Marksmanship help. Rifle positioning while prone?

kykamo

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Hey guys,

I hope u can help. I need some detailed information about how to best hold the rifle while in prone. I'v looked and searched but no one talks about how to fix my issue 😲

I'm right handed and when I shoot, the recoil makes the rifle jump off target to the left every time. A lot. As in, way off target and have to readjust my rifle after every shot. The shots are still hunting accurate but would like to fix this. I'v played around with where the butt is on my shoulder and sometimes it helps and I can shoot 3/4 inch groups.

So how do u best place the rifle on your shoulder so after the recoil, the target is back in the cross hairs? Anyone else know what I'm talking about??

Thanks guys
 
Are you using a bipod? Bags, front rear?
Or off your elbows. Using a sling can help as well.
Pre loading a bipod helps. from what I gather you want to keep the recoil straight back.
Some good articles about how much to lean into it.
 
In the prone, are you in line with the rifle or in angle ?

Lay down, aim at your target and clode your eyes for a couple seconds. When you open them back, if you're still aiming at it you're good to go, if not, you need to correct your position because the same movement happens when you shoot.

What rifle/setup are you shooting ?
 
A right handed shooter in bi-pod prone, should line up the rifle with the inside of his right leg, thus the recoil impulse is straight back, and the jump off target is minimized regardless of the level of recoil. This position puts the greatest amount of mass possible behind the rifle, and causes the rifle to recoil straight back. Be sure to check your natural point of aim. If you aren't forcing the rifle left or right against the bi-pod, both legs of the bi-pod carry equal weight, and won't cause the rifle to recoil offline. Continue to preload the bipod legs. Ensure your heels make full contact with the ground.

In a slung up prone position, a tight sling certainly helps, but the line of the body is diagonal to the line of the rifle, so there is less mass behind the rifle to control recoil. Whether bi-pod prone or slung up prone, check your natural point of aim. If you aren't muscling the rifle onto the target, recoil will disturb your point of aim less. Next time you shoot, pay attention to the position of your sights on the target after the recoil impulse. Adjust your position slightly to bring the sights back on target, and if this doesn't swing your natural point of aim wildly off target, you might find it helps.

Pay attention to the position of your feet. Don't allow your heels to flop around like a fish out of water, force them down so they make full contact with the ground. The more solid contact you have with the ground, the less recoil can disrupt your point of aim. Pushing with the toe of one foot or the other will cause the rifle to move across the target should you need to hold off for wind.
 
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I mostly shoot FTR and always end up 1-2 targets to the left and reset after each shot, haven't found a way around that yet, tried quite a few things.
I think part of it is the torque bouncing the right leg, sure would be nice to have slow motion video to see exactly what happens where/when.
 
I prefer to shoot with the bipod in neutral. Rifle is sitting on it, but I apply no load whatsoever. This way I can guarantee uniformity. I just lift the rifle slightly and set it down.
 
I used to have the same issue as the op where my rifle jumped left after the shot. I could have sworn that my body was aligned perfectly with the rifle. I watched the video in the link I have posted and started to do this drill every time I shoot. If I start to recoil left again I stand up and reposition myself. It felt very unnatural at first but now my rifle stays on target after the shot and I am able to spot my own hits. My rifle now feels like it hardly has any recoil which is a big plus as well. Definitely worth trying.

http://www.scout.com/military/snipers-hide/story/1470246-recoil-management-lesson-part-one
 
As mentioned above, you have to be set up with your natural point of aim and exactly square behind the rifle for the rifle to recoil back in a straight line.

However, from real world experience, that is almost never achievable except on a square range so take advantage of that and set up properly.

Just like a target will rat you out on technique, so will recoil.
 
Hey guys,

the recoil makes the rifle jump off target to the left every time.

Thanks guys

Unless you bolt the gun to a big block of cement the rifle will jump .
If it jumps same way every time it means you got consistency .
3/4 inch group is nothing to complain about .
 
I've been experimenting with positioning to see where I get the minimal amount of jump. One thing I've been told is when you adjust position do the adjustment with your hips. If you shift them left or right the rest of the body should follow naturally.
 
Take a buddy/coach to observe you and make smart remarks. Never fails some one will tell you what you are doing wrong.
Or if you have to record a bit on a video to see if the recoil is going straight back. I have also heard good things about using a mat with bipod feet pockets at front.
 
I've been experimenting with positioning to see where I get the minimal amount of jump. One thing I've been told is when you adjust position do the adjustment with your hips. If you shift them left or right the rest of the body should follow naturally.

Correct. If you end up looking left after the shot just shift your hips left a couple of inches. Keep shooting and moving till you don't jump off the target anymore.

After enough practicing you will naturally fall into the correct line almost immediately.
 
Thanks for all the great info guys. I'm glad to see that some have experienced this problem too.

I'll have to practice natural point of aim more and check my body alignment. I was taught that there's no shame in wiggling around a lot to get that proper position, but to just move the hips for those of finer corrections i'v never heard! Thanks for all the advice

I'm shooting a 270 win Vanguard with a bipod in case you care
 
I'll add my two cents as I've had this problem.

1. Preload the bipod, but not too much. Play with varying amounts of pressure.

2. Move the stock butt tighter into your shoulder. your trigger hand should be relaxed and your forehand should be pulling the rifle hard into your shoulder. Being fluffy, or wearing fluffy clothing will give the rifle under recoil more room to back up....and jump at the muzzle.

3. ensure your rifle angle is as level as possible. If the bipod height is relatively high and your butt relatively low... because you are shooting far....then the recoil will be more "jumpy".

If in the field you can consider repositioning. Bipod height and torso height adjustments are also possible , but not as effective. My experience is that this is a bigger deal when shooting up, shooting down (like into a riverbed or valley) doesnt guve much trouble.
 
As mentioned,

1) Get behind the rifle. Most people think they are, until somebody behind you has to kick your feet consistently till you move into the aligned position. It'll feel odd at first, but soon becomes second nature.
2) Sometimes shooting with a higher bi-pod position helps you get on top of the rifle, rather then it leveraging up when it fires. Sometimes higher scope mounts achieve a similar effect.
 
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