Taming that becnch (shooting recoil, and sub groups)
Question:
Yes what you are saying is true I live very close to a shooting range and shoot alot. factory loads.I watch alot also many people that hunt and go to shoot there rifles 1-2 times a year shoot 2 1/2 in.- 5 in. groups and they don’t know why. I am glad to see someone post some good advice on bench shooting a hunting rifle.Glass bedding,floating the barrel,and some trigger work helps some. NRA Life Member Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
> Yes what you are saying is true I live very > close to a shooting range and shoot alot. > factory loads.I watch alot also many people that hunt and go to shoot > there rifles 1-2 times a year shoot 2 1/2 in.- > 5 in. groups and they don’t know why. > I am glad to see someone post some > good advice on bench shooting a hunting > rifle.Glass bedding,floating the barrel,and > some trigger work helps some.
I thought this information might help those who are new to the sport, and even those who are not. I think that is the reason for news groups,, to share tricks and tips. Most think, just put it on sand bags and it shoots as good as the rifle can. This is far from the case, as there is a right way to do it. If you are at a range and see someone shoot those little bity groups, they know what they are doing,, let them fire your rifle for group, and let them show you how to do it, it still takes a lot of practice to do it right. One thing I left out was making sure the forearm is in the same place on each shot,, this is especially important if your barrel is not free floated. The problem at my range is, everyone wants me to group their rifles 
I do get to shoot a lot of different guns and caliber’s that way, but it leaves me little time to work on fine tuning my own. I’ve shot many rifles that the owners could not get under 3 inches with, and I get under an inch Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
We all shot from the bench, why ? because we want to know what the rifle is capable of doing if we take out the movement from our unsteady selves. Another reason for bench rest shooting is to have confidence in our rifle and our ammo, if a person does not have that confidence, it shows when he is in a hunting situation. To properly remove that shake we all have from the bench, we need to have very little contact with the rifle. Just holding the rifle tightly against the shoulder will cause the gun to move enough to cause a 1 inch variance in the bullet impact on a target at 100 yds just due to your heart beating. This movement is not detected by most hunters , or shooters, unless you use a very high powered scope. I was not aware of it, until one day I was shooting using a 24 power scope. I always thought my guns just wouldn’t shoot less than an inch groups before that day. I found out it was still me causing those 1 inch or worst groups. Of course this does not matter to most hunters, keeping their shots under an inch at 100 yds does not come into play in the field, as no one can do it, or it is not needed. There are many people on this list that have never had one of their rifles shoot under 1 inch groups, and some think it is impossible for a hunting rifle to do this. Actually it is very common for hunting rifles to be sub 1 inch ,when proper reloads are used, that are tuned to the rifle , and the shooter knows "how" to get the most from their rifle Now how do we not put any pressure on that rifle and not get beat to death from the bench. With padding of course, I use a Past Magnum recoil shield even when shooting a 223 from the bench, if I am shooting my 308 or above I used added padding, I have used a sand bag or shot bag on my shoulder to "catch" that recoiling rifle that just barely touches the material of the padding prior to firing. Yes I get these "your a wimp" looks from the guys at the range, but seeing how my rifles ALWAYS out group theirs, because I do not hold it tightly against my shoulder. In fact the only part of my body touching the rifle is my trigger finger, and my very light grip around the rifle,, just enough to give back pressure against the trigger finger. The left hand does not touch the rifle at all, but is placed around the front rest in some loose manner, I have taught my self not only to very gently squeeze the trigger, but the whole grip of the right hand equally, as the rifle fires without me knowing when. A good trick to learning just the right way to squeeze that trigger is doing it without ammo, and watching the guns movement through the high power scope, some hammer springs can even cause the rifle to quiver when they slam the hammer or firing pin forward. Of course if the rifle I am grouping will be used in hunting situations, I do fire it holding it firmly, to double check the sights, as the way you hold a firearm can change the point of impact, due to the changes in recoil movements. I just don’t expect those great groups from firing this way. I hope this helps some of you get those .25 groups from your hunting rifles. The main reason for wanting these groups has nothing to do with hunting,, but it does give you bragging rights, and extreme confidence in your rifle and loads Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at: http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
