DustyGmt
Member
Ok bud. This is just goofy.... since apparently you speak for Picher now I dont think anybody "explained" themselves to me. Dont be dramatic.
Shooting offhand
- Thread starter CopperFouling
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at the early Mammoth Sniper Challenge (10 years ago) we shot offhand at golf balls hung from strings from trees. i can't remember the distances, but it was annoying. as stupid as it may sound, back then, most matches had milling targets (measuring the target with your reticle to determine the range) and golf balls were common enough that on my mil cheat sheet, i had 1.7" target
Long Range Data Management
what targets are those?
DustyGmt
Member
Now there's an idea. I was trying to think of something very small to aim for at 50 yards and maybe a touch beyond, I'm going to a shoot on Saturday and for the .22's I was trying to think up something like this. A golf ball at 50 yards with my 10/22 offhand I know I could do, .22lr handgun would be a different story. I'm going to give it a try, as well as think of some other very small targets to challenge myself with. I can shoot pretty tight @50 yards with a non-accurized 10/22. Should be fun.
AK103K
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One club I used to belong to had a group of muzzleloader shooters who held a match each month. One of their stages was an egg hanging on a string, at both 50 and 100 yards. All their stages were fired offhand too.
Some really cool and interesting "original" guns shot there too, and it seemed like there were more original guns than modern day copies.
Those big muzzle heavy guns do hold nice and steady too.
Some really cool and interesting "original" guns shot there too, and it seemed like there were more original guns than modern day copies.
Those big muzzle heavy guns do hold nice and steady too.
I still remember one hunting season in my early years(I was 15) when I got a shot at a big fat doe at around 40 yards and there was nothing to get a rest off of.I was using a Winchester 94 30-30 with iron sights,and I emptied it at that deer and she just walked away.I actually bawled.My Grandfather was with me,and he told me to either learn to shoot or quit hunting.I killed a deer the next year,and that one was running at full afterburner at about 75 yards,only that time I was using a scoped 270 and had literally worn out a Daisy BB gun and spent every evening either shooting the BB gun or groundhog hunting with the 270.That doe is responsible for my interest in guns and shooting.It takes a lot of practice to get good at shooting from any position,but offhand is by far the hardest to master.A lot of good comments have been made,and maybe I can add a little something.
Balance of the rifle can have a big effect on how shootable it is.I recently rebuilt my Remington model 7.After I got done with it,it weighs about half a pound less than it originally did.I contoured the barrel with a significant amount of weight added to it.At the other end,I lightened the rear part of the stock as much as I could,and it made the rifle's balance point move forward a few inches.It made a huge difference in how well I could shoot it offhand.
22's are usually very light,and that doesn't make shooting them offhand any easier.Also,the trigger can make offhand shooting harder if it's got a crunchy,creepy and/or heavy pull.But there's no replacement for practice.I like to hang ears of corn from strings and shoot at them,and as an added bonus,I don't have any trash to clean up,the deer do that for me.
Balance of the rifle can have a big effect on how shootable it is.I recently rebuilt my Remington model 7.After I got done with it,it weighs about half a pound less than it originally did.I contoured the barrel with a significant amount of weight added to it.At the other end,I lightened the rear part of the stock as much as I could,and it made the rifle's balance point move forward a few inches.It made a huge difference in how well I could shoot it offhand.
22's are usually very light,and that doesn't make shooting them offhand any easier.Also,the trigger can make offhand shooting harder if it's got a crunchy,creepy and/or heavy pull.But there's no replacement for practice.I like to hang ears of corn from strings and shoot at them,and as an added bonus,I don't have any trash to clean up,the deer do that for me.
jmorris
Member
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- 24,140
They are homemade. The one on the ground is my version of a LaRue TG1, the racks are ones I built years ago to keep kids from having to go down range of the firing line to reset targets. They are 12v DC powered, using power window motors, reset power cycle is initiated when the last plate on the right falls.
They also have output power during cycle. I have use them at matches to activate and even run subsequent targets, like this shoot/no shoot pin wheel that runs only while the plate rack is resetting.
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Offfhand
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Offhand shooting is the Queen of 3-position rifle shooting with national and international competitions often being won or lost by offhand (Unsupported standing position.) scores. Which is why offhand target shooting is typically practiced more than other positions combined. And with almost all dry-firing practice done in standing position. Silhouette shooting and competition is the benchmark of offhand shooting because it is strictly offhand shooting only, with a time limit of only 2-1/2 minutes for five shots. Which makes a fun game for local clubs and hunters who want to improve marksmanship skills. I practice offhand shooting with rimfire rifles from my rear terrace with swinging silhouette chicken target at 44m. I shoot competition in both rifle classes, but mostly practice with Hunter class rifle, which is lighter and has a heavier trigger pull.
I had a TC Contender rifle in 35 remington.
Super 16 w Leupold 2-7x.
BBl was tapered and 16.25" long.
Taking a knee and shooting golf balls on the 50 yard bank at the club ....was tough.
As in sweat torrents running from pits, fire on the 3rd or 4th pass.
Torture.
The gun had a great trigger but just wandered.
Ended up filling the G2 forend hollows w epoxy and #8 shot. Shifted balance fwd, added some weight but not too much.
Gold balls were easy to shoot after that.....offhand. Shot my deer at 75 yards through a hole in the brush. Hit right where my crosshairs were and saw him shudder from impact.
Had a cheekpiece on that rifle I made out of kydex. When I worked in a shop there mere many customers that saw me work on my own stuff, and way too many thought I was " too picky ". Explained fit, balance and trigger pull, scope mag and eyebox.
Some listened. Most didnt.
Like when their junk scope in see through rings takes a dump and they miss a chance at a buck, want to upgrade to an 80 dollar scope, and still want to use see through rings. LOL
Some of these people make good money too.
Drive a 40k jeep or truck and go out to movies and eat all the time. But run then cheapest hunting gear, set up ridiculously.
Super 16 w Leupold 2-7x.
BBl was tapered and 16.25" long.
Taking a knee and shooting golf balls on the 50 yard bank at the club ....was tough.
As in sweat torrents running from pits, fire on the 3rd or 4th pass.
Torture.
The gun had a great trigger but just wandered.
Ended up filling the G2 forend hollows w epoxy and #8 shot. Shifted balance fwd, added some weight but not too much.
Gold balls were easy to shoot after that.....offhand. Shot my deer at 75 yards through a hole in the brush. Hit right where my crosshairs were and saw him shudder from impact.
Had a cheekpiece on that rifle I made out of kydex. When I worked in a shop there mere many customers that saw me work on my own stuff, and way too many thought I was " too picky ". Explained fit, balance and trigger pull, scope mag and eyebox.
Some listened. Most didnt.
Like when their junk scope in see through rings takes a dump and they miss a chance at a buck, want to upgrade to an 80 dollar scope, and still want to use see through rings. LOL
Some of these people make good money too.
Drive a 40k jeep or truck and go out to movies and eat all the time. But run then cheapest hunting gear, set up ridiculously.
One can do well w lower end gear if its set up correctly. Just had this talk w the ol lady...
about how to use a scope.
Too many mess around to get eye relief right, and then look through the scope to find the target.
Should look at the target and bring the gun up, the crosshairs appear close to aiming point on the target.
Gun fit and balance is important, even if some folks say its overrated. It makes offhand shooting easier/more enjoyable.
No doubt some people may be more adaptable than others, esp compared to somebody that has an injury or illness.
I know w bad back and neck im even more critical on setup these days.
about how to use a scope.
Too many mess around to get eye relief right, and then look through the scope to find the target.
Should look at the target and bring the gun up, the crosshairs appear close to aiming point on the target.
Gun fit and balance is important, even if some folks say its overrated. It makes offhand shooting easier/more enjoyable.
No doubt some people may be more adaptable than others, esp compared to somebody that has an injury or illness.
I know w bad back and neck im even more critical on setup these days.
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Poper
Member
Interesting..
As a silhouette competitor, I have 3 sets of steel smallbore silhouette targets I use for practice. Silhouette is fire 100% offhand without any support. Typically, the turkey is the most difficult to score well on. The ram is the 100 meter target and is quite challenging. At that distance, you have to have a rifle/ammo combination that is capable of MOA or better to be able to consistently score hits on the ram offhand.
It is not unusual for a smallbore silhouette competitor to use a different ammo for the ram than he does for the chicken, javalina and turkey. I am one of those. The C,J,T ammo is SK rifle match and the Rams is RWS R100.
The best thing the OP can do is practice, practice, practice. And then practice some more.
OP
OP
CopperFouling
Member
Haha. I hear you there. I'm tempted, but rifle is my weakness, and I'm not worried about feeding my family with squirrels, so I am trying to get better.
OP
OP
CopperFouling
Member
That stance is what some of my peers used to call “The Feinwerkbau Waltz” back in High School when I aspired to become an Olympic air gun shooter.That was a dream quickly quashed when I realized the fact I couldn’t hold a candle to those folks!
It is amazingly stable once you get it down.
Stay safe.
While I'm not sure I could achieve that position without straining a muscle
, I do think my left has was much further down the stock (toward the muzzle end) than it probably should have been.
Riomouse911
Member
I don't know why those were always the hardest to hit...I have a bunch of scaled down silhouettes and even informally the turkeys are usually the last steel standing
.Stay safe.
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