600 / 1000 yard benchrest shooters: Free Recoil or Hangin' On?

[michaelnel]

If you shoot 600/1000 yard benchrest, do you shoot free recoil, or do you hold onto the rifle?

How do you feel the method you use helps your accuracy?

Have you tried it both ways?

 

[Terry]

I shoot free recoil. It prevents me from messing up the shot.
I have tried several holds, this is most consistent with my rifles.

 

[dkhunt14]

I hold mine with little to no pressure. But it is a WSM and I can't let it get a big jump. Matt

 

[CaptainMal]

Tried free recoil with a joystick rest. Disaster. You must have great attention to detail and repeatability in the rests, how they slide and how they repeat their contact pressure. Never happened for me.

I also do not "hold" the rifle. I touch it lightly with my shoulder, keep my cheek from transferring pulse into the stock and use my non-trigger hand to finger the rear rest so the rifle is on the target. Then I trigger a "surprise" shot. That method seems to repeat easily for me.

 

[dragman]

I have tried it all! lol and probably not very good with any of it.
-Free recoil with a joy stick was very hard for me seemed unnatural. (I have a little success with it early in my shooting with a none joystick rest though)
-Holding on for a single shot is cool but over a string it puts way to much human error into it to win IMHO
-I put light pressure on the back of the rifle now and have the lightest cheek touch and only put finger tips on the grip. It lets me feel "in control" and has worked the best for me. I can use my rest or my bipod with the same results with this method.

 

[JRS]

It's a matter of personal preference, and what you are most comfortable with. The Hoover family is as good as anyone, and they get a pretty good grip on the stock and fair amount of cheek weld.

 

[CatShooter]

I hang on for dear life... so whatever I am doing wrong, I do it the same for each shot.

 

[Joe Salt]

I can tell you this! My wifes 6.5-284 She was shooting it when we first got it. she was shooting it free recoil. But watching her and looking at the groups at 200 yards, I didn't think the rifle was shooting that great, not bad but not what I wanted. So I started shooting it with my shoulder into it as tight as I could push, and holding the forearm with my left had. Now the thing was shooting in the same hole. So I would have to say figure out what the rifle likes. Like Holding a Woman some like gentler hold, some like tight. 8)

Joe Salt

 

[CatShooter]

"Like Holding a Woman some like gentler hold, some like tight."

Joe Salt

But none of the good ones like "free recoil"

 

[Stubb]

Rifles are like women; some like to be held and some don't want to be touched. The hard part is figuring out what the heck they want.

 

[eggman]

I shoot mostly IBS 600 yd. Benchrest using a 17 lb. rifle in both HG and LG chambered in 6 dasher off of a Farley Co-axial II rest. I started out years ago holding the rifle and had trouble repeating the same hold shot to shot so I transitioned to free recoil with the butt of the stock just barely touching the fabric of my shirt. If I shot a 300 WSM in HG I would probably figure something else out but I don't so.... for now it's free recoil only . I also usually install a muzzle brake but not because a 6 Dasher recoils hard but that a brake helps me stay on the scope during sighters to better see my impacts.

Rodney

 

[waterdog]

I shoot just like Rodney, only not as good.

Larry

 

[dkhunt14]

I shoot my WSM heavy gun free recoil but my 17 pound WSM I have to keep my shoulder touching. Not pushing just touching. Kind of like free recoil with a light hold. My 17pound has a brake but I don't let it get going. My Heavy gun has no brake but weighs 80 pounds. Matt