Seated firing position?

[manbearpig]

i was out shooting with some friends the other day. both of them started ragging on me that my seated firing position was all wrong.

i generally shoot like this (it was pretty hard to find photos of people shooting from this position ):

they were trying to get me to shoot like this:

but i find it way less stable/comfortable. yet every site ive come across listing different firing positions shows this way.

is there anything wrong with the first way? granted i havent fired anything harder recoiling than a .308 from this position - most of the time its .223 or .25-06 for varmints. i used to pack a bipod but in my latest quest for lightening my load i just shoot seated (cant shoot prone as the grass is usually too high or the ground is too uneven) like this and i dont find it uncomfortable at all. i find it works for me but if there are disadvantages i am willing to try learning a new technique.

 

[Grizzlypeg]

I've tried it the way you are doing it, even with my 300WM its safe and I didn't get scope eye. The bone on bone support of the upright knees makes more sense to me as being less shaky as it doesn't rely on muscles to support you.

 

[t-star]

there's a picture of CARLOS HATHCOCK taking a shot from the seated- if it's good enough for him etc

 

[tiriaq]

Experiment. Use the position that works best.
Position in bottom photo is less stable than the position in the upper photos.
Alter the top positions by crossing your legs. That works very well for some people. I cannot do it.
I use a different sitting position. I'm right handed. On my butt, left leg drawn up. Right leg crossed over instep of left foot. Rifle supported on left knee. With an AR, the grip is on one side of the knee, the magazine on the other. When I shoot my .308 sniper in this position, I put the bead bag on the knee under the rifle.
Another sitting position that works very well is to sit with your legs straight out in front of you, with your feet turned out. Put the legs of your bipod on the sides of your boots. Very stable.
My kneeling position is more stable than my sitting. I put my right calf on the ground, right side of my foot flat on the ground, too. Sit on my leg and foot. Rifle on drawn up left knee. Works very well for me.
But you really need to experiment, find out what works best. There is no right or wrong. It can take a bit of work and stretching to develop a stable, easily assumed position that is effective.

 

[tiriaq]

there's a picture of CARLOS HATHCOCK taking a shot from the seated- if it's good enough for him etc

Maybe, maybe not. What works for one person might not work for another.

 

[CV32]

i was out shooting with some friends the other day. both of them started ragging on me that my seated firing position was all wrong. i generally shoot like this ...

I do as well, and also find it more stable than the other options.

 

[Boomer]

There are many variations of the seated position and provided you don't have bone on bone contact between the arms and legs all is good. By this I mean avoid resting your wobbly elbows on your equally wobbly knee caps. Col Winders might have difficulty engaging a target that was on anything but a horizontal plain from him when shooting from that particular position, but that was never an issue at Camp Perry. In the game fields and mountains its another matter entirely where the more conventional seated position with the legs spread widely apart and the flat of the arms (the flat area immediately behind the elbows that is about 4"-6" long) resting on the shins in the forward position or on the inside of the thighs in the rearward position allows you to make supported shots at steep angles. To my way of thinking though, Col Winders mistake is in not slinging up which might prove inconvenient from that variation of the sitting position. Actually I believe that particular position would be more comfortable if it was used with a kneeling position, where the rifleman sits on his rear foot and the forend is rested on his support arm in a similar fashion. In the end, it is the consistency of your hits on the target that determines the correctness of your position, not what I or your fellow shooters think.

 

[yidava25]

I havent tried the first position but i do know that the one in the bottom picture does not work for me. anything where im supporting the rifle with muscles is not steady enough for a decent shot, at least not for more than half a second.

 

[Huntin' Gun]

My sitting position is a bit of a hybrid between the two examples shown. I don't cross my legs, but rather my knees are up like the first picture. I don't rest my rifle in the crook of my arm like the first picture [feet a little further apart], but my arms look more like that of the last picture. I don't have my elbows 'ON' my knees, but rather the elbows are locked just inside the knees. Hard to explain, but when just inside the knees the contours of the elbows and knees seem to just 'fit'. I also wrap the sling around my left arm to aid in stability. Thsi is the way I was taught to shoot when sitting from when I was 10 years old. I think I'll try your way to see if I like it, but I'm sure when I see a big buck, I'll revert to how I've practiced and drilled since I was a kid.

 

[hoochie]

i do it like the guy in your middle pic. I find it most stable. It's also a matter of comfort to the shooter.. position may vary slightly from one person to the next. I was shown that position over 25 years ago and its still one of my favorites.

 

[bluemike807]

The fellow in the middle pic is also firing an air rifle. Not much chance of him getting bitten by the scope.

Im a tall, lanky bugger and I shoot like that, though it can be awkward - still, its less so than the 'knees down' position.

 

[Leeper]

The classic sitting position is with the feet forward, the knees slightly elevated, the heels dug in, and the arms, just above the elbows, resting just below the knees, on the shin. This is the position commonly used in rapid fire competition. A modified position has the legs crossed and the elbows just below the knees. Again, the arms contact the shin just above the elbows and just below the knees. This is the position the instructors wanted us to use in the 1960's US Army.
The position shown, with the rifle resting over the crook of the arm and on the knees, was termed the "jack knife" position and was much favoured by Jack O'Connor.
For myself, thanks to the accumulated effects of injuries over the years, no sitting position is all that satisfactory unless a Lazy-Boy recliner figures into it! Regards Bill