Plinking/target shooting-Free style vs supported?

[BCRider]

I'm wondering how many folks enjoy the challenge of shooting their rifles for plinking and basic target shooting from a standing free style posture instead of using a rest or cradle?

On top of this I recognize that most of us will switch to using supports as an aid for longer distances or during load development or rifle evaluation. But if so at what distances or circumstances do you switch over to supports/aids to steady the rifle?

For my own case I really enjoy shooting from standing free style at a Caldwell rimfire flip up target set for 25 and 50 yard plinking. This is commonly done using my Henry lever rifle or my BSA Martini with peep sights. Soon to join these two are a Savage Mk II with scope (probably push out to 50 and 100 yards due to the scope) and an older sport style Anschutz equipped with Anschutz rear target peep and Lyman globe front sight.

Once things get past 50 yards though I find that my old guy eyes and old guy nerves make for "generous" group sizes. Like I'm happy to hit the 12 inch square paper at all..... So I go back to seated with a support bag or choose to go prone on a shooting mat where I shoot from my elbows.

For 200 yards and longer? Seated and support bag all the way. Or in the case of my long distance BPCR .38-55 rolling block with long distance peep sights I'm looking at a sturdy folding stool and crossed sticks.

Needless to say I have a HUGE respect for skill and ability seen in the Metallic Silhouette event shooters. To do well at this style of competition with no support and no slings speaks volumes for the training and discipline... along with the good fortune to have nerves that aren't too far gone...

So how about it? Bench supported all the way or 400 yards free style? Or, more likely, somewhere in between?

Hunting is a whole other issue. The desire for a clean kill means that it's not so much about the challenge as obtaining a merciful kill. Also I understand that the sooner the animal drops the less tainted the meat. So I'm sure many use a handy tree or shooting sticks. But do you practice this at the range by using the support posts as a handy "tree"? Yes? No?

 

[taliv]

with light rifles like AR15, inside 50 yards, shooting carpenter bees, wasps, coke cans, etc, I'm standing. on silhouettes to 200 yards, i'm still standing, depending on how fast i need to shoot, I might take a knee. past that, i take the steadiest position available.

 

[jmr40]

I'm a hunter first, not a formal target shooter. I practice for the way I'll take shots in the field. Even when hunting, free style, off hand, unsupported, anyway you describe it is always the last option and only used if no other options exist. But yes, I do practice for it.

I use the bench for load development and zeroing. After that I use a mix of improvised support including shooting sticks, using a tree branch or trunk, and prone off a pack. Free hand is also practiced. I don't really try to shoot shoot groups at this time. I use a 22 with reactive targets a lot and 9" paper plates out to 300-400 yards with my centerfire rifles. I'm not concerned about group size. Either I hit the target or not. I figure a hit anywhere in the paper plate is in the kill zone of any animal I'll be hunting.

I also practice rapid fire using the same technique. Placing a paper plate @ 50 yards and trying to hit it 3 times as fast as possible while working the action. With a little practice a bolt rifle is a lot faster than most folks think. Even though I may never need 3 shots it is good practice for quickly mounting the rifle and finding the target.

 

[MrBorland]

I recently bought an A2 AR15 for eventual High Power Service Rifle competition, and I've been shooting it almost exclusively standing so far at 100 yards with NRA reduced 200 yard standing targets.

I shot an Appleseed clinic over the weekend, and had a chance to take my AR15 to the 500 yard range, where I was hitting a gong @ 250 yards while standing.

I was also shooting my CZ rimfire informally in Smallbore format before I got my AR, so a lot of my shooting with it has been standing at 50 yards.

 

[aarondhgraham]

I would rather shoot unsupported if I can,,,

I would rather shoot unsupported if I can,,,
So far, I've never seen a bench out where I used to hunt.

I get more personal satisfaction out of standing and hitting a Coke can at 50 yards,,,
Than I do when I hit a 1" bullseye off of a bench at 100 yards.

When I hunted (back when dinosaurs ruled the earth),,,
I would try and find something to brace against,,,
But mostly it was me standing or kneeling.

My Pop was somewhat of a bit of a braggart about his rifle skills,,,
With my 189? Winchester pump and .22 shorts,,,
He could hit pennies at 25 yards all day long,,,
That was standing with no sling.

I saw him shoot a groundhog with that same rifle using .22 shorts,,,
He was standing and made the shot with no hesitation,,,
My brother and I measured it with a 30' tape,,,
It was between 80 and 85 yards.

I'm older than dirt now with diabetic eyes,,,
If I hit a penny at 25 yards from a standing position,,,
My poor old heart would probably explode from the excitement.

But back to the original topic,,,
I get much more satisfaction when I hit standing.

I use a rifle rest on a bench when I'm sighting a rifle in,,,
But after that I make every attempt to get better from a standing position.

I recently attended an Appleseed event,,,
I finally learned how to adjust/use a sling properly,,,
That one little technique improved my shooting immensely.

Some folk will chuckle at me for saying this,,,
But I feel pride that I can hit a can at 50 yards from a standing position,,,
From my bench I can hit at double the distance but I feel no great pride when I do.

JMHO

Aarond

.

 

[Bobson]

I never shoot any bolt action rifle freehand, and probably never will.

An AR15, yeah, I'll practice shooting freehand up to about 100 yards, with much of that practice being closer to 25 and 50 yards.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

Unsupported when possible. It is fun to ring gongs at 200 yards with 22lr and hit IPSCs at 100 yards with handguns. You also get to see how much difference proper skeletal support makes when shooting and trying things out. You get to see how your sight picture bobs and weaves and how breathing shifts your POA. Use your whole body when you get the chance, not just the booger hook.

I like benching rifles to maximize accuracy to get an idea of what the ammo or gun is capable of, but it honestly gets boring quickly.

 

[BCRider]

Aarond, your eyes may be arguing with you at the range but your wit is still sharp. I got a few good chuckles from your well worded reply.

 

[d2wing]

To learn how your rifle shoots, shoot supported. To learn how you shoot, shoot unsupported.
The older I get the more supported and optics I need.

 

[Mohave-Tec]

50/100 yards with my AR or 10/22 I shoot freehand mostly. In the desert I shoot freehand. I shoot at a painted target at 560 yards on a cliff from the knee. I will shoot bolt rifles in several ways but usually from a bench 100 to 200 yards. 400 to 1000 I shoot prone.

 

[BCRider]

The older I get the more supported and optics I need.

I hear you LOUD AND CLEAR! ! ! And I'm not very far behind you.

I consider myself lucky that I got into the sport early enough (only been shooting for 5 years now. Got started at 56 years old) that I can at least get a few years without too many aids being needed.

 

[mac66]

Learned to shoot using a loop/hasty sling though otherwise unsupported through Appleseed a few years ago. Makes a big difference.

 

[Don McDowell]

I shoot offhand quite often.
22 bpcr sillouette requires the chickens to be shot offhand.
NRA bptr midrange position matches require the 200 yd target to be shot off hand.
At 99% of the bpcr "buffalo" gong matches if a target is closer than 300 yds, it's a pretty sure bet it'll be shot off hand, and at the Quigley match the offhand target is 350 yds.
Most of the "gong" match 22 and levergun events have one or more, if not all the targets shot offhand.

 

[Cee Zee]

Growing up my brothers would razz me to no end if I even thought about using a rest. It was all about learning to shoot for the hunt for us and the chances of getting good shots at a squirrel from any kind of a rest just aren't that good. You have to be ready to fire on a moment's notice for the most part. There are ways of hunting where that isn't as true but we never hunted those ways much (like sitting under a tree before dawn and waiting for the squirrels to come to you).

I too have taken up bench shooting in my old age. I don't get to the woods to hunt nearly as much as I once did. I still like shooting though and bench shooting is a whole other thing that requires just as much practice to do well.

Still I enjoy plinking though. I've worn out multiple sets of steel targets shooting from 40-50 yards with a .22. It takes a lot of dings to break a good steel target with a .22. I don't shoot them much off a rest. It's just no challenge. I've made 200 yard shots freehand with a .22 but mostly I just get close when I shoot that far.

I tend to shoot off a rest with my centerfire guns except for my SKS's. The weight is getting hard to support and keep steady as my injuries pile up. I can still do it when I have to but I don't want to nearly as much. I've shot gallon jugs at 250 yards with my SKS free hand. It just doesn't lend itself to be shot from a rest and a person needs to practice shooting it free style IMO if they want to use it for any kind of defense ever.

 

[1911 guy]

When the shot counts, I'll use any rest available. But i also shoot out to 100 yards offhand at times just to stay sharp. My groups aren't anything to brag about, mostly five inches or so.

 

[aarondhgraham]

Thank you sir,,,

...but your wit is still sharp. I got a few good chuckles from your well worded reply.

Why, thank you sir.

Aarond

.

 

[Art Eatman]

For decades and decades, rifle shooting was mostly an offhand deal for me. Grew up with it. Trouble is, back about ten years ago, all my rifles suffered from an incredible weight gain! There I was, only seventy years old, and looking for hasty rests and benches! Terribubble!

Hang in there, Bubba. Offhand is a lot more fun.

 

[BCRider]

It seems like it's just so standard to see all the folks at the range shooting from rests, sled or cradles. So it's quite gratifying to read the responses saying that most of you are up for the personal challenge of free style unsupported shooting.

I also see that you hunters are saying that you do what is needed to increase the accuracy of your shots. And that too is nice to read. I'm not a hunter, at least not yet, but I do like the world and the animals in it enough that out of respect that I'd also be using whatever it takes to get as steady and accurate a shot as practical. That and as my hunting friends have said it means the meat is better tasting.

 

[Edarnold]

Standing on your hind legs and shooting like a man separates the shooters from the marksmen. A few years back when I still participated in NRA 200 yard matches, it was fun to see the guys with their tricked-out ARs put one shot after another in the X-ring from prone, keep them in the 10 ring from sitting, and then... We pulled their offhand targets. Well, mostly in the black for the best competitors: it was fun to see the old guys who hadn't done so well in the supported positions due to failing eyesight and decrepitude move up in the ranking with respectable offhand scores.
I see so many posts from shooters who agonize because their latest rifle won't shoot sub-MOA groups like the other kids (claim) they do. Shooting off the bench is ultimately a dead end, there is not much skill on the part of the shooter, especially if your gun is cradled in a Lead Sled. And there will always be another super-gadget that promises to shrink those groups. Shooting offhand is always a challenge, and you don't need to drop a bundle on the latest super-gun. As a couple of posters have mentioned, a good .22 rim fire target rifle at 100- or 200-yards can give you hours of really fun shooting without worrying about whether your barrel is losing it's gilt edge of accuracy.

 

[Nwflycaster]

I shoot 80% of my practice time in unsupported offhand shooting either my rim fire or AR-15 at 100 yards.

 

[BCRider]

"OFFHAND" ! ! ! ! That's the proper term I was missing out on. I called it "free style" but it hadn't sat right.