Steadying your rifle?

[jdscholer]

if it's within 100 yards, it's toast, even offhand...past that, not so much

I think that we should all strive to meet this 100 yard standard. If both you and your rifle can cut the mustard at 100 yds., 90 percent of your shots will be easy.(without a rest)

I think that if you can't take your given rifle and hit a pie plate off hand at 100 yds., you probably won't be able to take a rest and hit one at 200 yds..

Beyond 100 yds., or whatever your pie plate range is, a rest becomes pretty important. A rest can also be hard to find depending on where you're hunting. We hunt a lot in the sagebrush, and if you go prone or even sitting, you often lose your view.

I've been messing around with shooting sticks for a few years now, and have learned that there is a skill to be developed just to use them effectively. I've got a collapsible mono-pod that is just barely better than off-hand for me. Bi-pods are much better, and having someone to pack it for ya would be the best. jd

[Creature]

That's a new one on me. I've always heard/seen/read/been taught/experienced exactly the reverse...

Same here...never heard that before.

I was always taught that flesh-to-flesh or flesh-to-bone will always pulse and/or quiver and/or wobble.

Bone-to-bone support is always what a marksman strives for...because because bone is solid and therefore inherently stable and steady.

[murphjup]

I have learned alot from this post and will continue to digest all of your information...

Thank you all!!!

[jhgreasemonkey]

I try to go into a kneeling position if possible. If not I just go freestyle .

[Nnobby45]

That makes perfect sense, but I'd never heard it expressed exactly that way. Basically you ARE trying to get as much of a bone-to-bone interface as possible that reaches from the gun to the ground but without getting bones directly on bones such that there's only "wobbly" skin between them.

I'd say that's accurate.

I've killed one deer from the standing position. Not much choice, he was only 15 yds. First deer AND biggest deer I ever killed--but that's another story.


Others were killed with a rest. Usually just dropping to sitting position and using hasty sling. This position is quick to get into, and much steadier than offhand.

I live in Nevada, where cross canyon shots, uphill, downhill, and open country are the rule, but thick stuff not out of the question.

It's easy to see how some conditions offer little choice but close range, offhand.

[Shorthair]

On the bone to bone thing, I was taught that one strives for bone support and muscle relaxation. This does not address the actual contact patch. In the four basic positions taught in the USMC, there really isn't an opportunity for a bone on bone mating surface if you're in the position as it was intended to be used.
I have never used a bipod or shooting sticks in the field. I consider them unnecessary encumbrances, though I realize many swear by them. I prefer to use whatever presents itself in the field at the time.

[Creature]

I was taught that one strives for bone support and muscle relaxation

No matter how relaxed your muscles are, there will always be a certain amount of "pulse" in muscle.
As for the four basic shooting positions, they ALL rely upon contact with either the elbow, knee and sometimes the hip.

The elbow has very little muscle around it as does the inner and top part of the knee. In the standing position, many competition shooters will tuck their elbow in the hip area which also close to the skin surface.

[Shorthair]

No matter how relaxed your muscles are, there will always be a certain amount of "pulse" in muscle.
As for the four basic shooting positions, they ALL rely upon contact with either the elbow, knee and sometimes the hip.

The elbow has very little muscle around it as does the inner and top part of the knee. In the standing position, many competition shooters will tuck their elbow in the hip area which also close to the skin surface.

Hmmm, OK. No matter how textbook perfect one's position, there will always be a heart beating within your chest trying to kick you off the black at the 500 meter line. You have to try to reduce the effects of accuracy robbing variables, like gravity...
The idea is that the bone is rigid, and one should attempt to create a structure with the body's bones that utilizes that rigidity, like stacking a scaffold of bones up from the ground to the weapon. This is what you referred to earlier. This concept can be seen in all 4 of the positions, when correctly executed. Those illustrations of the hunter actually are horrible representations of each position's form. When the muscles are relaxed, this reduces tension. When they are contracted, or flexed, they create stresses that cause the muzzle to waver.

[Creature]

Have you ever shot in competition?

[Shorthair]

Me? No. Only in the service.

[Creature]

Which branch?

[Ricky]

I've killed several dear that were under 60-75 yards with offhand shots. Further than that and the dear are most likely feeding or walking you should be able to look around and find a solid rest. In my experience, usually the longer the range, the more time you have, look around, find a good rest and take your time. check your breathing and squeeeeeze the trigger. Bam, venison in the freezer!

[Shorthair]

Usmc 1979-1984

[Creature]

Interesting. I am active duty Navy and I compete in the Fleet Forces and All Navy Matches. The Marine Det that shoots with my team would be the first to tell you: when it comes to shooting and how to set up a shot, the first thing is always to settle on bone to bone support when "building" your firing position. They tell me that this is taught at basic.

[Daryl]

Well, I'm a relatively new hunter, Only within the past year... so I am wondering how everyone steady's their rifle for shots in the field??

Do you all just hold them? Brace against something? Bipod? Carry a stick?

Any ideas for steadying your rifle on longer shots would be appreciated?

Thank you in advance.

All of the above, and then some.

It all depends on where I'm hunting, and for what.

At closer ranges, I'll just lift the rifle and shoot, many times. Sitting, and resting my elbows on my knees while holding the rifle, or just resting the rifle across a knee has given my pretty good results, too. In fact, this is the position I do most shooting from.

In open country, while hunting antelope or other such critters, I'll oft-times put a bi-pod on my rifle. It allows for near bench-rest accuracy in open areas where you can lay down or sit where you otherwise wouldn't find much to use for a rest.

In mountain country, I'll leave the bi-pod at home. I might carry shooting sticks, but not likely. Instead I'll stop and glass where there's a rock, stump, log, or other thing(s) I can use for a rest. A stetson laid over such an object works pretty well to steady a rifle for a long shot.

Daryl

[Shorthair]

Interesting. I am active duty Navy and I compete in the Fleet Forces and All Navy Matches. The Marine Det that shoots with my team would be the first to tell you: when it comes to shooting and how to set up a shot, the first thing is always to settle on bone to bone support when "building" your firing position. They tell me that this is taught at basic.

I'm sure that's exactly what they tell you. Creature, I have no doubt you're a much better shot than I, and I am not here to flex my e-trigger finger. However, I think you fundamentally misunderstand what your Marine shooting teammates are telling you. I'd like you to do me a favor. Ask them if they are talking about the contact patch, where a bony part of the body merely contacts another bony part, or if they are talking about building a platform, a scaffold of bone, where the bones stack up from the ground to the weapon in order to create a stable platform and resist the effects of gravity and minimize muscle tension. They are, I'm sure.
I'm a ridiculously flexible man, always have been. That said, at first it was painful for all of us to crank down tight and hold our positions, as I'm sure it used to be for you. We were always encouraged to crank the sling up to the tightest possible degree, and then naturally align the body towards the target. In kneeling, that means sitting on my foot as it lay flat on the ground, not up on the ball of my foot, and with the forward foot tucked back against my crotch rather than placed out towards the target. If I were to place my elbow directly on top of my knee cap the position was much less stable than when I was tightly cranked into the tightest position possible. When I cranked down into the sitting position, for example, I tucked my legs up tight into my crotch, and rested my elbows into pockets created by the inside crook of the knee, never on the bone of the knee itself. Same thing with kneeling, the tricep, not the elbow, contacted my knee. I never concentrated on ensuring the contact patch was a bone on bone relation, in fact, I virtually always avoided it.
I don't know, it worked for me, I was 2nd highest in my series in boot and never shot less than 231 on the KD course, including pre-qual.

[Creature]

You lost me.

[Shorthair]

It appears that you are saying that the contact patch is the relevant bone-on-bone reference, and I am saying that the concept actually applies to the entire structure. I appears that you are saying that one should concentrate on placing a bony surface area like an elbow directly upon another bony surface area like a kneecap, I am saying that this misinterprets the concept of bone support as practiced and taught by the Marine Corps.
I am saying that the concept addresses the entire structure, and not merely the various points where one limb contacts another.

[RB98SS]

For me, I hunt whitetail from a tree stand and rarely sit in it. I stand as long as I can, sit to rest only. It's hard for me to shoot off hand and if standing its easy to get a shot in any direction. Also, I set my stand opposite the tree where I have my shooting lane. By doing this, I can keep hidden behind the tree and steady my gun against it when the shot opportunity is right. I stand facing the tree I'm in.

[MeekAndMild]

Whelen sling helps a lot. Jack O'Connor used to drop his hat onto a rock or log to cushion the rifle.

[James R. Burke]

There is no doubt any kind of rest is better than none. Were I deer hunt in Michigan most shots are under 75 yards in very thick woods you need to be fast, and accurate off hand.

[publius]

The edge of the deer stand, a tree, a log, my forearm on by knee, anything I can find.

[YARDDOG(1)]

Any shot past 200+ yards I'd like a tree too steady

[CamoCop]

i have a shooting rail mounted to my climbing treestand