10 Ways To Stronger Rifle Field Shooting Positions
4. Use rear support on your rifle anytime you can. If I am over the bipod (like I hope to be), I always use a rear support. I carry a small nylon bag filled with polly beads just for this purpose. I have used ammo boxes, fanny packs, a piece of wood and even a rock for rear support. My point is this: 99% of the people I have seen shooting with their hand as a rear support shot their rifle much better with a solid rear support. Rear support allows you to let the rifle ride the bag a little during recoil, tends to keep the rifle pointed at the target after you fire, and is consistently more solid than a hand.
5. I carry some seemingly odd gear at times. Several years ago, I started carrying rubber coated tree hooks for archery in my pack for odd shots, like sitting on the side of a steep canyon trying to shoot straight across. When I say steep it was even too steep to use standard length shooting sticks. The other scenario is a steep uphill shot. Even if you can get the front of the rifle up high enough, it is still an awkward position prone behind it. I have found it a much more comfortable position to screw the step into a tree and shoot from a sitting position with the tree hook as front support for the rifle. Is this as stable as prone with a bipod? Not for me, so my effective distance decreases some. I can still shoot a substantial distance from this position. If you don't have one in your pack it is not even an option.
6. I practice from odd shooting positions. Part of this comes as a necessity for tactical long range competition, but spills very nicely over to the hunting field. Practice shooting your rifle over a log that is 20 inches in diameter. It can be pretty effective if you learn a solid position to use with it. Practice shooting 90 degrees to the rifle. This is a common occurrence in steep country. Practice shooting steep angles or positions that put you at a steep angle to the rifle. This usually affects your cheek weld and can affect your impact. Shoot over your pack, sticks, logs, rocks and anything else that is common in your hunting area.
7. Practice uphill and downhill corrections. Use an Angle Cosine Indicator and learn to really dope the uphill and downhill shot. Again, this takes some more time behind the rifle in the field to confirm you're doing it right. Along with this practice, you can tune your rifle position for these shots.
5. I carry some seemingly odd gear at times. Several years ago, I started carrying rubber coated tree hooks for archery in my pack for odd shots, like sitting on the side of a steep canyon trying to shoot straight across. When I say steep it was even too steep to use standard length shooting sticks. The other scenario is a steep uphill shot. Even if you can get the front of the rifle up high enough, it is still an awkward position prone behind it. I have found it a much more comfortable position to screw the step into a tree and shoot from a sitting position with the tree hook as front support for the rifle. Is this as stable as prone with a bipod? Not for me, so my effective distance decreases some. I can still shoot a substantial distance from this position. If you don't have one in your pack it is not even an option.
6. I practice from odd shooting positions. Part of this comes as a necessity for tactical long range competition, but spills very nicely over to the hunting field. Practice shooting your rifle over a log that is 20 inches in diameter. It can be pretty effective if you learn a solid position to use with it. Practice shooting 90 degrees to the rifle. This is a common occurrence in steep country. Practice shooting steep angles or positions that put you at a steep angle to the rifle. This usually affects your cheek weld and can affect your impact. Shoot over your pack, sticks, logs, rocks and anything else that is common in your hunting area.
7. Practice uphill and downhill corrections. Use an Angle Cosine Indicator and learn to really dope the uphill and downhill shot. Again, this takes some more time behind the rifle in the field to confirm you're doing it right. Along with this practice, you can tune your rifle position for these shots.
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