What technique do the majority of F Class shooters use?

[_Raining]

By technique I mean:

Shoulder pressure on rifle.
If no shoulder pressure then how far do you let it recoil (How much room do you leave between the butt stock and your shoulder).

Cheek pressure.

Grip (if any) for consistent trigger pull.

My Rem 700 308 has a 1.5 lb trigger pull and my Defiance has a 6 oz trigger pull. I was dry firing when waiting for the barrel to cool. I was trying out different things but none of them were consistently able to keep the cross-hairs from moving under the firing pin falling other then really pulling the rifle into my shoulder and putting a lot of pressure on the cheek riser but I am afraid that much tension on the rifle is bad and inconsistent.

Any load development (ladder, OCW, Group Size with seating depth) I do is trash bc my group sizes can be from .5 MOA to .9 MOA (10 shots) with the same load as well as having different POI from inconsistent pressures (cheek and shoulder).

I feel like I should be doing much better than I am with my current equipment. (Seb Rest, Cut Rifled Barrels, Rem 700(Trued) and Defiance, Bedded stock/Skim Bedded Chassis, Timney/Bix n Andy Trigger, S&B/Kahles scopes)

My goal is consistent .25 to .5 MOA 10 shot groups.

 

[50bmg1979]

From my experience, the least amount of influence(shoulder pressure, grip) I have on the rifle the better it shoots. So I try to use as little as possible. Ymmv

 

[BIG D]

You don’t say what you are shooting off of. Bipod, front rest etc. I do know that I found that each setup requires different pressure if any. I had a 700 on a stock that loved nothing but my thumb to hang on the top with just a touch. Cut vertical dispersion in half. No shoulder or cheek. As far as shoulder pressure I like to feel the pad touching my shirt. Not heavy but so I know it’s there. I’d try the process of elimination, start with all touching then eliminate cheek then wrist then shoulder. In any order. The groups will tell you what each setup wants. Good luck.

 

[Evan]

By technique I mean:

Shoulder pressure on rifle.
If no shoulder pressure then how far do you let it recoil (How much room do you leave between the butt stock and your shoulder).

Cheek pressure.

Grip (if any) for consistent trigger pull.

My Rem 700 308 has a 1.5 lb trigger pull and my Defiance has a 6 oz trigger pull. I was dry firing when waiting for the barrel to cool. I was trying out different things but none of them were consistently able to keep the cross-hairs from moving under the firing pin falling other then really pulling the rifle into my shoulder and putting a lot of pressure on the cheek riser but I am afraid that much tension on the rifle is bad and inconsistent.

Any load development (ladder, OCW, Group Size with seating depth) I do is trash bc my group sizes can be from .5 MOA to .9 MOA (10 shots) with the same load as well as having different POI from inconsistent pressures (cheek and shoulder).

I feel like I should be doing much better than I am with my current equipment. (Seb Rest, Cut Rifled Barrels, Rem 700(Trued) and Defiance, Bedded stock/Skim Bedded Chassis, Timney/Bix n Andy Trigger, S&B/Kahles scopes)

My goal is consistent .25 to .5 MOA 10 shot groups.

I think that if you see your group sizes change that much under stable conditions, then you should choose a technique that is comfortable and practice it until your groups stabilize. Groups changing when nothing else does is a big flag that you're not consistent behind the rifle. All the best equipment in the world doesn't fix this.

If you shoot 10 groups in a row carefully, all the same as best you can, and post up pictures, the folks here can help you analyze what you might be doing and that will likely lead to better results than this philosophical discussion about technique.

EDIT: If you do shoot groups to post up, number the shots if you can.

 

[_Raining]

You don’t say what you are shooting off of.

"I feel like I should be doing much better than I am with my current equipment. (Seb Rest" It is the Seb Mini with Bryan Blake upgrades to be exact.

 

[kzin]

Another possibility is 'pinning'. Pushing the rifle firmly against the front rest.

I think 1.5lb is very heavy for f-class and 6 oz is high-ish.

 

[Falfan2017]

If you are grouping much over .35” at 100 then I’d first try to tune the load better.

 

[Sniper338]

Aim it, squeeze off on the trigger, all while saying please god please god please god over and over in your head.

 

[Puzzaz01]

1.5-2 oz trigger and ever so light on the stock. I never touch the cheek weld and only touch the trigger, I never grip the rifle.
Just my 2 cents

Darrin

 

[swd]

I'd say it depends on if your shooting a 308 in TR where you need to hang on to the gun a bit more or a lighter recoiling Open rifle. For my Open BRX, very light shoulder pressure, light grip, no cheek and I'm a rear bag squeezer. 2oz Jewell.

 

[Lbart]

_Raining,
Due I guess to all my years of shooting shotgun, National Match, MS etc., when I started to shoot F-Class I just held on to my rifle using a lot of grip, shoulder and cheek pressure. But that is just me. No matter what you wind up finally deciding to do, just remember what I like to tell those I mentor….they can flinch, jerk the trigger, close their eyes, etc. But they must do it EXACTLY the same each and every time! Until you can do that you will have problems.

 

[Evan]

If you are grouping much over .35” at 100 then I’d first try to tune the load better.

He's saying that his groups are all over from 0.5 to 0.9moa with the same load and conditions. Until he can consistently shoot the same group, I don't think he can tune his rifle in.

I gently hold my rifles and touch my cheek to the stock. This is mostly to establish the same body and head position each time. I don't use my cheek to apply pressure; that has wrecked the accuracy in any rifle I've ever shot. I've had horrible luck with free recoil on every rifle I've tried it on. Trying to float off of the gun has made everything from scope parallax to trigger pull a bigger issue with less consistency.

Raining: given how heavy your triggers are, free recoil will never be viable. You'll steer the gun while trying to break the trigger.

When I teach someone to shoot, the most important "tip" I give them is to always break the trigger while exhaling. I usually coach it like this:

Get in position with the gun and find your target in the scope. Hold the gun but do not touch the trigger.
Breath out.
Breath in deeply, fill your lungs and hold for a split second.
Begin to exhale slowly, and rest your finger on the trigger.
Gently squeeze the trigger as you exhale until the trigger breaks.

Do not break the trigger at the end of your exhale, break it midway through the exhale. NEVER pull the trigger while breathing in, and NEVER pull the trigger while holding your breath.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

So, I'd say look at the responses you've received. The most telling is from Larry. It doesn't matter what technique you use, it just has to be consistent.

If you are getting that kind of result from your shooting, start with something easy - either shoot someone else's gun (that is a known good shooter) or have someone that is a known good shooter shoot yours. This could easily be a rifle or scope problem. The only way to know if it is you or the rifle is to separate the two of you.

I've found that I can free-recoil, hard hold, and every iteration in between with only minimal difference in group size, although POI changes dramatically. The only thing that never changes is trigger control. I always break the trigger straight to the rear, whether it is a 1.5 lb trigger, or my new 2+oz Bix N Andy (I actually had to increase it a bit so I could feel the trigger). Above 1 lb, I have to put my shoulder into the butt (gently) to prevent the rifle from sliding rearward during the trigger squeeze.

Let us know what you find, it may be instructive for others having similar problems.

 

[Papa Charlie]

So with the SEB Mini you are shooting F-Class Open. I shoot .308 with a bipod for F-TR. I have had to unlearn what I was taught as a kid about holding the rifle firmly and in control. Now I shoot trying to have as little impact on the rifle as I can.
I try to have very little pressure from my cheek, only enough to help steady my head. I shoot with a XLR Evolution stock so it has a pistol grip, still I don't hold it but rest my thumb on the side of the action to again stabilize my hand and very light touch on the trigger. For shoulder pressure, I barely have my rifle touching me. I want the rifle to free recoil back and this, if I have my body positioned properly, will cause the rifle to recoil strait back and be almost perfectly aligned on the target once back in position for the next shot.

 

[kzin]

what is pinning

The sentence that follows 'pinning.'

oh crap, I meant front stop.

Push the rifle forward, sliding along the rest and bag into the front stop resistance.

Let's you have a hard hold with a totally stationary object on one end - not just your body like 'pulling' it into your shoulder can do.

 

[6MMsteve]

The sentence that follows 'pinning.'

oh crap, I meant front stop.

Push the rifle forward, sliding along the rest and bag into the front stop resistance.

Let's you have a hard hold with a totally stationary object on one end - not just your body like 'pulling' it into your shoulder can do.

thanks

 

[boltman13]

I am transitioning from F-TR to F-Open. I used gentle but noticeable shoulder pressure and body position to get straight to the rear recoil in F-TR. In F-Open I find I get better straight rearward recoil with minimal pressure. I have always used minimal cheek weld pressure. As others have said, you must have as close to perfect as possible target, front rest, and rear bag ears alignment

 

[C. Collins]

I was talking about this subject with another shooter at the MN mid range championship. I shoot a 284 exclusively. My thoughts are to use shoulder pressure, but not enough to change the point of aim. Just snug up on the the rifle. I lay my cheek on the stock. Once i begin shooting i try not to change my position. I will take a break if it gets too hot in the summer. Holding a consistent position is the key.