Went to the range and shot three rifles off sticks for the first time , I came to one conclusion I STINK AT SHOOTING OFF STICKS!!!
Couldn't seem to hold steady all I could manage to do was be somewhere inside a ten inch bull.
I'm 6'3" . Any advice please, this is going to take lots of practice before July. Range was 100 yds.

The 3 legged ones are much better than two for stability, and find a way to anchor that back elbow. It really helps; I found using my PH's arm while he was glassing next to me was the best for me.

Practice - Practice - Practice


I couldn't shoot off them when I first started, very uncomfortable.

I found keeping the bamboo legs spread out wide really made it sturdy.

I went out and cut bamboo and made a set, I do all my practicing off them.

I use the 3-legged shooting sticks made by Stony Point and I love them. They take some getting used to. Try balancing your forend at different points to see what works best for you. It all depends on the weight and balance of your gun, as well as how you hold your elbow. You might also try holding your right elbow (assuming you are right handed) out at a 90 degree angle from you body (in other words, perfectly horizontal). That forms a good pocket for the butt of the gun and also works great for shooting off hand.

Big Mo:

I find that pulling down the forend helps. Before I go to Africa I dry fire everyday off of sticks and practice shooting off them a lot.

Just takes a bit of getting used to.

Keep practicing - it will get better.

Have you asked your PH whether he uses 2 or 3 leg sticks??? My PH uses the 2-leg version in Zimbabwe and therefore practiced a good bit prior to the trip. It didn't take long to develop pretty good consistency.

I've since bought a 3-leg set from Long Grass Oufitters and find them even easier to use than the 2-leg (at least for me!!).

Phil

I'm not too enthusiatic about using sticks but think it's the most practical way to shoot when stalking in Africa. The number one challenge for me is most sticks that PHes use are much too low for me or the tracker habitually sets them too low, and I'm only about 6' or so. If I have to bend my knees and squinch down to rest the rifle I may as well just shoot offhand, also I find it difficult to lean foward on the sticks. I think the three stick sticks are much easier to use than the two stick sticks. I made and practice off two stick sticks rationalizing that if I can shoot competently off those, then I should be able to handle either type.

I think it's very important to take a few minutes of time at the beginning of the hunt to become familiar with the sticks that you'll be using and discuss setting them up with the tracker and/or PH, depending on who is going to set them for you.

I read on these forums a while back what may be the best advice of all. Someone suggested buying a set of collapsible sticks, practicing off them until you can use them very well, then take that set of sticks on your safari.

Mostly I think hunters just need to practice enough until they are comfortable with sticks.

I used the two stick poles supplied by the PH Jaco Human on my last safari but there were no long shots. On previous safari I used the Stony Point collapsible sticks and did OK. I haven't yet tried the Long Grass tripod sticks but I hear they are good. But yeah, they all require some practice.

Big Mo

Try the following, which took a week of hunting to learn as coached by my last PH:

1. Hold fore-end and one of the (3) stix "all together"
2. Push firmly forward with your shoulder against the rifle butt as you squeeze AND
3. "Make the animal fall down with your scope",
ie, keep your head down with complete follow through.

It helps to treat your off hand as a sort of wrap / connector between fore-end and tripod.

Also, you can't treat the stix as a sandbag. More like a handy tree or bush you carry around with you. Practice with a set of short stix for shooting "off your butt" vs. standing. And, get the hang of shooting off sticks with one gun first. Fore-end shapes can affect how you hold, including if the sling is part of how you shoot. Using a tight sling approach screwed me up totally.

Expect your groups to be at least double in size from sandbagged / benchrest groups.

Best wishes on your trip. Now's the time to practice -- I'm also 6'3".

BNagel

Big MO,

I took me five days on my first (and only so far) safari to figure out the best way for me. I would have the PH set them up ever so slightly off tarket - not straight on, set up my rifle in the rubber sling and would then turn towards the target. The sling gripped the stock wonderfully. I also determined the sticks (bipod) needed to lean slightly back towards me and I became the third leg of the tripod.

This worked very well for me, but I obviously am limited in the times and experience. Too bad it took me five days to figure out what worked for me, even though I didn't lose any game. What everyone else already confirmed-practice.

Good Luck, Fred

Just keep practicing Stan. What kind of shooting sticks are you using? I tried a pair of Stoney Point Safari Stix but found they were too unsteady. I ended up borrowing DocGlenn's Stoney Point Pole Cat tripod for my trip to Namibia last year. They worked very well. I'm sure he would let you give them a try.

I was going to the range once or twice a week before my trip, which was a lot of help. While I practiced almost exclusively with the sticks set up as a tripod, I only shot 1 animal with the third leg extended. All the other animals were with the sticks set up as a bipod, so I would practice that way as well. You might find that using the sticks as a bipod will help you adjust for the rifle's elevation and compensate for your height. I don't think this will apply so much at the range, but in the field it was helpful to me.

I shoot off the long grass sticks and love them.
It took some time but i love them now. I hold
the rifle normal and rest my hand on the sticks,
but play with it and you will find what is best
for you.

I'm certainly no expert but try this:
Experiment with either your hand in front of, behind, on top of, or as already suggested, around the top of the sticks. You will find that one type of "hold" will work best for you. The suggestion re the "off" elbow is a good one. If you watched the Dangerous Game episode where Ernst Scholz shot the buffalo, you will note that when he got on the sticks he had the gun bearer stand next to him and Ernst pushed his weak elbow back against the shoulder and neck of the gun bearer. This is much steadier than on sticks alone. If you want to try something really steady, have the sticks set up in front of a tree where your weak elbow and body can use the tree for support and the front hand and rifle rest on the sticks. It's like shooting off a bench. You must practice to see which hold to use on sticks and which one your gun seems to like.

Stan,
Give me a call sometime and you can try my shooting stix out at the house. I've got the tripod with the rear support. If you like them, I would get a set and just start practicing. It's not as easy as it looks, especially when you are shooting 200-300 yds.
Glenn

I am 6'4" and everytime I've used the sticks, I shot where I was aiming , but after wiping the blood off my brow, I've found that the scope was moved forward on the rings, and the zero was now somewhere in the outfield. Wish I knew the solution. Sgraves155

Big Mo and SGRAVES, I am 6"6" so I can understand the height issue. Some years ago I bought one of those extandable mono pods - TRASH! It was as wobbly as a new lamb and sunk into the Limpopo sand! I like the three legged sticks but they need to be extra long. Yeah it takes some getting used to... like anything else, but it sure beats offhand as well as trying to coordinate my shaking and that of the PH's reluctant shoulder! Here in the States I frequently use a camera tri-pod with a rifle rest bag tied on the top for shooting varmints. If you can stabilize the sticks/rest use your "offhand" to stabilize your shooting elbow. I tuck my elbow against my right side and hold it there with my left hand across my chest. Almost as good as a shooting bench!

quote:

Originally posted by oupa:
...Here in the States I frequently use a camera tri-pod with a rifle rest bag tied on the top for shooting varmints...

oupa,

I found that the "V" rifle rest attachment that Stoney Point uses on their Polecat extendable mono-pod, bi-pod and tri-pods will fit a standard camera/spotting scope tri-pod as well. I purchased one specifically for that purpose. Swapping out my spotting scope for rifle rest can be done in a snap.
Sorry for the hijack Big Mo.

Learn how to shoot on your own two feet! (The unarmed trackers will bless you for it (if you are good) and your PH will respect you for it - even more if it's DG) Hate to sound so harsh with you but hunting in Africa is the "World Series" of hunting (to some of us American hunters anyway) and you should want to stand up and face game by shooting your rifle as a hunter - not like somebody shooting at a paper target who wants to score points as to who can come closest to the X ring. Just my thoughts.

Big Mo:

Forgot to add something when I first was telling you off! Try practice at 50 yards. (If your PH will trust you, your shot will be at that distance or even closer on DG). Do as I did, practice constantly in setting up and firing at that range. You can easily handle the plains game at longer ranges because they can't stomp or claw you into the ground!

I find shooting off of cross sticks to be very accurate. Of course I shoot Black Powder Cartridge Rifle Silhouettes about 2,500 rounds a year with a 45-70 Shiloh Sharps rifle; so they are second nature for me. I can keep half a dozen shots from my 458 Lott in a 9" paper plate at 100 yards, so just practicing might be the answer.

Rich

they are an asset, in the tall grass areas in Oklahoma sometimes the tall shooting sticks are the only thing that works. It takes some effort to get good with them but in the end you will shoot better. I like the ones sold by a company in Texas, Long Grass and they are great.

Hey folks!

If you want some good shooting sticks, contact LONG GRASS OUTFITTERS

They make the best shooting sticks around! They are made according to the shooters height and they are take downs that will fit in our gun case.

The folks at Long grass Outfitters are the best people you will ever do business with! They are long time forum members!

Many good suggestions here. One other you might try (if not stated above): Most put the forearm on the sticks in front of both hands. Try resting the forearm in the middle and your forward hand in front of the sticks. Worked better for me as it was more solid.

Rusty made a good point about the LG Sticks that
I missed,Cut for Hight. I have noticed how many of yall are 6 3 and more. Tripod sticks must be a bunch taller than you are when all 3 legs are together or they will not be stable or will be too low when you shoot.

Most of men who guide hunters like me have to offer and encourage the use of sticks because we want to get the trophy fast and clean with not lose of time .Iagree that you must practice a lot with sticks i have two legged sticks only ,but i believe that most of us dont practice enogh shooting offhand,kneeling,sitting or in real hunting situations i saw the safari prep course dictated at gunsite and i believe that that is the kind of practice we need .Our phs will be very happy.Juan

I got a Stoney Point Expedition Bipod last year for my Namibia trip. Could not shoot with them - always low and left. Then I read a tip on this forum. Just lightly rest your rifle on the bipod - don't bear down on the rifle. It worked for me. I shot four animals from 75 to 225 yards. Hope it helps!
John

I must be the only guy on AR that is way less than six feet tall. While you tall guys get stock creep, I had trouble getting anything but sky at the beginning of my only African hunt. Even when you pull out one leg they can still be too high. Thank goodness, on a whim, I practiced shooting off the side of a leg a few times. Not as good as the top, but better than offhand. Good Luck on your trip. Hope is as much fun as mine.

Thanks Guys for all the advice[i've been real busy since my post]
My sticks look a lot like the Long Grass set and they are take down. I fired about eighty rounds from 3 different rifles and did feel good about some shots. I need to experiment more with different rifle placement on the sticks and practice a lot which I will do.
Gerry 375 I shot a caribou off hand at 350yds when I was thiry yrs. old , just not that steady anymore
Thanks for the advice.
DocGlenn welcome to the forum, I need to see your mounts when its a good time.

Didn't take long before I realized that consistency wasn't going to be there as long as the legs were set up a different distance apart each time. The farther the legs are apart, the shorter the rest and vice-versa. So I set 'em up like I wanted and tied string to the 2 sticks about 1/2 way down. Now when I set 'em up, they're the right height for me (with allowances for terrain and vegetation). And I don't have to worry about one leg sliding out while I'm trying to aim steady.