I am shooting in a Tactical Rifle competition coming up and one of the crses of fire is prone shooting with a sling only. I haven't shot with sling only in a long time. Any tips, advice with respect to body position,arm position, elbows, sling placement, how tight etc. I know there are alot of guys here with sling experience. I am using a Tab sling on a custom Remington with an A-5 stock. Thx.
Advanced Marksmanship Prone Shooting with Sling,
- Thread starter Vin
- Start date
Re: Prone Shooting with Sling,
My only prone experience so far with a sling is shooting Service Rifle. Here are just a few tips from the AMU - not sure if it is directly applicable to tactical rifle or not:
http://www.odcmp.org/0208/default.asp?page=USAMU_PRONE1
My only prone experience so far with a sling is shooting Service Rifle. Here are just a few tips from the AMU - not sure if it is directly applicable to tactical rifle or not:
http://www.odcmp.org/0208/default.asp?page=USAMU_PRONE1
Re: Prone Shooting with Sling,
Yes the Service Rifle Sling set up will work with bolt guns.
Heck I use the same sling on my 1000 yard Model 70 in 300 WM.
I can't help with your position with out watching you shoot. I would recommend attending a High Power Clinic and learn the positions from a good coach.
You can have a good firm but relaxed sling position. It will very depending on whether you are shooting rapid or slow fire.
Read the above CMP link, lay down in your living room floor, work to get a good comfortable position and dry fire a couple hours a night.
Remember to relax. Relaxing is one of the most under rated fundamentals out there. Set your scope, and all your equipment so you can reach it without getting out of positition.
Its like chalk on a black board watching some shooters flopping around like a chicken with its head cut off, looking in the scope, reaching for the score (data)book, pencil etc.
Another trick I use in Slow Fire, is every 10 shots, come completely out of positiion, and "shake it off" and start over.
Don't fight it, if you come out of postition, the sling gets too loose, you have to mussle the rifle, stop. Start over, Re-aquire the position. You may loose a few seconds but its better then loosing points.
Yes the Service Rifle Sling set up will work with bolt guns.
Heck I use the same sling on my 1000 yard Model 70 in 300 WM.
I can't help with your position with out watching you shoot. I would recommend attending a High Power Clinic and learn the positions from a good coach.
You can have a good firm but relaxed sling position. It will very depending on whether you are shooting rapid or slow fire.
Read the above CMP link, lay down in your living room floor, work to get a good comfortable position and dry fire a couple hours a night.
Remember to relax. Relaxing is one of the most under rated fundamentals out there. Set your scope, and all your equipment so you can reach it without getting out of positition.
Its like chalk on a black board watching some shooters flopping around like a chicken with its head cut off, looking in the scope, reaching for the score (data)book, pencil etc.
Another trick I use in Slow Fire, is every 10 shots, come completely out of positiion, and "shake it off" and start over.
Don't fight it, if you come out of postition, the sling gets too loose, you have to mussle the rifle, stop. Start over, Re-aquire the position. You may loose a few seconds but its better then loosing points.
Re: Prone Shooting with Sling,
Here is a pic of a "decent" prone position
. Note how left elbow is under the rifle, spotting scope is right off the left side of the rifle so the shooter can see thru the irons with the right eye and the scope with the left. Notice how everything else is within easy reach so the shooter doesnt have to move much, especially the elbows. FYI, that string netted a 200-15X at 600 yards, 6xc, 105vlds. 
Here is a pic of a "decent" prone position
Re: Prone Shooting with Sling,
Nice shooting there. I shoot service rifle using a SMLE and Finn M39 and also practice shooting my 700 .308 using a TIS M24 Sling. If you can get a cuff style sling or a single point PALMA/High Power/Fullbore sling, it will work wonders for you. I used to shoot PALMA using a single point sling, WM Jacket and Omark 44 rifle. The sling and jacket make a MASSIVE difference but for the Tactical syle matches, Im think its sling and no pure built shooting jacket like the one above.
The trick is finding a position that is comfy for YOU and stable, you want to be trussed up and rock solid steady. Take some time to set your self up with your sling and dry fire. Its well worth it. You want to find the correct hand postions, elbow postions etc. I find the left elbow under the rifle in an almost verticle postion is very steady. That and also, wear some good padded gloves, it helps when holding the rifle and mitigates the heartbeat coming through your hand and affecting your POI.
Hope that helps mate. Have fun, sling shooting is challenging.
Nice shooting there. I shoot service rifle using a SMLE and Finn M39 and also practice shooting my 700 .308 using a TIS M24 Sling. If you can get a cuff style sling or a single point PALMA/High Power/Fullbore sling, it will work wonders for you. I used to shoot PALMA using a single point sling, WM Jacket and Omark 44 rifle. The sling and jacket make a MASSIVE difference but for the Tactical syle matches, Im think its sling and no pure built shooting jacket like the one above.
The trick is finding a position that is comfy for YOU and stable, you want to be trussed up and rock solid steady. Take some time to set your self up with your sling and dry fire. Its well worth it. You want to find the correct hand postions, elbow postions etc. I find the left elbow under the rifle in an almost verticle postion is very steady. That and also, wear some good padded gloves, it helps when holding the rifle and mitigates the heartbeat coming through your hand and affecting your POI.
Hope that helps mate. Have fun, sling shooting is challenging.
Re: Prone Shooting with Sling,
Basic marksmanship training should always include some sort of demonstration of both the hasty and loop sling. The first element of a steady position is artifical/bone support, and, being more a support than a rest, the sling may be more ideal than the bipod, as it allows the shooter greater control over the rifle until recoil has subsided. It's the partial control afforded by the bipod which makes its use suspect, since some muscular effort is required to get consistency from trigger pull to bullet exit. With proper sling support the body can relax into the sling for complete muscular relaxation. Complete muscular relaxation inspires a very consistent angle/arc from line of bore at rest and line of bore at bullet exit. Also. the sling can be better when bipods are simply too short, like when a hasty standing shot is all you've got. The bottom-line is learn how to use the sling, you never know when it could be better than alternatives.
BTW, the sling and the bipod are somewhat opposites. The bipod is more exact before trigger pull than the sling, yet, the sling is more exact after trigger pull. That's why I'm prone to use the sling-forgive the pun, I'm just more concerned about control after trigger pull than before, since anything not consistent after trigger pull leads to angular error which increases with distance. Since the wobble before trigger pull is not angular, having a wobble free position, as allowed by the bipod, is simply not as important to getting a good hit as may be assumed.
Basic marksmanship training should always include some sort of demonstration of both the hasty and loop sling. The first element of a steady position is artifical/bone support, and, being more a support than a rest, the sling may be more ideal than the bipod, as it allows the shooter greater control over the rifle until recoil has subsided. It's the partial control afforded by the bipod which makes its use suspect, since some muscular effort is required to get consistency from trigger pull to bullet exit. With proper sling support the body can relax into the sling for complete muscular relaxation. Complete muscular relaxation inspires a very consistent angle/arc from line of bore at rest and line of bore at bullet exit. Also. the sling can be better when bipods are simply too short, like when a hasty standing shot is all you've got. The bottom-line is learn how to use the sling, you never know when it could be better than alternatives.
BTW, the sling and the bipod are somewhat opposites. The bipod is more exact before trigger pull than the sling, yet, the sling is more exact after trigger pull. That's why I'm prone to use the sling-forgive the pun, I'm just more concerned about control after trigger pull than before, since anything not consistent after trigger pull leads to angular error which increases with distance. Since the wobble before trigger pull is not angular, having a wobble free position, as allowed by the bipod, is simply not as important to getting a good hit as may be assumed.
