Seated Position Shooting Form

[BCD]

Can folks talk about their form when shooting from the seated position with sticks? Where are your feet pointed, elbow position in relation to knees, location of non-trigger hand, etc.? I would like to feel more stable from this position but wouldn't even consider shooting over 150 Yards when sitting at this point.


All suggestions are appreciated!

Thank You!

 

[blackdog]

One tip to help build a more stable platform in the sitting position is to fill the space between your knee/leg and your shooting elbow. Assuming you hunt with a pack, use that to stack in your lap and provide a solid rest for your elbow/shooting arm. This will really help solidify the rear of the rifle. My off hand is generally resting on the forearm of the rifle, helping to stabilize that end.

 

[Lawnboi]

Lots of practice. I have days where I solely go out and shoot seated, though normally off a tripod.

Few things I find helpful:
- build your position, learn how to adjust your front rest soon you can utilize your knees for elbow support.
- natural point of aim, moving your body behind the gun to what’s natural. Being square on the rifle gets even more important if your shooting anything with any recoil.
-recoil management, your gun is going to throw you around more seated vs bench or prone, you need to keep pressure and meat behind the gun consistent. I use a decent amount of back pressure on my trigger hand when shooting seated.
-do something with your support hand. Lots of things to hold onto. If you have time you can stuff something on your thigh or in your armpit to give a little more support. I prefer my support hand over my scope just to help steady things.

Seated is going to greatly amplify any problems your have with trigger control.

That’s my 2cents, keep in mind I’m no expert.

 

[brisket]

One tip to help build a more stable platform in the sitting position is to fill the space between your knee/leg and your shooting elbow. Assuming you hunt with a pack, use that to stack in your lap and provide a solid rest for your elbow/shooting arm. This will really help solidify the rear of the rifle. My off hand is generally resting on the forearm of the rifle, helping to stabilize that end.

This is good advice

 

[Longrangehunter]

I wouldn't get caught up in where your feet should be and which way they point etc. First and foremost you should make sure you are in a stable, comfortable position. Because in real life scenarios on the mountain etc. You won't always be sitting on a nice lawn at the range. It will be rocky, sloped, angled etc. So just get yourself nice and stable and comfortable.

If your using sticks for the front then that's pretty self explanatory. Get the sticks nice and steady.

As for the rear. I personally use my bino harness in almost all shooting positions. I leave them a little loose to allow me to manipulate it in the field. When shooting prone I slide them over to act as a rear bag. And when shooting standing or in seated. I use them as like a rear bag/sling. The butt rests on the top of the bino harness. Which is tied around my neck of course. I'll tighten or loosen the strap to get the elevation right. Then squeeze the bino case just like a rear bag for fine adjustments. I took my kudu on Africa 2 years ago at 605m shooting like this. The rifle rested in a V in the tree in front of me. And I had the butt hanging on my bino harness. I was as steady as a building.

 

[Salmon River Solutions]

For me, shooting seated off a tripod, I have to have a decent amount of forward pressure to get steady. It takes some practice to get consistent. My non trigger hand is below the butt of the rifle pushing against my shoulder. With that hand in the right position I can squeeze my hand to raise and lower the butt slightly. It’s all about getting comfortable. Biggest thing for me was I would always have the tripod too low and that made me hunch over. Make sure your rest is high enough to have a comfortable back position.

 

[TNKnoxville]

All of this is great stuff. Getting a good stable sitting position and area to sit is key for me. Getting older...lol it's harder to get my body in a comfortable and stable position. I've been sitting in different places and terrain with my tripod. Didn't realize how different each area affected my body position behind the gun and ultimately my shot location.

 

[Marbles]

Old thread, but this might be helpful to someone else looking. I'm digging around trying to improve my seated shooting currently.

A Marksman's Guide to the Sitting Position

In rifle shooting, the sitting position is the most versatile. It is nearly as stable as prone, but lets you see over brush and terrain. Let's take a look.

www.everydaymarksman.co

 

[Rich M]

my technique:

Shooting stick, knees apart, elbows on knees. Rock solid.

 

[EdP]

I use the crossed leg position (sitting "Indian Style) as shown in the link Marbles posted. The non-shooting hand is at the forward sling swivel locking the forend to the shooting sticks. My pack is then used as Blackdog described to fill the space between my legs and the buttstock and support both the buttstock and the arm of my trigger hand. This position is very stable with the only observable movement being that caused by my heartbeat. It is almost as steady as prone, the difference being that the rifle is not isolated from my heartbeat as well as when prone.

I find it is much faster to get in this position using sticks rather than a tripod, and almost as steady as locked into a tripod mounted Bog Death Grip. Hooking the sling over the "V" of the sticks helps it stay in position through recoil.

This position does require more flexibility than many of us older guys have, and it may not work for someone overweight (gut in the way).

 

[Marbles]

I'm working on seated unsupported at the moment. I need to improve seated supported, but seated unsupported is currently my weakest position. I have been using the open leg shooting position with a wide stance. Cross legged (Indian style) feels very odd, I think because of my ape arms. I was trying out the crossed ankle position dry firing last night, and I think it is the most stable, but will have to put it to the test on the range to know for sure.

I think the open leg is probably the most useful in the mountains, but will have to play with it. The crossed ankle feels the best with a heavy pack (I though my 100 pound training pack on) as it puts the weight well forward and is the least likely to have me end up turtled on my back. Again, I'll have to play with it more.

 

[Castle Rock]

The single biggest improvement you can make to the sitting position is to rest your back against a tree