I believe that shooting off hand and useing iron sights are becomming lost skills.I was taught by my father and uncle to shoot off handed and with iron sights,it was a source of pride who could hit the target from far away off handed and with iron sights.My cousind and I use to try and out do each other.My nephews now all want scopes on there rifles and some resting postion.I cannot convince them to shoot off handed or use there iron sights,they say to me what if I miss.Well is that not what learning how to shoot your rifle is learning how to aim and shoot with out any aids.I am 58 years old I quess I am behind the times,what do you think?

.Well is that not what learning how to shoot your rifle is learning how to aim and shoot with out any aids.I am 58 years old I quess I am behind the times,what do you think?

Remember the frist fire arms came with out sights why are use using them.

AN AID TO AIMIMG



Well at 58 if your eyes can still focus on iron sights properly your a blessed man.

I lot of people use optics because their eye are not perfect.

As far as shooting off hand that just takes time behind the trigger. I was always taught use a rest when possible it just makes hitting easier.

I don't know why some one would shoot off hand if a rest was timely and available. Except for relitivly close in targets. Except when forced too.

Yes it is a skill that needs to belearned and there is a time an place for it.

I spend 1-2 days a week at the range and notice the majority show up with their lead sleds to site in and then go home .No other praticing off the unlimited range where it goes to 1000yds and your free to put targets at any distance.haven't seen anybody sit or prone shoot in awhile.factors are many cost to much to pratice if you don't reload,people are always in a hurry,and just don't want to take the time to be a better shot.

Figure in a few other facts guys. 1. People do not have the ability to spend as much time in the field or with their guns as they used too. 2. Not everyone hunts the same exact way or under the exact same conditions. 3. Even the old time buffalo hunters saw the advantage to using scopes and shooting from a good rest. 5. Using a scope and taking a rest is going to be more conducive to accurately placing the bullet on target, paper be damned. When a person is hunting big game with a rifle they need to be more concerned with first shot accuracy, then lobbing a shot out there hoping it connects.

Also, this is one of those little divisive observations trying to prove who are the "Real" hunters and who are the "Phonies. I have been on a couple of hunts during my career and about 80% of the game I have killed has been by Spot & Stalk with about half that number being shot off hand with scoped rifles at ranges from 30 feet or so out to 200 + or - yards I will take a rest every chance I get, if it is nothing more than setting on my arse with my elbows on my knees, and I use a scope 99% of the time because it lets me have a better idea of where my bullet is going to hit.

Thanks to everyone for your replys.

The only advice I have is lots of practice. But - in my experience those who need it most don't have the time, and those what have the time no longer have the reflexes, steady hands and eyesight.

There's one other group which I guess is me. It's those who learned it as kids, when we had the time and the good health. And I guess being on a military rifle team didn't hurt.

Iron sights and off hand shooting. A language I spoke fluently when I was a kid. Time away from it, and hittin middle age without paying too much atention before I started to take time to start doing again some of the things I loved as a kid. Stayin too busy for too long, few years ago, started shootin on a regular basis again.
Found out those skills and better vision that I,d taken for granted as a kid had,nt just stayed there with me. Like riding a bike in some ways, remember knowin the basics, but felt pretty wobbly startin over all over again. Had a LOT more free time on my hands as a kid to grab a gun and go roamin off into the woods. Thinking about it now, as a kid, never would have considered shooting gophers a luxury....

Seemed like when I was a kid, I was always tryna sneak up just a little bit closer to whatever I was after. I,ve gotten pretty rusty, took a long time to get this rusty.

Lookin back, took a lot of trigger time, years, to hit a point where I knew my limitations and my range, and be comfortable working with those. Right now, time seems to be one of those commodities that I,m gettin pretty short on.

Yep. Practice.

I would love to shoot more but do not have the time. I recently shot the 375 off the lead sled. I don't need to practice with it. I remember reading an article that the question was asked of I believe Chuck Adams but I could be wrong. It said something like I bet you shoot thousands of arrows and the response was absolutely not. I shoot one arrow for practice. That is all I will get in the field.

I personnaly don't think bench practice is anything like field practice. I am not a good bench shooter 90% of the time but I hold my own in the field from off hand to a rest to off the sticks.

quote:

I would love to shoot more but do not have the time. I recently shot the 375 off the lead sled. I don't need to practice with it. I remember reading an article that the question was asked of I believe Chuck Adams but I could be wrong. It said something like I bet you shoot thousands of arrows and the response was absolutely not. I shoot one arrow for practice. That is all I will get in the field.

That is my basic philosophy when checking my rifle for a hunt. If I put the first shot exactly where I want it,. the gun goes back in its case and I move on to something else.

Practice and familiarizing onesself with their equipment is fine, but there is a point where to much practice causes issues.

I've got a precision rifle at my disposal. Why would i waste my effort on achieving any less? Done some off hand shooting in my day, always at close range, but there's usually a better position I can get into.

Grizz