I want to become a rifleman.

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Davo

Member
Joined
May 23, 2005
Messages
1,126
Location
Riverside County, California
This winter, my goals are to get in shape, take some internet college courses, and become a rifleman. I define a rifleman as one who can employ a rifle with open or scope sights, out to perhaps 500 yards from all shooting positions, and who can get decent groups and first shot hits. Ive always been pretty much a plinker, and have no military or hunting experience-I do love to shoot, however-and I want to be well rounded with a long arm.
I have just aquired a 10-22, and a pair of swiss k31's. I plan to practice my open sights with the 22, and one of the k31's. I have a steel spinner target which has proven much fun, but how does one practice for moving targets?
I will scope the more accurate of the k31's for long range/scope practice. One idea for a target that seems good is a ballon secured with a lead sinker. A steel gong would be good, but they seem expensive and heavy.
I go to a 200 yard outdoor range, and have vast wide open spaces all around which suffice for longer range shooting (im in the desert).
Can you all recommend some meat-and-potatos shooting drills? How about good reading material and websites?
Im of the belief that even if you dont have/cant afford the absolute best gear does not mean you cant shoot. I hope to be able to shoot my milsurps in local matches next year also.
Thanks for your help, guys!
 
You need to master sight alignment, sight picture, and trigger control.

You master these through practice, practice, practice.

It's important to note that practice DOESEN'T make perfect.....

PERFECT practice makes perfect.

Quality of equipment and consistency of ammunition also play a role. Your K-31 and GP-11 ammo meet those requirements.
 
but how does one practice for moving targets?
Click to expand...

do you have a little brother?:evil:
seriously, i saw a program where a small sheriff's department was training their sharpshooters with helium balloons tied to rc cars. seems like a good, cheap way to do it. they even did hostage scenarios with different colored balloons.

steel is a great training aid, once you get the basics down well. instant feedback is very helpful and it's just plain fun to shoot.
 
IMHO, the best way to learn how to shoot better is to seek out people who are better than you and shoot with them. The best way to do this is to compete.

There are more than one kind of rifle competition that will encompass various facets of what you're looking for. Check them out, find one that appeals to you, and go to a match.
 
NRA high power Clinic is inexpensive and most NRA clubs that have high power match's do have clinics. They are inexpensive and reasonable training. Also purchase Fred's Guide to becoming a rifleman from Fred M14 stocks. Also order his ACT targets. Very well worth while and you practice at 25 meters.
 
Go to a CMP Highpower clinic and consider getting into CMP or NRA Highpower competition. The best rifle shots I know all shot Highpower at some point.
 
The .22 is your friend

..although a 10/22 wouldn't be my first choice, as they aren't all that accurate out of the box[expecting to be flamed]...experiment to find the ammo it likes best (50 yards is a good range)....Then shoot 'til you can reproduce the same size groups over and over(I consider a 10 shot group as proof,as its easier to get "lucky" with 3 or 5 shot groups)....Even "good" .22 ammo is pretty cheap, so you can shoot LOTS...whatever you learn will transfer to larger caliber

My .02
 
Everything you need to know

Hi BaiscInfantry here. Yes i know i did not spell it correctly its a joke. Anywho, I was a captain in both my high school and college ROTC classes and i love marksmanship. What you need to really work on that is a number one factor is breathing control. the simple pulse of a vine in your shoulder can mean the difference of a 10 or a 7 score on a circle target at even 100 yards. And getting in shape is well and good but has NOTHING to do with shooting. You can be a fat slob and your competator could be a buff weight lifter and the slob can win. its all a matter of skill and keeping those skills sharp. Getting used the the recoil, the weight of the rifle, currect shooting postures, anti-canting, target picture. This things don't happen over night it take time to refine. In Clemson ROTC we had to fire 750 rounds a week and as captain i was set to the high mark of having to hit within the three inner most rings for every shot.
 
I have posted a few threads on this related subject. If you do a search, I posted a thread about Fred's targets as well as a thread discussing shooting at medium distances and who here has actually done it.
In my opinion, there isn't any ONE way to become a good well rounded rifleman. But, there are a lot of different things you can do to become a well rounded riflemen.
Competition is terrific. NRA Highpower is fantastic. Formal training classes such as those taught at Gunsite, Frontsight, and Thunder Ranch are important also: a lot of people never consider any aspect of using their rifle at close range, or as a defensive tool, or indoors. These classes focus on those aspects of rifle shooting.
Where do you live ?
I live in Las Vegas and we have at least three matches per month shot with military surplus rifles at steel targets. These are fantastic to show you what can be achieved with an inexpensive rifle and iron sights.


I would advise against scoping the K31. Spend some time shooting the .22 and the K31 with iron sights. While you are training, salt away a few pennies here and there. When you become fairly proficient with your iron sighted guns, go out and buy yourself a good rifle that was intended to be shot with a scope, for which legitimate scope mounts are made etc. Don't try to cobble together something that was never intended to be. You can buy good commercial bolt action rifles for what a K31, some mickey mouse scope mount, and the gunsmithing would cost you. Savage makes a great rifle as does Remington. They are frequently on sale at WalMart not to mention used. I have purchased both brands of rifle for less than $300.

Don't get caught up in benchrest accuracy. In other words, don't be concerned if your rifle won't shoot into a quarter inch off a bench. Practical rifle shooting doesn't require that kind of accuracy (although it is nice). What you are describing to me isn't your desire to shoot groups off a bench. Hunting, personal defense, and most competition doesn't require that kind of accuracy. Your 10/22 might not be capable of winning a benchrest match right out of the box. So what ? It will be more than adequate for learning to become a good rifle shot. It is also plenty accurate for things like small bore silhouette and small game hunting. People get too caught up in gadgets, modifications, and shooting that isn't "practical".
 
I would recommend picking up a copy of Jim Owen's book Leather Sling and Shooting Positions. It's geared towards Highpower, but if you can shoot Highpower, you'll have little or no problem shooting anything else with a rifle. www.jarheadtop.com
 
Last edited:
My suggestion would be to aquire a good .223 in a bolt action, mount a good 6X onit and shoot the hell out of it. You don't need a heavy barrel and You don't need a lot of magnification, but you do need to shoot it often. Ammo costs are reasonable and it's even greater when you handload. Recoil won't be a problem so you can concentrate on the basics. You'll know when it's time to move onward and upward............Essex
 
An example of one of our local matches: The first Sunday of the month there is a match in Boulder City NV where you shoot metalic silhouette with military surplus rifles. I am not sure of the distances but you shoot from about 200 meters out to over 500 meters. The chicken target is offhand. The pig taget is sitting. The rest are prone. All the shooting is done with AS ISSUED military rifles. This means, iron sights. Nobody there finds it out of the question to shoot at that ram target (about the size of a small deer) at 500+ meters with iron sights. Forget the gimmicks: you have everything you need right now.
This month, I shot that match with a K31 using milsurp ammo and took second out of maybe a dozen shooters. I hit six out of 10 of those rams.

I shoot another match that takes place in northern Utah using military rifles. That match goes out to 800 meters. Again, all as issued rifles. Half the match is a trail walk course where you fire from field postions at unknown ranges firing as fast as you can make hits against the clock. The other half is from a fixed position. The last time I went to that match, I took first place in the semi-auto match using a CMP M1 just as it came out of the box from CMP using Korean surplus ammo.
I mention these two matches of what can be done with an as issued military rifle like your K31s. You don't need scopes and all that to achieve long range rifle accuracy. Use what you have and practice.

Wait till you check out some of the matches Zak shoots. He posts pictures and links to them occasionally. Those matches DO require cutting edge equipment as well as world class skills.
I don't have either.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. The theme seems to be get out and shoot. I know I dont do it enough-but thats gonna change soon. I will also look into Jeff Coopers book.
444-those matches sound like lots of fun.
 
Well the I keep talking about them because they are not THAT far from where you live. You could drive up to Vegas with your K31 and take part. The Boulder City match is the first Sunday of each month. The VMBAR (Vintage Military Bolt Action Rifle) match is held on the second Saturday of each month at Desert Sportsman's in Las Vegas. The VMSAR (Vintage Military Semi-Auto Rifle) match is held the third Saturday of each month. The match in Utah is held three times a year and is held on Saturday and Sunday: Sat is bolt, Sun is semi. Friday, you can shoot all day on steel targets out to over 1000 yards. You camp right on the range. The range is located at Promatory Point (sp?).
 
Here's an Idea

Join the United States Marine Corps. You WILL
1. Get in Shape
2. Become a RiflemanYou have good goals. The above is partially in jest, but I could think of worse ways to accomplish both goals.
 
There is nothing wrong with joining the military but make sure its for the right reason. Right now we have an un-rightious president sending people into harms way for his own political reasons. If you want to join to serve your country thats great I encourage you to do so. But if you want to learn to shoot their are easier ways without risking your neck in Iraq for what Bush's pride.
Pat
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

I
  • Locked
Learning to be a rifleman.
Replies
12
Views
856
Buckskinner
B
B
  • Locked
Becoming a rifleman
2
Replies
44
Views
3K
Kor
K
4
  • Locked
Cook or Rifleman ?
2 3
Replies
54
Views
5K
444
4
B
  • Locked
K31 diopter sights
Replies
11
Views
3K
BillinNH
B
_N4Z_
  • Locked
question for k31 owners
Replies
4
Views
511
Dave R
D
Back
Top