Tips to shoot straight

[rsj223]

Following on from this thread: Cleaning a new .223

I want to know of any tips on how to stay steady, I even have trouble when on sand bags and this is more so with the .223 but with the .22 on the bags almost 100%, with standing I can get a piece of A4 at 100mtr's but there wont be a group

I guess standing will get better as I get used to the stance.

[KWhorenet]

There are some handy instructional vids online. Even basic marksman type tutorials. I wont profess anything cos I'd get shot down in flames for sure.
Maybe at a range you get a one on one crash course.

Im keen to improve too. Time on trigger people say...but from my experience in snooker, golf, cricket, basketball, football and poker; perfect practice makes perfect, not just practicing & engraining bad habbits.

[KWhorenet]

In essence, get proper help now

[Westy]

Don't listen to anything us old farts here tell you, put your earmuffs on now!!!!!

[jennageit]

Although you wouldn't know it from my last score, getting one-on-one help at the range did wonders for my accuracy, and also stopped me from engraining some bad habits I was starting to form.

it's definitely worth finding a 'tutor' if you can.

JMO

Jenna

[Sakoh]

I wont profess anything cos I'd get shot down in flames for sure.

Aww, are the forum bullies picking on you?

[KWhorenet]

I wont profess anything cos I'd get shot down in flames for sure.

Aww, are the forum bullies picking on you?

Haha not yet to my umm screen.

Id hate to fall into the trap of giving flawed advice on it. As far as bullies go; if my goid mate who I got to create an account here read my tarded waffle hed without hesitation rebore me a new chamber :p

He doesnt know it yet but he will be seconded to mentor me soon as he pulls his finger out of his wet spot and drives from NSW down here to sunny Vic.... with all his artillery for a boys week of sending lead.

He wants one if my prime old bucks, I want his sniper skills and to let rip with his .308.

Fair deal?

[jennageit]

I was given a few tips by my tutor that definitely improved my accuracy.

1. Don't relax until the projectile has hit the target.
2. Don't close one eye to look through the scope (tried this once, result was I couldn't see the target).
3. Breathe. Apparently a lot of people hold their breath just before squeezing the trigger.
4. Squeeze the trigger, don't pull it. Pulling on it can seriously affect accuracy, and cause the rifle to move.

And probably the most important thing he told me, given my competitive nature:

Once a shot is gone, it's gone. See where it went, figure out if you like it. If you don't, figure out what you did wrong, reload and try again. Worrying about the last shot not being where you wanted it to be wont change where it ended up, it'll just put you off for your next one.

Hope this helps someone, just typing it has reminded me, so it's already helped me!

Jenna

[Lorgar]

I'll just repeat what I said in the unrelated thread so it's here in the relevant one.

When using my target rifle I have an adjustable rest at the front and bag at the rear. Because the rifle is supporter by the rest and bag all I really have on the rifle is my thumb on the back of the grip to support my hand and a finger on the trigger.

Once I'm nestled into the rifle I just do subtle movements with my shoulder to aim from the butt rather than pushing the grip around. I exhale before a shot and hold it so my body goes still, then all I do is pull one finger back on the trigger. There isn't much of me touching the rifle to shake it around.

I don't claim to know it all but that works for me.

My best 5 shot group with my 7mm Tikka is under 0.4 MOA.

With my benchrest .22 benchrest I've got 10 shot groups under that size.

[KWhorenet]

Something I havent come to terms with yet is; muzzle lift/recoil

Do I somehow fight it or do I allow it to happen consistantly so the affect it has on POI is consistant also?

Even with my 22Hornet Im arguing with it, but in my gut I feel I should let it happen.

[rsj223]

I'll just repeat what I said in the unrelated thread so it's here in the relevant one.

When using my target rifle I have an adjustable rest at the front and bag at the rear. Because the rifle is supporter by the rest and bag all I really have on the rifle is my thumb on the back of the grip to support my hand and a finger on the trigger.

Once I'm nestled into the rifle I just do subtle movements with my shoulder to aim from the butt rather than pushing the grip around. I exhale before a shot and hold it so my body goes still, then all I do is pull one finger back on the trigger. There isn't much of me touching the rifle to shake it around.

I don't claim to know it all but that works for me.

My best 5 shot group with my 7mm Tikka is under 0.4 MOA.

With my benchrest .22 benchrest I've got 10 shot groups under that size.

Thanks for moving your post.

What is 0.4 MOA

[rsj223]

Something I havent come to terms with yet is; muzzle lift/recoil

Do I somehow fight it or do I allow it to happen consistantly so the affect it has on POI is consistant also?

Even with my 22Hornet Im thinking I should argue with it, but in my gut I feel I should let it happen.

Every time I shoot with the .223 it comes back down on the rest with a thud and I have to re-find the target, but no problem with the .22

[rsj223]

I was given a few tips by my tutor that definitely improved my accuracy.

1. Don't relax until the projectile has hit the target.
2. Don't close both eyes to look through the scope (tried this once, result was I couldn't see the target).
3. Breathe. Apparently a lot of people hold their breath just before squeezing the trigger.
4. Squeeze the trigger, don't pull it. Pulling on it can seriously affect accuracy, and cause the rifle to move.

And probably the most important thing he told me, given my competitive nature:

Once a shot is gone, it's gone. See where it went, figure out if you like it. If you don't, figure out what you did wrong, reload and try again. Worrying about the last shot not being where you wanted it to be wont change where it ended up, it'll just put you off for your next one.

Hope this helps someone, just typing it has reminded me, so it's already helped me!

Jenna

Thanks for the advice, its strange as it seems that most people say opposite on 1 and 3

[Sakoh]

Something I havent come to terms with yet is; muzzle lift/recoil

Do I somehow fight it or do I allow it to happen consistantly so the affect it has on POI is consistant also?

Even with my 22Hornet Im arguing with it, but in my gut I feel I should let it happen.

In my observations (and they're only that) fighting it isn't an answer.

See people doing it the muzzle rise is more or less on any given shot, gripping it with your left or right you twist in that direction more or less when firing.

No good.

I say let it recoil naturally.

[Norton]

I say let it recoil naturally.

+1

[Rakk]

What is 0.4 MOA

MOA = Minute Of Angle.

1 MOA is roughly 1" at 100 yards. (It's actually 1.047" but close enough)

Lorgar would be shooting just under 0.4 inch size groups at 100 yards. Not bad

[1290]

just a query....

I was given a few tips by my tutor that definitely improved my accuracy.

1. Don't relax until the projectile has hit the target.
.....

What if you miss?

[1290]

Stability is important, whether on a bench or standing, I dont shoot from a bench much as I normally shoot heavier chamberings, standing is preferred.

On the bags a stable posture so there's the least movement/sway of the top portion of your body/torso.... keep breathing normally. If you slow down the breathing or hold it you'll feel the blood pressure rise, feel the heart beating and your muscles moving slightly (palpitate?) with the heart beat....

Same goes for standing with the breathing, I find anyway, when the rifle is brought up to aim... get the shot off ASAP once the target is acquired else the FATIGUE will start the movement/tremors (or is it just me?? )

Stable stance, I dont lock my legs, particularly the rear shock-absorber leg slightly cranked ready to roll.......

If shootin the 44 lever, forget the above, just rest in on yo hip and get leverin' yiiiiiiiiiihaaaaaaaaa cowboy

[Utcherd]

rsj223,

Some reading and videos for you if you want the full explanation of MOA.

MOA stands for Minute Of Angle. A full circle is divided into 360 degrees and each degree is divided into 60 minutes. Thus, there are 21,600 minutes in a full circle (360 x 60 = 21,600). A minute is a small angle, but it's exactly what's needed for gun sights. A rule of thumb is that changing a sight's elevation setting by 1 minute of angle changes the bullet's impact point by 1 inch at 100 yards. A more exact value and how it's arrived at is shown below:

A circle with a 100 yard radius (distance from the center to the edge) would have a circumference of approximately 628.32 yards or 22,619 inches (100 x 2 x pi = 628.32 {pi is about 3.1416}). Dividing the circumference in inches by the number of minutes in a full circle gives a value of about 1.047 inches (22619 / 21600 = 1.047). Thus, changing a sight's elevation setting by 1 minute of angle changes the bullet's impact point by 1.047 inches at 100 yards. And the bullet's impact point would change by 2.094 inches at 200 yards (1.047 x 2) and change by 3.141 inches at 300 yards (1.047 x 3).

moa.gif (10.32 KiB) Viewed 9638 times

Some good videos at the bottom of the source article here.

[nords]

1. Don't relax until the projectile has hit the target.

What if you miss?

NEVER RELAX AGAIN!

[1290]

What is 0.4 MOA

Some damn respectable shooting......

Yes, some of you might say "but at what distance?"... doesn't matter, once you refer to an angle measurement its a measure of the dispersion (angle) of the successive shots.

All within a circle with a diameter of about an inch at 100yds, 2inch at 200 etc.... roughly.

0.4MoA is about exactly 0.4x60 = 24 SoA (aka seconds of angle)....

oooohhhhh dang, now I'm confused!

I want Lorgar on my team anyway!

[jennageit]

1. Don't relax until the projectile has hit the target.

What if you miss?

NEVER RELAX AGAIN!

lmao.

I'm not sure how it would be possible to miss my target sheet (unless the wind picked up significantly) given where, and how I shoot.

I'll stick with the "don't relax until the projectile has hit the target" anyway, and if it doesn't hit my target, it's going to hit the backboard because there isn't anywhere else for it to go.

[Chronos]

I'd say the opposite Jenna, don't even think about pulling the trigger until you're relaxed. If you're not relaxed chances are you're not comfortable and you're accuracy will suffer as you fatigue.

If you're trying to achieve you best accuracy your shooting position should be such that you can hold it without using too many muscles.

Shooting small bore rifle taught me a lot about my prone position and forced me to get my body position and sling sorted.

A well fitted rifle with the correct LOP and eye relief, good rests or sling will help.

Other than that training will make the biggest improvement in accuracy, far more than throwing money at new gear. Get coaching if you can.

Chronos

[tom604]

im with Chronos,get it on target,relax, on the end of the exhale squeeze the trigger. a good trigger helps a lot,you want it to break like a snap,crisp,clean no creep

[handofcod]

I found the old cliches worked for me:

1. surprise yourself, anticipating a shot is a good way of preempting recoil and pulling off target
2. Relax and breath
3. Trigger squeeze should always be straight back, gradually and don't stop squeezing until well after it goes bang

I also found from trial and error that having your weight forward of your hips at the bench helps me.

If I'm cracking the s**ts because I'm not getting the results I expect then no amount of returning to basics will help. But once I've calmed down and changed mind set things improve markedly.

Last one, I found that I get better results holding the forearm in the rest with the 300wsm. Might be purely psychological though.

[jennageit]

You guys are a wealth of information, I love it.

I'm going to read back through this thread before I shoot on Wednesday night.

Re the relaxing, I'm wondering if the pain from my back is causing the lower score. I mostly try to ignore it, but maybe I'm letting it get to me more than I thought it was.

Thanks again guys

[nords]

You guys are a wealth of information

Yeah but I don't know what I'm talking about so you know... It's of limited value

[halberg]

oooohhhhh dang, now I'm confused!

I'll stick with inches

[Lorgar]

I want Lorgar on my team anyway!

I'll fess up that's a good day for me.

Have had worse groups more than once

[rsj223]

oooohhhhh dang, now I'm confused!

I'll stick with inches

Yeah the MOA is a bit deep for me, might look into it when I get some spare time.