Question about Shooting Prone

[RiverRatMatt]

I took my Swiss K31 out the other day for some target practice. The gun has surprisingly pleassnt recoil when standing or kneeling, but prone is a different story.

When shooting it prone I had the butt tight against my collar bone, near my neck. This was, for obvious reasons considering the steel buttplate, very painful. What I'm wondering is if I should have the butt pressed against my deltoid instead. Would that be proper technique? I tested it without shooting and it seemed to work great.

I'm not a small dude (6'2'' and ~200 lbs, low fat), so I can't imagine anybody else having much more natural padding over their collar bones.

 

[O_W]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

My guess is you have muscle tension. I had the same issue for a while and then I got some good instruction/tips and I practiced them a lot and now I don't have the issues and I run a 300WM mostly.

I am sure more will chime in with specifics as there is a ton of good knowledge here. I'd suggest trying to relax your body as much as possible being straight behind the rifle.

Good luck to you!

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

I'm not sure I follow what you're saying - the problem is that the point of contact with the butt of the stock is my collar bone, there's nothing else there.

 

[redbullitt]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

Contact point is okay, but that steel buttplate is not : ).

When I am straight behind the rifle, contact is usually very similar to yours. As long as you are keeping the rifle firmly against you, you will be good to go... BUT that butt plate is going to be harsh. Maybe consider a slip on recoil pad etc. Wearing more padding could help too lol.

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

I'll look into that. I'm going to take some pictures and post them up today to make sure I'm doing it right :x

Are there any recoil pads you'd specifically recommmend?

How did people shoot these rifles prone from the factory?

 

[MilsurpShooter]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

Well, not sure about Swiss military gear but I would assume it was easier with the cold weather gear and a layer or two. I've got a Pachmeyer slip on recoil pad that I've used interchangeably on my K31/Mosin/K98/M48 though. Tight fit, medium size IIRC, but works on a bunch of guns and doesn't cost an arm and a leg.

 

[mission_fail]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

I have the same contact point when shooting prone and get an almost bruise when shooting even when I have a recoil pad on a rifle. I never gave it much thought to be honest. It's most likely because of the rough cotton of my shirt rubbing against my skin with bone directly beneath it. I've shot with the mosin nagant and M1 Garand like this and have just dealt with it since I never found it unbearable. If you were wearing cotton, maybe a different material would help. Or you could just tape the area on your chest.

 

[emoddriver]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

I myself had some issues a while ago with regards to recoil and my collarbone. I am also relatively lean and found it uncomfortable with bruising after only a few rounds to park a rifle on my collarbone. I found that actually locating the butt just below my collarbone in the pocket it makes when prone solved my issues. I do run a chassis with plenty of adjustment so your results may vary.

Bear in mind I am just a hack and may be doing it all wrong but it worked for me.

-Mark

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Re: Question about Shooting Prone

I think I solved my issue. When I was shooting prone from the bed of my truck, I only had a small sand bag to rest the rifle on. I think this positioned the rifle too low, which lowered my posture and changed the point that the butt rests upon.

When I use my left arm to support, it raises the rifle about 9'' off the ground, which causes my upper body to form more of an isosceles triangle which puts the butt into the pocket using my pectoral to absorb recoil. I think its time to get a bipod :x

I'll post pics today if I remember to.