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Back to some offhand practice

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DualMagMike

DualMagMike

Member
Sep 22, 2018
1,648
1,826
NY, United States
Field target season is starting up so started some offhand shooting again. I've hardly done any in the past several weeks but had some good 5 shot groups at 15 yards with several different rifles. Of course a few stray shots here and there but not bad, they would do well at an FT match. 

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this target is much larger than the other two but still under 1 inch

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If you can improve your offhand skills the rest of your shooting styles will also improve !! Take it from someone that learned that the hardway.... Back when I was touring on the FT circuit we went to Virginia for a FT match, they used a scoring system where you could get bonus points for offhand shooting. My first match was terrible, even embarasing. Holding my head in shame I spent the next year practising my offhand shooting.....yep almost every day at least 50 offhand shots and worked to improve my stance.. The following year I went back and won their spring gun division match. The best part of becoming a good offhand shooter was the improvement of my overall scores. Getting all my offhand shots was a major boost to my overall scores and gave me the edge at many matches. At one match we had a tie, after many shootoffs we were still tied. The match director decided to get it over and used 12 gauge shot gun shell casings at 50 yds...yep offhand. Best of 5 was to determine the winner...yep..those offhand skills paid off once again !!
 
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Can't possibly agree or understand why shooting offhand would improve shooting off sticks or a bench TBH. I won two different state FT championships and can say the forced positions are important but I see no real enhancing of shooting off sticks and seated with offhand practicing...
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Offhand shooting strengthens your trigger finger/ eye coordination, causes you to learn to better control your trigger release. Better breathing control etc.. Go ask any professional shooting coach, you should master offhand skills to see more improvement in the rest of your shooting. Also a confidence booster, people get rattled at offhand shots and that carries over to shots following the offfhand lanes. I was fortunate to have a fried that was a shooting coach at Camp Perry, he showed me just how important offhand skills are and how they improve the rest of your target shooting..
 
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Ask how many bench shooters, snipers etc. go out of their way to practice offhand shooting to improve rested shots. I can say there are zero at the ranges I frequent, they may fire a few offhand for fun but few and far between. Comparatively few shooters compete in FT matches where standing or kneeling are mandatory. Like most everything else practicing on the specific skill is the best way to accomplish a particular task. 
 
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One of the great things about shooting is that the outcome is the only thing that matters, how you get there is not important. It is my experience that offhand punishes poor technique more than any other position, and perhaps makes you more aware of shooting fundamentals like natural point of aim or the need to eliminate tension. On the other hand, trigger control can be entirely different, and how you approach the target can be different as well. I approach the target from the top offhand, but from the bottom sitting because that is how I settle in on the bull. And I slap the trigger offhand, but squeeze the trigger from sitting because my offhand hold does not remain on the bull long enough to allow for a slow squeeze. Everyone's experience is different.
 
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Ask how many bench shooters, snipers etc. go out of their way to practice offhand shooting to improve rested shots. I can say there are zero at the ranges I frequent, they may fire a few offhand for fun but few and far between. Comparatively few shooters compete in FT matches where standing or kneeling are mandatory. Like most everything else practicing on the specific skill is the best way to accomplish a particular task.
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You are correct, not fair to include bench rest shooting in the group, but for most other forms of target shooting, mastering offhand techniques will improve scores. Shooting coaches see it all the time
 
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Of course it's fair to include bench rest shooting! Your first reply you said, "If you can improve your offhand skills the rest of your shooting styles will also improve !!" Of all the FT shooters I have met none advocate offhand practice for anything other than offhand shooting, I agree and think this back and forth has run its course...
 
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