Shooting techniqeis...

7.62x39

http://forums.gunbroker.com/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=204244
Look at this post...

...what are some good shooting preperations and techniqe for shooting off the bench?

Thankyou

Highball

The basic idea is too shoot from a solid surface. This translates into a concrete table..or a heavy table of any kind.

ANY movement..shooting over a fender, ect...will never give you a true idea of the capablities of the rifle.

A good heavy front rest with a sand-filled bag, and a sand-filled rear bag is a necessity.

Lacking them...sew up a couple jean legs and fill with sand. The idea here is to be able to sorta 'pound' in a form for the butt and forarm..so that you can release the rifle and still maintain the crosshairs on target.
Dial up the scope to the highest power. Use an aiming point that is distinct...and small. I prefer a square, set as a diamond...the 'points' set on the target horizontally.This allows me to 'split the diamond'..I use orange aiming spots.

The crosshairs should be on aiming point...close your eyes, then open them...crosshairs need to still be aimed at diamond...no movement required to 'bring it to point of aim'..

The benchrest shooters use a no-hold or light hold on the rifle. I shoot some heavy recoilers...I get a hold of the rifle and control it. I will never be a benchrest shooter...allowing a rifle to free recoil isn't a habit I want to aquire.

Breathing is important. Take several breaths..then release till diaphragn is relaxed. Take up trigger pressure..hold when crosshairs jiggle off target. The conventional wisdom holds that one should be 'surprised' when sear breaks...I don't believe that. Be that as it may...only pull trigger when sight picture is PERFECT...and FOLLOW THRU..keep you eye on the target and 'look' that bullet into the x-ring. Field shooting may require you to speed-bolt a new round in...but even then, training yourself for follow thru on the bench will ensure that bullet isn't disturbed by you jumping the gun.

Shoot slowly...allow a moment or two between shots..even more in the summer.

While you are at it...use two targets. One is for FIRST ROUND ONLY...and ONLY ONE ROUNDS PER RANGE SESSION...Keep this target and reuse it. A few trips to the range will build up a history as to where that all-important first round will go....

Highball

A rather interesting development here. This poster asks an honest question...to share some of the extensive knowledge gathered by some 40-odd readers to aid in his personal quest for excellence.

My own meager store of knowledge of the subject is vastly surpassed by several posters..yet they chose to not share information that we ALL could learn from ..? For some of the most treasured nuggets I glean are from reading other people's questions...

Perhaps we disagree with some aspects of this or that posters view-points..yet why not share with us all, the benefits of knowledge and experiences ?

RCrosby

What am I missing here? A good question, an excellent response from Highball, and then a post that makes no sense to me. At any rate, in addition to the ideas already and yet to be expressed, an excellent book to check out would be "The Accurate Rifle" by Warren Page. (Winchester Press, 1973) Yes, it's old, but it's excellent and I'm unaware of any developments since then that negate his advice.
Good luck

almanac

one thing i didn't see was shoulder mount. make sure its solid everytime.
and your face on the cheeck rest, its basics.
also have fun! stay relaxed, don't rush it, and if you get frustrated do NOT keep trying. it only makes it worse.

Highball

RCrosby posted;
Wh quote:at am I missing here?
7.62x39 is seemingly a youngster..a rather brash one. He seems to have ticked off one or another of about everybody, one time or another...

My take is...SO what ? Given that he asked for advice...in a straight-forward manner..my opinion is that we give that advice. Brashness recedes with age....(well, for most, anyway..I maintain MY share)..and inviting ANYBODY..(Save perhaps stone cold killers) into the world of precision shooting is a benefit. One must develop mental controls to become a passable shooter..and control is what separates us from the beasts of the world.

sandwarrior

Highball,

Sorry about not posting to this in a somewhat timely manner. Tons of overtime prior to a vacation out in my home state of Nevada. I've addressed issues in the past with this poster and have no hard feelings about it. I feel more like we just got back on track for this forum.

Anyhow, to the subject. I recommend two books; "The High Power Rifle" by David Tubb(one of the most prolific shooters of our time, or all time for that matter) and "The Ultimate in Rifle Accuracy" by Glenn Newick. Both books come from the standpoint of competition but both offer good insights how each issue affects hunting. As you are primarily concerned with shooting from the bench, we'll get back to that. One of the things in shooting discussions that never gets covered enough is reading conditions before the shot. You can't just go out and aim and know that the bullet will hit the same spot as the last time. All things have to be taken into account. You must always always read the wind. Then the Temperature, the elevation is more and more important as you go out further. Both of these books will tie all the issues together. They also address how to control your body so that you don't send a flyer out there. A lot of good points in those books. "The Accurate Rifle" by Warren Page, is, as mentioned above, a great reference for shooters of multiple disciplines. As you read any of these books try out each point discussed in them. There is too much information to read through and attempt to duplicate a procedure discussed on the range without it being fresh in your mind. Do your best to attempt to isolate each point before you go out so when you do it on the range it won't seem completely awkward. Those are my recommendations. -good luck