bench shooting techinques help please

bpost

Can someone explain the proper rifle hold, trigger control and other fine arts associated with the accurate shooting from a bench. Is a bag rest set better than some of the new rifle cradles? How many shots are made of each load to determine if the results are real?

bobski

wow. thats a steep order considering there are books written on it! hire me. [:D] i'll be your personal coach! exhale and when you can see your heartbeat effecting the hairs, youre doing it right. regards...........

former air operations officer SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. former navy skeet team, former navy rifle/pistol team member. co-owner skeetmaster tubes inc.. owner/operator professional shooting instruction. NRA certified instructor.

HeavyBarrel

I use a sandbag on the front, never use rear support besides shoulder my crosshairs wobble less than inch and a slow, deliberate "surprise" shot trigger pull equals MOA or better. If you can control your crosshair wobble to a minimum, everything else can be easily taught, being steady aint easy for everyone.

Snellstrom

bpost1958 are you asking about competitive benchrest or just bench testing your hunting and Varmint loads? I'm no competitive shooter but I shoot a lot at the bench testing loads in my Varmint and big game hunting rifles. My method which some people will disagree with is as follows: I use a front sand bag to support the stock and a rear sandbag between the bench and the stock and have the butt against your shoulder.Get it all lined up as stable as can be, breathe a few breathes let one half way out and hold it as steady as can be applying constantly increased pressure on the trigger and usually you will be surprised when it goes off because you aren't "pulling" or "jerking" the trigger you are adding increasing pressure until it breaks. Never be in a hurry about any part of your bench shooting, keep your heart rate low and everything oh so smooth. I shoot 3 shot groups with my big game rifles because I feel this is a real indicator of how the gun will do in a hunting situation, I don't allow for cool down between the 3 shots but I don't rush them either, just steady and smooth. I shoot 5 shot groups with the Varmint guns at a somewhat slower pace just like you would set up on a prairie dog town or hunting Coyotes or the like. I measure my groups outside to outside but real benchrest Guys measure center to center, ( measure outside size of the group and deduct the bullet diameter). I hope this helps I'm sure a competitive benchrester will take exception to my tactics/ methods but they have worked for me for a long while and keep in mind I'm not a shooter in a formal competition.

nononsense

Bruce,

I posted some of this on the General Forum for another poster but it has application to you also, I think.

Here is the list of books:

First, order the Sinclair International catalog. You will enjoy this and it's free!

www.sinclairintl.com

Inside the catalog is a section with books about reloading, accuracy and some of the precision shooting competitions.

1) Sinclair International's Reloading and Shooting Handbook #BK10
This is a good basic introduction.

2) Precision Shooting at 1,000 Yards #15-1600

3) The Precision Shooting Highpowder Primer #15-1250

4) The Benchrest Shooting Primer #15-100

5) Rifle Accuracy Facts #15-825

Then buy all of the reloading manuals that you can get your hands on and read those. They don't have to be new, you can get used ones from book stores or garage sales. Check your library, also. But spend time reading them. You will be miles ahead by starting with books and manuals, then tap the experts about refining your ideas. Attend some benchrest matches even if you have to travel a bit since they probably won't be right in your backyard. You will be amazed at what you can learn by watching and asking a few well chosen questions.

Check out these websites, there's lots to read there:

http://www.benchrest.com/

http://www.long-range.com/

Best of luck!