Shooting sticks...

[Clevinger]

I'm new to using shooting sticks, but would like to use them for hunting.

Are you supposed to rest the forestock or the barrel on the shooting sticks?

I don't want to scuff either up with the recoil if necessary.

I apologize in advance for the potentially dumb question; I've just never used them.

[9mmfan]

I've never used them, but it seems you would rest the stock on them. My understanding is you don't want any pressure on the barrel when you aim and fire.

[mete]

The barrel should never rest directly on any thing ! I use a light , quick and easy adjustable bipod [ stoney point ]

[QuarterHorse]

The stock rests on them. I used an inexpensive mono-pod style for a few years with success. For my birthday I just received a Primos Trigger Stick Mono that I think is going to work AWESOME. Also helps when I'm walking around up hills in the snow etc....

[Clevinger]

The barrel should never rest directly on any thing!

Again, I've never used the shooting sticks before.

For the sake of learning, why shouldn't the barrel ever rest on anything? A safety issue or an accuracy issue?

And do you rest the forestock on them then?

[Clevinger]

The stock rests on them.

Thanks.

With the recoil, do the shooting sticks tend to scuff the forestock?

[QuarterHorse]

I have synthetic stocked rifles but my sticks are also rubber where the rifle rests, so not at all.

[big al hunter]

For the sake of learning,why shouldn't the barrel ever rest on anything? A safety issue or an accuracy issue?

Strictly about accuracy. Resting the barrel on anything changes how it moves when fired, thereby changing point of impact.

I have used shooting sticks for years and never had a scuff mark on my wood stocks. However if your sticks don't have rubber padding of some kind it could scuff the finish. The rubber helps the sticks move with the rifle during recoil.

[Bake]

Hand in/on the stick's yoke, stock in/on the hand. If you cann't get the hand in the yoke to work, try a small bean/sand/shot bag...

[taylorce1]

People use them all differently, I use Stoney Point shooting sticks they are more like a bipod. I've never liked the monopod shooting sticks. I've never rested my hand in the yoke, I instead hold the yoke with my hand like in the link I posted. I've made a few LR shots off of the sticks that wouldn't have been possible with my bipods from the prone because of the height of the vegetation or terrain.

[Pahoo]

Clevinger
I have a set but hardly use them as I really don't need them. Instead I use a small trees as a rest. The forend is cradled in my hand and my hand is against the tree.

Now, I'm not sure where you are hunting with them and I can see a point to using them. Most of my hunts are in deep wooded areas and if I were going out west, I certainly would take my set with me.

Oh, Hunting only.. ....

Be Safe !!!

[Doyle]

I frequently carry a set. Monopods are worse than nothing at all - they seem to actually increase movement. The bipod type are what I've found to be beneficial. And like others have said - rest the forearm on them not the barrel.

My current set has to be adjusted using the little flip levers. That is slow (cost me a hog last year). When I go to buy another set, I'll get the kind that has the adjusment build into the grip.

[jmr40]

Tried a cheap monopod and could shoot much better without it. A tripod is as easy as shooting off a bench, but can be too much to carry around in many places I hunt. I settled on the bipod sticks. With some practice they work well and are still easy to pack around in the boonies.

Keep the barrel off the rest, use the forend.

[stubbicatt]

I still have the monopod somewhere under the house. The shooting sticks I have used, one set I wore out, have rubber caps over one end of what look like arrow shafts, the other end bearing a target point that one can jam into the earth to stabilize the setup. Between the rubber caps at the top end of the sticks is a rubber link which allows one to open the legs as far as needed, and serves as a rest for the forend of the stock. These worked very well for me in prairie dog shooting.

Good luck with the monopod. That thing drove me nuts. Here lately I am using big old rubber bands to hold a laser range finder on top of the monopod, and that works pretty good.

[hooligan1]

Clevinger, I've used multiple monopods, small forks, handmade shooting sticks, all worked good and some worked better, but I finally treated myself to those "Tri-pod Trigger Sticks" from Primos, and I rest my stock on them just behind the sling mount.... and I practice shooting my rifle from them periodically,, they are sweet!

[Pahoo]

I made a set of shooting sticks, for my M/L's and mostly for show. Used two "Diamond" willow saplings with leather webbing between them. Turned out pretty neat. I can open and close them when I carry. I got the idea from watching an a hunting show, over in Africa. I'm also temped to make a set out of two aluminum walking sticks/poles so I can also telescope them to length. ....

Be Safe !!!

[AL45]

I made a short set of hunting sticks for my son on his first deer hunt and had him spend time practicing with them. He was shooting pretty good off of them. Then on the deer hunt, when it was time to shoot the deer he simply dropped to a kneeling position and then dropped the deer, never using the shooting sticks.

[Boomer58cal]

I tend to think of a full walking stick size mono pod as a hiking/survival tool. I can of course shoot my rifle from it, but mono pods have other uses. You can mount a camera, , if you're injured or on rough terrain you can use it as a walking stick. Most telescope down to a relatively small size.

I would suggest finding quality one though because the cheap ones aren't very durable and are not strong enough to be used as a walking stick for very long.

Most of the time I don't take one but they can be handy.


Boomer

[BIG P]

Tripod guy Myself,No scuffs rock soild rest.