Stock of the Rifle and its Position
- Thread starter Total_eclipse
- Start date
A typical hunting rifle shot from the standing position I presume? Stock snug into shoulder/chest joint heldby the support hand on the forend. A heavy rifle with a muzzle brake can be held more loosely on the bench. A head position tending more upright and shoulders/feet tending more square to the target usually works better.
When I am hunting I normally don't have much time for a deliberate gun mount as I am a still hunter/stalker, so things happen quick.
I normally come from the port Arms and bring it up as I would a shotgun, fast and firmly.
Cat
I normally come from the port Arms and bring it up as I would a shotgun, fast and firmly.
Cat
Depends on the style of rifle and the recoil. Levers and pumps the support hand is used to push the gun into the shoulder while you work the action. Semi autos work best with a firm placement on the shoulder. If held loose some may have cycling issues. Hard kickers like my 458wm if held loose will get a running start and hit you hard with more muzzle rise. Not really a good thing as you'll likely get intimate with the scope.
Head position on the comb is dictated on sights. Some mount huge optics which forces you to use a chin or jaw weld whereas open sights you can get a proper cheek weld in most cases. Adjustable combs can compensate for this.
Bench standing kneeling or prone also will effect how the gun recoils and how your body adapts to hold it
Everyone is shaped differently so go with what feels comfortable to you and what allows you the best accuracy you can achieve
Head position on the comb is dictated on sights. Some mount huge optics which forces you to use a chin or jaw weld whereas open sights you can get a proper cheek weld in most cases. Adjustable combs can compensate for this.
Bench standing kneeling or prone also will effect how the gun recoils and how your body adapts to hold it
Everyone is shaped differently so go with what feels comfortable to you and what allows you the best accuracy you can achieve
Rifle weight and recoil make that decision for me. My 6Rem, 223 target, and 270Win rifles are all very low recoil and easy to shoot so they are simply snug into my shoulder. My 270WSM and 35Whelen are lightweights so I pull them in very tightly to control the jump. My 7RM and 375H&H are big kickers so I really pull them in even more firmly and hold tightly to the shoulder than any of my other rifles.
Depend on the rifle weight and caliber imo, if the riffle is qu’ils light(22lr for exemple) you don’t want to hold it too firmly( not over doing it) cause it will make it hard to steady it! If you use a medium weight rifle(7lbs) in a caliber that doesn’t has too much recoil then you can put just enough “force” to have it snug into your shoulder…. If you have a medium weight rifle in a more sturdy caliber like 30-06 and up I think a bit more “force” is needed to control the rifle and the recoil( hope that make sense lol)! By force I mean pushing the but pad into your shoulder firmly and holding the “pistol” grip firmly but not over squeezing! As for the forehand, it is, in my case the one who pull the rifle to my shoulder, so I hold the forehand firmly but again not over doing it!!
For most shooting, having consistent connection/pressure is the key towards precise shooting. It doesn't have to be a death grip of pulling the stock into a shoulder but rather have firm and consistent placement. Similarly, head position on the stock is sometime overlooked, especially in making use of resting the head on the stock as a weight to aid to stablisation. Having a connection that moves with the rifle is also important to manage recoil rather than be battered by a recoiling rifle.
It is very easy to get lazy on fine tuning position but it pays to hone in on them.
It is very easy to get lazy on fine tuning position but it pays to hone in on them.
My dad was a fairly tall man and had a tendency to crawl up on his stock, which was usually too short for him. This resulted in numerous scope cuts. As a BR shooter, he liked the free-recoil technique, and often stopped the rearward movement of the rifle by catching the scope with his beak. Having watched him and learning. I recommend making sure your stock fits and hold the rifle firmly. Absorb recoil with your shoulder; not with your face!
