The Accurate Reloading Forums
Wobbles and Shooting Sticks
26 December 2003, 02:56
1115Wobbles and Shooting Sticks
First, Happy and Safe Holidays to all. I had neck surgery in July, and had to lay off anything with much recoil for a while, but have healed nicely. JudgeG and I are going to Africa in May, and I am taking my trusty model 70 300 Mag for plains game. I have fired it a few times recenlty and handled the recoil fine, and except for a little target panic problem I shoot it as well as I did in days gone by when I killed several deer, and a bunch of wild hogs with it. I bought some shooting sticks made by Stoney Point and have tried shooting from them. I must be doing something wrong, because I can shoot better off hand, than with the sticks. Anybody got any ideas???? Thanks in advance. And again, Merry Christmas.
26 December 2003, 03:13
Mike_DettorreMay not be you...the sticks in Africa are often tri-pod style mutch better when standing all the way up. I only like bi-pod style sticks for kneeling or stitting
26 December 2003, 03:32
<mikeh416Rigby>What Mike_Dettorre said.
26 December 2003, 03:43
JDI shoot much better offhand than with sticks. I have only shot one animal off sticks in Africa, my first. It was not a killing shot, and the PH kept trying to get them set up again for me to finish the Wildebeest off. I shot the Wildebeest going away with a Texas Heart Shot, and I've never shot off sticks again except for practice. The sticks they've had in Africa are invariably too short for me, and I can't get in a comfortable position.
26 December 2003, 04:20
TXPOThose Stoney Point sticks have too much flex and 'give' to them.....that's what makes you wobble. Anne (Aspen Hill Adventures)had a great idea using lengths of bamboo. They seem to be pretty rigid and should work well. My PH used a couple of length's of wooden dowel rods (not sure of the diameter but close to 3/4")tied at the top with a length of inner-tube. Worked VERY well.....They were tall enough for me so that I could lean the sticks back towards me and this allowed me to put pressure on the sticks by leaning into them.....very steady!
26 December 2003, 05:20
1115Wes,
Actally I got the "Pole Cat" model for that very reason. They have very rigid legs, and can be used as a hiking staff when clipper together. I looked at the "stix" model, and agree with you that they looked too flimsey to be usefull. I think that with time, I will learn to position myself and the rifle instinctively for a more steady rest. Thanks.
26 December 2003, 05:50
jstevensThere must be a technique I don't have when using sticks. I too shoot better offhand, have terrible left to right variation. I was trying to shoot a hartebeest the first time I had them set up for me and I was varying left to right about an entire body length. I never got a shot off as he took off running and never used the sticks to shoot anything. I also never had any trouble either finding a rest or shooting offhand. the hartebeest I finally killed while running away at about 150 yards. since then I've read on here that you need to plant the sticks forward, lean them back toward your body and put a bit of weight on them to steady them, I have yet to try this but I believe I will. On the same trip my son shot well off the sticks and killed most of his game that way, so they can work.
26 December 2003, 07:51
AtkinsonI shoot much better off hand, and I'm glad

26 December 2003, 09:50
<allen day>I like to shoot off-hand the best, and really, off-hand practice is the best preparation of all for a safari. Often, too much time is lost by setting the sticks up, and some great trophy animals have gotten away as a result. In my opinion, some PHs push the use of sticks past the point of common sense and practical application......
But sticks do come in handy on occasion, especially when you have the time to deploy them, and when the shot will be past about 100 yds., with no other means of rifle support available. The key is to have both feet about even with your shoulders and angled slightly, plus have the support arm dead-straight and locked into position. Let your shooting hand do the work of pulling the rifle into your shoulder and pressing the trigger. Relax the rest of your body and keep both of your eyes on target; this is highly important! Don't subconsiously aim at the whole animal - aim at a tiny spot about the size of a silver dollar over a specific vital area and carefully press the trigger.
AD
26 December 2003, 18:10
OldsargeIt's a bit weird. In the bush, they work fine. But when I try to use them at the range, the blamed sticks jump around at the shot and fall over. Maybe the ground's too hard here.
27 December 2003, 08:46
AtkinsonMy best set of shooting sticks are PHs Pierr'e van Tonder or Richard Lemmers shoulder..I use them in the high grass on long shots across burned areas, it works fine and I can jab them in the ribs if they don't stand dead still....thump them on the head to lower them or goose them to make'um stand up straight real quick...I don't know about your sticks but mine have been known to curse me like a sailor on ocassion, just something personal and bonding about live shooting sticks!

27 December 2003, 10:14
1115Ray,
Your favorite shooting sticks will work well for me then, because I am hunting with Pierre in May. In addition he is coming to my home for a South Georgia wild hog hunt on January 20, and then I am going to feed him dinner along with JudgeG. If I take Pierre hunting is he going to want to use my shoulder?

28 December 2003, 14:23
John FrazerQuote:
It's a bit weird. In the bush, they work fine. But when I try to use them at the range, the blamed sticks jump around at the shot and fall over. Maybe the ground's too hard here.
I agree, sticks work very poorly on hard ground -- especially the tripod type. The firing line at my range is asphalt and I pretty well gave up on using them there.
John
28 December 2003, 15:06
WillThese shooting sticks topics get more weird every time.
This week are are apparently "BAD."
Next week they will be the greatest thing on earth.
There are sometimes when they are useful and/or needed. I'm not a big fan, but have used them in the past.
How you can wobble with sticks and not without is sumpum.

28 December 2003, 16:43
Atkinson1115,
I know, as Pierre is staying with me until that time...but I suggest in the future that you pick your company with more care, and carefull some of that stuff doesn't rub off on you.. That's a pair to draw too and both at the same time is more than most mortal men can endure...
29 December 2003, 00:04
LV EricI guess I'm just lucky. I have only used one pair of sticks and they work great. I have shot just under 200 head of game with them and cant blame the sticks for any misses. On the odd occasion they were set up wrong but thats rare and can be corrected easily. From the first time I used them it felt natural to me.
29 December 2003, 03:58
artyI have not used my Stony Points while standing, but like them for sitting. I sat in a friends "deer blind" this year, that consisted of an old chair two rows back in the corn. I shot a doe quartering to me at 65 yards off the sticks. For me that would have been a tough shot offhand.