Practise off sticks

I use sticks all the time,they are just Hazel sticks cut out of the hedge that don't matter if I leave them in the field......as I do have a habit of doing.I always rest the forend straighjt into the 'V' and as has been said as long as it has a floating barrel it won't have an adverse effect on the aim.I do take some fairly long shots at times(when I am in the zone....you know,when confidence is on a high).I shot a running fox on the lamp one night at 190yds,he dropped like a stone,and do shoot deer at 150yds+ fairly regularly,and I think it is about practice practice practice


Martin
 
Ok, perhaps my technique is fine, just need more practice than I thought I did (usually the case in life). Here's another one though, when I shoot prone, on exhaling my crosshairs rise 'onto' target from directly below - do you use the same procedure with cross sticks (not necessarily by breathing, but raising the POA from directly below - ie. follow the back of the front leg up to the heart/lung area, then stop, pull..)? or is there a more effective technique used from sticks?
 
Ok, perhaps my technique is fine, just need more practice than I thought I did (usually the case in life). Here's another one though, when I shoot prone, on exhaling my crosshairs rise 'onto' target from directly below - do you use the same procedure with cross sticks (not necessarily by breathing, but raising the POA from directly below - ie. follow the back of the front leg up to the heart/lung area, then stop, pull..)? or is there a more effective technique used from sticks?
When prone, your body will drop as your chest deflates causing the effect you describe.
When standing, this should not happen as your skeleton should support your body more rigidly, although less stable due to height.
You will be amazed at the difference the sticks and rope method will make to your stability. Just go and try it with the rifle rested on and a straight left arm (if right handed) and feet square-on about a shoulder width apart.;)
You won't then have to worry about the crosshair moving on the target as it will be stationary!
MS:)
 
PKL, use the moving cross hairs as you discribe - as the cross hairs come onto target, squeeze - much easierthan trying to hold perfectly still. I find with a standing shot off sticks, the natural movement for me is not souch up and down ( as in prone shooting) by side to side - same principles apply. I do however try to lean my body against a fence, tree etc - makes a huge difference.
 
Heym,
I had done first 20 years small bore prone and 3 positional UIT plus I have shot with the US marines marksmanship unit at camp Perry in Ohio on M16s up to 200 yds before I discovered real shooting (stalking) but it has stood me in good stead as I have the breathing figured out well.
Method:- inhale and the sights will rise above target if not then adjust body position unil it does - half exhale = sights drop onto target and there is then a window of maybe 20 seconds where the body is still before lack of oxygen begins the body wobbles = take the shot. Works for me.
Tip do some smallbore shooting it is cheap freely available all over the country and at 50 shots per evening it really polishes up the technique.
Regards
Martin
 
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Heym,
I had done first 20 years small bore prone and 3 positional UIT plus I have shot with the US marines marksmanship unit at camp Perry in Ohio on M16s up to 200 yds before I discovered real shooting (stalking) but it has stood me in good stead as I have the breathing figured out well.
Method:- inhale and the sights will rise above target if not then adjust body position unil it does - half exhale = sights drop onto target and there is then a window of maybe 20 seconds where the body is still before lack of oxygen begins the body wobbles = take the shot. Works for me.
Tip do some smallbore shooting it is cheap freely available all over the country and at 50 shots per evening it really polishes up the technique.


I will certainly use this technique as I need lots of practice I am useless using sticks at the moment but practice practice and eve more wont do me any harm
Regards

jonevo
 
Martin, I use the same technique as you- I too learnt to shoot smallbore target rifles, but I don't get 20 seconds of stillness, more like 10. But I do find though off sticks that the breathing makes the cross hair go 10 o'clock- 4 o'clock as opposed to 12 to 6 o'clock. But still use the same technique.
 
Yeeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaa

Because Muir some it seems are incapable of doing to :rolleyes:. Not all use supports all the time. Have not done so for several years now but used to shoot the running Deer and running boar at Bisley and of course that is pure free hand shooting. Also shoot rabbits and rats off hand if the oppertunity arises.
 
I find that when I am practising using sticks I am extremely unsteady. Yet when it comes to actually shooting something (alive) that it all changes and I become steady enough to comfortably shoot out to 150 yards. I find when I am practising I take to much time and that my groups are better the quicker I shoot. Good thing I am a stalker and not a benchrester.
 
Get a piece of thin rope with a loop on one end, and slightly longer than your sticks, and a few knots tied in the other end about 4-6" apart. Put the loop end over your sticks so it settles where they cross. Stand on the other end and push the sticks away from you to tighten the rope.

Thanks for this Monkey Spanker, based on your recommendation I've got myself some suitable rope and have tried this in the house (without the rifle) and it really does make the sticks more stable! Maybe tomorrow I will get the chance to try it with the rifle and a few targets. It will be interesting to see if it makes a real improvement for me with the rifle on the sticks, plus I do need more practise as all my shots tend to be from a high seat or prone but I think sticks are going to feature more in future. Looks like a top tip to me.
 
Thanks for this Monkey Spanker, based on your recommendation I've got myself some suitable rope and have tried this in the house (without the rifle) and it really does make the sticks more stable! Maybe tomorrow I will get the chance to try it with the rifle and a few targets. It will be interesting to see if it makes a real improvement for me with the rifle on the sticks, plus I do need more practise as all my shots tend to be from a high seat or prone but I think sticks are going to feature more in future. Looks like a top tip to me.
Wait till you try it with the rifle, it will be even more stable! When you think about it, it is a basic construction principal.
The two sticks form one side of a box section with your body forming the opposite side. Your arm and rifle form the top side, and the ground is the bottom edge. Left at that it is quite stable, but the box can still move corner to corner.
That is, until you add the rope which gives you a diagonal 'bracing strut'. By pushing against it and keeping the rope tight, the box is then VERY rigid!;)
I predict that a few folk will try this over the weekend and will be amazed at the difference it makes!
Cheap to make as well which is always a bonus!
Good Luck,
MS:D
 
Because Muir some it seems are incapable of doing to :rolleyes:. Not all use supports all the time. Have not done so for several years now but used to shoot the running Deer and running boar at Bisley and of course that is pure free hand shooting. Also shoot rabbits and rats off hand if the oppertunity arises.

I realize that not everyone shoots off of rests, but it seems to be the accepted norm. It's a growing trend here, too, if you believe the hunting shows! I just can't imagine dragging a set of sticks around with me, nor can I see setting them up for a shot at a whitetail that has "busted" me at the same time as I saw her.(or him!) You usually have about 2 seconds to fire at that point. Of course, also, it's not uncommon for me to cover many miles of varying terrain during a day of hunting. I try to travel unencumbered!~Muir
 
Ahhh Muir,

Another use for a stick of suitable strength is to drag the beast. I always carry a length of rope, soft braided rope I brought in the farn store in Missouri it has been used many times to dragging and even hanging deer to drain. I also usually carry at least a single hazel stick. It may not be used for shooting off but it has fairly often seen use in helping drage a carcase.
 
I also have a drag loop. Very handy to have, but it's all the extra hardware I carry beyond a knife and survival gear. I hunt in areas where just handling a rifle is tough, let alone a set of shooting sticks. There are some areas along the Big Horn river here that I will only use a handgun in due to the density of cover.

Of the last four deer I shot, two were shot under 100 yards (black powder) but the other two were shot at 150 and 200 yards. A rest would have been nice but in at least one instance -the 200 yard whitetail doe- the shot would have been gone. The 150 yard at a mule deer was less critical but it came to a point where I could stalk no further without sending it running so I had to take my shot. The lack of "support" was balanced by the knowledge that neither shot was an unreasonable tax on my ability. I shoot thousands of rounds off hand for every shot I fire at a deer. This is something I have been doing as long as I can remember (disappearing from household chores with a good .22 and a few boxes of ammunition!) and I so I can't imagine the necessity of having a rest. For me it's shoot, get closer, or don't shoot. I am pretty honest with myself and pass up many shots each season without regret.~Muir
 
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