'Home,
Home, On The Range!'
As
the Holiday Season gets into full swing, many will be taking
advantage to take a loved one to the firing range - perhaps for the
first time.
Several
years ago I covered at this blog site an unfortunate tragedy where a
youngster accidentally and tragically killed her trainer on the
range.
The
use of semi-automatics and automatics are, in my opinion, a really
serious challenge when it comes to the principles of remembering
safety-on-off-standby modes and weapon recoil.
What
kids (and adults) would benefit with is an automated digital voice
reminder of the mode or status of the weapon.
I
was thinking of including something more for several years but never
quite got around to it.
Now
is as good a time as any to include some additional safety thoughts –
which may assist to prevent serious injuries.
Finally
I want to tell you a short cautionary tale:
Several
year ago, a student from South Korea (nice lad) wanted to 'challenge'
me to a 'competition' to see which of us was 'the best'.
It
was the classic 'Gunslinger' scenario: he had read something I had
blogged a decade or so ago somewhere else as a child (or teenager)
and now 'fancied' himself to see which of us could 'draw the
fastest'. [I am using metaphors and vague descriptive terms so as not to describe the exact
circumstances to preserve his anonymity.] He was really eager to go
but I declined the challenge conceding to him that my age and
infirmity meant that he would no doubt out-class me – which he
probably would have done. He was a little sad - but accepted my excuse for declining his offer.
Never
accept a challenge out of vanity. Just walk away – and feign some
lame excuse.
Even
if you are tempted, success or failure will only cause more distress,
commitment and unnecessary time wasting.
Credit
Where Credit Is Due!
Finally
please do always give credit if ever quoting from an article or blog
to it's originator - even if he or she is deceased. I always find it
very sad when someone write (or indeed produces a film) and you
know (or at least guess you might know) where technical sections have
been 'lifted' from - without any credit whatsoever been given to the
originator. Always very sad to see or read.
The
author of the 'Steps' below is jhuskey3006.
'Pre-advice'
['Before Step 1'] (below) is given by Patricioe1407 and
submitted with the permission of the
author-jhuskey3006
Before
Step 1:
Never
take your child/friend (8-14yo) to the shooting range after an
argument.
The
focus is not there because the maturity level is too low.
A
shot should be taken at a target when the child is calm and has
little else but
focus
on the hit (animate or inanimate.)
Never
go shooting after a major family argument - or if you have been
arguing in the auto en-route.
Find
some excuse to cancel the session without appearing to link it to the
argument.
(That's
a difficult one!)
Same
applies to relationships -spouse or best friend (male/female)
If
hunting with a child, link the kill to the reward - skin and cook the
trophy.
(Good
exercise in skinning, cleaning and preparation techniques can also be
learned here.)
Even
as modern technology makes obsolete some of the advice below, there
are fundamentals which will always apply:
1.The
principles of mathematics and distance.
I
have personally witnessed an (experienced) 14-year old with a fairly
'antiquated' rifle take a Saker falcon out at 3400 feet (0.64 of a
mile) I have the exact measure because I had a laser range finder.
This
is someone who had been hunting with his grandfather since the age of
5.
No
police military nor paramilitary training - just wisdom and
experience – as a hunter.
Technology
is important but there is no substitute to personal experience,
wisdom and maturity.
Even
as the technology makes many earlier principles appear to be
obsolete, until we reach a stage where the human is removed
completely from the equation, there is no substitute for being able
to 'diagnose' currents, speed, compensation, distance and quality
tactical ghost rings.
In
other words, the principles of mathematics since Pythagoras and
Euclid remain as valid today as they were in that bygone era and will
continue to apply, even in the digital world of tomorrow.
Thanks
for permitting me to inject some 'new blood' thinking - appreciated!
Please
do not contact me about anything below as I will not reply.
If
you require further practical advice consult a professional trainer.
General
Statements for Beginning Shooters - Step 1
[Re-formatted
with the permission of the author - jhuskey3006]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe
we call this Step 1?
Find
and read all you can about what you think you want to do.
Find
a person that shoots who will answer your questions and ask the
questions you have from your pre-reading and reading.
It
helps to listen to what they tell you. When they tell you,
“At
least try what I am telling you before you continue to question what
I am telling you”, YOU should heed these words. TRY IT.
The
quickest way to lose your friendly person who DOES shoot is to FAIL
TO LISTEN to what they offer and at least TRY it, before discarding
the information they give you.
Ask
if you can go shooting with this person; offer to pay for the trip to
the range,
ammunition, and targets that you would shoot if they
were nice enough to let you use their equipment.
Stay
friends with the people you meet while doing this. They can coach you
through the beginnings of your shooting career.
Find
someone, a gunsmith, a shooting coach, or an experienced shooter who
can teach you about rifle fit, how to mount and set a scope, and how
to zero it.
------------------------------------------------
Some
of you will ask, or should ask, "How do I find these people to
go shoot with?" who are mentioned in Step 1.
1.
Your gun store. Any other gun store in your area...
2.
The Hunter Safety course your state may require (ask the instructor).
3.
The local Boy Scout troop that may have or still performs the
firearms portion.
4.
The local police department's firearm instructor, ask that person if
they know anyone
who teaches basic shooting. And when you speak with
these people, just tell them you want to know how to shoot your rifle
better for competitions. Ask the instructor where there are rifle
competitions as well.
5.
The NRA.
6.
Internet searches for local ranges in your area. Google "shooting
club in XXX (your area, your state)".
Shooting
Club, Rifle Club, firearms training, etc. You'd be surprised what you
can find.
7.
Get on as many shooting related web-sites as you can and ask if there
is any training or shooters willing to help you train in your area
that the people on the site know about. You may get lucky.
8.
And of course, the people who advertise here on SH.
Beginners
MUST be told there are fundamentals and how important they are.
Beginners
should progress to be students.
Students
must be taught the fundamentals in both classroom and practical
application.
The
teacher should work through one fundamental at a time and let the
student see how each fundamental is a building block for the next
fundamental.
As
the teacher and student progress, the student will see the
fundamentals start to mesh with their understanding of what was
taught. As the student sees it happening and sees positive results,
the fundamentals start to become part of the student's mental
process.
The
student SHOULD be taught specifically that the fundamentals are the
foundation of all their future shooting, much like a house has to
have a solid foundation. It should be explained to the student that
with no foundation, the house will fall, and their shooting will
fail.
The
student would be told in the beginning that without fundamentals, the
student will never get to be an expert or a master. The teacher
should be able to show the student that like the alphabet, without
knowing the alphabet, you cannot make words, and without words you
cannot communicate a thought you can see but cannot articulate,
because words are important to success. Any example could be used
that the student could easily understand, as long as the instructor
is capable.
General
Statements for Beginning Shooters - Step 2
Re-formatted
with the permission of the author - jhuskey3006
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe
we call this Step 2?
a.
Find a training rifle that fits. The rifle should fit properly, have
a weight that allows the competitor to hold it comfortably in all
positions, and has a low power scope that allows the
beginner/competitor to shoot as closely as 25 yards.
b.
A 22LR rifle is not a bad choice to begin with.
c.
Using this 22LR rifle at 25 and 50 yards, the beginner/competitor
learns and imprints the fundamentals of shooting on ever increasing
smaller targets until they can hold 1INCH groups in all shooting
positions at 25 yards, through 10 repetitions. Then 50 yards. Since
the 22LR begins to lose it’s edge somewhat at 100 yards, unless a
biathlon grade rifle with biathlon grade ammunition, and biathlon
grade physical fitness, the next step is to upgrade from the 22LR
training rifle to a larger rifle.
d.
Rifle II, should fit properly, have a weight that allows the
beginner/competitor to hold it comfortably in all positions, and has
a middle range scope that enhances the use from 50 to 200 yards. This
rifle also should be a caliber that does not punish the
beginner/competitor in recoil. Magnums are NOT recommended.
At
this point the beginner/competitor should put significant study into
a caliber that is readily available, has match grade ammunition, has
a proven track record of barrel longevity, and reasonable recoil,
then purchase such a rifle.
e.
The two most common of these rifles are 308 Winchester and 260
Remington.
f.
Using Rifle II, the beginner/competitor learns this rifle’s
handling characteristics and continues to imprint the fundamentals of
shooting on ever increasing smaller targets until they can hold 1
INCH groups in all shooting positions at 50 yards, through 10
repetitions. Then 100 yards (1 INCH groups) and further to 200 yards
(2 INCH groups). Past these distances, holding MOA groups should be
the shooter’s goal.
g.
The beginner/competitor should begin to train at further distances,
“stretching their legs”, gaining experience and knowledge,
learning their level experience needs to be broadened as external
ballistics are now coming into play with extended distances. A good
coach here is a very good idea.
h.
The beginner/competitor should start attending some forms of
competition with this rifle, and with the gained experience may
decide that Rifle II meets their needs. However, the
beginner/competitor may find that a 3rd rifle selection may be in
order to meet specific competition needs.
i.
This is the path many national champions have taken to reach national
championship.
The above events are a clear example of “crawl,
walk, run.” This is a proven formula.
At
this point, the beginner/competitor has established the fundamentals
of marksmanship with at least two rifles, has begun to stretch their
limits, learning their present limits, and has gained some idea of
where they wish to advance to.
More
to follow:
------------------------------------------------
And,
I know some of you may not like the idea of buying a 22LR for the
first rifle. Some good reasons for doing this are:
1.
The rifle is reasonably priced for most people.
2.
A Nikon 4.5-14 mildot scope is pretty cheap too and will work very
well for what you want to do.
3.
The ammunition is very affordable. Remember, you need 3000-5000
repetitions to get a physical
action imprinted.
4.
There are way more places to shoot a 22LR than there are "the
evil Sniper rifle".
5.
There are way more people who would be willing to help with a 22LR
than they would be if you had a more intimidating rifle.
6.
A 22LR is a rifle that your dad, mom, brother, sister, girlfriend,
wife, son, daughter, cousin etc would enjoy shooting and would be the
easiest way to get them involved in your shooting sport. Think
support....
7.
A 22LR is easy to go back to when you don't have time or a place to
carry the bigger rifle.
8.
A 22LR is a great small game hunting and survival rifle.
9.
A large number of professionals recommend it.
10.
A 22LR is just plain fun.
To
do Step 2 mentioned above, a 22LR can be as challenging as anything
else you will ever do with a rifle.
------------------------------------------------
Yes,
I know, this is here in another post, but this IS the most important
part of you learning to shoot, knowing AND applying the fundamentals.
The
best way to start on these is to DRY FIRE your weapon at home before
ever going to the range.
Try
at least 1000 dry fires before you ever shoot a live round.
Put
a dot on the wall and assume the most stable shooting position you
can get into in your house, prone or off your table, and dry fire
until your sight picture does not move off the target. Repeating, Try
at least 1000 dry fires before you ever shoot a live round.
-------------------------------------------
THE
FUNDAMENTALS OF MARKSMANSHIP:
*HOW
TO HOLD AND SHOOT YOUR RIFLE: Aka The Fundamentals of Marksmanship
(for a scoped rifle class).
*How
to Hold, *Aim, *Eye Relief, *Sight Alignment, *Sight Picture,
*Breathing, *Trigger Manipulation,
*Follow Through, and
*Recovery.
When
your rifle fits you properly and you have learned to properly clean
and maintain your rifle,
you
must learn how to hold the rifle.
ACCURACY
IS A FUNCTION OF CONSISTENCY, BOTH WITH THE RIFLE AND AMMUNITION, AND
THE SHOOTER'S ACTIONS.
You must hold the rifle the same way each time. You
will practice holding the rifle, your sight picture, your breathing,
and trigger manipulation through dry firing. You will practice
building a good steady, stable, solid position each time, bone on
bone, not held by muscle power. Although you have to exert some
muscle control, the position should be a natural relaxed position to
avoid muscle fatigue, tension, and shaking that occurs after muscles
are overextended for any period of time. You will check your natural
point of aim before each shot.
NATURAL
POINT OF AIM is a position that allows the rifle to point naturally
at the target without any muscle tension required to hold it on point
of aim. You should keep the same position each time, changing
nothing, to maintain consistency, to keep your natural point of aim
the same each time. Before beginning this portion, or preceding
sections, or any exercises, you should stretch first to loosen up
your muscles. Besides the natural relaxing effect of stretching, it
helps to prepare you mentally as well. Being physically fit will help
you shoot better, and if you are not physically fit, you should make
it a point to become fit.
*HOW
TO HOLD YOUR RIFLE:
Assume
the prone supported firing position.
The
front of the rifle will rest either on a bipod attached to the stock
or on a sandbag placed under the front of the stock.
Use
the non-firing hand to support the butt of the rifle. Place your hand
next to your chest and rest the TIP of the butt of the rifle on top
of your hand. Ball your hand into a fist to raise the butt of the
rifle or relax your fist to lower the butt of the rifle.
A
preferred method is to use a sock filled with sand or a small sand
bag placed in your non firing hand and squeeze it to raise the rifle
butt and release the bag to lower the rifle butt. Using this sock or
bag method lessens body contact with the rifle and can eliminate an
added human variable.
Place
the butt of the rifle firmly in the pocket of the shoulder. The
shooter can place a pad in his clothing in the pocket of his shoulder
to reduce pulse beat and breathing movement. With the firing hand
grip the small or pistol grip of the stock. Using the middle through
little fingers, exert a slight rearward pull to keep the butt of the
rifle firmly in the pocket of the shoulder. Place the thumb over the
top of the pistol grip of the stock. Place the index or trigger
finger on the trigger and insure it does not touch the stock and does
not disturb the lay of the rifle when the trigger is pulled.
Find
a comfortable position for your elbows that provide the greatest
support for you and your rifle without creating a strain. Place your
cheek in the same place on the stock each time. This is called the
stock weld. Changing your position changes sight alignment and will
cause misplaced shots.
*AIMING
THE RIFLE:
Begin
the aiming process by aligning the rifle with the target when
assuming a firing position.
THE RIFLE SHOULD POINT NATURALLY AT THE DESIRED
AIMING POINT. No muscular tension or movement should be necessary to
hold the rifle on target. To check the Natural Point of Aim (NPA),
you assume a comfortable, STABLE, firing position. Place your cheek
on the stock at the correct stock weld then breath, and entering the
natural respiratory pause, look away from the scope moving only your
eye and relax. Let the rifle drift to its natural point of aim, then
look back through the scope.
If
the crosshairs remain on the correct position on the target, the
natural point of aim is correct.
If
the NPA is not correct, you must change your body position to bring
the sights on the target.
If
muscles are used to bring the rifle to NPA, the muscles will relax
when the rifle is fired and the rifle will begin to move to its NPA.
Because this movement begins just before the weapon discharges, the
rifle is moving as the bullet leaves the muzzle. This causes
displaced shots with no apparent cause as recoil disguises the
movement.
By
adjusting the rifle and body as a single unit, rechecking, and
readjusting as necessary, you achieve a true natural point of aim.
Once this position of established, you will them aim
the rifle at the exact point on the target. Aiming involves three
areas, eye relief, sight alignment, and sight picture.
*EYE
RELIEF:
This
is the distance from the firing eye to the scope tube.
This
distance is fairly constant with a scope. You should take care to
avoid injury by the scope tube striking the eyebrow during recoil.
You should place your head as upright as possible behind the scope
with your eye directly behind the scope. This head placement allows
the muscles around your eye to relax. Incorrect head placement causes
you to have to look out the corner of your eye resulting in muscle
strain, causing blurred vision and eye strain. Eye strain can be
avoided by not staring through the scope for long periods of time and
correct stock weld alleviates eye strain as well by maintaining
consistent eye relief.
*SIGHT
ALIGNMENT:
Sight
alignment is the relationship between the crosshairs and field of
view. You must place your head behind the scope so a full field of
view appears in the scope tube with NO DARK SHADOWS OR CRESENTS.
Center
the reticule in a full field of view with the vertical crosshair
straight up to ensure the scope is not canted.
*SIGHT
PICTURE:
Sight
picture is centering the reticule with a full field of view on the
target as seen by you.
Place
the reticule crosshairs on what portion of the target you wish to
hit.
*BREATHING:
You
must exercise breathing control during the aiming process. Breathing
while trying to aim, with the natural up and down motion of the chest
while breathing, causes the rifle to move up and down.
Up
and down movement occurs while lying down. Breathing movement can be
side to side when sitting at a bench rest type table when your body
is against the table. You must therefore accomplish sight alignment
while breathing and finish aiming while you are not breathing. You do
this by inhaling, exhaling, and stop at the moment of natural
respiratory pause before beginning to inhale again.
You
do NOT try to HOLD your breath, this takes a specific type of muscle
control, and it takes away from the natural relaxed position you need
for consistency in shooting.
A
respiratory cycle lasts four to five seconds. Inhalation and
exhalation take only about two seconds, thus between each respiratory
cycle there is a pause of two to three seconds. This pause can be
extended to ten seconds without any special effort or unpleasant
sensations. You should fire during this pause when your breathing
muscles are relaxed. This avoids strain on the diaphragm.
You
should assume your firing position and breath naturally until your
hold begins to settle.
The
respiratory pause should never feel un-natural. If it is too long,
the body suffers from oxygen deprivation and begins to send out
signals to resume breathing. These signals produce involuntary
movements of the diaphragm which interfere with the shooters
concentration and lack of movement needed to make a correct shot.
*TRIGGER
CONTROL:
Trigger
control is the most important fundamental of marksmanship. It is
defined as causing the rifle to fire when the sight picture is at its
very best, without causing the rifle to move.
Trigger
Squeeze on the other hand is defined as the independent action of the
forefinger on the trigger with a uniformly increasing pressure on the
trigger straight to the rear until the rifle fires.
Trigger Control
is the last task to be accomplished before the rifle fires.
Proper
trigger control occurs when the shooter places his firing finger as
low on the trigger as possible and still clears the trigger guard,
thereby achieving maximum mechanical advantage. He engages the
trigger with that part of his firing finger (middle of the pad of the
last digit) that allows him to pull the trigger straight to the rear.
In order to avoid transferring movement of the finger to the entire
rifle, the sniper should see daylight between the trigger finger and
the stock as he squeezes the trigger straight to the rear.
He
fires the weapon when the reticule is in a position to insure a
properly placed shot, or when the reticule is on target.
As
the stability of a firing position decreases, the wobble area
increases. The larger the wobble area, the harder it is to fire the
shot without reacting to it, attempting to influence the sight
placement when the trigger breaks. This reaction occurs when the
shooter:
1.
Anticipates recoil. The firing shoulder begins to move forward just
before the rifle fires, thus pushing the rifle out of line with the
target.
2.
Jerks the Trigger. The trigger finger moves the trigger in a quick,
choppy, spasmodic attempt to fire the shot before the reticule can
move from the desired point of aim.
3.
Flinches. The shooter's entire body (or parts thereof) overreacts to
the anticipated noise or recoil (jerks). This is usually due to
unfamiliarity with the weapon.
4.
Avoids Recoil. The shooter tries to avoid recoil or noise by moving
away from the weapon or by closing the firing eye just before the
weapon fires. This again is caused by unfamiliarity with the weapon
and a lack of knowledge of the weapon's actions upon firing.
Trigger
control is best handled by assuming a stable position, adjusting on
the target, and beginning a breathing cycle. As the shooter exhales
the final breath approaching the natural respiratory pause, he
secures his finger on the trigger. As the reticule settles on the
target at the desired point of aim, and the natural respiratory pause
is entered, the shooter applies initial pressure to the trigger.
He
increases the tension on the trigger during the respiratory pause as
long as the reticule remains on the desired point of aim to insure a
properly placed shot.
If
the reticule moves away from the desired point of aim, and the
respiratory pause is free of strain or tension, the shooter stops
increasing the tension on the trigger, waits for the reticule to
return to the desired point of aim, and then continues to squeeze the
trigger. This is trigger control.
If
movement is too large for recovery, or if the respiratory pause has
become uncomfortable (extended too long), then the shooter should
whenever possible, release the pressure off the trigger and start the
respiratory cycle again.
*FOLLOW
THROUGH:
Applying
the fundamentals increases the odds of a well aimed shot being fired.
There
are however, additional skills, that when mastered, make the first
round correct hit even more of a certainty.
One
of these skills is follow through.
a.
This is the act of continuing to apply all the marksmanship
fundamentals as the weapon fires as well as after the weapon fires.
Follow
through consists of:
*
Keeping the head in firm contact with the stock (stock weld) upon
firing and after firing.
*
Keeping the finger on the trigger pulling all the way to the rear
when and after the weapon fires.
*
Continuing to look through the scope when and after the weapon fires.
*
Insuring the muscles stay relaxed when and after the weapon fires.
*
Avoid reacting to the recoil or noise during and after firing.
*
Releasing the trigger only after the recoil has stopped.
b.
Good follow through insures that the weapon is allowed to fire and
recoil naturally, and the shooter/rifle combination reacts as a
single unit to such actions.
*CALLING
THE SHOT:
Calling
the shot is being able to tell where the bullet should impact on the
target.
The shooter must be able to accurately call the
shots. Proper follow through will aid in calling the shot. The
dominant factor in calling the shot is, where-ever the reticule is
when the shot is fired. This location is called the final focus
point.
-----------------------------------
The
reigning national champions in most of the shooting disciplines for
this year (2008) have stated in print more than once, the
fundamentals of marksmanship are the most important basic building
block for a shooter.
For
a shooter to not master the fundamentals, or re-check them each time
they fire a shot, is a risk at failure. The reigning champions will
tell you they have a mental checklist of the fundamentals they run
through each shot.
The
US Military uses these fundamentals in all disciplines to bring new
shooters up to a level where they can "appreciate" the need
to know more advanced topics like range and wind measurement and
estimation, along with knowledge of compensation from drop and wind
deflection.
Mastery
of the fundamentals has been seen to be one of the most continually
asked questions of a generation not raised with firearms or the
access to a good coach and controlled practice.
Knowledge
of the fundamentals without practical experience is not going to
produce a skilled marksman. Knowledge and poor practice will not
produce a skilled marksman.
Knowledge,
positive practice, lessons learned, corrections made, and continued
practice under known conditions build a basic foundation to a skilled
marksman. Once that foundation is laid, the marksman should advance
to more advanced topics.
General
Statements for Beginning Shooters - Step 3
Re-formatted
with the permission of the author - jhuskey3006
patricioe1407
(2008)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe
we call this Step 3?
Going
to competitions at this point in their shooting career will give
beginner/competitor a much higher degree of satisfaction than the
person who jumps in with a high dollar match rifle, scope, and gear,
but lacks the fundamentals of shooting firmly ingrained through
training.
A
beginner/competitor who follows this written regimen with also have a
higher degree of satisfaction than the shooter who began with a
specific shooting pattern, i.e. always shooting prone at all
distances, with bags and rests that remove the human factor from
their shooting.
The
bag/rest/prone shooter still needs to establish the fundamentals of
shooting in all positions to be successful in other shooting outside
their comfort zone.
-------------------------------------------------
Maybe
we call this “the not so good stuff”?
Unfortunately
in this world, 2008, many people read the military manuals and
“tactical” books that teach the scoped rifle venue, ie, the
“sniper”, and this begins with the bag/rest/prone shooting
syndrome.
Many believe this system will teach them all they
need to know about shooting.
Police
Sniper training has been the victim of this for many years and is
still a difficult mindset to break.
Those
who know about the military “sniper” training know that the
trainee at these schools has been trained in basic marksmanship
before being accepted to the schools. The school trainee also had to
shoot at an advanced level of performance before being accepted, is
generally in very good physical shape, and is highly motivated to
successfully graduate from the school.
The
military school trainee is a far cry from the Internet reader, novice
shooter without a coach or mentor, or beginner who knows how to
investigate written material to start their shooting experiment, and
who start their shooting experiment with those manuals, but not the
prior experience.
Those
shooters who start their shooting experiment with those manuals, but not the prior experience, may need to unlearn
what they think is proper shooting habit and start with the above
mentioned basics to establish the fundamentals of shooting.
Tags:
None
reproduced
here by kind permission
all
credits to the original author-jhuskey3006