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With apologies to Alberta Canuck whose accurate rifle shooting tips inspired me I offer one of my own. SIT DOWN. In my years of hunting big game with others I am constantly amazed at hunters who will take an offhand shot when better shooting positions are available. Offhand shooting should only be done if there is nothing else available. Mellon in African Hunter even advocated grabbing shoots of grass and pulling up to steady the fore hand over shooting offhand. O'Connor mentions in many of his stories that he sat down to take shots or used a nearby tree to steady his aim so it's not like this should be news to anyone. Yet I continue to see hunters who have many seasons under their belts shoot standing. It was my good fortune to take a couple of training sessions from the Army Reserve Marksmanship team in the 80's where proper position shooting was taught for High Power competition. While I was never a threat to win Camp Perry, my hunting success increased dramatically because I was taught proper shooting technique that I could apply in the field. The reason I favor sitting is that it usually gets me above the vegetation in my usual hunting terrain and is second only to prone in accuracy and kneeling is one of my least favorite positions because of my arthritis.  BTW they also taught offhand shooting which is part of high power but drilled into us that it is the least accurate position.If you want to increase your accuracy, learn proper technique for prone, sitting, standing and offhand as well as shooting from sticks and dry fire practice until you can get in the positions quickly and hold your rifle steady. Then when you are hunting, practice "what if's". What if a deer jumped right now, what rests do I have available, where would I sit? Should you never take an offhand shot? Of course if you are confident in making an accurate shot and there is no better position or time will not allow a better position. But my experience is that about 90% of the time whether still hunting, on drives or on stands there is a better alternative. Learn the techniques and practice and you will be a better rifleman and hunter.  Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | ||
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Along those same lines... We learned, in the US Army Ranger School to: never stand when you can sit never sit when you can lay down that's prone to those of you where in the Corps | |||
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Simple truths. And fwiw, I assume like good little children you practice field position shooting all year long, since off hand is the least stable position, it should be practiced the most. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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And why lay down with your eyes open when you can sleep! | |||
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I actually got questioned last year while shooting an M1 Garand in an impromtu backyard shooting session "Why do you feel the need to use a porch column to help steady the rifle?" Well, certainly the range was short enough to not be needed to hit the target that was only 75 yards, but I have gotten so used to immediately utilizing the nearest object that can help steady my aim. So, I just answered that it makes sense to me to use whatever is available at the moment to make the best shot possible. It seemed strange to me the person asking the question almost seemed to be inferring that is more "macho" to shoot offhand; making the shot more difficult... whatever. I just want to hit the target as consistently as possible. If offhand in required, then so be it, but my shooting isn't a figure skating routine that needs degree of difficulty added unnecessarily. | |||
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That certainly makes sense to me Hondo. That's why I posted the "accuracy tip for hunters" thread... A knee sling can only be used from the sitting position, but it can and does give added support when none other is available. I would, of course prefer a prone position where practical. But often a prone shot simply isn't in the cards on every occasion for the hunter. And that is, of course why in my thread on "the most important factor in rifle accuracy" I recommended several things... 1. Experiment with exactly how to use one's rifle in EACH position to get maximum accuracy from it in EACH position. 2. realize that EACH different rifle may not respond the same as one's other rifles, from ANY position (or maybe from one or two positions). 3. When one knows what works best for the rifle or rifles one is going to use for hunting, practice with each and every one of them from each and every position they can be expect to be used to fire at game. That not only increases the accuracy of the hunter/rifle combo, but size of the bag and the humane aspects of the kills. Sure it takes time and is both expensive and a lot of WORK. But what thing worth having or doing doesn't? In other words, why do something half-fast if a person can do it better? Best wishes to all and a Happy Holiday Season. My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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Good point but it doesn't have to be expensive or a lot of work. You can put a small mark or piece of tape on a wall at the end of a hallway and MAKE SURE YOUR RIFLE IS NOT LOADED and dry fire practice in all of the positions you would use when hunting. Doesn't cost anything, you can do it at night when it's snowing outside. Do it everyday for 15-20min, then of course go to the range when you can but you don't have to burn powder to practice.  Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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If you can get closer, get closer. If you find a rest use it. Another point they made was that after 10 seconds you lose ground because of muscle fatigue. train yourself to shoot within 10 sec. Of course I've met deer that decided to move before the 10 sec limit !  | |||
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Dry firing is probably one of the most overlooked aids to good marksmanship there is. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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It is true that dry firing is a great aid to developing marksmanship. But it supplements actual firing of rounds downrange, it does not substitute for it (except maybe with such as .22 rimfires). Only when shooting live ammo from the various positions will the shooter's body adapt to the effects caused by recoil and other disturbances of aim and follow-through, caused by real-life firing of the guns involved. And only with live-firing will a person learn how each gun likes to held (tightly or loosely, one hand just in front of the action or well out on the forearm, and so on). A person really needs to do both dry-firing & live-firing to become a top notch shot (with anything other than with rounds which have virtually no recoil and little if any noise). | |||
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I agree with this. I go to the range every week EXCEPT when it gets close to hunting season just because I abhor having to fight through crowds or once a year shooters. I do nothing from then on but dry fire. Dry firing does a lot for your follow through and learning to call shots offhand. During the year, 80-90 percent of my shots are offhand, mostly through my high volume rifles (AR15 and AKM), lack of recoil dry firing isn't an issue for me, but I've never been especially bothered by recoil though. I dry fire every night before a day's hunting, just to stay sharp, usually four or five pulls. A shot not taken is always a miss | |||
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gee, wonder why, in Marine boot camp, I spent my first two weeks on the rifle range "snapping in (dry firing) before I sent my first live round down range? And then, when it's dark or raining, I can still practice breathing and trigger control and bench technique. Or if there's snow up to my ass. When you're shooting live ammo and the rifle is under recoil, you can only guess what your sight picture was when you broke the trigger. When you're dry firing, you can know to a certainty. That's as good a way as possible to learn how each rifle likes to be held. Although my rifles get held pretty much the same way. The exception being that I touch my target rifles gently and as little as possible and my boomers are held in a more robust manner, pulling the stock into my shoulder. There is no substitute for live firing. But you have to know what you're doing when you start. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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I think we all agree on that. I don't think anyone is advocating dry firing as a substitute for live practice, but it can be extremely helpful as well as a practical way to help "tune up" when you can't get to the range. Have gun- Will travel The value of a trophy is computed directly in terms of personal investment in its acquisition. Robert Ruark | |||
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Actually, if one wants to do his best work. when he sits down at the bench, he will set his rifle in the rest, mount the rifle and then dry fire a few rounds to ensure that he is holding it well and the rifle is cradled correctly. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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That is okay for bench paper punchers. But hunters of man or beast, and defensive shooters, need to learn to make that first shot go where they want it, and in the field they often don 't have time to dry fire. Sometimes they don't have time to find a rest either...which is why they need to practice while assuming the positions they may need in the field. Of course they should dry-fire from those positions too as part of the learning curve, and then afterward to help "keep their hand in". But a person should not come to rely on "practice trigger pulls" as part of their shooting routines. They want to do it right instinctively, which takes a lot of work in scenarios as close to the real thing as possible. That DOESN'T mean don't dry fire. What it means is to use dry firing as an added supplement to the real thing. My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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give it a rest, AC. You don't develop accurate loads shooting off hand. It starts at the bench whether you are shooting competition or planning on a shoot out. And before you can shoot an accurate group, consistency is the key. In mounting the rifle, acquiring a sight picture, and trigger pull. They need to be practiced until they are unconscious actions that occur without thought. And those fundamental need to be in place regardless of whether you're "punching paper" or killing people or animals. Aim for the exit hole | |||
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Maybe you should give it a rest. But before you do, go back and look at your previous statement which I quoted and responded to. No one was talking about developing accurate loads. We were talking about how to shoot well. To do that requires the sort of practice I've already covered. Without those skills, it doesn't really matter how accurate one's loads theoretically could be. What maters I being able to get the best out of the guns and ammo one has. One doesn't want to develop a habit where they always get three or four "dry" pulls of the trigger before making shots which will count. If a person comes to depend on "dry" shots to prepare himself for his "best" shots he will feel very slightly ill at ease when he has to make a shot without using that crutch. And feeling ill at ease with a shot is not something a rifleman is looking for. It is clear you and I have substantially different philosophies of how to train oneself to do the best when the chips are down. That's life. My country gal's just a moonshiner's daughter, but I love her still. | |||
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My first post on this thread. Dad and others well known for being the "old elk killers". Always taught me: "Never shoot at game without a rest even if they get away". At least you won't wound them by offhand spraying the hillside." So far I've never had to track one very far. Couple hundred yards on some lung shots but, they're done for at the shot. Just have to go gather them up. Am getting old and way past the point of being crippled up so sitting and prone are just about out of the question for me these days. Believe I'll build a standing shooting sticks set up as much as I dislike the idea. They look like there's some good points to using them when no rest is available. Wish you all well, George "Gun Control is NOT about Guns' "It's about Control!!" Join the NRA today!" LM: NRA, DAV, George L. Dwight | |||
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