Rebuilding Sling Prone Position

[Tim Slater]

@257Roberts,

Re sling pain, have you thought of getting the sling lower on your hand? The back of the hand, by the knuckles, has lots of small bones to be squashed. This may just be a Smallbore thing, but I see more good shooters who place the sling lower, over the base of the hand/wrist, avoiding the wrist knuckle though, that hurts! Having broken my scaphoid some years ago I find a glove with stiff-ish coating all the way to the cuff cushions the sling acceptably.

Keeping the wrist straight seems good to me, although some very good shooters don't. Having the handstop slightly to the left of the bore helps, if you want the stop in the thumb V and the rifle bearing on the base of the hand rather than the thumb or palm.

Thune slings are excellent. Hata slings are often recommended by US shooters; the material is similar to Thune's Biothane, but the cost is lower. Avoid having the sling pull from the inside, the brachial artery and nerve plexus will thank you. Personally I like the sling to pull straight, not from the outside, against the meat at the back of my arm. I have tweaked the cuff so it's symmetrical, and bolted it to the sling keeper.

 

[mtncwru]

Slings: Is there a match style sling you all prefer? ... Are the Thunes worth the extra money?

Gloves/Mitts: Wondering if folks with similar issues might have some support hand gloves they would recommend?

Glasses: I hate glasses!!! Where do I start?

I used a Hata Synthetic Sling (https://www.hataservices.com/precision--smallbore-rifle-slings.html). They're well made, and Yuji is a great guy. It's VERY similar to the Thune.

For gloves, I use a Monard Proliner Prone Half-Finger glove. They're pricey and not as padded as others, but they are quite stiff and extends down my wrist, which I find helps more than padding. They also seem to last quite well.

For glasses, if I'm reading the rules correctly you just need *something* between your face and the world when you're forward of the Ready Line at CMP matches. NRA matches appear to still be a "strong recommendation" rather than a requirement. I have a pair of Smith Aegis Arcs that work well, and are compliant with the MIL-PRF specification. They seem to stay on my face and not interfere too much. The other option would be a pair of shooting frames like you see in Smallbore and Air Rifle. They're not going to protect your face at all, but they should meet the letter of the law and can definitely be made to not interfere with your shooting. If you don't need a corrective lens you can always just put a piece of flat glass in there.

 

[jim1903a1]

I use a Kurt Thune half finger glove. This one has plastic in the palm and back of the hand and I don't have sling or hand pain. I have seen people use a glove and mitt together, Nancy Thompkins is one. You have both, would be free to try.

 

[mgdietrich]

Thune slings are great- I have used one for many years. But lately I have been using a Jensen pulley sling. Simple, and self centers.

Glasses- several years ago I bought Ranger Edge- adjustable nose pieces. Very rarely do they fog, Morgan Optical in NY are great people to work with and will get you setup well. I used nonRX lenses for several years, now use RX that Morgan Optical ground for me.

Gloves, Mits- People use all kinds of different things. Ask some people at a match to try something else, no other way on knowing.

 

[SF-Guy]

Hello folks, looking for recommendations on articles, books & references for rebuilding a match rifle slung prone position.

I've been away from the sport about 3-4 years with young kids underfoot. I am now trying to rededicate myself to highpower competition with a match rifle, mid range and long range prone to start with. I was previously qualified master long range, so I know I can do this, but my body has changed a bit as well as getting older.

Ive got two "new to me" guns, and RPA quadlock and a Winchester 70. Tried working with the RPA tonight with prone, starting from scratch, no sights, no stock adjustments. My left elbow hurts and I had a lot of left hand pressure. Just hurts all over quite frankly.

Before I ask what the heck I am doing wrong, I think the better question is, whats a good resource for building a prone position from scratch? I could benefit from a refresher anyways.

I would dry fire outdoors if you can and use a realistic target at a good distance ( or at the range looking at a real target) since the mat and the earth will feel right. NPA Natural Point of Aim is vital. if your stock is adjustable try to move your hips fir left/right error corrections and your sling / forehand stop for elevation errors. Once you have a really repeatable NPA, try breathing to let the front sight fall into place naturally. I love the RPA's but running the Bolt can be an issue as it may be stiff and cause you a little degradation. Regardless, you have to work the bolt and dry fire. I'd get your position down perfect and then start adding in the perimeter stuff like your spotting scope and ammo, data book, etc.
Do you wear glasses or use any lenses? if so, after a period you may need to revisit a good eye doc. Remember, the aperture will sharpen up the front sight and target also so if you are going to make a change in lenses, try them through your rear sight first.
Also....the word "comfortable" is quite a relative term. for me it means solid, repeatable, and allows me to view the scope with minimal movement, crank the bolt, and log data all from the position.