off sticks

My experience is you can practice until the cows come home and 365 days a year but depending on your nervous temperament things rather go out the window when attempting to do it for real – as in when a buck presents itself or subjecting to a competitive situation – read rifle club match.
So the only meaningful steer I can provide; mindful that practicing on the real thing is neither to be recommended nor DMQ L1 or 2 Best Practice, is that once you've mastered the mechanics of using sticks, is to join a club that engages in sporting rifle-like competition.
Nothing else comes close to subjecting one to the stresses of an in-the-field buck fever-like situation than knowing your “stalkers test” match score will appear in the next club news letter.
Trust me!
Cheers
K

I agree entirely. I have used just twin sticks for 15 years and can't imagine not using them now. Practice till it's second nature and I can recommend practicing in competition conditions whilst being barraked as this gets the adrenaline flowing too.
 
I have tied a length of cord to the top of the sticks, when you want to shoot stand on the cord and push the sticks away. It makes a lot of difference, then just practice.


For me the bit of string was the key - I lean the sticks towards me, put my foot on the string and then push the sticks away from me locking my elbow and putting tension on the bit of string. I keep my feet wide apart as this helps with left-right stability and lean some weight into the sticks which locks up the forward-back. This is quicker to do than to explain.

The other thing I found was that it was important to build confidence but not to shoot too much when the chance came to practise. So, I started kneeling off sticks, maybe firing 3 - 5 shots at the target on one day and then thinking about how it went before the next attempt. Once things started going well kneeling then I moved to standing and started at probably 50 yards and then started moving back until I would occasionially practise at 200 yards off sticks. To be honest I haven't practised in a while off sticks, what with the awful weather, so I must get back to it.
 
The club I shoot with has a sporting rifle comp at 200, 10 prone, 5 kneeling and 5 standing.
Great practice, ranges becoming more difficult for the club to book because I don't think the military wants civilian shooters.
Latest excuse is the target frames don't meet their health and safety standards!
I felt I shot so much better when we shot these comps every month.
 
I shoot a lot off a Bogpod tripod, standing ,kneeling and sitting, with all my rifles on rabbits foxes and deer.
As everyone else has said the key is speed, but not haste, which means effeciency of movement, and lots of practise. I like my sticks quite high. I keep my trigger arm elbow low, lower than I would shooting off-hand to reduce muscle strain, and I don't place my support hand on the fore end but hold the neck of the sticks which lowers the arm position and again reduces muscle strain.
Sometimes if I'm out of breath or if its very windy I'll drop my support arm elbow through the sling and use it to apply some tension.
The rifle I find easiest to shoot off sticks is my .222. It is unmoderated with a 24" heavy barrel and so its a heavy rifle but with the weight very well balanced. It is by far and away my most stable stick rifle and the least susceptible to the dreaded circling motion. My hardest rifles are my rimfires which both have 14" barrels.
 
The club I shoot with has a sporting rifle comp at 200, 10 prone, 5 kneeling and 5 standing.
Great practice, ranges becoming more difficult for the club to book because I don't think the military wants civilian shooters.
Latest excuse is the target frames don't meet their health and safety standards!
I felt I shot so much better when we shot these comps every month.

I'm certain you did but remember you can replicate those same discipline with the humble air rifle and competitively.

MOD concern for target frame integrity is understandable as guess who connects with them most?? That is when they're not sending rounds from a 338 somewhere into the leafy suburbs of Surrey rather than the prescribed 1000 yard Bisley Range backstop!

K
 
I am going to get ridiculed for this, but I think the key with shooting off sticks / off hand / rough field positions as opossed to a solid bench, is to concentrate on the target. Don't look at the whole deer instead look through it to the tennis ball sized heart sitting between the shoulders. Keep concentrating on that and think the bullet into the target, the sights will align themselves and the squeeze of the trigger will almost happen by itself.

Problems come when you try to fight the natural movement - the follow through is the all important part and that can only happen with practice. Dry firing (obviously with no live ammo anywhere near), air rifle or 22 are all good. But you can even do it at work, in bed, in the shower etc. Just think the process through hundreds of times.

It is the same with any hand / eye coordination whether it's playing a piece of music, skiing, hitting a cricket ball, boxing or whatever. Constantly repeating the action in your minds eye absolutely helps.

And keep the range short.
 
+1

Use the same proctice as one would with a bow; ythink the projectile into the point you want it to impact. The mind will take care of EVERYTHING else.

One can not practice too much.
 
I know its been discussed,but how do you practice off sticks.
I have tried all sorts and for the life of me, I am all over the shop,not so much bullet placement.
Its more a case of,not happy with me and the sight picture,moving around,seems like the longer you wait the worse it gets.
So how can practice help when,the whole process,feels so unstable?..

What magnification are you using??
 
I am going to get ridiculed for this, but I think the key with shooting off sticks / off hand / rough field positions as opossed to a solid bench, is to concentrate on the target. Don't look at the whole deer instead look through it to the tennis ball sized heart sitting between the shoulders. Keep concentrating on that and think the bullet into the target, the sights will align themselves and the squeeze of the trigger will almost happen by itself.

No ridicule from me. I agree with that. And don't stare at the reticle. Be aware of it but focus on the target behind it. If you concentrate on a wobbling reticle your muscles will follow what your eye is seeing and the wobbles will increase.

I remeber many years ago taking my bike test. To illustrate a point the instructor made us ride the bike round in a circle as quickly as we could with the bars on full lock. Everyone shot off in a straight line almost immediately. We were all looking in fornt of us as is natural. When we turned our heads to look over our shoulders in the direction we wanted to go we were suddenly all whizzing round in circles.
 
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