Equipment versus practice posts and Rifle practice/shooting

[Jason Snyder]

Finally got some time to shoot a couple dozen rounds today. It’s been a long week and it showed.

First target is bipod and rear bag. I used the support hand technique described by @mxgsfmdpx. It was mostly good. I caught myself letting my firing hand thumb end up wrapped around the grip, which were the three shots to the left. Not sure what happened on the high one but I knew it when I sent it.



This was the ugly one. Seated with trekking poles. About middle of the string I had the high and the low shots. I got it dialed back in to finish.

Again, I used the support hand technique from @mxgsfmdpx. Is this appropriate for this position? Why are my shots consistently high from this position?

 

[wind gypsy]

Finally got some time to shoot a couple dozen rounds today. It’s been a long week and it showed.

First target is bipod and rear bag. I used the support hand technique described by @mxgsfmdpx. It was mostly good. I caught myself letting my firing hand thumb end up wrapped around the grip, which were the three shots to the left. Not sure what happened on the high one but I knew it when I sent it.

View attachment 757391

This was the ugly one. Seated with trekking poles. About middle of the string I had the high and the low shots. I got it dialed back in to finish.

Again, I used the support hand technique from @mxgsfmdpx. Is this appropriate for this position? Why are my shots consistently high from this position?

View attachment 757394

Are you loading the bipod? Consider differences to how recoil is managed and how trigger press is prone to disturb poa as you break the shot between those two positions.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Are you loading the bipod? Consider differences to how recoil is managed and how trigger press is prone to disturb poa as you break the shot between those two positions.

I’m not loading the bipod prone.

So thinking on your question, when I’m sitting I am not gripping as much in the horizontal plane as I am the vertical, because my elbow is down on my knee for support. How do I remedy this?

 

[Bluumoon]

Finally got some time to shoot a couple dozen rounds today. It’s been a long week and it showed.

First target is bipod and rear bag. I used the support hand technique described by @mxgsfmdpx. It was mostly good. I caught myself letting my firing hand thumb end up wrapped around the grip, which were the three shots to the left. Not sure what happened on the high one but I knew it when I sent it.

View attachment 757391

This was the ugly one. Seated with trekking poles. About middle of the string I had the high and the low shots. I got it dialed back in to finish.

Again, I used the support hand technique from @mxgsfmdpx. Is this appropriate for this position? Why are my shots consistently high from this position?

View attachment 757394

Try holding trekking poles at the x with pinky/ring/middle fingers, clamping forend of stock from below w pointer and thumb. Hug pack to control rear elevation of stock.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Finally got some time to shoot a couple dozen rounds today. It’s been a long week and it showed.

First target is bipod and rear bag. I used the support hand technique described by @mxgsfmdpx. It was mostly good. I caught myself letting my firing hand thumb end up wrapped around the grip, which were the three shots to the left. Not sure what happened on the high one but I knew it when I sent it.

View attachment 757391

This was the ugly one. Seated with trekking poles. About middle of the string I had the high and the low shots. I got it dialed back in to finish.

Again, I used the support hand technique from @mxgsfmdpx. Is this appropriate for this position? Why are my shots consistently high from this position?

View attachment 757394

I assume this is NO rear rest like a pack, correct?

I think most guys who are using trekking poles up front don't use their off hand like I do with the bipod. I've seen guys grab/pinch the fore-end and lock it into the poles. This can be quite stable when practiced, give it a shot.

For me, the long leg bipod is not only quicker to deploy with the Spartan, but more stable when comparing group sizes and gong hits at range in seated and kneeling positions. With the bipod you aren't having to slide the fore-end back and forth and kick legs in and out to make height adjustments.

Mine stays locked in a basic seated height (most common) and can quickly be adjusted for elevation changes when needed. Mainly you can leave the long seated/kneeling bipod at the height it is and change your body position slightly and it covers you for 90+% of hunting shots.

The rear arm/hand position I use works really well with the long bipod when seated and kneeling with no rear rest. I wouldn't think this would translate super well to trekking poles, I'll have to try it.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Try holding trekking poles at the x with pinky/ring/middle fingers, clamping forend of stock from below w pointer and thumb. Hug pack to control rear elevation of stock.

I’ll try that. No pack was used in this group.

 

[Jason Snyder]

I assume this is NO rear rest like a pack, correct?

Correct.

 

[Bluumoon]

Correct.

Headed out back to try the position, grabbed the sticks and upon further thought I think the sticks work well at the grip and allowing the forend to slide freely in the hammock of the straps.

I was mixing up a couple things. The grip I described is helpful when using a pack for the front rest.

 

[mlevimadden]

I’ll try that. No pack was used in this group.

My groups are way tighter seated off trekking poles with a quick stix adapter if I use my backpack as a rear bag. I just sit indian style wrapping my legs around my backpack sitting vertically on the ground right against my chest to support the rear of the rifle.

I'm still not near as stable as a bipod and rear bag in prone, but I find myself taking more seated shots than any other position while hunting, so I have been trying to practice this position more.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

I wouldn't say your shooting is "ugly" for seated with front support and no rear rest. Most folks never even shoot in this fashion and at 100 yards are lucky to hit a 12" target at first. Yours can certainly be improved with trying different techniques but you're way ahead of most shooters.

This was the last 16 shot group that I have a photo of, shooting while seated with long Spartan bipod up front and no rear rest. Broke position slightly to reload mags but in general no time in between shots. Honestly not even really trying for a "group" just trying to practice and hold dead on the red square with each shot. From shot 1 to shot 16 was probably around 90 seconds total including reloads and re-build position.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

My groups are way tighter seated off trekking poles with a quick stix adapter if I use my backpack as a rear bag.

So is everyone else, but that luxury does not always happen when hunting.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

When adding in a pack as a rear rest the group tightened down from the above image, to this 16 shot image...

 

[Jason Snyder]

I wouldn't say your shooting is "ugly" for seated with front support and no rear rest. Most folks never even shoot in this fashion and at 100 yards are lucky to hit a 12" target at first.

It’s about twice as big as I’d normally shoot from this position. I do believe part of it was utilizing the offhand technique that might not be very well suited for this position.

Next week is mega busy but I’ll try to the shoot next week and make some changes.

Just to add, Kimber Hunter with factory stock and Maven RS1.2.

 

[Bluumoon]

Moral of the story, don’t take my advice, I need more practice. Found myself switching grips trying to find most stable.

 

[Formidilosus]

Why are my shots consistently high from this position?

View attachment 757394

Either you are not supporting the rear of the gun and it is dropping at the shot, or you have a level of anticipation- both cause the rifle to drop in the rear. Both are extremely common.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Either you are not supporting the rear of the gun and it is dropping at the shot, or you have a level of anticipation- both cause the rifle to drop in the rear. Both are extremely common.

I feel 100% confident in saying it’s not anticipation. I’ll play around with how to support the back of the rifle better. My guess is the way my arm is braced on my elbow is likely allowing some downward pressure from my firing hand.

 

[mtnbound]

Have someone record you while you are shooting it’s amazing what you will see yourself doing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jason Snyder]

Have someone record you while you are shooting it’s amazing what you will see yourself doing.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I might be able to do that.

 

[ztc92]

I was also recently practicing seated with sticks as front rest, with and without a backpack for my rear arm. What I found is that I need to c-clamp the forend of the stock using my thumb and index, then use my other 3 fingers to wrap the the trekking pole and keep the stock steady. This allowed me to “load” the trekking poles similar to loading a bipod. With some practice I was able to keep the rifle in that position via the c-clamp and manipulate the bolt while keeping the position built and staying on target. Adding a backpack to support the rear arm made it even better.

I don’t have any photos of this to better explain but it’s similar to this grip, except holding the trekking pole. Just be careful of your index finger as the barrel gets hot quickly and I prefer to keep mine on the stock.

 

[HighUintas]

I listened awhile back to one of the shoot2hunt episodes where Form mentions it's extremely common for guys to just let the toe of the stock ride a rear bag without any control from your hand and then they commonly miss high or low or have a wandering high/low zero. I thought.... Duh... This is exactly what's been happening to me occasionally. He mentioned that in the field, he'll use his bino harness as the rear stabilizer for his hand while he pinches the stock. That way he is able to "drive" it.

I was working on shooting prone today using my bino harness as the rear stabilizer for my hand while pinching the butt stock between by thumb and pointer finger. It worked pretty well, but it felt very unsecure and awkward to try to use the bino harness so I'm wondering if I didn't have the correct technique.

Do you use your last 3 fingers to grab the strap of the harness?
Are you supposed to just ball up the last 3 fingers and put them on top of the bino harness if u can manage to get it into that position?
Are you supposed to take the bino harness off and use it like a block to elevate your hand?

Does anyone have any pictures of how this is supposed to work?