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Resources Mac1 USFT shooting techniques???

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woogie_man

woogie_man

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May 3, 2021
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North Dakota, United States
Hey guys,

Say I am planning on my first field target match, well first one in over 10 years, down in the twin cities. Was able to talk my wife into allowing me to shoot the match while we are in town ........ for her birthday :D Gotta say I love this woman as she lets me do things like this, though I am sure it will cost me some how. lol

But I have been shooting this rifle and while the rifle will shoot lights out all the time, I just can't seem to get anything repeatable. Having issues mainly with the bolt movement, and getting things lined up on target. Then the off set grip has been taken quite a bit to get used to and not twist the rifle when shooting. I am really wanting to keep the rifle and to keep shooting it, but I just can't get comfortable behind the rifle! Do you guys have any ideas or tips to help with the comfort of the rifle?

I really don't want to move the rifle down the road to the next person, but if I can't get comfortable behind the rifle I may end up selling the rifle......


Any thoughts or help?
 
Time behind the wheel. Shoot two more tins of pellets and see if you can s-l-o-w-l-y move into position, load and follow thru after the shot. Make the loading process, including bolt/breech manipulation, pellet loading and cocking a slow ritual. Make your aiming a separate ritual.

I'm serious and respectful. I hope that you look past my imprecise word choices and do a bit of research into this "making a task a ritual" idea. I did not come up with it on my own.

Kind regards,
Mike
 
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No worries Mike! Have been shooting for years and I know each rifle is different.

I like to shoot to help with mental clarity and some ptsd, as shooting forces me to calm down and focus on accuracy. Which is why I want to feel comfortable behind a rifle and enjoy shooting :D I will of course shoot as much as I can, but at some point I need to call it quits and get something more fitting for me.
 
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I assume you want to shoot hunter.

(Assuming that your USFT is within spec) You might want to think about shooting open instead. Just starting out.

Open gives you more comfort, less wobble, more positional consistency, more stable shooting platform, higher scope magnification...then as you get more comfortable, get higher scores, graduate to hunter.

Then if you want a real challenge....go to WFTF (WFTF springers if you are bitten by the FT bug).

I agree also with slowing down your shot cycle, slowing down your trigger pull, etc.


One obstacle choosing open class is going to be the harness. I know the Price harness is no longer available. I thought someone else started making one recently but I could be wrong. The good news is that if you are handy, this might be a DIY project by modifying a back support strap.

www.uline.com

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Sound like the issue is that it's not comfortable to you, if I'm understanding correctly.

And my answer: adjust it to fit.

There are a lot of clever adjustments built into the typical USFT butt-stock/dog bone/tube. Loosening the Allen bolts in the dog bone will allow you to not only slide it for OAL adjustments, but also rotate the tube within the dogbones to change the angle of the part that sits in your armpit/shoulder. For the thumb rest, it can also be loosened and rotated to get the thumb rest just how you want it.

When I switched from Open to Hunter with mine, I spent a couple shooting sessions adjusting here and there and trying things out before I settled on the best combination. So, as already pointed out, the position from which you're shooting will also determine how to best set it up.

And more recently I've seen some photos of guys putting what looks like mil spec ar buffer tubes and buttstocks I'm the dog bones of their USFTs. So that might be an option as well.

A friend carved a tyrolean-esque cheek cup onto the wooden part of his where the cheek rests.

Once you get it set right, the previous recommendation of shooting it a bunch is a good one.

Don't give up on it just yet. Get it adjusted to your liking and you'll be surprised at how good it can feel, for how non-ergonomic they look.
 
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I just thought of another one....with the dogbones loose, you can shift the butt-stock to offset it from the plane of the rest of the gun. My butt stock is shifted the the right, helping it agree with the fact that every humans eye and armpit aren't in the same plane. Ie...if you look down my USFT from the back, the scope and air tube are left of the butt-tube and butt"pad".
 
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Cole is on it, the USFT is inherently and intentionally asymetrical to "fill into" your voids allowing the shooter to make a natural hold with the least amount of tension. Essentially at rest.

Loosing up all the adjustments and finding the positions that are most natural to you and your shot cycle, including left or right breech opening is not specific to left or right handed. I could not get a good fit shooting from a bucket, sitting on a bag was more natural for my hold.
 
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I shot a USFT for many years and eventually switched from the canted barrel block to the upright hunter barrel block, I highly recommend the switch and its pretty easy if you have changed the o-rings before.

I was shooting Open and found the canted block to be adding more issues than it solved.

For a 'faster' lock time set your hammer spring a quarter turn (or less) out from not being able to cock the rifle then slow the flow by tank pressure (assuming you are unregulated) or valve size, valve return spring stiffness, or the metering screw if you have it, you want that hammer moving as quickly as possible. A shorter barrel will also help with lock time.

I learned to be very, very still prior to taking the shot, helped me when I switched to a fast lock time rig.
 
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woogie_man said:
Hey guys,

Say I am planning on my first field target match, well first one in over 10 years, down in the twin cities. Was able to talk my wife into allowing me to shoot the match while we are in town ........ for her birthday :D Gotta say I love this woman as she lets me do things like this, though I am sure it will cost me some how. lol

But I have been shooting this rifle and while the rifle will shoot lights out all the time, I just can't seem to get anything repeatable. Having issues mainly with the bolt movement, and getting things lined up on target. Then the off set grip has been taken quite a bit to get used to and not twist the rifle when shooting. I am really wanting to keep the rifle and to keep shooting it, but I just can't get comfortable behind the rifle! Do you guys have any ideas or tips to help with the comfort of the rifle?

I really don't want to move the rifle down the road to the next person, but if I can't get comfortable behind the rifle I may end up selling the rifle......


Any thoughts or help?
Click to expand...
is it the canted grip , or the straight vertical grip ?
 
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