Do you grip/ hold down your forestock?

[Freeforester]

Do not GRIP the forend as it will change the recoil characteristics of the rifle due to inconsistency & also produce worse groups as it’ll make your muscles tighten & in doing so make the rifle ‘wobble’ which you’ll then try to correct but will do so by trying to grip the forend even harder…

Gently HOLDING the forend in order to SUPPORT it is the correct method to adopt.

As above, putting your hand between forend & any hard rest helps support it & allows you the ability to make adjustments using that hand rather than move your body.

This is the same principle used in the Hawkins position which, additionally, uses the forward hand to grip the sling & take the recoil from the rifle. Hawkins is a very effective position which delivers stability by putting the rifle down as low as it’ll go with physical contact from the toe of the stock & with the shooter having pretty much full body contact with the ground. I won a nice silver trophy in the Imperial Meeting a number of years back using this position in an ‘open’ class - in true British style, someone who was peeved at being beaten by someone with less gucci kit than them complained it wasn’t fair so the class was changed to an ‘issued’ one the next year

Is this entire thread a concoction of Euphemisms?

 

[SD198]

Thanks for all the thoughts. Seems like there are various different approaches. I would never shoot with the forestock resting directly on top of a hard surface (although I do rest it directly onto the front of my quad sticks, but they are presumably designed with that in mind and rubber coated), so would always place something soft beneath it when shooting from a high seat shelf for example. My query was more about whether it is then advisable to hold/support the fore stock or keep handa off it. My rifle is a .308 with a heavy barrel and stock so it does not jump about too much. I will give both approaches a try and check for any impact on accuracy....

 

[nocturnaldave]

Believe me…. You’re gonna find holding it works best in the long run.

 

[Scarpa]

I prefer always using my hand to gently support the fore end. Having said that, on a proper rifle rest or a decent quad stick I'll neglect that and I find that POI doesn't really alter. But on all the other shots I like the consistency of my hand, it's always the same. I shoot a medium weight 30-06 so I like a predictable recoil to get back on target quickly with.

 

[John Gryphon]

I cradle my forend rather than grip and as a lot of our deer are shot off the shoulder holding it is an absolute must....doh!
What ES said is correct,one must never lay the rifle over a hard surface,table,bench,bonnet,tree etc and fire. One MUST have a hand between any hard surface. Even holding a bush stick ( or a mates rifle) as a monopod the hold should be four fingers around stick and thumb out so as to lay the rifle into the web `tween thumb and fingers.

 

[homer]

I mainly shoot of a bipod, sometimes on the ground, sometimes off the bonnet (if foxing). I never touch the fore end. My left hand is put under the butt of the stock to control height.
When shooting off sticks, the left hand cradles the rifle where it touches the front rest on the sticks, so i can move it left or right for tracking. I've never noticed a difference in poi when shooting off the bonnet or lying in a field.

 

[alexjoneill]

I think you should practice from different positions with and without holding the forend as different rifles, calibers (and shooters technique) will vary and you can then see what works best/most consistently for you and your set up.

I have a sako 75 in 308 so not particularly heavy and when I first got it I instinctively held the forend when using quad sticks and had quite respectful groups... Then as you do, you watch YouTube etc and see people not hold the forend at all, only touching it to move left and right which seemed like a great idea as this should be more repeatable (surely?!) - no change in hand position or grip pressure if you aren't touching it....

In my case, it opened up my groups to a good few inches with no rhyme or reason! I have since gone back to holding the forend and group at or below an inch consistently
Always best to practice on paper while you are figuring it out && wish you the best of luck!

 

[dryan]

I never touch the fore end when shooting off stick, left hand holding front sticks with index finger to push rifle across rest if I need to realign. Right hand on pistol grip.

Always done it this way and works for me. I think it stemmed from a marksmanship course I did at my previous club run by an ex RAF firearms trainer. The idea is the less input you impose on the rifle the more accurate it should be.

 

[viking90]

Shooting off a high seat rail is basically shooting off a barricade in a seated position. Bean bag/barricade bag goes on the rail, settle the rifle on top of the bag, with your support hand grip the bag with your palm and 4 fingers and pin the forend to the bag with your thumb. Dont touch the barrel. its easier to see it than explain it

 

[SD198]

What dryan said is exactly what I was trying to get at in my original post - is it generally seen as best to try to avoid touching a stable rifle (with a static soft support of some description under the fore stock) as much as possible, or should you always hold the fore stock. As there are mixed views I will give both a try...

 

[andyk]

Hold that Forend!

I always try to hold the forend. Partly for the reasons in the above article and partly because I want to be consistent across all my rifles, and the sporter ‘06 can be a bit frisky if you don’t hold the front end.

 

[wytonpjs]

Hold that Forend!

I always try to hold the forend. Partly for the reasons in the above article and partly because I want to be consistent across all my rifles, and the sporter ‘06 can be a bit frisky if you don’t hold the front end.

@Rory

Do you have an view on the linked article above and this thread please?

 

[Deermanagement]

Grip under all circumstances. Better groups, more control with less muzzle flip. Same thing with the right hand. Grip is hugely significant

 

[Rory]

@Rory

Do you have an view on the linked article above and this thread please?

I follow Nathan Foster's advice, it is sound and he is correct that supporting the forend does improve consistency.
As has been mentioned, a 'cushion' (but not a spongy, springy type - a sand or bean bag is preferable) when shooting from a stand/high seat is ideal as a rest and interface between rigid objects (frame and stock).