Fundamentals of Marksmanship

[TattooedGun]

I wrote a blog post aimed more towards new shooters than experienced hands, however sometimes it's good for us all to take stock and get back to basics.

Anyhow, any of you guys (or girls) care to have a gander and perhaps let me know if there's anything I've missed, or if you find anything useful...?

http://blog.stegough.com/fundamentals-o ... -shooting/

Cheers

[froggy]

Great stuff Caveman

A good way of testing where your natural point of aim is, is to take the firearm, get in to position on the firing point and with your eyes closed,
When shooting 22 pistol single handed I do the same without the pistol on hand untill my feets are in the "correct" place.

[FrenchieBoy]

I am still trying to find my way around this forum so maybe someone could help by explaining how to get a Youtube Video to show on here please. Here is a video that shows a way to hold your rifle that I was shown, it helped to improve my consistency and accuracy. It works for me so it might be worth a try.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG-mxaZqrDI&t=6s

[hitchphil]

The hold might be ok. but his safety practice is a bit suspect - after shot 1 - hes closing the bolt with the gun pointing in the sky & well above the improvised backstop. The ricochet characteristics of the rocky backstop worry a tad me too & no hearing protection used either?

Hes only just resting his cheek on the butt as the sight is higher up & his eye line vs sight centre line looks thus low.

The value of the hold is however true & a variation of that hold I have used during zeroing is to make a fist under the pistol grip or butt to support it whilst squeezing the shot off. The left arm in braces the elbow & prevents it moving on recoil too.

The NRAs principles are simple - natural on target hold & alignment, controlled breathing relaxation & grip, squeeze with the whole hand, & the trigger in the 1st pad, release at the bottom of a breath, follow thru on the shot & with both eyes open.

also kick the right leg up to take pressure of the belly (or yes the left if you are a lefty) & your group will firm up. Do everything deliberately & consistently & it will firm up more. My 1in12, 28" barrel / Swing will do 0.5moa (0.5"/100yds) at 900-1000yds ...wish i could too!

[FrenchieBoy]

The hold might be ok. but his safety practice is a bit suspect - after shot 1 - hes closing the bolt with the gun pointing in the sky & well above the improvised backstop. The ricochet characteristics of the rocky backstop worry a tad me too & no hearing protection used either?

Hes only just resting his cheek on the butt as the sight is higher up & his eye line vs sight centre line looks thus low.

The value of the hold is however true & a variation of that hold I have used during zeroing is to make a fist under the pistol grip or butt to support it whilst squeezing the shot off. The left arm in braces the elbow & prevents it moving on recoil too.

The NRAs principles are simple - natural on target hold & alignment, controlled breathing relaxation & grip, squeeze with the whole hand, & the trigger in the 1st pad, release at the bottom of a breath, follow thru on the shot & with both eyes open.

also kick the right leg up to take pressure of the belly (or yes the left if you are a lefty) & your group will firm up. Do everything deliberately & consistently & it will firm up more. My 1in12, 28" barrel / Swing will do 0.5moa (0.5"/100yds) at 900-1000yds ...wish i could too!

OK let's have a look at these "comments".
If you knew the ground that this video was shot on you would realise that the rifle was not pointed "skywards" - You need to know the height of the backstop and the downward angle I was lying at and firing from!
The chance of a ricochet on this ground with such a high backstop of made up ground is ZERO - There was no safety issue compromised!
My cheek (When firing) is in the normal shooting position just right for my eye line with the scopes )which are set with the correct height mounts) would you rather shooters had their ear tucked in to the butt - I'm sure that would do their hearing a power of good!
As for hearing protection, that might be compulsory for the ranges you shoot on but I shoot in the field in genuine hunting situations where more often than not it is not practical to waste time faffing about and putting on ear protection before taking a shot at a fox, a deer or a wild boar before it has a chance to move off into an unsafe shooting position.

I was a member on another shooting forum (I will not bother wasting my time saying which forum it was as it was such a kiddie's playpen full of pikeys and plonkers who thought they were God's gift to shooting). I soon realised that there were more than a few members who thought they were "so perfect in every way" and would go out of their way to find fault with everyone else's posts in the belief that all other members were idiots and they were the only perfect ones - After this thread I'm already wondering if I have found another forum like that "hitchphil" or are you just an exception?

[Chuck]

Or there's things like this - tons of "how to" on the net: everyone has an opinion.

http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/a ... mark.shtml

http://www.thenewrifleman.com/marksmans ... ers-guide/

Surely it's what works for the individual that counts?

[dromia]

I don't doubt your assertion that the gun handling was actually safe, however that is not obvious from what is shown hence the comments. That is a failure of presentation and still needs to be addressed.

However the issue of lack of hearing protection is not a good example, I shoot in the field a bit also and always use hearing protection in the form of ear muffs and I hardly notice them now.

If you do not find this forum suits you the feel free to move on, challenging other members views is welcomed but overtly implying that they are "idiots" is a personal attack and not at all acceptable here, take heed and be warned.

[TattooedGun]

Or there's things like this - tons of "how to" on the net: everyone has an opinion.

http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/a ... mark.shtml

http://www.thenewrifleman.com/marksmans ... ers-guide/

Surely it's what works for the individual that counts?

Absolutely.

The aim of my article was not to tell people explicitly how to shoot, but to give them the tools on what they should be concentrating on being consistent.

Ultimately fundamentals should be the very basics, as I mentioned everyone is different, and what one person will find works for them, may not work for someone else, so I tried to avoid that.

I was going to write some further posts detailing some of the techniques I have been showed over the years by coaches that were or are considered the 'best practice' - but look at olympians or top shooters and each will have their own style and technique that works because they've worked on what works for them and they're consistent with it.

I'm still undecided, because it will cause a divide by those who have been taught a different way or those who swear by other techniques.

[FrenchieBoy]

I don't doubt your assertion that the gun handling was actually safe, however that is not obvious from what is shown hence the comments. That is a failure of presentation and still needs to be addressed.

However the issue of lack of hearing protection is not a good example, I shoot in the field a bit also and always use hearing protection in the form of ear muffs and I hardly notice them now.

If you do not find this forum suits you the feel free to move on, challenging other members views is welcomed but overtly implying that they are "idiots" is a personal attack and not at all acceptable here, take heed and be warned.

Some people are comfortable wearing ear muff type ear protection while others find it uncomfortable and unpractical, I am one of the latter of the two, plus when out in the field in " real field hunting situations" I (Personally) rely on my hearing to know what is going on around me, this is something that would not be fully possible with hearing protection in place. On the range it might well be compulsory to wear ear protection and if I found myself in that situation I would of course were them
- just as I do when shooting on our club range.
You state that "challenging other members views is welcome" which is what I have done. I stated a fact about another forum but I fail to see where I "implied" that hitchphil was an idiot.

[dromia]

You are free to use or not use hearing protection as you will but that is not an exemplar for shooting.

Regardless of your intention the post comes over as a personal inference so I suggest that your are more circumspect in future posts so that what you write actually reflects what you intend it to mean.