Shooting prone/heartbeat...read on!

.22LRGUY

.22LRGUY

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Hey guys, hope this is the right forum to post this in. Quick question~I shoot rimfire mostly, .17 HMR when hunting...but lately, I've really noticed the rifle bouncing around ever time my heart beats. I shoot prone, use a Harris Bipod, and not that tight a hold either. Scope magnification tops-out at 12x, range between 100-140 yards. There may be a proper term for this issue, and may be an easy way to rectify it.....but can't figure it out. Still managing to get decent accuracy (3-4/5 in the 1" ring at 100 yards) but this is starting to be a bit of a distraction. I have managed 1/2"-3/4" groups off a bench, but then...deliberately holding it away from my shoulder. Laying prone, I don't find that easy to do.

So, I'm literally trying to time the shot between heartbeats...which seems like an odd thing to do. Any thoughts? One day the heart will stop beating, but something tells me that my rifle's accuracy won't matter much at that point!
 
Your breathing might actually be the root cause - if you're not breathing properly then your heart rate will increase. Assuming you're a right handed shooter then bend your right leg and bring your knee up ahead of your belt line (some find doing this with the left side leg is more comfortable for them) This will take your weight off of the chest/diaphram area and allow you to breath properly. When you're ready to shoot, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. At the bottom of your breath you have a few seconds to take your shot before you need to inhale again. Also, you want the rifle/bipod as low as you can get it. This will take some strain off the neck muscles. Shooting prone takes a bit of practise - proper technique is key.
 
Last edited:
Snow Dog said:
Your breathing might actually be the root cause - if you're not breathing properly then your heart rate will increase. Assuming you're a right handed shooter then bend your right leg and bring your knee up ahead of your belt line (some find doing this with the left side leg is more comfortable for them) This will take your weight off of the chest/diaphram area and allow you to breath properly. When you're ready to shoot, take a deep breath and let it out slowly. At the bottom of your breath you have a few seconds to take your shot before you need to inhale again. Also, you want the rifle/bipod as low as you can get it. This will take some strain off the neck muscles. Shooting prone takes a bit of practise - propery technique is key.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try this. The heart is just fine BTW. :)
 
I find this an interesting thread because I've had some similar issues. One thing that I've really found useful was a heart rate monitor. Originally bought one for running but I found it useful for refining my breathing technique while bench shooting. Really allows you to see how breathing technique affects pulse rate. Messing around with technique I can consciously drop my pulse by up to 20 beats per minute. By or borrow one and give it a try.

Thanks .22lrguy for the tips.
 
I used to have the same problem,but after 2 x wives and their lawyers,I have no heart
(or bank account) left to interfere.They would have taken my soul,but the lawyers didn't
know what that was.
Work on breathing techniques,after a full out breath your body has 5 seconds before your brain starts to urge you to breathe again.Lots of time to prep trigger,settle crosshairs and complete the beak.
Also if you're not using windflags...make some and use them.
Just a thought
Gord
 
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