[Erno86]

I was a bit off on my last post. Let me give some quotes from air gun expert: Tom Gaylord, Settling-in a firing position.

"The big kickers like a 30-06 are going to push you around some. Don't be surprised if you aren't on the target after the dust settles.

Following through means that you continue to hold your aim after the shot is fired. It takes discipline to do it, but it's the only way that you will ever be able to tell where the sights were when the shot fired. It's the only way you will ever be able to call where the shot went.

If you follow through, you should be able to call your shots most of the time --- as long as you don't blink when the shot fires. But don't try to do this with a large-caliber gun the first time. A pellet gun is the best to start with. A 22 rimfire is another wonderful gun to start with.

Once you get enough skill, you can graduate to progressively larger calibers, and calling your shots will almost become second nature.

While shooting a 30-06...nobody can hold the sights on the point of aim while this gun recoils. But if you're watching, you can take a mental snapshot of the sight picture just before the gun fires.

When I'm on a benchrest or even when I'm in a seated or standing supported firing position, it takes time for me to settle-in properly. I keep adjusting things until the rifle is aimed at the target when I'm completely relaxed. Don't get confused --- I don't necessarily mean that I'm holding the rifle loosely; but if I'm shooting a hard-recoiling rifle like the 30-06, you can be sure that I have the butt tight against my shoulder and the thumb of my firing hand is positioned to not break my nose when it comes back at me in recoil!

Rimfire rifles also need to be held firmly for best results, so maybe it's only pellet rifles that are held loosely. The object is to make sure the sights are aligned with the target when I hold the rifle so that when I close my eyes and relax, the sights remain aligned as before. I actually do this sometimes --- close my eyes, take a deep breath and let it out, then look and see where the sights are.

There's one last step to this hold. That's to touch the trigger and make sure the rifle doesn't move away from the target as it's squeezed. Sometimes, this final step is the place where the last little bit of muscle tension gets revealed and corrected."