sticks

AN DU RU FOX

Well-Known Member
is it just me that cant get to grips with sticks ok only homemade,but i tried i went out today mainly to zero my new scope on the 223 new rings and bases ,ok cheap ammo ppu zeroed no worrys ,at 25 then out to 100 ok,five shots prone at 100 within an inch,kneeling /sitting at 70 same i thought **** hot sherlock within an inch 1/4 freehand and it was blowing 10 /15mph right to left ,so feeling pleased with myself by now i thought last one piece of **** 40yds with sticks ,yes you guessed it crap all within about 21/2 to 3 inches, note to self get more practise with sticks or suggestions on postcard please ,atb doug,:rolleyes: ps after this put it away and shot eight bunnies freehand longest measured 136yds with 22lr,:doh:
 
Only thing I can think of (i found out the hard way!) is you are not resting the barrel instead of the stock on the stick's rest are you?
 
Feet positioned front and back
find something to lean back into
use a string to turn it into a tripod

all things that help
oh.... And lots of practice on those bunnies
 
Do you have a 'free-floating' barrel? Mount the rifle on the sticks and run a bank note between the barrel and the stock fore-end to ensure there is still a gap. Sometimes the sticks can make the barrel touch!
MS
 
i dont need the practise on bunnies bewsher i can shoot them things in my sleep,im just not sure on the sticks ive tried in the past on bunnies and give up on them i get better results freehand litterally, prone ok kneeling with arthritis ok on gun vice ok sticks crap,i dont know what it is, ive done the feet string stood on monopod bipod still crap, ps cant lean on anything completly flat field ideal as it as a sand bank about thirty feet high at the end of it ,
 
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Do you have a 'free-floating' barrel? Mount the rifle on the sticks and run a bank note between the barrel and the stock fore-end to ensure th ere is still a gap. Sometimes the sticks can make the barrel touch!
MS
it is and like i say prone ok kneeling witch i thought i would have a problem with ok this is 100yds prone ok 70yds kneeling ok then 40yds on sticks rubbish , i will say this i would much rather shoot freehand at any reasonable distance simply because its how i allways shoot when after fox/bunnies,
 
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Reckon that's your answer An Du Ru, need to practice more (on your sticks)
funny thing that I'm exactly the same with bipods can't come to grips with
the bloody things... hence I'd rather use the rolled up roe sack or rifle slip.

Atb, Buck.
 
Simple, stop using a 'zeroing' target when positional shooting.

I can pretty much guarantee that you are trying too hard and 'over aiming'.

Zero the scope from a bench or prone at a dot/diamond/cross target at 100m then practice shooting at a blank piece of A5 paper/baked bean can/rabbit/milk carton etc at various random ranges.
 
Something to rule out is a form of flinch when using sticks.
A couple of years ago I started shooting high (3 to 4 inches) and couldn't understand it. I was consistently breaking the spine of the deer, above the shoulders. My shots on deer are almost exclusively taken from sticks. I didn't shoot high off of bags nor when using my .22 rimfire. I eventually got an ex-colleague police rifleman to watch me shooting a variety of my rifles.
When shooting off of sticks I was snatching a little breath just as I released the shot. I had no idea that I was doing it.
He advised me how to stop this by taking a breath and releasing it about a third then take the shot. It did the trick and no more high shots. Strange but true.
 
Rifle in hand, hand in sticks then you can make fine adjustments with you hand rather than yiur shoulder, dont over aim and use the force.. Hunting Rifles were designed to held, not wedged between to bits of foam.
 
Good advice re chasing zero from positional shooting. Nice my rifles are zeroed I generally shoot 2-4 inch targets at distance to practice. That stops me chasing ever decreasing groups and usually the groups end up a lot better than I'd hoped.

What have you used for the foam grips on your sticks?
 
Good advice re chasing zero from positional shooting. Nice my rifles are zeroed I generally shoot 2-4 inch targets at distance to practice. That stops me chasing ever decreasing groups and usually the groups end up a lot better than I'd hoped.

What have you used for the foam grips on your sticks?

A good target I found were clay pigeons, if they break, dead deer, you aren't worrying about whether you hit it right in the middle or not, it's a 3 or 4 inch circle, perfect for any uk deer kill zone, and you can easily see if they break or not, just line a few out, give yourself plenty to shoot at without having to constantly check your targets.
 
A good target I found were clay pigeons, if they break, dead deer, you aren't worrying about whether you hit it right in the middle or not, it's a 3 or 4 inch circle, perfect for any uk deer kill zone, and you can easily see if they break or not, just line a few out, give yourself plenty to shoot at without having to constantly check your targets.
i do that as well our shoot borders clay ground ,free clays cheers
 
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