From Bench to Stench

[STEINER]

Man do I stink at shooting away from the bench.
I am used to bench shooting with the scope and bipod.
Never realized just how diffecult it is to shoot standing up, using a sling
(Hasty Method).
I don't hunt anymore and don't compete so my interest in owning and
shooting a firearm has become a "self defense" reason.

Nothing fancy anymore. Open iron sighting.
A lot more shooting is in the future for sure.
Even with a solid natural point of aim and the proper breathing sequence,
I am moving all around.
Different way to shoot all together.

[HiBC]

I agree.

I'm not sure the hasty sling helps.

One element (of many) is about the inner ear and the mechanisms of balance.

Stack your bones for your NPA with your head erect and level,then bring the rifle to your face.

I'm not a real good shot,and several folks on this forum are National/World class.

If you attend a Buckskinner sort of shoot,old school black powder,you will see some pretty fine offhand.They do swinging targets,splitting balls on ax blades,etc.

Of course,skill comes first...

But the old blackpowder rifle makers knew something about building an offhand rifle..60 yds is good roundball range and most business gets done offhand.The rifles were designed for it.

[g.willikers]

One of the reasons I've stayed off the bench, since carrying one around was never an option.
Nothing wrong with shooting from the sitting position.
Never cared for the prone position, though.
Never know what might step on you down there.
Kind of hard to see from, too.

[PawPaw]

There is definitely a difference when you get off the bench and start using other positions. And, for most field shooting (at least around this area) the prone is the least-likely position you'll use. Simply too much vegetation to see down range. But, I'm always just 16" from a kneeling shot, and I'm often within a step of a hasty rest in the form of a sapling.

These days I use the bench for zeroing and teaching grandkids, but after I've zero'd I get away from the bench and try to concentrate on shooting as I would in the field. As a hunter, for example, I spend time in my stand, so I try to duplicate the conditions I have in my stand for my practice shooting. For true field shooting I know the vital area of my target and I try to make sure that I can put the bullet into the vital area every time. My current standard is to be able to whack a 9" plate at any distance I might see game. I use the 9" plate because that approximates the vital area of a standard whitetail deer.

Now, a 9" plate at 300 yards is 3 MOA, which isn't a terribly exacting target if you're used to sitting at the bench and shooting at tiny targets, but once you get away from the bench and start trying to hit that 9" plate in real-world conditions, it becomes a challenge.

Keep shooting, keep practicing, and try to learn something from every range outing.

[geetarman]

Back in the day, I shot off-hand, sitting or used shooting sticks. I used whatever I could to bust groundhogs.

I am 72 now and find it is a lot easier to get on the ground than to get up from the ground.

I still shoot from time to time the 300 yard gong with iron sights and M1A.

I just can't hold on to the target as long as I could when I was a kid.

Shooting the Bushmaster or LR308 is also still pretty easy for me at 300 yards with either open sights or an EoTech red dot.

I am really getting into 22 lr from the bench. I probably won't ever shoot that thing off hand. The factory trigger is just over 6 ounces.

I almost never put a handgun on the bench except to keep it in one place while I load magazines.

I envy those with the skill and physical strength to do the various positions.

I have found to my chagrin, I cannot bench press 150 lbs. . . .I can, however, bench press a G30

[g.willikers]

Get thee to the gym.
It's never too late.
Except, of course, when it is.
But 72 ain't yet, guaranteed.

[Erno86]

You'll have to obtain the proper muscle sets for you to shoot offhand reliably.
Find a sorta heavy gun --- and do gun mount to the shoulder repetitions --- 75 times a night. Accept the wobble of the rifle as it does circle eights around the target. In time...the wobble radius will get smaller. Try to use triangular skeletal bone support while shooting offhand.

Check out David Tubbs offhand shooting technique. Relax and breathe properly. If you do not feel right about the trigger press...do the preliminary shot process all over again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h11HE5Viuuw

For the prone position, which still has tips that might help you shoot offhand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weBuYmnpg38

[Rob228]

Look for a local sporter rifle league. Scoped .22 rifles <7.5 pounds at 50 feet with unsupported offhand as the position, you get really good at shooting offhand relatively quickly, and it is a heck of a lot of fun.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I also get great enjoyment casually shooting off the bench... I do hunt yet though, so I try to shoot other ways as well... in the field, if at all possible, I use a "field rest"... branch, tree trunk, fence post, anything is better than a standing, unsupported shot...

BTW... I have gotten pretty good at prone shooting, & after the Appleseed shoot I attended, I'm both better standing, using a sling, & better sitting...

if you can take in an Appleseed shoot / class I highly recommend it...