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Shooting & Reloading - Mausers, Big Bores and others >> Rifles

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375Brno
.333 member

Reged: 18/10/05
Posts: 354
Loc: Brisbane, Australia

Improving offhand accuracy
#42173 - 22/11/05 10:36 PM

Guys

Need some help and advice. I want to improve my offhand accuracy and I am getting back into shooting after a long break.

I think that 500nitro said that you could expect 3 MOA wobble and that coupled with say 2 MOA gun accuracy comes out at 5 MOA. I am pretty sure that I am not making that at the moment. First of all I need a lot of practice so I am up for that but I would like to practice using the right technique. So when shooting do I aim slightly above the target and then let the gun come down slowly until it is just above where I want to hit and then squeeze off. Or do I just try and hold on the spot and then shoot.

Advice on aiming point and anything else that I should consider would be greatly appreciated.

Regards
375Fetish

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500Nitro
.450 member

Reged: 06/01/03
Posts: 7244
Loc: Victoria, Australia

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: 375Brno]
#42177 - 22/11/05 11:27 PM

375Fetish

Good question.

What I say is NOT the be all and end all of how
to do it, it just works for me.

1. I NEVER try to hold onto a spot as all I seem to do
is create stress wobble.

2. I take a breath, raise the gun, lift it through the target and then let it down
slowly (generally by breathing out) until it is on POA. I then hold my breath
(what is left in my lungs) and fire (squeeze off) when on th target.

3. When applied to stationary animals (aiming for a heart shot) ,
I go up the front leg, past the shoulder until I get to the height of the heart,
adjust for where the heart is (as they are not all in the same place)
then hold my breath (what is left in my lungs) and fire (squeeze off).

I know this works on animals as I have seen my shooting improve
on buffalo over the last 6 or so years.

Anyway, I am sure others will come up with other ideas but
try them all out and see what works for you.

Finally, start off with your target at 25 - 50 yards and when you get it
going OK and shots consistently in an 4 - 6" circle, gradually move the target
out to 75 and eventually 100 yards.

SLOW and Accurate with plenty of rest between groups of shots if a Big Bore.

When you have finished with the bigger bore, finish off shooting a half a
box - a box .22 ammo, either sitting or standing as it helps get rid of any
flinches and the last thing your brain remembers is the recoil
from a .22 and not the recoil of a Big bore.

Good luck

500 Nitro

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Bushie
.224 member

Reged: 24/10/05
Posts: 36
Loc: Australia

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: 500Nitro]
#42182 - 23/11/05 12:19 AM

Adding to .500 Nitro's post I would suggest a lot of practise with a rimfire before you progress to your big guns .
Air pistol is a great way to learn trigger control if you have a club nearby .

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jro45
.300 member

Reged: 25/12/03
Posts: 192
Loc: DE, USA

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: 375Brno]
#42188 - 23/11/05 01:21 AM

I shoot off hand with my 375 H&H and my 300 Win Mag at 100 yds. I shoot at an 8" target. The way I do it is I bring the rifle up to the target and it is moving around so I do my best to hold it still and when I'm over where I want to shoot I fire and I can get 2 out of 3 shots inside the 8" target. I keep practicing so I'll be able to get all 3 shots inside the 8" target. And when I can do that I'll go to a smaller target.

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bonanza
.400 member

Reged: 17/05/04
Posts: 2335
Loc: South Carolina

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: 500Nitro]
#42189 - 23/11/05 01:33 AM

When I bought my double rifle, I wanted to revive a old concept, marksmanship. Here is what I have done:

0: Learn correct posture. A shotgun coach can teach you this. Start shooting trap and/or skeet.

1: put a 3" target up in you living room, get some snap-caps and practice mounting, aiming and squeezing your trigger. I call this "trigger memory"

2: work up some pet loads for range work.

3: if you can, start at 25 yards with a 200 yard target, focus on the target and shoot with both eyes open. Don't aim! This is called instinctive shooting. Work your way down to a 6" target.

4: for 50Y or longer I focus on the target and let the blurred front sight pass across the target once or twice and try to squeeze.

5 The most important part is to relax and have fun.

--------------------

"Speak Precisely" G. Gordon Liddy.

"Life is absurd, chaotic and we must define its purpose with our actions" Abert Camus

"I''m the dude playing a dude disguised as another dude."

"Yo! Mr. White"

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SAHUNT
Sponsor

Reged: 27/12/04
Posts: 900
Loc: Centurion, RSA

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: bonanza]
#42196 - 23/11/05 02:53 AM

I think everybody gave good advice.
This is what I do to stay in form. I believe the most important aspects of shooting are:
Posture
Grip
Trigger squeeze
Follow through

I practive with a air rifle in the back of my stand, a PCP with a 24X scope. You might laugh, but it works. The 24X scope over exagerate the movement of the rife on the target, after a lot of practice you manage to keep the rifle a lot more steady. A PCP air rifle has got no recoil, it is the perfect rifle to practice trigger squeeze and follow through. Firing a shot must never be a manual action. With enough training your brain will know when to give the command to squeze the trigger. Firing the shot is a brain function not a finger function. It is like changing gears, you do not think about it, it is automatically done when it should be done.

Oh yes and it is dirt cheap to practice with a air rifle.

Enjoy the practice

--------------------
Life is how you pass the time between hunting trips.
Sometimes I do not express myself properly in the English language, please forgive me, I am just a boertjie.
Jaco Human
jacohu@mweb.co.za
SA Hunting Experience

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475Guy
.400 member

Reged: 22/08/03
Posts: 1088
Loc: Kali, US

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: 375Brno]
#42232 - 23/11/05 02:15 PM

Start at 5 yds with a bullseye or a pieplate. Just bring your rifle up to your line of sight and get that flash picture and fire. Do this enough so that your groups are damn near one-holers. Go to 15 yds and do the same. Go to 25 yds, 35 yds, 50 yds 65 yds 75 yds, and finally 100 yds. After you get your groups offhand within a 8"-10" paper pieplate, you're good to go. You can then experiment at further ranges as you see fit. You'll expend several hundreds of rounds and maybe a thousand or two as you go along.

--------------------
Lo do they call to me,
They bid me take my place among
them in the Halls of Valhalla,
Where the brave may live forever.

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rgp
.333 member

Reged: 17/06/04
Posts: 373
Loc: TX & VIC

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: 475Guy]
#42238 - 23/11/05 03:21 PM

It appears as though nobody has mentioned one thing that I consider important, which is to make sure you are using your natural point of aim.

Take your rifle, unloaded, and aim at an object then close your eyes for a few seconds and see exactly where it is pointing, it will normally be pointing no telling where at that point. Do this a few times and you may notice that your rifle settles into approximately the same location each time. That should be your natural aiming point, which will be your steadiest position, and you should try to use it if possible.

Richard

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375Brno
.333 member

Reged: 18/10/05
Posts: 354
Loc: Brisbane, Australia

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: rgp]
#42255 - 23/11/05 11:06 PM

Thanks everyone for some great advice.

I used to do a bit of DTL trap shooting and two things stuck out. The good guys had a defined "shot routine" which they would go thru for every shot. Second, I never remembered telling myself to pull the trigger - it just happened. I never thought to apply that to rifle shooting but there is no reason why the brain could not be trained to do that. The advice on using 22s and air rifles / pistols makes sense - certainly would be cheaper, less / no recoil, and would help to avoid developing a flinch. Also starting at small ranges and dry firing on targets makes sense. I will try it all out.

I will probably be a bit analytical about this exercise - keep my targets and make some notes. I will revive the thread in about 6 months and give you an update. Thanks again for all the advice and yes it will be enjoyable.

Regards
375Fetish

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bulldog563
.400 member

Reged: 21/10/05
Posts: 1153
Loc: California

Re: Improving offhand accuracy [Re: 375Brno]
#42909 - 03/12/05 05:45 PM

All good advice. Also I find that if I hold a little farther forward on the fore end it helps me keep steadier.

--------------------
Join the National Rifle Association:
https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp

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