Keith,
Your position is more clear now. Given the specific situations that you describe, I'd have to agree with you. However, I would like to clarify a thing or two.
You state: "Sometimes you can get into a good position and only a fool would pass that up, but the rest of the time..."
This is pretty much where I get on the soap box. It may be true that you, hunting in the high grass with few trees, never have the chance to get into any position other than offhand. Go for it and smack that pie plate. The BIG problem, IMHO, is that many others who do hunt in various terrain are just the fool that you describe above - someone who passes up getting into a good position. I contend that so few ever learn the positions that most don't know how to get into one in the first place. This is a major (but not the only by far) problem with poor field performance, wounded game, etc. The person who has learned good positions on the range can often translate those well in the woods (given proper gear, I'm not talking about him taking a target gun into the field). I do agree that the guy who only shoots from the bench should stay the hell out of the woods and make the world a safer place. Those guys scare me.
As an anecdotal case, I know this fellow extremely well. His background was that of a target rifle shooter, yet he hunted, plinked, and had good wood sense. He set himself up with a Steyr Scout and went to Practical Rifle School with Jeff Cooper out at the Whittington Center in NM (during the prior bad owner stage at Gunsite). He had never used the Ching Sling in the field before, only trees, hasty sling, etc.
During the course, the participants were taken through many scenarios. They had snapshots (25 yd. head shots, 50 yd. body shots in 1.5 seconds), long shots (400 plus yds. on reactive steel), a game walk simulating hunting, timed drills (The Rifle Ten, The Rifle Bounce, other such drills), shot airborne clays, and practiced prone, sitting, kneeling, rice paddy prone, standing, offhand, leaning against a pole, etc. These were done both on ranges and in open territory as applicable.
Basically, this fellow was able to quickly fall into every position and scenario given due to his familiarity with target range positions. Many (most) of the other folks in the class struggled mightily with the new concepts. The fact that this guy had good position fundamentals and good techniques that he learned target shooting (trigger squeeze, follow through, breath control, relaxed positions, etc.) gave him an edge up.
Thus this person, who had the vast majority of his work in classic target shooting positions, was the pupil who adapted faster than most of his peers. This allowed him to refine technique and excel while others struggled with the basics. As they say, excellence is the basics mastered.
Due to this and other such observations, I still say the the best, the fastest, and them most complete way to make a competent field rifleman is to first make the person a competent position rifle shooter. This is the crucible where the necessary skills will be honed. Then add in snap shots, rests of opportunity, and offhand (he already knows standing). Now you've got the complete package, with the best fundamentals, the fewest problems, and the least expenditure of time.
I'm always open to other ideas, but so far this method is the most effective and efficient one that I've seen to equip one with the necessary skills to adapt ANYWHERE one might carry a rifle.
Keith, you seem to be doing very well in your environment. More power to you, I'm sure that you are quite capable there. My comments are addressed at the masses, which is where our problem lies. The original thread, while a small example of the problem, illustrates that we think in too narrow a view, primarily based on what we were taught FIRST. Often, unfortunately, what we are taught first is not correct (especially in these days when skill with a rifle is no longer looked at as a basic tenet of manhood). We must remain open minded, and we must seek what works best. That is the reason that I've spent so much energy on this thread. So many people make life unnecessarily hard for themselves because they won't recognize that a way better than theirs exists. It's such an incredible waste. We don't have enough numbers to absorb such waste. The few good shooters that we have need to spread the word. I can't think of anyone who has done more of this than Jeff Cooper. I'm just trying to do my part to continue and expand that legacy and that effort.
We all owe such effort to our love - shooting. If we don't treat it right, it will surely wither on the vine.
What's the answer? IMHO, get more junior shooting programs going, starting with air rifle (shoot darn near anywhere, indoor, winter, etc.). Teach them three and four position rifle shooting. Teach them shooting fundamentals. Then expose them to more shooting outlets and foster their interests.
How can we do that if the teachers themselves don't value the fundamentals? This conundrum is the driving force behind my consternation. Please pardon me if I sound preachy on any of this. I do so because I consider it to be THE critical key to the survival of our shooting oriented lifestyle.
Gee, it all started with an arcane discussion of sling use in offhand and standing shooting.......
Thanks to you Keith, and others, for continuing to kick this thread back and forth. It is only through such discussion that we will come to the proper conclusions. I'm sure that even Jeff Cooper would agree with that!
