Finally getting the hang of shooting sticks

Catahoula

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I've been practicing off of the shooting sticks and have not been overly satisfied with my groupings. I made some changes based on some things I've read on here and saw some improvement today. I found I had the sticks set too low forcing me to hunch over. I also was not loading them enough. My results from today, 8mm Rem Mag, four shots at 80 yards.

sticks_zpsz5wvolnr.jpg
 
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Nothing like technique to improve your shooting.
 
Shooting off sticks definitely took some getting used to. I started shooting basketball sized groups at 100 yds. Lots of practice has me down to 2-3 moa groups and I'm consistently able to hit the metal 400m target on our range.

The advise here on AH had been invaluable.
 
Nice shooting !(y) It's certainly fun to watch the training pay of!
 
If that's your grouping, I would not be worried.
 
Very good! Keep shooting like that and you will do really well.
 
Looks like minute of Kudu to me. There is nothing like practice and a little advice to tighten up those groups.... Looking good. Bruce
 
Nothing wrong with that. You'll be just fine. I bring my own sticks when in Africa, I love the bog pod with the single rest platform, real steady.
 
I have been practicing with my wife, including a ton of smallbore at 50 and soon to go to 100 (with my 17 hmr). Will start with high power stuff soon. Practicing with both a monopod (quite a challenge I may add) and bipod sticks, with the theory that if I can do well with 1 or 2 legs, 3 will seem like a luxury.
 
A question for everyone though, on bipod and tripod sticks, do you prefer to hold the sticks at one point or use the forearm of your rifle and just let the sticks alone support the rifle? I am newer at using them as well and was curious. I found better results using the no hands on the stick method.
 
Nothing wrong with that. You'll be just fine. I bring my own sticks when in Africa, I love the bog pod with the single rest platform, real steady.

My PH uses bog pods. Right now I am just using an inexpensive set of Cabela's sticks. I really struggled at first, but am getting the hang of it. I have 6 months to go, I may order a bog pod and try that out.
 
A question for everyone though, on bipod and tripod sticks, do you prefer to hold the sticks at one point or use the forearm of your rifle and just let the sticks alone support the rifle? I am newer at using them as well and was curious. I found better results using the no hands on the stick method.
I personally like to rest my left hand on top of the scope to steady myself.
 
A question for everyone though, on bipod and tripod sticks, do you prefer to hold the sticks at one point or use the forearm of your rifle and just let the sticks alone support the rifle? I am newer at using them as well and was curious. I found better results using the no hands on the stick method.

I like traditional banded wood sticks and I put my hand on the band, gripping it. If you'll read other posts you'll see I'm a big believer in form, but I do think you can move that hand around a bit. I'm steadier like this than hand on rifle. Now with big bores it is hand on rifle. But up and including 375 I personally grab sticks.
 
I personally like to rest my left hand on top of the scope to steady myself.

Weird. ...

Doesn't that make it kinda hard to pull the trigger??? :E Big Grin:
 
With groups like that I can see many trophies in your future.....
 
All my rabbit shooting is done using my bog-pod and out to 150 yds I consider it a dead rabbit if it sits still long enough for me to get the stick set and onto them and while this may only take a second or two the rabbits are hunted hard and so are very wary of movement so this is all good practice in fieldcraft.
 
I like traditional banded wood sticks and I put my hand on the band, gripping it. If you'll read other posts you'll see I'm a big believer in form, but I do think you can move that hand around a bit. I'm steadier like this than hand on rifle. Now with big bores it is hand on rifle. But up and including 375 I personally grab sticks.

I tried this, but couldn't get steady. I grip the forearm just in front of the sticks with both my light rifles and the .416.

I was out again yesterday with both the 8mm and the .416. I tried a different load in the 8mm. (200 gr. Nosler partitions vs. 220 gr. Sierras.) It may have just been me pulling shots, but the Noslers did not group as well. Partitions shot well from the bench with RL 22, but I'm out and can't find it locally so I switched to IMR 4350. I'll shoot some from the bench to make sure it wasn't my shooting, but if these don't shoot well with the IMR powder, I'll stick with the Sierra's for the trip. It's too bad as I have a few hundred partitions on hand!

I only fired two rounds with the .416, but both rounds were nearly touching, with one in the red and one just outside. I'm starting to feel a little more confident in this shooting style!
 
I would strongly encourage everyone to know where their gun shoots with sticks as opposed to just assuming it will hit to the same spot as off a bench.

My Browning BLR is pretty much useless with sticks unless I hold the forarm and place my wrist inside the sticks. It's pretty awkward.
 

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