Diagnosing or Tips on shooting form

[West2East]

As I'm stretching my shooting out to over 500. I can generally tell when I miss that it is probably misjudged wind or incorrect elevation. However, I was looking for any information to soak up about what impact locations on a target at distance indicate about your shooting form.
I've watched most(if not all) of @THLR s videos and some others and looked online here and various forums to find a thread but haven't come across one.

For example, at distance, how would too much cheek pressure reveal itself, too little support on rear bag, too much trigger hand grip, etc.

Does anyone have a thread they can link where these items are discussed?
If not, can others share what they generally notice about form and it's effects?

Edit to add: I have read so much that I have a checklist that I'm trying to work on and it's becoming more subconscious. But how do you tell if you're getting it right? Keep shooting further?

 

[hereinaz]

Video yourself and watch it back.

What does the reticle do when you shoot?

 

[West2East]

Video yourself and watch it back.

What does the reticle do when you shoot?

Thanks for that suggestion, I guess I hadn't thought of that.
Most of the time, up and left. I'm making impacts to 500 pretty comfortably and usually on 5-7 power I can be back on target to watch the impact with an un-braked/un-suppressed 6.5CM

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[longrangelead]

Bug @Ryan Avery about the S2H online class or better, take the S2H 0-600 course and get trained on correct fundamentals of riflemanship.

 

[wind gypsy]

My understanding/assumption is that if something in your form shows up on target at 500 yards, it'll show up at 100 yards as well but at 100 yards there'll be more certainty that it wasn't caused by atmospherics or ammo dispersion that manifests more with distance.

Chris Way goes into a lot of this and created the craft drill as a diagnosis tool and baseline that you can keep. Would be worth listening to some of his stuff although he is more Comp rifle based and might not totally align with what form would teach folks.

 

[TaperPin]

For example, at distance, how would too much cheek pressure reveal itself, too little support on rear bag, too much trigger hand grip, etc.

It helps to visualize a rifle as essentially floating. It’s resting on something, and you’re holding onto it, but it’s not locked down solid in a vice, so it very much acts like it’s floating. During recoil the rifle moves rearward 1/16” or so and the barrel lifts some before the bullet leaves the barrel so any pressure affects this. Hand pressure, cheek weld, holding the forend, bipod preload or bounce, recoil pad pressure, etc. all change your point of impact. You have to hold the rifle to drive it, so the goal is to find the most consist holds that produce the best results. Some get good results with little hand and cheek pressure, but as recoil levels go up you don’t have an option of not holding it more firmly.

Holding onto the forend resists barrel rise so groups will be lower. Solid support under the butt stock resists it dipping so it also groups slightly lower. More pressure on the recoil pad lowers groups. Think about which direction cheek weld pressure is pushing and during recoil that’s where the stock goes.

Everything is testable in shooting. Change one thing and it will show up on target. At this point if you try to change too many things at once it creates a lot of static and it’s hard to see what does what. Flip flopping around with technique doesn’t help with consistency. Use a good basic technique, either new style squared up, or traditional bladed, and focus on getting good consistent results first, then try varying things to see if it helps or not. Grip pressure like you’re shaking hands on the forend and pistol grip is a good starting place. A natural feeling moderate cheek weld, like if you were shooting a shotgun, is a good starting place.

 

[hereinaz]

I agree with @wind gypsy most will show up at 100. Getting better, it’s about learning and tracking progress fundamentals. Rifle Craft, Frank Galli, Jacob Bynum, and Caylen Wojek put out stuff for fundamentals, and that applies to any rifle work.

Tips and tricks might manage a part of the shooting process, but only in that situation. It’s why shooting off a bench or prone only goes so far.

I also disagree some, that everything shows up at 100. At long range, muzzle jump can create vertical stringing at 1000 yards to larger extent than at 100, but you have to eliminate a lot of variable and shoot a lot to tease it out the further you go. But still, focusing at 100-400 can teach you a lot.

 

[West2East]

Thanks for the replies. I feel like 10 shot groups at 100 are consistently 1.2-1.5 MOA depending on the ammo.
I guess more volume at 400-500 won't hurt and show some areas for improvement.

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