Learning to shoot large calibres

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Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by lowb » 23 May 2014, 3:49 pm

Hi guys,

Bit of general advice wanted.

What did you guys find was a good way to learn to shoot larger calibres?

I have very little experience in shooting 30 cal and up. I know that's not huge but still newish to me.

I have a bit of a flinch, the usual...

Any experiences or advice appreciated :)
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by yoshie » 23 May 2014, 4:02 pm

Don't shoot off a bench to start with, standing is best. Pull the rifle in to your shoulder with your left hand, lean into it, and with your legs more apart than normal, don't lean you head in too much, keep it upright as possible. Start off with light for caliber projectile and work up. What are you looking at getting??
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by 1290 » 23 May 2014, 4:24 pm

technique... all about technique
To 'learn' you have to shoot.... a lot....
Once you develop a flinch you need a lot of concentration to get rid of it.
When shooting military (MRC) with an old steel butt plated rifle, it is hard to not anticipate the hammer blow to the shoulder, so I would start the trigger pull and as I got through the first stage of the pull say to myself "its not going to fire...." and repeat until the discharge, bit silly, but it worked for me...

With the bigger boomers, first of all, dont shoot off a rest.... standing, braced legs, for me anyway, front leg more upright, rear leg as angled as a brace as possible, firm hold to the shoulder. Plenty of guys softly hold to the shoulder or even just in front of the shoulder. recipe for disaster.

Most of all repeat and enjoy the experience; the recoil, the noise the smell. Very few activities stimulate so many senses!!!
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by Chronos » 23 May 2014, 5:08 pm

It's a good idea to get all your techniques sorted on a smaller centerfire rifle, it's why people recommend the humble .223 as a first rifle.

There a bloke that writes motorcycle riding/racing books and runs a "little" race school and he uses this example. your ability to do something well takes focus. We can apply this to shooting. The story goes you only have $10, every thing you need to think about to hit a target costs you money. Getting your body position right cost say $2 keeping your breathing right another $2, trigger control $2, your head position $2 and your post shot follow through another $2. Your $10 is gone but you can now hit the target just fine.

Now what happens when you add in the recoil of a big banger? Suddenly the cost of your follow through goes up to say $4. What happens to everything else? The money's got to come from somewhere right? So maybe your focus shifts from your trigger control and you start snatching at the trigger in anticipation of the recoil, maybe you start holding your breath and tensing your upper body and this is exhausting. Your accuracy suffers.

As you do more and more shooting you're putting less focus on techniques like your posture or the trigger because you've been practicing good technique. now you're hitting the same targets but it's only costing you $7 and you've got "cash" or focus to allocate to watching the wind for example.

It's fun to shoot big guns, but it won't necessarily make you a better shooter until you're up to it.

Have a shoot of a friends gun, say 5 shots. Now honestly ask yourself has my technique of form changed? Am I closing my eyes at the shot? Is my trigger finger acting outside my control? Like when you say squeeze and it says "hell no!" : lol:

The short answer is anyone can learn to shoot big rifles, for some their technique suffers while they adjust to them.

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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by Baz460 » 23 May 2014, 6:38 pm

All of the above, BUT, definitely where good ear protection, and watch your eye relief on the scope.

Cheers Baz.
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by handofcod » 23 May 2014, 8:46 pm

The way I learned to cope with the 308 was to not think about what comes after the trigger is pulled. Concentrate only on breathing, squeezing the trigger consistently and maintaining consistent position looking through the scope. I found once I was sufficiently preoccupied with all of these things to the exclusion of all else your body grows used to the noise, blast wave and recoil.

Also helps to have your weight behind the butt especially off the bench. I found it much more comfortable just changing the position that I sit at the bench. Made a world of difference to my shoulder.
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by headspace » 23 May 2014, 9:54 pm

Firstly get a rifle that fits you well. A rifle with a bad stock will never make a good shooter in the hands of someone who is not inclined to recoil. If the stock is bad and you get a one- two uppercut and hit in the shoulder it won't end well. There is a term called "cheekweld" that means your cheek fits comfortably to the stock of the rifle. One you have a comfy fit the rest is breathing and not having a vice like grip on the pistol grip. Relax and breathe and you may find it's all over before you know it. A bit like childbirth sort of, without the dreadful position.
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by on_one_wheel » 23 May 2014, 10:49 pm

I believe that the best training you can do is with a full size air rifle, nothing will teach you the importance of technique, especially follow through better than a slug gun. The projectiles move so slowly through the barrel that the slightest error will make a big difference.

With centre fire rifles the important thing is not to develop a flinch, starting out too big is apparently the biggest cause of this.

I have seen some great suggestions here about fixing and testing for flinches. One good one I read was someone who had a mate load his rifle, at some point there was a snap cap loaded and the shooter could see himself flinch when he pulled the trigger and no bang resulted.

Another good one I read somewhere suggested just letting HEAPS of shots go without focusing on hitting a small target, just standing there pumping rounds into the embankment until you make the rifle your bitch.

Fixing a flinch would be very hard for people who have suffered injury's from rifles, A mate of mine handed a rifle to someone who said he knew what he was doing, before he could say STOP the bloke had the scope hard against his eye socket and let it rip...... lol James..... nice cut eye socket and shiner mate. I bet he would have a nasty flinch if he ever picked up a rifle again.

Your brain will eventually work out that no harm will come from the rifles recoil and loud bang with loads of practice.

Also look here viewtopic.php?f=17&t=807 some very good suggestions there.
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by Redwood » 26 May 2014, 6:37 pm

Flinch is the killer like the guys have said.

You will just get over it, but you'll use a lot of ammo in the mean time.

Working your way up in great in theory. But unless you're made of money you're not going to be able to buy a .223, .243, 7mm, .308, 300 WM etc. all the way up the line.

If you're in the market for a small/mid calibre great. Buy that and shoot it for a while first.

Otherwise dry fire practice.

Another trick guys find work is have a mate load or "load" the rifle for you without you knowing.

They don't tell you if there is a cartridge in the rifle or not and you pull the trigger to find out.
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by Lorgar » 26 May 2014, 6:41 pm

1290 wrote:Once you develop a flinch you need a lot of concentration to get rid of it.


It's sort of amazing how hard it is to get rid of it.

I had one for a while with my .308, despite logically knowing I had no reason to.

No muzzle blast felt, not real loud, had a wussy pad... No bruising of the shoulder. No discomfort to be had from it really... My brain just didn't like it.

I just shot through it over the course of things and got over it.

Would have been better off with a little experience on a small calibre before hand though for sure.
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by Die Judicii » 27 May 2014, 8:07 pm

Hi, If your worried about recoil more so than most other things, the answer is simple.
Just go somewhere you can safely plink, then start with (in your case as you stated) a 30/30 and simply fire off how ever many rounds you are happy with, but DONT worry about aiming at a small target or tin of water etc.
Aim at something big like a mound of dirt.
Your only there to get used to the recoil, >>> Worry about accuracy afterward.
When comfortable with 30/30, move up a few calibres etc etc, then start on targets when comfortable with any recoil. Simple
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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by model41 » 28 May 2014, 4:53 pm

Some good advice here so read it all.

You say you have a bit of a flinch.
Firstly most if not all large calibre shooters would have flinched at one point or another. Target shooting being the worst location, in the field say looking at a deer you don’t usually do it, adrenalin. I have shot some large calibres, rifles 375, 416 .500, pistols, 44, 50AE and love it, and on the very odd occasions I have flinched.

The method I use to stop flinched in new shooters or people I’m helping is to get them to concentrate on the shot. Concentrate that much that they know where the shot went. You are looking down the sights at the target while squeezing the trigger, if you cannot tell where the sights were pointing at the time of discharge you are not concentrating. It doesn’t matter you hit 6 oclock in the 2, or off the paper to the right, if you seen the shot you would have been concentrating that much you cannot flinch. This technique also dramatically improves accuracy at the same time, but that’s another discussion.

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Re: Learning to shoot large calibres

Post by chacka » 29 May 2014, 1:48 pm

Get a wussy pad first up.

Limbsaver, pachmayr, kickeez... They really do take the sting out of recoil.

Surprisingly well...

Will take a lot of the shock out and settle you into it a bit more gently.
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