cant hit a milk jug at 100 yards.(.243 model 7 youth)
any suggestions? the poor boy was almost in tears to day until I took the shooting stick and held it horizontally against the telephone pole and he used it as a rest.
Thanks in advance,
JDMAG

 

[Guy Miner]

Kind gentle approach to rifle training.

More time with a .22 rimfire. Always with ear protection. Or maybe an air rifle?

A Harris bipod on the rifle, the "swivel" type.

If he doesn't have to carry it far (hint, you can carry it) consider a heavier rifle with a varmint type barrel. Might shake less.

My son didn't get his first deer until age 13, and was/is very slight of build. Downright scrawny. Even the little 6mm Remington had too sharp of a kick for him at first. A good recoil pad and reduced loads helped considerably as did more time with the .22 rifle in practice.

Eventually he got real good and at 13 he put a 95 grain Nosler bullet through the heart of a mule deer doe at 275 yards. Shooting from prone, off a bipod, with a "youth" stock that had a cushy recoil pad.

Best of luck. He can do it. It just takes patience and a game plan.

Regards, Guy

 

[JDMAG]

Well we burn up the 22 both befor and after the 243. I havn't tried the bypod yet, Thats a good idea. I stay calm when we are shooting, he was getting upset with himself to day. He is a big kid even for 13, he just seems to wobble with the rifle.I'll try the By-pod and prone position. I dont think he will have to shoot this year with out the rest on the deer stand.and with that he should doo pretty good.Here is a photo of his build, so you can see, he should have enough build to support the weight of a youth model rifle.

Keep the info coming, he is doing alot better with the info I have gleaned from the forum so far.
JDMAG[/img]

 

[JD338]

I agree with Guy, a bi-pod is rock steady. Another option would be the Polecat Safari tripod sticks. They too are very steady.

JD338

 

[Harpersend]

You may consider a military style sling in conjunction with the tree that is being usedas a rest. My grandad taught me to shoot using an old military sling on a 22 and to this day all my rifles sport that style sling. Prone / kneeling / sitting / standing my arm is still through that sling.

Another thing to consider is fatigue. He may just be tired and starts shaking with the weight and then his frustration with himself just compounds the situation. If the 22 is considerably lighter, consider a day of fun plinking with that and not even worry about the 243 on that trip and see if he is ok with it from a tree or telephone pole.

Hope this helps..........

 

[cloverleaf]

+1 to whts already been suggested/ Have one other thought- what power scope were you using? higher magnification (even 3x) just makes the wobble mre pronounced and that tends to make a kid more nervous and excited and make the problem worse. I had good luck setting a kid up with a 1.5-4.5 Bushnell Banner scope. Left it down on 1.5 and had him practice at 50 yds. Opening morning he took his first Deer at 125 yds with Dads help and the scope turned up to 4.5. Sounds like hes dreading the recoil maybe too. Good pad and hearing protection. CL

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

It sounds psychological.
How does he do shooting the 22 in all those other positions?
When he doesn't shake with the .22, you may wish to "split the difference' with him. Have him shoot a .222 rem or something of that nature, then go back to the .243. If the .243 doesn't have a recoil pad, put one on it. Even if you don't think it needs one, it can help you son feel more comfortable with the rifle.

Does the gun fit him? or is it way to long?

 

[jtoews80]

I would suggest a Bipod, it will not hurt anything shooting off the bench. If you get him to shooting prone be very sure there are no recoil issues, Shooting prone will give ya the worst of it if you are shooting a heavy recoiling rifle. I had a 7mm STW that weighed 7 lbs. it was very punishing to shoot prone.

As for shooting off a Bipod, my wife shoots 257 wby, 264 win, 30-378, 308 win off of a Bipod accurately, but wobbles to much to hit a 5 gallon pail freehand because my rifles don't fit her build. Also, my younger brother has to shoot off of a Bipod due to CP. His right had is at most 35% functional, he still shoots MOA from prone with a model 742 rem in 308(we had to change the sling swivel)

CC