I shoot every two weeks. I'm shooting a 270. I will usually set my stock on a bag with towels and my butt on a remington butt pad. I shoot ok, but not consistent. I notice if I shoulder my stock and hold my sling down under the rifle it seem to be more stable. I see a lot of guys that don't even hold the stock or sling just shoulder the the butt and use just one arm to fire. I get tired of having to hold my rifle down like cement to keep it stable. Would a bipod help me to just shoulder my rifle and keep my left arm free?
Trouble keeping my rifle stable when firing
- Thread starter blackops
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jpwilly
Member
Often a Bipod + Bench are a bad combo...bipods are for laying on the ground or on other objects in the field. The most steady platforms are heavy and help eliminate vibrations during the shot as well as keeping you sighted up. I.E. Sandbags or shooting bags full of sand or lead shot are very stable and help cancel out vibes. If your range doesn't have sandbags lying around you may need to lug some of your own in or fill them with rice it's lighter to haul around.
Support the front of the rifle just in front of the receiver too far forward and the stock acts like a spring and the rear in a V shooting bag. Next don't touch the rifle in anyway that is unnecessary and if you do be consistent about it. Your cheek, shoulder (breathing and heartbeat) are transmitted through to the rifle. Trigger control etc are very important as well. Your support hand should be on the rear bag squeezing it to adjust elevation. Your trigger hand...well right where it's supposed to be...hope this helps. Here's a picture, not of me, just found on the net IMO the front rest is too far forward but this will give you some idea of what I'm talking about:
I see you're shooting a 270 so there's probably a bit of recoil and you are probably holding onto it too firmly somehow.
Support the front of the rifle just in front of the receiver too far forward and the stock acts like a spring and the rear in a V shooting bag. Next don't touch the rifle in anyway that is unnecessary and if you do be consistent about it. Your cheek, shoulder (breathing and heartbeat) are transmitted through to the rifle. Trigger control etc are very important as well. Your support hand should be on the rear bag squeezing it to adjust elevation. Your trigger hand...well right where it's supposed to be...hope this helps. Here's a picture, not of me, just found on the net IMO the front rest is too far forward but this will give you some idea of what I'm talking about:
I see you're shooting a 270 so there's probably a bit of recoil and you are probably holding onto it too firmly somehow.
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GodGuns&Guitars
Member
jpwilly is pretty much right. I shoot a 300 Weatherby mag and I don't hold the front in any shape or fashion pretty much as you see in the picture. Secure things to your shoulder and get a good stock to cheek weld and get as level as you can to the rifle. You might want to try sitting a little more straight on was well. Don't try to shoot right off the bat when you first get set up. Sit down and relax a bit. You can buy shooting bags at gun stores or some ranges have them. Most of the mags like Cabella's, Cheaper than Dirt, etc. have them as well. The second bag should fit under the stock back by your shoulder. You should be able to squeeze it with your free hand and lower the point of aim. Let off and it should raise the point of aim. Try dry firing like this a few times and see how you do. If things feel better and you are more steady, then try a live fire. When you shoot the barrel is going to rise from the front rest, don't let it alarm you, this is natural. Another thing that has helped me is lessening the amount trigger pull. Mine is down at 3lbs. I have shot some pretty heavy recoiling rifles this way with no problems and no scope in my eye. A scare I don't have.
Float Pilot
Member
Or sodas...
Have a good breakfast as well... Full guts are steady guts.
Also remember that nobody holds perfectly still. The longer you try the worse it gets.
I shoot in military matches where we have to use pre 1945 bolt guns with issue sights and we cannot use a sling during the free standing stage. At 100 yards that bull seems to move all over the place for me.
So I take a bunch of deep breaths to get my blood full of oxygen, then I slowly let out the last breath and let the sights sink down through the bulls-eye. At least I can control the movement direction this way. Then I touch off a round just as the front sight hits the bottom of the black circle. (I use a 6 o'clock hold for match shooting.
If I screw up, I releax and take a few more breaths and try again.
I never try holding my breath to see if I can hold more steady. I used to do it 40 years ago,,,, but it does not work anymore...
Have a good breakfast as well... Full guts are steady guts.
Also remember that nobody holds perfectly still. The longer you try the worse it gets.
I shoot in military matches where we have to use pre 1945 bolt guns with issue sights and we cannot use a sling during the free standing stage. At 100 yards that bull seems to move all over the place for me.
So I take a bunch of deep breaths to get my blood full of oxygen, then I slowly let out the last breath and let the sights sink down through the bulls-eye. At least I can control the movement direction this way. Then I touch off a round just as the front sight hits the bottom of the black circle. (I use a 6 o'clock hold for match shooting.
If I screw up, I releax and take a few more breaths and try again.
I never try holding my breath to see if I can hold more steady. I used to do it 40 years ago,,,, but it does not work anymore...
Bwana John
Member
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- Sep 10, 2004
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- 2,960
just wait till you see what happens when you try shooting offhand!
Uncle Mike
Member
...all these years.... I couldn't put my finger on what the problem was, but now... now I know!
Hey, wait, is scotch a stimulant or.....
No Hookahs either....
shucks... I can't shoot without a chew in.... throws my cheek weld off... hehehhe
Rollis R. Karvellis
Member
(shucks... I can't shoot without a chew in.... throws my cheek weld off... hehehhe). I keep my chew of snuff on the right side, I shot lefty.
Uncle Mike
Member
but I can't chew on that side.... since the accident.
Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow
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- Nov 14, 2007
- Messages
- 13,146
No. And why do you need your left arm free?
The answer is to get better front and rear bench rests - there are many - check out Champion's Choice. Maybe a Caldwell Lead Sled or other Caldwell rest system.
*Someone* in this thread has the best. username. ever. Similar to one of my old DII characters.
Uncle Mike
Member
You know... you might want to go to some of these long range shooting or sniper websites and read some of the articles folks have uploaded.Articles on proper cheek weld, grip at the wrist, trigger finger position et cetera.
Not so much the argumentative posts, but the actual written articles... do a search on the subject, there are some excellent articles out there.
Check this out: http://longrangehunting.com/articles/fitting-long-range-rifle-1.php
I'm a newbie by comparison, but I've studied how the advanced shooters at my gun club do it. They are generally using .223 or 6 mm; some are factory; some are $3000 benchrest guns.
The benchrest (custom) guys seem to do the "free recoil" bit where they just barely hold the gun at all with the trigger hand; trying hard to ONLY let the finger touch the gun. There is a lot of emphasis on having the gun slide perfectly on it own through the bags and an expensive front rest. These guys shoot very tiny groups.
I observed a top "factory" (sporter) shooter. At my club, they are not allowed to use a benchrest type front rest: they can use either a bipod or a sandbag on any kind of wood support. Rear sandbag is used by all (both factory and custom); the Protektor rabbit ear is typical.
The factory shooter chose a bipod and uses a forearm hold whereas the benchrest guys don't. The factory shooter put a piece of slick plastic under the bipod so it would slide well on the smooth concrete of the benchrest table.
I tested all these ideas multiple times and found I could shoot almost identical group using bipod versus simple (cheap) front rest. Sandbags were also just about the same. I have tried free recoil and tight front hold and loose front hold and ended up with "loose front hold". In doing thse tests I recorded every group shot and measured all.
The Savage 12FV that I have (and bedded) has a high heavy barrel and the bipod tends to stop the torque rotation (1:8 twist) that occurs with a sandbag a little better; the factory shooter gave me the same story. I am usually able to slide the rifle back forward and quickly regain the sight picture, but certainly not as easily as the benchrest guys with their wide forearms in a padded rest.... I put baby powderon the table and on the plastic and on the rear rest and I try to have an identical hold every time, with just very light touch front and rear basically to supply a bit of damping.
The most important thing I found was that getting the rifle to so sit by itself (while sighting) so that it pointed dead center at the bullseye (36X power scope) BY ITSELF was critical. HOlding any "pressure" to keep the sight centered would often cause a problem. Then extremely light pressure and squeeze off the shot (accutrigger).
There are tutorials on the benchrest.com and other websites that gave me many of these same ideas. I don't have a benchrest gun so I have no experience there. I'm finally able to get "one ragged hole" but that is a C-C mesurement of around 0.4 and I know others do better with factory guns so I am not "there" yet. Still working on loads, bullet seating, etc.
gordon
The benchrest (custom) guys seem to do the "free recoil" bit where they just barely hold the gun at all with the trigger hand; trying hard to ONLY let the finger touch the gun. There is a lot of emphasis on having the gun slide perfectly on it own through the bags and an expensive front rest. These guys shoot very tiny groups.
I observed a top "factory" (sporter) shooter. At my club, they are not allowed to use a benchrest type front rest: they can use either a bipod or a sandbag on any kind of wood support. Rear sandbag is used by all (both factory and custom); the Protektor rabbit ear is typical.
The factory shooter chose a bipod and uses a forearm hold whereas the benchrest guys don't. The factory shooter put a piece of slick plastic under the bipod so it would slide well on the smooth concrete of the benchrest table.
I tested all these ideas multiple times and found I could shoot almost identical group using bipod versus simple (cheap) front rest. Sandbags were also just about the same. I have tried free recoil and tight front hold and loose front hold and ended up with "loose front hold". In doing thse tests I recorded every group shot and measured all.
The Savage 12FV that I have (and bedded) has a high heavy barrel and the bipod tends to stop the torque rotation (1:8 twist) that occurs with a sandbag a little better; the factory shooter gave me the same story. I am usually able to slide the rifle back forward and quickly regain the sight picture, but certainly not as easily as the benchrest guys with their wide forearms in a padded rest.... I put baby powderon the table and on the plastic and on the rear rest and I try to have an identical hold every time, with just very light touch front and rear basically to supply a bit of damping.
The most important thing I found was that getting the rifle to so sit by itself (while sighting) so that it pointed dead center at the bullseye (36X power scope) BY ITSELF was critical. HOlding any "pressure" to keep the sight centered would often cause a problem. Then extremely light pressure and squeeze off the shot (accutrigger).
There are tutorials on the benchrest.com and other websites that gave me many of these same ideas. I don't have a benchrest gun so I have no experience there. I'm finally able to get "one ragged hole" but that is a C-C mesurement of around 0.4 and I know others do better with factory guns so I am not "there" yet. Still working on loads, bullet seating, etc.
gordon
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