How much practice time with new rifle is needed?

bruce moulds · Feb 5, 2020

another indicator of lack of basics is blinking when the shot breaks.
watch guys shoot.
bruce.

bruce moulds · Feb 5, 2020

as well as the eye, a need for oxygen induces muscle tremor.
the eye also dehydrates quickly, and this can affect aiming ability.
optimum hydration can be measured by needing to water the horse about every 3/4 of an hour.
bruce.

wesheltonj · Feb 5, 2020

Hogpatrol said:
One of the most damaging effects of a good shot is not following through, i.e. lifting one's head "after" the pulling the trigger. Hunters can be notorious for this and they wonder why they missed or hit high. I see it at the range where a shooter comes off the rifle at the moment of pulling the trigger, then says, "I got a "flyer".
@bruce moulds, you talked about oxygen. The eyes are big users of it. Best to take a few deep breaths before looking through the sights, be it irons or glass.

I have that bad habit. It came from looking to see where the animal will run into the brush. Of course when they drop on the spot that's not a problem of knowing where to find the animal.

Hogpatrol · Feb 5, 2020

wesheltonj said:
I have that bad habit. It came from looking to see where the animal will run into the brush. Of course when they drop on the spot that's not a problem of knowing where to find the animal.

Practice keeping the head down and following through on the range with a rest and rear bag with a light recoiling rifle and shoot at claybirds on the ground. It's just a habit. I shoot groundhogs five months a year with a .17 or .20 caliber rifle and can usually see them drop through the scope. When deer season comes around, I never look to see if they're hit. They're just big groundhogs anyway.

Rimbaud · Feb 5, 2020

Practice until you have become one w your weapon and can hit whatever it is you see. Carry it around. Dry fire the hell out of it. Shoot it from sticks, field positions, and stay away from the bench. Understand how it performs in heat, rain, wind, and at different distances.

Tra3 · Feb 5, 2020

I have been shouldering the rifle, dry firing and cycling the bolt. This practice has been done in the living room, kitchen and dining room. The unintended benefit is my wife becoming more comfortable with a rifle being manipulated close to her!
Learning to keep your head down is pure practice. Every new gun takes time getting used to the bold throw distance from your face. The practice makes you know you won’t strike your own face in the reload. Learning to keep my face down and to follow through made a big difference in my shooting.

steve white · Feb 5, 2020

What's need ever got to do with it?

rinehart0050 · Feb 5, 2020

I'd say the R8 is particularly intuitive and you'll get the hang of it very quick.

Which stock do you have? We have a professional success and I found the thumbhole stock actually did a better job of consistently returning me to my gun mount and proper eye relief compared to a normal stock.

Still, practice makes perfect. I get the R8 out almost every trip to the range and shoot at least a box of ammo (20x). I do love putting 5 or 6 shots all into one hole at 100 yds. Thanks Blaser!

That said, my wife almost never comes to the range to practice and she's still a sub-moa sniper with the R8. She loves it, finds it far more intuitive and comfortable than a traditional bolt action.

Rum Runner · Feb 6, 2020

The more handling and shooting you can do, the better. Why not just practice like heck until your hunt? It's fun anyways, especially with a new toy. I would empathize, practice with sticks. This was the one thing I would change...that I didn't do enough of before my trip. It turns out I kind of suck at shooting off sticks, and that caused me and others some greif during the safari.

bruce moulds · Feb 6, 2020

nothing wrong with the bench as well.
it allows correctness in hold and squeeze to happen more easily so you actually get to see what it is like, and then know what is right.
all you have to do then is do that offhand or off the sticks whatever.
practising wrong ingrains wrong.
this is why just shooting might well not be the best thing to do.
ingrained bad habits are hard to get rid of, but easy to develop.
hitting things well is more fun than the opposite.
bruce.

perttime · Feb 6, 2020

Yep. Practice does not make Perfect.

Practice makes Permanent.

You need to practice doing things right.

samu · Feb 6, 2020

perttime said:
Yep. Practice does not make Perfect.

Practice makes Permanent.

You need to practice doing things right.

Important and ofter forgotten notion right there. Btw, if you visit the area, Ruoto shop in Tuusula has pretty decent shooting simulator that works with most common caliber rifles, hunting scenarios show your trajectories through the game after a round etc. They also have R8 Success in shelf to test in the simulator.

Tra3 · Feb 6, 2020

@rinehart0050 i got the R8 ultimate thumbhole stock. It is synthetic.
After only a week of dry fire, I picked up my sako Safari and was surprised by the difference in feel. I think the blaser stock is noticeably more ergonomic.
@perttime i very much agree! My fear was a rifle change would mess up years of practice and take months to become proficient. I now feel more comfortable that the fear was unfounded.

Even with the (known) need for practice, I don’t think my wife will let me park the new rifle in the bedroom.

samu · Feb 6, 2020

Tra3 said:
@rinehart0050 i got the R8 ultimate thumbhole stock. It is synthetic.
After only a week of dry fire, I picked up my sako Safari and was surprised by the difference in feel. I think the blaser stock is noticeably more ergonomic.
@perttime i very much agree! My fear was a rifle change would mess up years of practice and take months to become proficient. I now feel more comfortable that the fear was unfounded.

Even with the (known) need for practice, I don’t think my wife will let me park the new rifle in the bedroom.

So that's a no to 3am practice in case of polar bear tearing into your tent?

Rider717 · Feb 6, 2020

Agree with all the above. For me the biggest difference I had to get used to was the lightness of the trigger compared to my old A-bolt and you really need to practice with is the safety/decocking. I have a professional success monza with the thumbhole and while on the sticks it can feel a little awkward to take the safety off. Getting used to that by dry firing is a good idea. getting the right motion to work it takes some practice. Working the bolt came naturally to me after a few rounds at the range. I also found overall the rifle feels shorter than my A-bolt and it took some practice to get the right placement on the sticks to shoot comfortably consistently.

Fred Gunner · Feb 6, 2020

Dry Fire & all the Live fire you can afford...All the Above plus don't forget Rifle PT. Workout with your rifle

Running or walking the local H.S. track will get a lot of unwanted attention...however if you own a treadmill or elliptical at home sling your rifle while you work out and then dry fire with elevated hart rate.

Standard Velocity · Feb 6, 2020

Fred Gunner said:
Dry Fire & all the Live fire you can afford...All the Above plus don't forget Rifle PT. Workout with your rifle

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Running or walking the local H.S. track will get a lot of unwanted attention...however if you own a treadmill or elliptical at home sling your rifle while you work out and then dry fire with elevated hart rate.

The elevated heart rate is quite important. When at the range I walk down to check my target and back to the bench to take an aimed shot. Granted a 200 yard walk shouldn’t have your heart leaping out of your chest but it does elevate my heart rate enough to make the reticle a little wobbly. Sometimes, in summer heat, the short walk is enough to get me more elevated than I’d like. Perhaps more actual exercise is in order.

Fred Gunner · Feb 6, 2020

Tra3 said:
I don’t think my wife will let me park the new rifle in the bedroom.

Then do like the rest of us and sneak off to a sleazy no tell motel??

Tra3 · Feb 6, 2020

@Fred Gunner @samu
It is progress! Invading the (her) kitchen space with a rifle was a big step.
I have seen suggestions on AH to practice dry fire with the sticks while watching TV... I will cautiously proceed with that drill. If it is about safety and practice for my son, I bet I’ll get even more leniency. Overall I’m quite lucky as the Mrs. and kids are coming on Safari.

As for exercise: I do a lot of running and other sports to stay in shape. When at the range I like to jog to the target and back, then shoot. I am a fan of timed shooting and especially a fan of having your buddy video, easy to see form errors.
In hunting we rarely get a calm and composed shot. (Except the mule deer I shot this year while I was eating lunch)

Tanks · Feb 10, 2020

Tra3 said:
...
I have seen suggestions on AH to practice dry fire with the sticks while watching TV... I will cautiously proceed with that drill. ...

Make sure that the rifle is unloaded though unless you want to convert the TV into a radio.

How much practice time with new rifle is needed?

bruce moulds

bruce moulds

wesheltonj

Hogpatrol

Rimbaud

Tra3

steve white

rinehart0050

Rum Runner

bruce moulds

perttime

samu

Tra3

samu

Rider717

Fred Gunner

Standard Velocity

Fred Gunner

Tra3

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