Do You Practice in the off Season?

[Terry]

Do you practice in the off season?

In Wisconsin it's often cold in the winter. I'm looking for Benchrest practice drills I can do inside.
I have dummy rounds for my BR gun and a pellet rifle I can shoot in my garage.

What do you do?

 

[Nomad47]

I usually spend my winters in AZ, but always where it is NOT real winter.

 

[Bob3700]

In southern Illinois, we move indoors in the Winter and shoot 50 ft. position and benchrest at our clubs indoor range.

Bob.

 

[BigDMT]

Never hurts to practice shooting form and trigger pull drills with dry fire exercises during the "on" or "off" season for competition IMO.

 

[Immike]

all practice makes a champion i turned the tide with the button on my door knob and a winner will prepare

 

[spclark]

Do you practice in the off season? In Wisconsin it's often cold in the winter.

Yes, though more often than not only indoors shooting 4P small bore. Helps keep reflexes tuned up.

Dunno what I'd do if I shot only BR.

It's usually too cold in my part of Illinois (NE) to do much outdoor shooting in the winter months too. HP / LR seasons begins mid-April (snow or no snow!!), ends mid-October... unless I can afford to get away to warmer climes like AZ or FL for a match event.

 

[jp]

even though it is not nearly as cold here in Ga as some of the other states , we do have cold days. i shoot my .22 indoors. I use a bullet trap for it. Or I just turn on the heater and open the window on my shooting room and shoot 100yds. I try to shoot as much as possible. Just to keep me in shape and in tune with my rifle.

 

[BigDMT]

Shooting prairie dogs and gophers by the hundreds every year is my favorite way to practice shooting. Small targets at long ranges really hone the shooting skills. Having to aim small on gophers about 500-700 times each year makes proper breathing, trigger pull, and follow through second nature. Especially when many times you must shoot fast before they go down in a hole.

 

[SS427]

I don't compete, so I guess I don't have an off season. However I tend to shoot more during the fall, winter and spring than I do during the summer cause I'm busy boating and ATV riding during the warm summer months.

I live in Western Oregon and with the mild climate we can shoot all year round for the most part. Even on cold days, we get a fire going in the wood stove at the range and thaw out when the range goes cold, pun not intended. Our bench areas are enclosed and only open out the front, so the wind doesn't get to us much. Last few times I've been shooting the temp was below 32F with frost all over the ground. I can't say I was comfy, but it was bearable.

 

[Defty]

I set up my portable bench in the den and DRY fire at a telephone pole (knot). It's about 200 ft away.
I have my wife's BLESSING. NO SHE's not for sale or trade.

 

[lal357]

not nearly as cold in alabama as it gets up north but since i dont have an indoor range i shoot outside in the cold (been lucky so far in the 50's when i go shooting. ) have our first match of the season(f-class) 2nd week of feb so have to tuff it out . i dont shoot as much 25-308 and 25-223 just enough to keep me in tune i dry fire in the house sometimes but nothing can replace actual shooting at 300yds (have to adjust for wind any mirage).

 

[Steve Blair]

Here in San Diego, we practice all year and call them club matches. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Seriously, I dry fire in prone position, with the rest and bag, sighting on something very small so that I can see movement. I think that this has helped my break and follow-through and improved scores.

 

[jerrschmitt]

There are only a few days a year when it gets really cold and the wind comes down off Lake Superior and drives me into the basement.

Note the heater

For the long walk to change targets.

 

[KevinThomas]

Absolutely! Come the cold weather, we switch to indoor shooting and run a Wednesday night league in Columbia. ARs set up with rimfire conversions, and hit the offhand heavy. I also find that some pistol shooting is a tremendous boost as well. Absolutley nothing for teaching and reaffirming proper trigger control like a good workout shooting bullseye pistol.

 

[people]

I shoot all year. One thing about snow. If it is deep enough it is the best as it totally conforms to your body. If you are shooting off of a bench just break up all the ice and setup and shoot. Just put on warm stuff and get out there. If you can shoot little groups in the cold then summer is just gravy.

 

[swt5]

...a pellet rifle I can shoot in my garage.

About 8 years ago I began researching the world of precision adult air rifles. I discovered things had come a long long way since I had owned my Daisy Red Ryder To make a long story short, within a couple years I ended up selling some of my long guns to fund my new obsession and it is only recently I have returned to the powder burner world. I can say with certainty that my trigger time with the modern airguns have improved my ability in all aspects of the shooting world.
I won't dismiss the benefits of dry firing but launching something downrange is definitely more fun! My present go to air rifle is a 14 shot repeater and will shoot 10 shot groups in the .3's at 50 yards which is pretty good in the air gun world. Hitting 20 9mm casings in a row is my present record at that distance The level of concentration and attention to all the shooting fundamentals is just as intense and I can shoot hundreds of top quality match pellets for a few dollars...without hearing protection...or cleaning up empties...or disturbing neighbors (or the wife) and to boot I almost look forward to the squirrels terrorizing my garden : and you'll never burn out a barrel!
I shoot off my dining room table, through a slight opening in my rear patio door and into a trap (cake pan lined with duct seal) at the back of my garage for silent 25 yard practise. That's about medium range for my rifle and is far enough for me to have to compensate with elevation and for a 3mph breeze. In 5 years, the number of focused trigger squeezes I've made with my .177 in practise and in competition have outnumbered my powder burner shots at least 50 to 1. I think it has helped me.

 

[artbosco]

Do you practice in the off season? What do you do?

Yes, where I reside our winter days range between 40 to 60 degrees. I try to practice once a week or once every two weeks. I practice as if I were competing in a match.

 

[BigDMT]

Now that's hardcore shooting jerrschmitt! hahaha. Too cool, too cool. I can't believe you actually break out the snowshoes to get to the target : ) You certainly are a dedicated practitioner.

 

[Minesweeper3433]

When I was stationed at Ft Drum NY my friends and I would load up our rucksacks with all our shooting gear and food and hike it out to the range from the high way because they never plowed the road. The club let us shoot for free because they said they didn't want to come out and charge us. best of all is placing targets in a pan of water outside the night before. You can just shove the targets into the snow and blast them away with 22s and other fun guns. Like shooting fine china but cheaper. Only problem is using the latrine when it is that cold as the range plumbing froze.

 

[Elwood]

There are only a few days a year when it gets really cold and the wind comes down off Lake Superior and drives me into the basement.

Note the heater

For the long walk to change targets.

Now that's dedication in the extreme.