"Natural" wobble

[K22]

In pistol shooting this is known as "area of movement". You cannot hold the firearm perfectly still thus there an area or arc of movement. The degree of this varies from shooter to shooter depending on their physical conditioning, their level of practice, mental (toughness) focus, and perfecting the three essentials of precision shooting: front sight focus, positive trigger action, and follow through.

The same principle applies to rifle shooting in an unsupported or partially supported shooting positions such a from a cross stick, bipod, etc. If using a scope, the front sight focus translates to reticle focus.

Master Class shooters have a small area of movement and have perfected the three essentials of precision shooting.

 

[Straightshooter1]

From the discussion about the joystick and the bit I do know about pure bench rest shooting, I'm wondering if there is such a thing as "natural"wobble that happens whenever you are putting your face against the cheek rest and shoulder against the rifle butt and hand in the grip and have more than a 3 oz trigger.

When shooting at 100 yards and doing load testing I noticed about a quarter inch of movement of the reticle on the target that I have tried but cannot eliminate. I'm not really interested in just pushing a button to make the gun go bang... I want to be the shooter that is engaging the rifle in the traditional manner. I'm thinking more F Class Type shooting from a bench.

Yes I am using a wide stance bipod, and I do control my breathing as best I can in the best way I know how, and my equipment is in excellent condition and I've tried everything I can think of to eliminate wobble

Maybe I'm making some wrong assumptions above so please forgive that... I'm just trying to describe what I see and what Im doing.

My real question is whether such a thing is natural wobble exists that will show up as reticle movement on the target and is there any way to eliminate it.Thx.

(I searched and found nothing by those search words)

When shooting from a bench, which I usually do since I can no longer shoot in a prone position, what I found really works well for me is what I call an almost free recoil. I barely have the butt touching my shoulder (just enough where I can barely feel it). Likewise with my cheek on the stock where I'm almost not touching at all. The lighter the trigger pull is, the lighter the grip I'll have to be sure to avoid any influence during the trigger pull. For heavy triggers, I'll put a real firm grip, which loads the hand keeping it from influencing the shot any more when the trigger is pulled. All of this is something I wrestled with and testing various combinations of holding to see what worked for me or not in getting my POA stable and consistent.

I've got a .22LR that is set up like my big bores (e.g. grip and shoulder butt) and it's really really sensitive to how its held . . . very hard to handle for consistent results. When I practice with it just before shooting my bigger guns, I often get surprised how much better my results are. A lot of the time, I just don't realize how fine the mechanics need to be to get really consistent results.

 

[GetReal]

Thanx @BoydAllen for the telcon.

 

[kelbro]

Is free recoil legal in F-Class?

 

[jackieschmidt]

Is free recoil legal in F-Class?

I think the rules explicitly state that the Rifle has to be fired from the shoulder.

In Short Range Benchrest, I shoot totally free recoil, even in Varmint for Score where the 30 BR does have noticeable recoil. I keep as much of “me” out of the equation as possible.

 

[Clancy]

I’m a fan of actually shooting my rifle as well.

The right rear bag helps diminish the wobble.

 

[old_heli_logger]

So you slept through health class I see. Your heart is in the center of your chest.

You sure?

 

[GetReal]

I’m a fan of actually shooting my rifle as well.

The right rear bag helps diminish the wobble.

I think the mistake I might be making is squeezing the bag to raise the butt to get on the bullseye.

The butt is not sitting all the way down into the bag as a firm resting point.

This is important when I'm load testing but since I'm currently getting 0.35 - 0.45 moa , my accuracy requirements are only for an 18-in plate at 1000 yards.

But still I'd like to maximize accuracy anyway.

 

[JEFFPPC]

You sure?

Yes, your heart is under your sternum.

 

[JEFFPPC]

I’m a “lefty”, and although I can not offer an anatomical explanation, I comment more about sensing heartbeats than my “righty” counterparts. The free recoil shooting form does not produce the best results for me…

I never believed....You must shoot the gun this way. Rifle or handgun. Find what works for you. I am a free recoil guy with bench rifles.

 

[charlie b]

Wait until you get old and add head or hand tremors to that wobble. Now it's not a wobble but a wiggle.

Yep, An ongoing problem here too. I can't touch the rifle with my left hand (it is the worst of the two). The right hand I have to apply just the right amount of pressure on the grip to be in a tremor free 'zone'. I can't even 'pinch' the trigger as that motion causes a tremor in the hand that I can see in the scope. I normally have to touch cheek to the stock a bit to control the muscles there.

Since I went to bench shooting I've noticed a lot. Even with just a 25x or 36x scope I can see the reticle drift with any slight touch to the gun (mine are 15lb). I struggled to get below 1/2MOA and even that is iffy for me. During a session I can also see myself 'change'. Starting out it takes a bit to settle. I'll shoot good for a bit, then fatigue or laziness sets in and groups grow. They I'll 'slap' myself and usually end with a few good scores/groups.

I can usually tell where the reticle is when the shot breaks, if, I am paying attention At least I know when it is me, most of the time.

All if this is part of why I don't compete. I am just not consistent enough.