Rifle- maximum effective range by shooting position?

[Jack321]

This is going to sound funny, but no matter what position I'm in, I try to get comfortable. If I'm not comfortable, I feel as though I'm compensating some area of my body and my mind focuses on being uncomfortable as opposed to the shot at hand.

I've tried all the "shooting positions" and I find some of them just plain uncomfortable! They may be stable, but feeling like a pretzel as I'm trying to shoot makes me never want to shoot from that position again.

When laying down, I try to square up to the gun, spread my legs to absorb the shot. I also like to take my off hand and put it near my arm pit and rest the butt stock between the soft tissue spot between my index finger and thumb, and squeeze or release pressure to being the barrel up/down. I find that soft tissue to be nice padding on the back end for fine movements. I've shot with snipers before that use small bean bags, hackie sacks, or MOLE gel bags to squeeze/release do the same thing. But in the field, I don't wanna carry that extra weight.

Supporting the butt stock seems to be my biggest concern and how it wobbles and makes the barrel move. That's why I like a bipod or tripod out front with a mono/bipod in the back and I can take that off hand and adjust the back mono/bipod.

 

[BCD]

First off I have elk hunted for 26 yrs and the sitting shooting position turned out to be my go to due to hunting mainly in Montana where the sage height is prohibitive to shooting off bipod or prone. I started using the steady stix when they first came out and now use the Primos Magnum stix. Some people like tripod but I find them heavy. These stix collapse into 3 pieces for each leg and come back together quickly when taken off your belt. Additionally you can go from hiking to sitting quickly without having to situate your pack etc for prone. Also there were no real other alternatives when I started using them so I am used to them and like them. There are alot of options now including ones that have a rest for your elbow. A lot depends on how far you are hiking and how easy to carry. I personally don't like monopods due to stability.

I typically sit with my legs out at a comfortable angle, left hand on the sticks, leaning into the sticks for stability and eliminating weave. I sometime will sit with cross legs depending on terrain but like the legs straight out better because of less tension and better stability. I practice this religiously at the range and have killed 20 plus bull elk like this routinely at 300 yds and out to 450 as I mentioned. You can easily use this position and these sticks when shooting downhill or uphill where it is a problem for prone.

If Prone is available, comfortable and shot is over 400 yds and Bull is unaware I would probably chose it for obvious stability reasons. I practice shooting sitting more than prone though.

Interesting- the front arm supports the sticks and not the buttstock? Can you tell me where your elbows are in relation to your knees?

Thank You!

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Depends on my heart rate....way better at all distances/positions at 65 BPM than 100BPM...that's for sure...I grew up hunting whitetail in a tree, never really though about trying to shoot with a elevated HR until my 1st trip out west. I do jumping jacks now before I practice shooting..still isnt great with elevated HR but I get a little better every year.

 

[sardaham]

I've been wondering about this for a long time, and I couldn't find the correct answer, everyone has their own opinion, and being a beginner, they all seem credible and trustworthy. But it is much easier for me to memorize all these details by reading comments like from the book, so I discover different stories and exits. By the way, I recently read about 9mm HST, and I wanted to find out more details so that I can understand where and what is best used so that I know not to make any mistakes in my choice.

 

[gilby]

Great thread prompt @BCD! Do you guys time how long it can take you to get into your shooting positions? A struggle for me has been setting up quickly without making too much movement while adjusting.

 

[ScreamingPotato]

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This post strikes me as spammy.

 

[Geewhiz]

I havent shot anything in a long time in any position other than prone. When I was younger I am embarrassed to say how many animals I missed per season because of poor shooting positions/shot execution. I realize now that I cannot shoot worth a crap in really any position except prone, unless its a really close shot.

 

[sambo3006]

It is all dependent on the particular situation. I've rarely missed out to 100 yards standing unsupported, but there have been times where I wasn't steady and didn't shoot. If I have a tree to rest against, probably out to 300 yards.
I rarely use a sling stud mounted bipod any more. There just aren't that many situations where shooting from prone with a bipod is quick or practical. Instead, I use a Primos trigger stick tripod that I have modified so that the legs spread out wider to get lower. I can shoot quite comfortably from a kneeling position where my elbow is resting on my knee and my other hand grasps the forend and the top of the tripod. I took my Utah bull a few years ago at 450 yards from this position, and was rock steady. If I am going to be sitting in one spot I bring a fold up stool and shoot from the same position. It is nearly bench rest steady. The wind is the major factor for me on deciding whether to take a 400+ yard shot.

 

[JLane330]

Based on Elk kills:
200 yds off hand (unsupported)
300 yds kneeling (unsupported)
A few have been much closer, so those are max ranges in the field.

Based on a black bear kill:
570 yds standing with tree as support

Based on Elk and Oryx:
560 yds prone (muzzleloader, have dope figured out to 800yds)
680 yds prone (rifle, also have dope figured out to 800 yds)

Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch, these are all one shot hits in vitals/kills. I'm not just lobbing hail mary's. Wind is the big factor, and all these shots were about as dead calm as possible. I'm NOT good at judging wind and will pass at MUCH closer distances simply due to crosswinds. I'm also terrible with shooting sticks, would rather kneel or be unsupported than use them.

 

[Tmac]

I always try to get a rest and sit, even if I could take the shot offhand. Offhand 75 ish. I often carry shooting sticks and use them at every opportunity, so sitting 350 ish off sticks, took me quite a bit of practice to be comfortable past 200 with sticks.

I am trying a new bipod for sitting that has a quick attach and I am good to 400, probably further. The positive attachment is steadier than the sticks I had been using but it’s heavier. Prone off bi-pod or backpack, to 600 on targets. My furthest shot on game is 415, I was sitting and resting my rifle on a barbed wire fence where two posts were 12” apart.

 

[Elkhntr08]

According to my USMC Expert badge 200 offhand, 300 kneeling and 500 prone.
Feel free to fact check. Semper Fi

 

[Hoodie]

According to my USMC Expert badge 200 offhand, 300 kneeling and 500 prone.
Feel free to fact check. Semper Fi

To be fair the 500 yard target's "bullseye" is just a little bit bigger than an elk's vitals. I could put them in the black all day long on rifle qual, but wouldn't personally shoot an elk at 500.

(Obviously an elk rifle is usually going to have less wind drift than a .223 and a much more appropriate optic. Still don't think the rifle qualification is a good gauge for max effective range on an animal.)

 

[kordo]

When I lived in an area that I could regularly practice, I'd shoot out to 600 prone. Kneeling and standing regardless of practice I never shoot over 100 just because it takes so little to completely throw the shot. I'll practice farther on targets, but after crippling my first deer I ever shot at, I'm pretty wary of anything that could cripple my target. Now that my local range only goes to 400, I won't shoot past that.

 

[Elkhntr08]

To be fair the 500 yard target's "bullseye" is just a little bit bigger than an elk's vitals. I could put them in the black all day long on rifle qual, but wouldn't personally shoot an elk at 500.

(Obviously an elk rifle is usually going to have less wind drift than a .223 and a much more appropriate optic. Still don't think the rifle qualification is a good gauge for max effective range on an animal.)

OK, how about last year’s antelope at 428 yards?

 

[Hoodie]

OK, how about last year’s antelope at 428 yards?

I'm not saying you can't shoot animals at 500 yards, man. I'm saying that hitting a 20 inch x 40 inch target is not a good way to gauge whether or not a person can hit a 9 inch target at the same distance. That's all.

100% of people who can hit an antelope's vitals at 428 can hit a B-Mod target at 500. The reverse is not true. On account of one being like 5x bigger than the other.

 

[TylerChase]

Prone: 500yrds
Sitting: Depends on the position but 300-400
Standing: 150yrd