Is shooting offhand....

[M14AMU]

or from the kneeling or sitting position without the use of a shooting stick a thing of the past?

I think a lost art!!

 

[people]

No it is something that is practiced by millions at least one or two times year.

Ok with that jab at hunters out of the way you are right. Excluding those high power shooters how many guys at the range do you see shooting offhand? At the range I go to I am the only person who shoots off the ground or offhand.

 

[80x80]

Some buddy wrote "Jackrabbits, gods gift to rifleman"!

I am sure that any skill that I have as a standing shooter can be traced back to shooting at running jacks with a rifle. Utah's west desert areas used to be a wonderful area to find these long eared bunnies.

I am sure the ringing in my old ears is due to shooting without ear protection in those early years.

Bill

 

[B Mize]

Most all NRA Silhouette is still shot offhand, be it high power, smallbore, hunter pistol, lever action, etc. Some of the muzzle loader/black powder metallic cartridge stuff you can prop up in different positions.
IHMSA Silhouette is shot from different positions to the best of my knowledge.

 

[Dgd6mm]

just told the wife today that we needed to do a little offhand practice. you never know when you may have to make an offhand shot. and I don't mean just slinging lead.

 

[drags]

Off hand shooting is my favorite way to shoot but as I get older I can't compete shooting offhand anymore. I started shooting highpower silhouette at age 58 and was doing pretty well than at age 62 I had back trouble and had surgery and for the next 4 years I got a little worse every and finally had to quit shooting offhand. If using shooting aids (benchrest, sticks ect.) can keep you shooting that is a good thing for the shooting sports. The more people we have shooting will make the all shooting sports stronger. I think it is a mistake to criticize the way a person shoots if he doesn't shoot the way you do. Also for shooting game animals I believe some sort of support should be used if at all possible, shooting offhand is the least steady way of shooting and can lead to wounded animals. I was at The ridgeway club for the Highpower Silhouette Nationals and watched a shooter break the world record he shot 39 out of 40 missed one chicken, he hit all 10 rams at 500 meters (547yards) some were hit in the hips and other non vital areas.my point is that of he was shooting at live game there would be wounded animals and at that time he was probably the best offhand shooter in the country. So if we all shoot offhand,benchrest,shooting sticks, prone, kneeling, sitting, ect. it is a good thing because there is safety in numbers.
drags

 

[Chappy]

or from the kneeling or sitting position without the use of a shooting stick a thing of the past?

I think a lost art!!

With the kind of hunting I do ( elk in thick, dark timber at distances less than 75 yards and most of the time running to be hell), I don't have any lick of time to fool around. Some years it's the difference between a full freezer and tag stew.

 

[watercam]

It is unbelievable how not one person at the range EVER shoots from field positions. They are always 'zeroing' or 'testing loads' but never 'practicing'. One gent has spent tens of thousands of dollars on multiple custom rifles for 'long range hunting' yet never shoots from position nor at any range longer than 100 yards (he has up to 600 yards available to him for wind reading and zero confirmation but never does either). Then complains and blames his equipment when he misses an 800 yard shot after paying thousands more for a guided hunt to some pretty fantastic wilderness. He is in good shape and is capable but just will not stop 'developing' one-hole group loads in lieu of training and practice.
OK, I have ranted. It really is too bad though.

 

[d.id]

My field position IS a high prone position, so that is mostly what I practice......... Guilty.
Jackrabbits were fun effective targets but the training is really only useful for more jackrabbits.
Much like practicing grouping on paper over and over is only training for shooting more groups on paper.
@200+/- freehand......sure but never need it. @400+/- Sitting...... sure but probably not going to need it. @1000 freehand.....nope can't use it, it's prone or save your ammo.
I may not be much of a "rifleman", but I have a 13lb artillery system that does not miss.
.
Train however your going to use it.
Could I practice allot and improve my freehand shooting to stretch out to 7-800+ yards? Probably, lots of folks have.
Do I have any need to do so? No, couldn't hurt but don't have a use for it.
.
Ultimately I think it has bean phased out to the point where only once a year "slop hunters" or competition shooting that requires it be done that way. May not be a lost art but sure see allot less of it than you use to.
I use to try and use freehand positions allot, Now days: I don't. I also use to miss, Now days: I don't.
The adjustable bipod was the last great evolution in small arms.

 

[udiablo]

As others mentioned, there are shooters engaged in centerfire/rimfire silhouette, and 3-gun competition. Traditional 3-position matches require standing, kneeling, and prone. One of my personal preferences is "service rifle" (rifle with iron sights).

IMO, the precision rifle "tactical" matches offer the most interesting challenge since distances vary from 30 to 1000 yards (sometimes farther), shooting from a variety of positions/conditions, and some matches require engagement of moving targets at varying distances. Obviously, the shooter and the equipment must be in top form to be competitive.

 

[seymour fish]

With respect to hunting, I think it is essential to practice from various field positions. You may find a shot at game in high grass, cactus, fire-ant laden ground, swampy bog, sharp rocks, thorns, briars. You may find something to brace against, or be forced to use your own two feet. With practice it becomes second nature to use anything available to your advantage to make a clean shot. You may find a well-balanced rifle an essential tool, as you may have to snap-shoot it like a shotgun. It had better come up cleanly, and the cheekpiece had better align your eye with the center of the scope automatically. The rifle should have recoil characteristics such that it can be shot well from the occasional awkward position. You may enjoy shooting running game offhand with success, if you have studied leads at speeds and distances and internalized a crude algorithm, such that at the moment of truth it becomes automatic. Both eyes open, swing through and touch it off when you see the lead you need, and keep swinging. A "surprise-break" on the trigger is anathema. Primary visual focus on the game/secondary awareness on the reticle will help. Knowing your POI using various holds is essential. Does yours change going from benchrest to bipod to offhand to braced against a tree? Dry-firing might give an indication. Finding your best hold pressures, what is necessary given a certain recoil, and being able to repeat them when needed will maintain POI. Prone with a bipod is great when you can get it, but highly specialized and severely limiting if the broad spectrum of hunting situations is considered. Convince the sub-conscious via diligent practice and doing your homework, and it will both allow you to succeed and allow you to get inside the game's processing-speed loop. Now you're having FUN. Seymour

 

[Ledd Slinger]

...I use to try and use freehand positions allot, Now days: I don't. I also use to miss, Now days: I don't.
The adjustable bipod was the last great evolution in small arms.

That's hilarious. Keep telling yourself that and one day when that miss comes, and it will (or already has and we just don't know about it), you will think otherwise as you are eating your slice of "humble pie"

 

[M14AMU]

With respect to hunting, I think it is essential to practice from various field positions. You may find a shot at game in high grass, cactus, fire-ant laden ground, swampy bog, sharp rocks, thorns, briars. You may find something to brace against, or be forced to use your own two feet. With practice it becomes second nature to use anything available to your advantage to make a clean shot. You may find a well-balanced rifle an essential tool, as you may have to snap-shoot it like a shotgun. It had better come up cleanly, and the cheekpiece had better align your eye with the center of the scope automatically. The rifle should have recoil characteristics such that it can be shot well from the occasional awkward position. You may enjoy shooting running game offhand with success, if you have studied leads at speeds and distances and internalized a crude algorithm, such that at the moment of truth it becomes automatic. Both eyes open, swing through and touch it off when you see the lead you need, and keep swinging. A "surprise-break" on the trigger is anathema. Primary visual focus on the game/secondary awareness on the reticle will help. Knowing your POI using various holds is essential. Does yours change going from benchrest to bipod to offhand to braced against a tree? Dry-firing might give an indication. Finding your best hold pressures, what is necessary given a certain recoil, and being able to repeat them when needed will maintain POI. Prone with a bipod is great when you can get it, but highly specialized and severely limiting if the broad spectrum of hunting situations is considered. Convince the sub-conscious via diligent practice and doing your homework, and it will both allow you to succeed and allow you to get inside the game's processing-speed loop. Now you're having FUN. Seymour

"Primary visual focus on the game/secondary awareness on the reticle will help."

No! Primary focus on the reticule at shot break and secondary on the game!! The shot cannot be 'called' if primary focus is on the game....or whatever the target may be!

 

[seymour fish]

Muhlern, I'm talking about running game in the instance you cite. Stationary game, I agree with you. Imagine a scenario where a wounded elk is suddenly running flat-out across a clear-cut 60 yds away as you are gutting yours, with rifle propped up, and the butler creek scope caps snapped closed. Just enough time to grab the rifle. Not enough time to flip the caps open. Focus on the animal, swing through. Bang, flop. Just lucky vs intimate familiarity with the weapon, and a method that works. Seymour

 

[M14AMU]

Muhlern, I'm talking about running game in the instance you cite. Stationary game, I agree with you. Imagine a scenario where a wounded elk is suddenly running flat-out across a clear-cut 60 yds away as you are gutting yours, with rifle propped up, and the butler creek scope caps snapped closed. Just enough time to grab the rifle. Not enough time to flip the caps open. Focus on the animal, swing through. Bang, flop. Just lucky vs intimate familiarity with the weapon, and a method that works. Seymour

I know exactly what you're talking about! Been there more than twice! But I still maintain that the primary focus of vision should not be on the game....stationary or running but upon the reticule or front sight if shooting irons!

 

[JRS]

As the late Jeff Cooper said…. "As we enter the 21st century, we find that marksmanship has been largely lost".

 

[effendude]

Haven't we become a precious bunch!

Let's drop all this BS about shooting like a man because our ego demands it. If a more stable position is available, a hunter should make use of it; be it a tree, walking stick, shooting sticks, bipod, etc. This is what we teach in Hunter Safety classes. I agree that all shooting positions should be practiced, but in reality most hunters use their rifle for less than 10 shots a year. Why not afford them the tools necessary to make the most accurate shot possible? Seasons are short, time is valuable and the game animal deserved to be killed cleanly. Hunting is under attack from all sides and we don't need to attack ourselves just because some use equipment that others dislike. Unless we are making out own spears from stick and rock, who are we to judge?

Scott

 

[JRS]

Haven't we become a precious bunch!

Let's drop all this BS about shooting like a man because our ego demands it. If a more stable position is available, a hunter should make use of it; be it a tree, walking stick, shooting sticks, bipod, etc. This is what we teach in Hunter Safety classes. I agree that all shooting positions should be practiced, but in reality most hunters use their rifle for less than 10 shots a year. Why not afford them the tools necessary to make the most accurate shot possible? Seasons are short, time is valuable and the game animal deserved to be killed cleanly. Hunting is under attack from all sides and we don't need to attack ourselves just because some use equipment that others dislike. Unless we are making out own spears from stick and rock, who are we to judge?

Scott

A rather simple question was asked, and once again, as usual, you over analyze, and go off the deep end :

 

[effendude]

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3858831.0

Please forgive my over reaction to yet another post implying hunters as less than manly because they use tools to help make them better shots. BTW, there is more fun to be had in the deep end of the pool than the shallow end where the kiddies dribble in their swim suits ;D
Scott

 

[gme]

"is shooting offhand.........a thing of the past?"

Nope!