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600/1000 Yard Benchrest Shooting Technique Tips?

michaelnel

Old and In The Way
Hi Folks

There is tons of information on this great site regarding all types of hardware and reloading. What I don't find much info on is the actual business of shooting the rifle.

A little background on me. I am 100% self-taught on rifles. I started in the 1980s with a Winchester Model 70 in .270, a Remington 700 BDL in 7mm Remington Magnum, and a Heckler & Koch HK91 7.62 NATO semiauto battle rifle. Currently I own three Savage rifles (please, no cracks about Savage, that isn't what this thread is about), a model 10 FCP HS-Precision .308 with 28" Criterion barrel, a stock Model 110 FCP HS-Precision .338 Lapua Magnum, and a Model 12 Benchrest in 6mm BR with a 30" Criterion bull barrel.

I load all my own ammo to the best standard I can.

But my actual shooting technique is where I believe I may be able to achieve the best gains in accuracy. My emphasis at this point is on 600 and 1000 yard NBRSA-style benchrest shooting with my 6mm BR.

I have tried free recoil, and my rifle really does not seem to like that much. I believe it is rather unbalanced and nose heavy with the 30" long 1" diameter bull barrel.

I shoot much better when I grip the rifle firmly, work on my breathing and squeeeeze the 8oz trigger. I have been able to shoot sub-3" groups at 600 yards and last time out most were around 2 1/2" with a best of 2.0". So my shooting isn't terrible, but I am really trying to improve it.

Wondering about some actual shooting tips here rather than equipment or reloading, because right now I think the equipment and ammo are not the limiting factor, I am.
 
Re: Shooting Technique Tips?

What discipline? Is it Benchrest, F-Class or something else. They will all have idiosyncrasies of "technique" related to their arenas..
 
Re: Shooting Technique Tips?

NBRSA 600 and 1000 yard Bench rest is specifically what I am asking about.
 
Re: Shooting Technique Tips?

Well I would get with DKhunt, Donovan Moran, Zfastmalibu and Jim O'Hara on this site. They are accomplished L/R BR shooters. Their advice would be invaluable..
 
Re: Shooting Technique Tips?

I am going to compete in the next 600 yard match at Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. However, since the matches are on Sunday, and I have a normal workweek of Thu-Sun 4x10, it is not easy for me to just go watch a match. I have to arrange for the day off, find someone to work my shift and do without 10 hours of overtime.

I shoot 2-3 times a week and I do go most Mondays to the practice sessions and I do shoot and work the pits then. I am getting to know a lot of great guys, (many of whom are on this board, Jerry, Norm, Bob). However, I am reluctant to bother them when they are out there practicing. They are there to do that, not to help me.

I was just hoping to get a discussion going here involving people who feel like maybe they can help me with some tips. Sorry if I was assuming too much.
 
I only recommended a mentor because your equipment can't be checked out from here and pretty much everyone shooting has had more than one to stay with them to the next level. Not in any way did I mean to offend you. One of the most important questions I ever asked was " will you look at my setup and tell me what you would change? "
 
OK thanks. One of the local shooters at SacValley is shooting a rig very similar to mine and usually takes home a fistfull of ribbons from the matches. I have been talking to him at the practices, but don't want to overwhelm him with questions all at once.

I will ask him that question though!

I honestly do feel like the equipment is likely better than I am at this point.
 
depending on how serious you want to be put LOTS of money in the other equipment:
Scope
Front Rest
Rear bag
etc.

Until you have the equipment to compete with the top guys you can't fine tune the technique's, You can have a 5K gun and a 3k scope and be the best loader in the world but if your gun can't track and you can't read the wind your dead in the water. message Jim O'Hara he is a well accomplished shooter and will probably give you the list of items that you must have to compete.
 
as reply #11 states,,,,you are shooting with/among the best in the world,,,,Im shure most of them would enjoy shooting with/beside you and making wind calls and shareing their vast knowledge freely,,,,you must not be taliking with them ,or they would be doing that now,,,,get to know them ,,,,I shur wish I wuz there,,,it is a education just to be there,,,Roger
 
"I honestly do feel like the equipment is likely better than I am at this point."
my guess is that is the situation for most shooters if not all...
 
Michael,

Do you, or can you use wind flags at your club on those practice or match days?

I cut my benchrest teeth on PA Groundhog matches where wind flags were not allowed. You have a certain number of minutes to shoot sighters and 5 record shots. Wherever the shots were landing and whatever condition indicators you could discern during your relay were what you have to work with and then your shots for record.

Then I shot an IBS 600 yard match in Bridgeville, DE. There were wind flags on the range....wind flags everywhere! I had the opportunity to partner up on a bench with a fellow that had flags set out and boy, was that an eye opener for me.

You actually get to see the wind during the sight-in and the record period. Armed with that information, you wish on the shooting gods that the condition you sighted in for is still there when they call commence fire on the record target or comes back during the time you have to fire for record.

NOW HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART.....When your condition is there, shoot, shoot fast, and get'em down range before the condition changes! Don't screw around and worry about looking good. Oh....IMPORTANT THING NUMBER TWO. If the condition changes before you're done the record string, stop shooting or hold off for the change.

My message is...You'll shoot smaller groups when the bullets are flying through the same condition.

I have shot with a few guys who can "take all day" to shoot a string on a record target and they do very well. Me, not so much.

Oh yeah, then there is gun balance, tracking, bench manners, ergonomics of set-up, hold or free recoil, breathing.....and a gun that shoots very well.....you get the idea.

Good shooting,
Jerry
 
However, I am reluctant to bother them when they are out there practicing. They are there to do that, not to help me.
Click to expand...

I would not worry about that at all.

Without exception, each time I have approached any of the experienced shooters in our club, whether during a match or when practicing, they have been very willing to help any way they can. I suspect that this is true of the overwhelming majority of shooters anywhere.

Nando
 
to the OP: what shape are your 600 yd groups? Mostly vertical?, or overly sensitive to wind and just about a flat waterline? Diagonal? just Scatter? Do they look similar each group? Are you getting the group shot in the same condition, or holding? Where is the balance-point of your nose-heavy rifle, and how much weight can you add to the butt and still make weight? Seymour
 
This video really helped me. Watch and learn. I was shooting from the right hand side of the bench, with just a right feed, right eject action. (being left handed) I was always taking my eye off the target to reload, and then having to get set up again for the next shot.
Moved to the center of the bench, moved my scope closer, for eye relief, set my ammo up for feel, so as not to take my off the scope. What a difference !!!
NOTE..The joy stick rest in the video, and how his hat covers the space between the scope and his eye.
Hope this helps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I-c-HSHFas

Regina
 
The post above brings up good points. A person can do a lot of practice at home with dummy rounds to improve handling ammo and settup.
 
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