Standing Unsupported Shots - How Far?

Tartan_Terrier

Well-Known Member
At the range last week with a couple of mates, we finished up with a few series of shots standing unsupported at the roe target at 100m just for fun. I've tried before at 50m, and had no trouble keeping my shots inside the killzone, but at 100m I was rubbish! Only two out of three shots connected, on every series (except one where I got one out of three!). I was using my Winchester 670 in .30-06.

Obviously I wouldn't dream of taking a risk like that on a live animal, but it got me thinking about my capabilities/limits, and the fact that I should practice more.

What about the rest of you guys? Do you ever practice without sticks? Can you get reasonable groups at 100m or even 200m?

Cheers
T_T
 
a few of us that do driven hunting have spend a fair few days at outdoor and indoor ranges out to 80m and quite a few hundred rounds of practice. You get better the more you practice it's that simple. Taking deer freehand is no problem if you are confident in the shot and range. Me and John at yds had a freehand play after a dsc1 shoot all freehand with a really strong cross wind. 10 out of 12 shots were very dead deer with a clean miss each. John put 5/6 in the dsc target pass area but I only got 3, the wind was pretty challenging.


Standing freehand is just like any other position in that if you practice and get confident and you could use it.
 
Just to point out that there aren't many private or MOD ranges where 100M unsupported (that's totally 'free-standing') shooting is authorised on the Safety Certificate, so there's no NRA/NSRA Liability Insurance cover .... so no FLD approval either. Army Ranges have the same restrictions.

It's a useful skill and good fun too, but where can you develop it in safety using publicly available facilities? I didn't watch the video, but the still of the range shows all sorts of safety risks like a low backstop and steel structures which could produce ricochets. This range would be banned on those grounds for Club use in my County, but I don't know the situation on private ranges.
 
100 mts static or moving targets is't hard its down to practice same with 2,3,4 yrds , some hate paper punching but without it many have prob's out at 50 let alone 100 well done paul , love the vid that wind is a bugger next time take a some wind-eze lol
 
Take up Civilian Service Rifle competition; lots of positional shooting from 600 down to 25yds, including standing unsupported at 100yds.

The stages with running add to the "taking a shot on the hill" realism.

It's improved my real world shooting no end and is much more fun than range practice. Only problem is that not many ranges run CSR (Diggle and Bisley, that I know of.)
 
It is a matter of practise - even off sticks if I don't practise a bit then things go to pot.

The best thing is usually to start close, get even closer than you imagine might be suitable and fire off a few rounds and because you are close you will probably do pretty well and this builds a little bit of confidence and also seems to help with letting you see the big stuff that you are doing right, or wrong. I find that shooting a few rounds quite often is much more productive than blasting away for hours. Fire 5 or 10 rounds and then call it quits and you will have a while to think about things before the next day out. If you have to then start at 50, or even 25, yards as you are practising to get better so there is no shame in effective practise and I find that going straight out to 100 or 200 yards just shows me how bad I am rather than constitutes effective practise.

It is also good to shoot at "bigger" targets than a black dot on a target - clay pigeons for example might suit you.

Once you get a bit of confidence up close then move back a bit, but not too much, and give it another try. I also like to occasionally move back a long way "just for a laugh" as it lets you know where your limits are and how badly it can go wrong.

It is also wise to mix your freehand up with some supported positions as this also helps with confidence - if you practise offhand and miss everything then the confidence takes a drop whereas if you go on to fire a few off sticks or prone and get some good hits then this reminds you that you will soon be improving with the freehand as well.
 
very good effort

You will find it a lot easier if you ditch the moderator, use the sling and use a moving aim technique (at least I do)
i.e. don't try to hold the reticule on the point you want to shoot, accept that it is going to move around

it is a lot easier to control the fall of the rifle in one plane (possibly two) than control it on all planes

watch the muzzle on this clip, he fires as his point of aim drops to where he wants to fire
don't personally use the front hand position he has there and the sling is wasted
(The short grip hand position near the receiver is usually combined with a lean back body style to maximise the support of the front arm.
Not recommended with a 30-06 if you are light...you will end up on your arse.
assuming a shotgun style front foot forward, fore-end grip, with or without a raised rear arm elbow is more stable for full bore bolt action guns. )



like him or not this chap can shoot!
some good theory behind the stance
 
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The best thing is usually to start close, get even closer than you imagine might be suitable and fire off a few rounds and because you are close you will probably do pretty well and this builds a little bit of confidence and also seems to help with letting you see the big stuff that you are doing right, or wrong.
...
Once you get a bit of confidence up close then move back a bit, but not too much, and give it another try.

Very good advice, always better to shoot acceptably at close range than all over the target at "proper distance".

I wonder how long it takes the experts to come and deny this (like when gixer1 was asking about pistol shooting)?
 
Try practicing with a full power spring air rifle- if you can hit a 2" disc at 50meteres unsupported every time this improves your shooting with a full bore stalking rifle at 100metres no end. My HW77 with scope is not much lighter than my stalking rifle and encourages good trigger control and follow through-I swear by it.
Tarvie
 
used to practice a lot of Standing for FT air rifle Competition usually Trebor mints glued to a cardboard box at 40yrds (Ft std was max 35yrds and 40mm kill for standing)

and 50 x magnification :)

best results where from snap shooting ie Up into aim fire down no messign with wait hold breath check squeeze to long
 
Further than about 40 yards, I just won't do it on deer. My standing practice, when we have to shoot it at work is usually quite good, but there's a hell of a difference between knocking down a fig 11 with a 5.56 (.223) on an ETR and putting in what ammounts (in my case) to a 6 or 8 inch group on a small target like a roe or muntjac. Add to this that when I'm stalking I use a calibre which recoils more than the 223, and I'm more than happy with my own self imposed limit.
I'll agree with the comment about shooting a spring powered air rifle for practice though, as I do that most days of the week and I'm pretty sure that it's that practice that stands me in such good stead for my shooting at work.
 
I once did very well at Bisley shooting, on "man" targets at 200 yards, my long gone .303 BSA SMLE standing unsupported. Got a NRA Prize Certificate for it somewhee or other in my house.

With its open as issue sights. I used to be able to shoot into about ten inches at that distance standing unsupported. Practice, practice, practice very easily done with any decent air rifle shooting standing unsupported at twenty yards in fact. AS others have said. The group you get at 20 yards with the air rifle will be 10x less that the theoretical group you should then get at 200 yards with the full bore rifle. I doubt that I could do that at all now.

As HARRYMAC says targets don't run off if wounded.
 
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As Tarvie said. Get an air rifle and enjoy as much practice as you have spare time.

Speak to any Coach and they'll tell you can practice plenty without firing a shot in your bedroom or den if you get a snap cap and find a sensible aiming mark through a window. But just make sure no one can see you doing this.

K
 
It's all about practice. I once shot a running roe deer at 170 yards freehand, heart shot. ( that will put the cat among the pigeons I fear ! Just waiting for the icy blasts )....But I had been shooting regularly on the running deer range for the previous few months. I was really confident in the shot, as confident as I would be now shooting from 100 yards prone.

if you've not been out for a long time even a fairly close , well supported shot can seem dicey! All about the practice.
 
Freehand shooting is not much practiced, which is a pity as it is the way in which an urgent second shot on a followed-up beast might have to be taken - and if it is so, you'll have to use your big rifle with its mod and bipod still attached.
Si vis pacem, para bellum, and si vis an effective second shot on a wounded beast from sub-ideal position, para cock-upum!
 
I went to the range to check zero my 308 before going boar hunting last month. At the end Paul suggested I practice freehand from 50m at a suspended metal disc. I hit it smack on with shots 1 and 3, only missing the second shot because the disc was still settling down again.

Feeling somewhat more confident off I toddled to Croatia. Eight shots later I could only lay claim to two boar. Even worse, not all of the other shots had been at moving boar :oops:

Next year I will take the good advice offered above and practice more.

I will also reconcile myself to reviewing some of the other rules we consider sacrosanct - no shots at moving animals, no speculative shots, no shots through vegetation, etc.
 
Back when I shot NRA High Power - M1 Garand, the course of fire was 200 yards standing, 200 yards sitting, 300 yards prone, and 600 yards prone - all with open sights.

I was NOT a good shot, but with a lot of practice 200 yards standing into a 6" circle was normal. That being said, I knew my limitations and knew that particular gun and load. There were always shooters that were down right scary in their abilities, and there were those like me that were far from scary.
 
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