Controlling standing shots.

[ZaksGod]

not a god but i was no12 in the country.if you check out the rifleman autumn/winter 2012/13 no 784 my average is in there on page 50.do not shoot at that level anymore but can still shoot standing a little above average

[barrel]

not a god but i was no12 in the country.if you check out the rifleman autumn/winter 2012/13 no 784 my average is in there on page 50.do not shoot at that level anymore but can still shoot standing a little above average

Thats some achievement mate, well done.

Kindest regards

Barrel

[Brian.Samson]

Standing shots are hard, and to do well at them you need your gun, scope height, cheek piece to be right.

A couple of techniques might help you though. Try not to hold your gun steady, crazy as it sounds - you're going to move, the more you try to control that movement the worse it gets. Instead of controlling, try predicting the pattern of wobble and release the shot at the right moment.

Stay relaxed, keep your shoulders relaxed and keep your right arm down and relaxed. If you don't feel relaxed, your gun isn't set up right for standers (probably).

Shoot at paper! As horrible as it is to see just how bad your standers are by recording them on paper, it can help a lot! You might find that your standing groups are much better than you thought they were - it might just be a case of the group not being where you're expecting it to be. This again can point to a badly set up rifle/scope.

Lastly - try not to focus on the crosshairs with your eyes. The crosshairs are going to be moving, the more you focus on them the worse it looks and the less confident you'll be when you take your shot.

Focus on a fixed point of aim - when I'm target shooting, I focus on someone elses pellet mark, but you could be focusing on the rabbits eye etc. You'll still be able to see your crosshairs of course, but you'll be focusing on a fixed point that doesn't move all that much.. it feels a lot more stable when you do this. Then all you've got to do is try to predict when your crosshairs are going to wobble past the fixed point you're focusing on and get the trigger release right.

I find a light 2nd stage helps me not to pull the shot low, but again, by checking on paper what's going on you might be able to diagnose what potential problems you're having. If all the shots are going low for example - perhaps you're snatching at the trigger?.

It's not easy, and it takes more practice than any other position.

For hunting, I far prefer to drop down to a kneeling position to take a shot than to take one standing. If that's an option, do that instead.

Good luck

[Rich]

There are some techniques that are a good guide for most people, but after that as Zaks says, it becomes what is right for the individual, and shooting that particular rifle. The manner of the trigger release is all-important, you have to be able to know precisely when it will let off and any doubt about that makes things much harder.

Like Zacs, I've come to learn that I can do pretty well with a breathing technique that defies some of the ground rules. I shoot with my chest empty, not full, not breathing out. It used to be the case that trainers insisted you count to four, and if the shot hasn't gone, do another cycle. I can press that four to ten or fifteen, easily now, after years of practice, but I wouldn't teach that to a newcomer.

As a hunter, you may well find yourself adopting a sporter or shotgun stance for standing shots. Unless you have massive upper body strength, that is not a good plan. Just look at the stance of the 10m shooters especially the ladies, where you use bones and your skeleton to take the weight, the only muscle in use is the one that lets the trigger go.

I would get myself down to a decent club and ask a good instructor to spend time with you, then you have to put the time in for yourself.

Here's a practice card of mine from Friday, fifteen shots 22 cal at 20 yards standing. Normally I only shoot 5 or 10 in a card but this one went well so I carried on.

[Rickenbacker]

Here's a practice card of mine from Friday

Bloody hell Rich!

[Jonjon79]

Bloody hell Rich!

My thoughts exactly. I'm glad we don't share the same permission, there'd be nothing left for me

Thank you for the tips.

[mr dink]

Have you tried turning down the mag some say this helps.

[max headroom]

Have you tried turning down the mag some say this helps.

beat me to it. also, when the shot is on take it. dont wait. the shot is on. wobble comes when you wait.
there is no such thing as i nearly had it.

[Jonjon79]

I've tried from 3x to 10x mag. Admittedly there does seem to be less wobble at lower mag. I've been trying to strike a balance between having enough mag to clearly see the target zone but, not so much that the wobble is exaggerated too much.

I'm starting to think that I may just need to have enough faith in my kit and my abilities to take the shot quicker. I do tend to hang around and try to make sure that it's a good shot.

When I take a rested shot, off my knee, against a tree/fence, from the bipod, I do tend to shoot quicker.

[Steyr]

practice. the more you practice the lucjier you become
keep it real. limit distance until you master it then push it out so your skill set has a challenge but its an achievable challenge.
Stance and as Brian Sansom said...rifle set up are key.
Shoulder you rifle with your eyes shut then open them. if your eye isnt looking down the scope the fit aint right
breathing....again its a stamina thing....keep it real and learn when you have gone past the window of opportunity whether it be 5 seconds or 29...
low mag to tra8n and creep it up as your skill set improves and you can use the mag to your advantage. you must be the master of the mag not the other way around.
practice instinctive trigger control so the shot slips as the crosshair passes over the kill zone. Brian is right re fo us on the target not the cross hair.
paper will be your friend even if it tells you your a muppet for a long time.
keep it short and build on solid foundations. dont over extend and rush.
when you have mastered things set targets out at all ranges and just shoot so the shot placememt becomes instinctive.
fit of rifle is pretty damned important imho. get that sorted asap

[NigelG]

What I do when shooting gallery rifle (standing 25yds), three good breaths, as inhale the 3rd, the rifle starts to come up to shoulder, I slowly exhale while acquiring the target, exhale to half way, crosshairs on target and squeeze the trigger. If it doesn't feel right, don't keep aiming and holding your breath feeling you must get the shot away. Rifle down and start again.

If you have sticks, why not use them rather than free holding rifle, if you haven't got any, get some, can thoroughly recommend Vanguard with a U yoke that fully rotates 360 but not cheap and get that mag turned down

[bayleaf]

I use a leather sling on my hw97k and wrap it under the elbow and the sling rests on the outside of my hand. Shoot at the bottom of your breath and most important, practice and zero on this stance.

Bay

[Gecko]

If you have an adjustable butt pad lowering it can help, also fitting an palm shelf can help, make it high enough so you can get your eblow in your hip without having to contort yourself 10m target style.

[warbucks]

Hi Jonjon 79
If you "Google" (southwick quad sticks) and watch the video of their quad sticks.
I made a pair, and here's what i found.
(1) You can leave your bipod on and still use them, so this gives you either option
(2) there is NO left/right wobble, and you can fine adjust left/right to get on aim on the rear strap, the only movement is in height, but this after a few goes is easily controllable, there is no fatigue as the sticks are taking all the weight, so you can take as long as the rabbit will let you.
(3) they give you the height to get over uneven ground, this also gives you a better night vision picture as the illuminaton is well away from vegetation that can cause a "whiting out" picture.

I have head shot rabbits by the thousand mainly with the hmr, i have a market for them so i had to "up my game", your only going to be shooting half the distance that i do, but you need to be more exact with your shot placement than i do.
Rabbits when out feeding at night, their head will often be shuffling while its eating, this makes it even harder with a free hand standing shot, IMO don't muck about with month's of practicing free hand shooting, spend the time on quad sticks, its worked for me, and two other shooters that been with me after a little practice (3 session's).

Dave (warbucks)

[secretagentmole]

Use a straw bale!!!!!!!!!!