I just started shooting targets at 10m with some friends. I would like to get my groupings, while standing, down to the size of a quarter. I’ve been watching some YouTube videos but still shake too much. How do I learn to hold the rifle more steady? I’m shooting an RWS Diana 54 in my barn. I practice every day. My scope is a 3x9 40.
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Newbie needs advice on shooting
- Thread starter johnf
- Start date
That is the hardest rifle shooting position-standing. Keep practicing and try various methods until you find your best way. Personally, trying to hold perfectly still is not something I can accomplish and I try to move the sights slowly up to the point of aim from below. Others will have different methods.
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Line your feet up shoulder width so your shoulders are in general, the direction of your shooting. Breathe well. Do not hold the rifle up for extended periods. Try to relax and squeeze the trigger such that it's a surprise when it goes off. You will not be completely still , so don't try to force it. Your rifle should shoulder pointed at the target fairly closely, so adjust your feet to make that happen. It will take a bit of practice but if you get all that right, your body will start to break the trigger during very brief moments of stillness and you adjust your position to make it on target.
Hope this helps .
Bob
Hope this helps .
Bob
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Natural point of aim. Move your body around until the gun is pointed right at the target without having to twist or flex in anyway. Close your eyes, raise rifle, open your eyes and check to see if the target is in the scope. The .work on getting the target under the crosshair with your eyes closed.
tespiratory pause. Do not hold your breath while shooting. Breath out all the way, hold the breath "out" at the bottom for 2-4 seconds. In that quiet time between breaths, if your sights are on target then press the trigger until it breaks over. Do not make the gun fire by hauling on the trigger...let it fire when it is ready. Apply pressure and let it suprise you when it does break.
2 basic ideas, many years of practice to get the black belt
Shoot'em good.
tespiratory pause. Do not hold your breath while shooting. Breath out all the way, hold the breath "out" at the bottom for 2-4 seconds. In that quiet time between breaths, if your sights are on target then press the trigger until it breaks over. Do not make the gun fire by hauling on the trigger...let it fire when it is ready. Apply pressure and let it suprise you when it does break.
2 basic ideas, many years of practice to get the black belt
Shoot'em good.
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Learn how to use a sling. When I was in the service it made me a marksman where before I was all over the place.
this video shoes some sling basics.
https://youtu.be/eGETnIGu_Ys
this video shoes some sling basics.
https://youtu.be/eGETnIGu_Ys
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Best way to shoot standing.....a 5' bipod! Seriously, it's difficult. I'm no good at it, but I'll offer a couple of observations from my experience. The breathing thing, yes, don't take in a big breath and try to hold it. I think most good shooters will partially or fully exhale and hold, as Jim described above. Fatigue is a factor. People tire at different paces, but when you do, quit, at least for a while. Maybe shoot a few bench groups or just sit and relax. No one can hold the rifle perfectly still, but when you get tired, you will be shakier, and it's time to rest. Guess it's kind of like training a dog, short sessions work, long sessions are frustrating.
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+1 on sling use......one of the best methods to improve shooting when you don’t have a support structure. The Civilian Marksmanship Program advocates for its use
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http://thecmp.org/wp-content/uploads/CMPSafetyManualBook.pdf
Here is the pdf of the CMP on shooting effectively. Many of these same points can/will carry over to airguns. Hope it gives you some help.
Here is the pdf of the CMP on shooting effectively. Many of these same points can/will carry over to airguns. Hope it gives you some help.
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All the advice given above is good. The military standing stance is good as is the modified military biathlon stance,, with a light rifle..
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The biathlon guys are doing it the correct way. All advice given it’s good . Get into good shape. Run and exercise and lift weights to build strength. Part of the reason the gun feels heavy and moves is because you are weak. Build up your body and practice shooting everyday. Try to hold long on the target and get the cross hairs to stop. Just keep at it. The more you invest in time and effort the better you will do. The trick is getting the mmovrment to stop and then releasing the trigger. Shooting as the cross hairs move thru the target is NOT the ideal way to do it. Having said that we all tend to do that but the really good shots stop on and then fire
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You may notice most these biathlon guys hold their elbows high on their trigger arm, also some (cant) the scope on the rifle so they don't have to (cant) their head to the rifle if you can understand that explanation.
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Johnf,
Take note of shooter 22 on the above photo see how he is using his hip slightly more then the rest, anything you can do to be locked into your stance and eliminate movement will help. Everybody is correct on the tips they are mentioning however you need to find what makes you comfortable and works for you. I have been told to take the shot at the end of an exhale but that never worked for me I always take in a deep breath and lock myself into my stance. Above all shooting is a fun sport so enjoy it!
Good luck,
Jim
Take note of shooter 22 on the above photo see how he is using his hip slightly more then the rest, anything you can do to be locked into your stance and eliminate movement will help. Everybody is correct on the tips they are mentioning however you need to find what makes you comfortable and works for you. I have been told to take the shot at the end of an exhale but that never worked for me I always take in a deep breath and lock myself into my stance. Above all shooting is a fun sport so enjoy it!
Good luck,
Jim
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Give yourself a 5 second time limit on every shot. Fighting for a steady shot for 15-25 seconds is a killer and does zero to help you improve.
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some good advise,what JimNM said is good..remember "sight picture,breath control and squeeze' 5 second rule is good and another important thought is "follow through" hold the rifle a short time after you take the shot....your rifle is a good one,but maybe too heavy for starting out,butt that is up to you. One other thing that I do know by experience=if you can find a knowledgeable instructor it is worth the time and effort and you will learn a lot faster.....try to relax and make sure your rifle in sighted in right and fed the pellet it likes....really important to have that rifle "dead on"target. Practice,Practice,I would say takes a lot and when and if you get frustrated,relax and do something else and then go back and remember you are gonna win!
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I disagree . I shot metallic silhouette both high power and rim fire for probably 25 years and I personally never was all that accomplished but having been around off hand shooting I can tell you that the best shooters NEVER rushed a shot. We had thirty seconds for each shot and the master class shooters could hold on the target as long as it took. If you watched the end of the barrel while a good shooter was shooting you saw little movement. Now? If you are suggesting that when the time was right you fired that’s true . My point is to shoot off hand well you have to train to hold the cross hairs on the target as long as you can and hold it still. It’s the opposite of trap or skeet. Silhouette shooting works like this. It’s a forty shot match. You can hit a few shooting at the targets. You can get a few more shooting and trying to break the trigger as you swing thru them. Once you get around 20 you are beginning to get stopped on the targets (and getting the trigger to break as you stop) when and if you are shooting 30 or more out of 40 you will have to pretty well COMSISTENTLY be able to hold still on that target for at least ten seconds or more . Off hand shooting to me is the true test of a shooters ability. I was a very average shooter but I always enjoyed trying to get better. It’s about the same as shooting aspirin tablets at 10 meters
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In the end it's whatever works best for you. For me, the longer I hold and wait for STEADY.....the worse the unsteadiness gets. So I give myself 5 seconds and if ImI not ready to touch off the shot then I put the gun down, take a few breaths, and try again.
Standing there holding the gun on target for all eternity, hoping that the quivers eventually settle down, just never works for me. Burns my arms out, burns my eyes out, takes all the fun out of it.
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Me too. That’s why I never did that well. BUT I watched the good guys and they would hold and hold and hold . I’d wonder when are they going to take the shot and if I watched the end of the barrel. Dead still. Very few can do that but all the master class did just that.
Its a sport requiring you to be at least in reasonably good shape and it also requires you to be able to over come the tendency to jump on the trigger when the sight picture is “right”.
Its not easy but I know for a fact that swinging thru the targets and not trying to “stop” on them is not the method that is used by the better off hand shooters.
Now there is a game in my local area called running deer shooting . In that game you shoot off hand and do exactly like you are suggesting . You get “on” the target and swing with it breaking the trigger as quickly as you can. I wasn’t much good at that either
Its a sport requiring you to be at least in reasonably good shape and it also requires you to be able to over come the tendency to jump on the trigger when the sight picture is “right”.
Its not easy but I know for a fact that swinging thru the targets and not trying to “stop” on them is not the method that is used by the better off hand shooters.
Now there is a game in my local area called running deer shooting . In that game you shoot off hand and do exactly like you are suggesting . You get “on” the target and swing with it breaking the trigger as quickly as you can. I wasn’t much good at that either
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