------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

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#1
What kind of rifle is best/most effective for offhand shooting? Mainly 300 yards and under. I shot in a match and found that is was hard to use my Long range bolt gun for off hand work. I think because it was too heavy and way too hard to hold still and get a good shot off.

A couple stages in paticular I want to improve on.

-100 yard offhand on paper for score.
-200 and 300 yard offhand shooting at 10X10 steel

What are you thoughts. Thanks guys
 
#2
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

If shooting within 300, I would go with an AR, they are more versatile at being left or right hand and if I remember you are left handed, so make sure you wear safety glasses do to the gas discharge when on the discharge side.
Or practice like crazy with a bolt on weakhand.
.............SmokeRolls
 
#3
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Based upon your weapons list that you have at the bottom of your screen, I don't see an AR listed. If you have one then I would use it for weekhand drills over a bolt.
If you only have a bolt then I would usually recommend a 1907 leather sling and lock your arm in for the shoot but going to weakhand and using a bolt thats left handed and a 1907 sling on the left hand will be a difficult situation.
Thats all I can come up with, is AR or practice like crazy with that bolt.
............SmokeRolls
 
#4
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

If you were not using a sling, I would give that a try. If you were using a scope, I would dial down the magnification. Try and get the round down range within 5-10 seconds of shouldering the rifle. Take breaks between each shot (without moving your feet).

Remember, perfect is the enemy of the good.

This video may help as well.

http://www.archive.org/details/Rifle_Marksmanship_with_M1_Rifle_Part_1

 
#5
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Archery practice seems to help me with off-hand shooting.
I found that when I put both feet on the ground evenly (think tree trunks) it makes me stronger with bow and rifle. A lot of times you can be standing on one leg (front) and not notice it.
Archery practice seems to help make my release/trigger pull more intuitive also.
This may not apply to you though.

As far as the rifle goes, I would have to say a lighter one. This is why I factor in scope weights along with the other features when shopping for a scope.

Lots of effective practice like mentioned above has to be key.
 
#6
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Yeah I dont have an AR rifle at the moment. That is kind of what I was thinking though. I could take two rifles along during the match. I would have to carry them the enitre time but it might be worth it if I am getting more points in the match. Would a light weight .223 bolt gun be effective??? It does not have to be rapid fire so maybe an AR is unneccessary. A bolt might be more accurate anyways.
 
#7
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jcvibby</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah I dont have an AR rifle at the moment. That is kind of what I was thinking though. I could take two rifles along during the match. I would have to carry them the enitre time but it might be worth it if I am getting more points in the match. Would a light weight .223 bolt gun be effective??? It does not have to be rapid fire so maybe an AR is unneccessary. A bolt might be more accurate anyways.</div></div>

I do not think you would notice the accuracy difference between the two if your shooting offhand anyway, at least not at 300 Yrds.
 
#8
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

my buddy has a great handling blue print

action of your choice

mcm adj std fill htg

22 to 24in sendero contour

points and handles great
 
#9
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

IMHO, good training will improve your shooting skills regardless of which rifle you choose.
If you don't mind, here's a training tip I learned while shooting hi-power (M-14's)in the USMC. (I realize this is kinda apples and oranges).
Assume your normal offhand position with your shooting stool, wooden box, or whatever in front of you.
Dry fire twice, resting the butt of your stick on the stool in between shots, while calling the shot in your dope book. (Dope book is on the stool also)
Load and fire 1 live round.
Repeat until you've fired 20 live rounds, approx 1 hr.
This will build arm strength and teach you to shoot your wobble area. As mentioned above, use low magnification. The more wobble you see, the more you worry about hitting the target.
Keep a tight sling or take it off, it'll just flop around and mess with your NPA.
A good shooting jacket will help also in the offhand position.
Just my .02 cents.
('Course you may already now this stuff, if so, disregard.)
grin.gif
 
#10
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Given your current intended use, the rifles you already own, and the fact that you seem serious about shooting, I would suggest that you will get a lot of use and enjoyment out of an AR-15 configured for High Power matches.

One of the great things about the AR-15 is that it is modular and easily user customized for different applications. Buy a complete rifle if you have the dough and/or don't like to tinker, or get a good value lower like Spike's or the like, and start adding components. If you are going to spend more on anything I would recommend doing so on the barrel and the trigger, those will have the biggest impact on accuracy.

Service rifles must be configured in an external configuration close to to US Military service rifle configurations. To use an AR-15 in High Power in the Service Rifle category, it would have to have a 20" barrel with a carry handle rear sight and a A2 front sight.

WIth that you have a great tool for plinking, hunting, all manner of competitions, and home defense.

They are addictive.
 
#11
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Hell, boy, try some sillywet.
Smallbore or High Power Silhouette, a 40 shot match, despite the tendency to adopt a target stance, stands one in good stead in any standing discipline.
Heavy is GOOD for standing, especially muzzle heavy.

I start having problems over 10# or so.

Little piggies @ 300M, rams @ 500M, and those guajalotes jodiendos @ 375M in HP, 1/5 distances in SB.
 
#12
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Offhand does require a bit of practice. I like the M1A and AR, (AR with a 20 round mag). Use the mag. as a palm rest.

Normally off hand is done at 200 yards so you dont have to fight wind that much (except for you and your postition). What worked best for me, and cheaper is to use Cast bullets out of my M1A shooting at NRA 50 Ft targets, (loaded about 800 fps). You can do this at any pistol range, even indoors.

Also a good quality air gun works, Air guns are unforgiving, they magnify you errors. They require follow through like nothing else.

If you don't shoot gas guns, then use cast bullets for what ever you shoot, I've done it with my M1, Mosin, M70 300 WM 1000 yard rifle. Good cheap practive. They shoot plenty accurate enough at 50ft to 50 yards. Being slower cast bullets also magnify your errors causing you to concentrate of followthrough.
 
#14
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: GunGuru727</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jcvibby</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Yeah I dont have an AR rifle at the moment. That is kind of what I was thinking though. I could take two rifles along during the match. I would have to carry them the enitre time but it might be worth it if I am getting more points in the match. Would a light weight .223 bolt gun be effective??? It does not have to be rapid fire so maybe an AR is unneccessary. A bolt might be more accurate anyways.</div></div>

I do not think you would notice the accuracy difference between the two if your shooting offhand anyway, at least not at 300 Yrds.</div></div>
I agree fully.
My personal preference would be a a varmit styled AR in a 20" barrel for 300 yards, it's not that the 16" carbine would not do it though, I think the added weight would help to steady to shoot 10" plates at 300 freehand. A very light weight rifle kinda bounces around when shooting freehand at 300 yards.
Just my opinion.
......SmokeRolls
 
#15
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Practice with what you have.

The day before yesterday I was tearing up our 380yard gong with the AI offhand. It just takes a good sling and a coach to show you how.

If you think your current rifle is too heavy, handle a rifle that was designed for offhand competition. They aren't light.

It's always a blast to watch a competition that throws in an offhand stage. I would wager that 90% of folks never shoot a tactical rifle offhand.

What matches are you shooting that allow different rifles for different stages?
 
#16
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Lonewolf. It was just a steel challenge here locally. It was a use what you brung match. As long as you can carry it the entire time anything is legal. Pretty fun but just got me thinking about how many points I lost out on while shooting the off-hand stages. I thought to myself that I can pack another 6-8 pound rifle if it would help me score somemore points and win a match. Just a thought
 
#17
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

Don't dwell on how many points you lost on that stage.....my money saws most others did too, except for the guys that practice offhand.

With the proper position weight is always your friend. Work on building your position to where your support arm transfers the rifles weight supported by your ribs (or even better hipbone if you have the build for it).

With proper position a lighter rifle is harder to hold steady. Tht's why they have weight limits in silhouette, an entirely unsupported offhand game.

Many are also startled by how much the target moves in a scope at higher magnification. Trust me, its moving just as much with low magnification or irons, you just aren't seeing it.
 
#18
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

jake give me a shout sometime, adam and i can work with you on sling technique and you will be happy your rifle weighs what it does.

think less moving parts and TRIGGER CONTROL
 
#20
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

From my service match experience, inside of 200 yards, standing offhand is doable but beyond that you need a more stable position if you're going for precision. Inside of 400 yards sitting is very effective. As mentioned, making use of the sling will help significantly assuming you have adjusted it to the proper length. That's one of the reasons I like 2-point adjustables, both for carbines and bolt guns.

offhandSRS.jpg
 
#21
Re: ------OFFHAND SHOOTING CALIBER AND GUN????????

I prefer a Winchester High Wall in 45-70. But the Browning High Wall is nice also. A good Sharp's in 45-70 or 45-90 would also do a great job. However lately I have been putting my time in with a Low Wall in 45 Colt. I would say any of those three would be tops!!

You want to learn how to shoot off handed. Get a good single shot or lever action with open sights. And staart shooting Silh. targets. That will get you tuned in. Tom.
 
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