Stopping the waver

[dgray64]

This may be a weird question, but I don't think I'm the only one with it. As I get older, I get more of a waver at the end of the barrel, whether using a scope or iron sites. I have the best luck by doing a quick site and shooting as soon as I acquire the target, but if I hold on it for a couple seconds to make sure I will hit where I want to, the end will wabble back and forth. Seems to me back when I was in the Army a hundred years ago, I was pretty darn steady, but now... It's not off much if looking at the hole in the target, but it's off. Thanks for any help.

Dave :banghead:

 

[WNTFW]

Dave,
Work on using as much relaxed body as possible. Take your muscles out of the equation as much as possible. NPA (Natural Point of Aim) is also necessary. Shoot on empty lungs and don't hold your breath. IE breath normal and shoot at bottom of breathing cycle.
Hanging onto a good sight picture and not pulling the trigger is waiting for it to turn into a bad sight picture. Knowing the sight picture you are looking at is as good as it is going to get is part of the skill. Knowing when and when not to pull the trigger is half the battle.
I have the same problems. I started shooting an air rifle at home Out of 5K shots this year a have very few group I am really happy with. Air rifle/.22lr practice and dry fire will help.

 

[ball3006]

It is called wobble. It gets less and less the more you practice. chris3

 

[taliv]

are we talking standing? or at a bench?

 

[Sam Cade]

How old is the OP?

Essential Tremor has an incidence of roughly 5% at the age of 40 and increasing dramatically as age increases.

 

[Smokey in PHX]

Dry firing at home is a good way to improve in this area. If you do not want to fire on an empty chamber use a couple fired cases or snap caps. Pick a distant target from a comfortable position and when the firing pin moves you should know (remember) your exact sight picture. There are websights and articles describing this exercise. Just use google.

Make sure there is no live ammo in the gun. Believe it or not I know a guy that shot through his TV set.

 

[Cosmoline]

I find I'm getting gradually more wobbly as well. Good pointers above, plus I find that if I wobble like a weeble and concentrate on turning my wobble into a regular pattern, I can actually time my shots to when the sights cross the bull.

Also, getting down closer to the ground into good solid stances helps tremendously.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Practice is the answer.

Work on technique -- if you're shooting from the off-hand position, pull the support hand back as far as you can, keeping your forearm vertical.

 

[451 Detonics]

A good sling will help, practice the various supported positions, accept there will always be wobble and learn to guide the rifle in a very slow movement through a figure 8 letting the shot go when the sights are on the target.

 

[Furncliff]

Old Man Wobble has caught up with me too (I'm 67). I've gone to bench shooting mostly.

 

[henschman]

Its probably because your muscles are not used to the positions you shoot from, and are strained. Of course a good solid position minimizes muscle input, but if your body has to strain to get into a solid position, you will shake. Just do a lot of dry fire in position (just sight on a power outlet across the room or something). Remember to stay oxygenated... when you hold your breath too long the first thing to go is your eyesight, and then your fine muscle control. Don't hold your breath for more than 5 or 6 seconds without taking a shot. If you find you are holding your breath too long on a shot, oxygenate up real quick by taking a couple of quick deep breaths and then continue with the steps to firing the shot.

 

[Mike1234567]

I developed a neurological issue several years ago and my hand-held accuracy absolutely sucks now. I can still hit minute-of-bad-guy in my home if I must. Face it... as we get older we lose control of stuff and the older we get the more obvious those losses of control become. Fortunately, by that time, senility sets in and we no longer care.

 

[rcmodel]

Wobble is natural, and everyone has it to one extent or another.

I had it, and so did everyone else when I shot on the 5th. Army AMU pistol team in my mid-20's.
The national champion NRA Bullseye pistol shot at the time wobbled back and forth like a strong wind was blowing him around all the time!

The trick is, you don't worry about it.

Trigger control and watching the front sight is the answer.
You keep applying more and more pressure to the trigger squeeze each time you wobble past the x-ring.
And sooner or later the gun will go off in the right place.

Trust me, it works!

rc

 

[dgray64]

Thanks for all the help, fellas. The advice was outstanding. Sam Cade, I wasn't sure what the OP was. If it was the operator (me), I'm 68. Everyone else, thanks again. I will do some more practice.

Dave

 

[TonyAngel]

We get guys that are into all sorts of shooting disciplines at my range and a few of them do an off hand type of bulls eye shooting using open sights. I'm coming around 50 now and as I get older, I'm finding it more and more difficult to get on target and stay there, so I asked a couple of these guys what their secret was. What I was told was that they don't even try to hold steady on the target because you just can't do it. They told me that it's all in the trigger control and knowing when to squeeze the trigger.

The guys that I talked to use sort of a rhythm method. I don't know that this is what it's actually called, but what they do is trace a figure "8" across the target with the front sight with the target landing at the middle of the "8". When the shot is right, they squeeze the trigger. I've tried it and it does work, but it's gonna take a lot of trigger time to master. Still, at least there is a method to be mastered, rather than throwing in the towel due to a little shake.

 

[rcmodel]

When the shot is right, they squeeze the trigger.

That right there will quickly develop into jerking the trigger, and that is bad for any kind of decent accuracy.

See my post #13 about steadily increasing trigger pressure each time you go past the x-ring.

The surprise break will come at the right time, and in the place.

rc

 

[CMUnderWoody]

The best way to overcome it is NOT to fight it. Allow the barrel to move in an infinity pattern (a figure 8 on its side) passing the center of the (8) over your intended target. Simply time it so on your swing through you fire the round(s) at center. It takes practice but for extended shooting it can make a big difference. The harder you try to fight it the more you will falsely correct, so if you can time your swing you'll get by. Adrenaline and extended firefights can screw with a steady hand (and not everybody has time to set up a bench for a steady shot...)