Offhand shooting practice

[Peakbagger46]

Did a few standing unsupported strings at 100y with my AR today with the LPVO set around 3X. Very humbling and the below is my best “group”.

Whether for hunting or training, get your gun off the bench and work on practical skills!

 

[troy fairweather]

That's better then what most would shoot.

 

[adcoch1]

Not too bad. If you do it often enough it'll tighten up. I personally don't shoot for groups offhand hardly ever. I like single shots on called targets of opportunity, like clays or old shotgun hulls, tennis balls or little steel dingers. Groups offhand always make me feel bad about my shooting.

 

[JDGray]

Good shooting! All of my practice is shot this way, you get spoiled shooting off a bench. You can really see the effects of too much coffee

 

[Doc Samson]

I'd be thrilled to put up a group like that at 100! Heck, even at 50!

 

[emb]

Most don't get off the bench. I practice standing, sitting, kneeling, sticks, and supported. If I'm out of practice standing, I'll use my Ruger M77 .22 until I get it tight again. It's a diminishing skill that must be practiced all the time to stay proficient. Keep it up.

 

[BobABQ]

Not bad groups!

 

[Laphroaig]

That's actually pretty good!
I shot my first CMP match of the year last Sunday. Got a 69 standing, with a miss. I've never been a very good offhand shot but that's ridiculous.

I'm going to shoot some air rifle tomorrow and maybe practice on the 200 yd. steel hanger with my AR if it isn't raining too bad.

 

[243winxb]

4" - 5 shot groups @100 yards off hand, should be doable for you young guys. The last live turkey shoot in Nov 2015 , i got my turkey. My age then 70. Over many years, only had to buy a turkey one year.

Now they shoot at eggs, a much harder target. Not for me.

Helps if the gun can do 1/2" groups or better, like my 243, Rem 40x, but in later years, 40x got to heavy.
Changed to a lighter Rem 600 Mohawk 243 carbine that could do 3/4" Scope on 18X helps & 2 or 3 lb triggers.

Avoid Smoking, drinking, caffeine, sugar. Do lift weights. Pistol scores will improve also.

If this sounds like to much work, it is.

 

[MrBorland]

I agree it’s actually not bad. Looks to be about 6MOA. I don’t know your rifle or ammo, but just standing offhand with a factory AR and no special shooting coat, 6MOA, IMO, is actually very good. The SR-1 target is the target used for Standing Slow shooting for 100 yard HighPower Rifle matches, and it's got a 3.35" 10-ring, and a 6.35" 9-ring, so the math tells me someone shooting a well-dispersed 6MOA group would likely score a 93. You've got a nice centered cluster, so your score might could even be a bit higher.

FWIW, I'm a fan of getting off the bench. I do my share of testing from a bench, but my preference now is some 3-position sling shooting.

 

[George Dickel]

That is some good shooting. Off hand marksmanship is difficult, that's why many shooters don't shoot that way.
I shoot metallic silhouette, shooting at steel silhouettes of chickens, pigs, turkeys and rams at various distances. It is shot standing, no sling. There are scoped and iron sight classes. It can be a humbling experience. I invited a guy, a prior service army infantryman, to shoot in a match. He didn't do so well. On the way home he stated that he believed he would show all of us how to shoot as he had been an expert level marksman in the infantry. It is definitely a tough competition.

 

[Lefty38-55]

I shoot offhand all the time, mostly flintlocks all year round, but we do have a Winter weekly milsurp 100-yard offhand informal match from NOV thru MARCH. I once shot a 4" witnessed 10-shot group offhand @ 100Y whilst using a vintage 1870/87 Italian Vetterli-Vitali, using open 'BB gun' sights firing the obscure 10.4x47R old black powdah cartridge (loaded with sized-down 44-Mag 240grn boolits over a charge of Alliant 2400).

Point is ... besides practice ... everything of the shot process culminates in front sight, front sight, front sight ... WHERE is that front sight at the break of the shot and through the follow through? Basic foundations of a good shot, e.g., BRASS for breathing and aiming, etc., also requires a good stance that correctly establishes your Natural Point of Aim (NPA). This is where the 'aim' is held by the bones/framework of your body and not by muscle. Any rifle shooter or azzhat can muscle a rifle to shoot 1 to 3 good or lucky shots, but to shoot a bragging worthy group of 10 or more shots takes good technique.

To establish your NPA:
Get in your stance, but always keep your front foot fixed - do not move it. Get on target and close your eyes through 1 breath cycle then hold the breath as normal. Open your eyes. Windage first - if off to Left or Right then move your back foot a tad to swing the barrel onto the target. Be honest here - if you cheat the process - you're only cheating yourself!

Elevation - If ‘high’ on a target (dry fire or checking your alignment without shooting) bring your rear foot closer to the front foot. But if the front sight is ‘low’ of the bullseye, spread your rear foot out wider; always in the same orientation/angle. That sounds the opposite of what you should do, but it works, so for elevation always if 'high' on the target, brong your feet together which makes you stand 'higher' or taller ... but whilst shooting, this drops the muzzle.

 

[bummer7]

Yes, that is a good grouping! Especially for iron sights and in the off-hand position. I applaud you as the off-hand position is difficult to master and shoot well from.

 

[mm93]

I shoot a lot, and in matches offhand separates the good shooters from the rest. I'm not much good at offhand anymore. Bad shoulders, so my scores suffer.

 

[Crosshair]

Very nice. Standing shooting isn't easy.

 

[243winxb]

LPVO set around 3X

Had a fixed power 3X on my M16. Heavy trigger, low power scope, not easy to shoot well. You did good.

 

[TimRB]

I shoot in high power matches. To me, offhand is all about balance on your feet, and relaxation of your support arm. YMMV

Tim

 

[Random 8]

Yes, offhand is difficult. In most high power matches, a 90 or better in offhand will put you in the running for a win if you don't train wreck the other stages.

Get some SR-1 centers or find one you can print, and you can quantify that offhand shooting!

 

[MrBorland]

In most high power matches, a 90 or better in offhand will put you in the running for a win if you don't train wreck the other stages

IME, “the other stages” are where you can win, but Standing is where you can definitely lose the match .

 

[Peakbagger46]

Thanks for all the responses, honestly I wasn’t happy with that group but guess it isn’t too bad.

The Geissele two stage trigger definitely helps, I would be all over the place with a mil-spec one.

 

[Bazoo]

That's pretty decent for offhand 100 yards. I shoot better at reactive targets than paper it seems. Most days on paper I can do about like that, some days I can tighten it up a bit, especially if I don't have an audience. I shoot better when I'm by myself.

The exception is when I've had some informal competition with a friend. He can shoot pretty good and went neck for neck a while the last time we shot together. Shame he doesn't make it down more often.

 

[Random 8]

IME, “the other stages” are where you can win, but Standing is where you can definitely lose the match .

I must respectfully disagree. Every top shooter will run high 90's in prone slow, rapid and usually mid-90s in sitting rapids. Talking service rifle here, add a few points for match rifle. Wind at 600 can get a bit wild, and it is there at 2 and 300, and can be the game changer in bad conditions, but in my experience, the points to make the difference are usually in offhand (which I suck at!)

 

[Lefty38-55]

Me thinks @MrBorland and @Random 8 are saying the SAME thing, but maybe from the 2 perspectives ... in that given good shooting fundamentals and performance ... the better offhand shooter will WIN the match!

 

[MrBorland]

Every top shooter will run high 90's in prone slow, rapid and usually mid-90s in sitting rapids...in my experience, the points to make the difference are usually in offhand

Which suggests the Standing stage is decisive - the match can be won or lost there. It's just seems to me most see Standing as their weak stage.

 

[Hugger-4641]

Get a lever gun and enter some sillouet matches. It will force you to practice offhand a lot more.