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Posted: 7/13/2007 5:09:50 PM EDT
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So I am new to rifles. Not really new, I have had them for years, but never really spent time with them like my carry piece. Anyway, now that I have my first AR, I am just in love. I mean, really. My new priority list in life is: God> Family> My Business> Liberty> My AR- in that order. I want to get some marksmanship training, and I may take a Police Sniper Class that is being taught to a few select, screened civilians at my gun club at the end of the month, but in the meantime I was wondering what you guys could tell me. First off, I am pulling to the left (I know it's not the rifle, just because it is a Stag, and I am a newb). I have to set my rear aperture almost ALL the way to the right to hit point-of-my-aim. I am planning on getting some snap caps if I can find them and seeing if I am jerking or what. In the meantime, yall got any thoughts? Second, are there any tricks for holding steady? I have to snatch my shots as they go by if I am standing. Is there anything you guys learned for steadying yourself freehand while on two feet? (I even have issues leaning against a tree, and no it is not the drugs. Ok, maybe the cappuccino). Are there any good marksmanship web sites or books that yall would highly recommend? Thanks for your help in advance, I consider it my civic duty to get as good as I possibly can with this thing, and I take it seriously. I just need help. |
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If your shots are all consistantly going to teh left to the point that your sight is way to the right you may have a barrel indexing problem or a canted front sight. Even Stag can have a problem avery now and again. If you know someone who is a good rifle shot let them try the rifle and see if it is you or the rifle. If it's mechanical give Stag a call and see if they won't help you out some. I'm not sure what you mean by "I have to snatch my shots as they go by". Are you refering to only being able to hold an approprate sight picture for a fleeting moment? The things that I learned about steadying for a shot when standing is that the skeleton doesn't get tired or shakey like muscles do. If standing then try to bring in the forward arm clse to the body so the upper arm is against your torso. This should form a triangle like a shelving bracket against a wall. your sights will move up and down as you breath but it is more steady than having the arm floating out in space. If you are using muscle to move the gun onto target, instead of having a natural point of aim, your muscles will fatigue and will get tremors that ruin accuracy shooting. One of the better books I had was actually a book on the M14/M1A by Joe Poyer. He had some chapters that were pretty good on match style position shooting. It explains how to get the best support in each of teh fundamental shooting positions. Since this automatically makes your sights move as you breath, breathing control becomes even more important. Try to make your shots break at the same point in your breathing each time. Rushed shots encourage trigger jerking, which is not great for accuracy. Caffeine is one enemy for precise shooting in general and worse for standing shots. So is nicotine or any other stimulant for that matter. Check into the gun club that you mentioned and see if they offer basic marksmanship classes. One of the most beneficial things for my shooting abilities was an NRA sponsored marksmanship camp my parents sent me to one summer. One week of solid marksmanship instruction, shooting .22's for NRA rankings in prone, sitting, kneeling and standing from dawn to dusk was pretty helpful for a 12 year old kid 25 years ago. Starting out in a Law enforcement Sniper class may not be the best thing, as they usually expect a certain level of marksmanship capability before hand. If you are significantly less experienced it can slow down a class and make it less enjoyable and beneficial for yourself, and the other students. I don't mean this to be insulting, I just don't know your full level of experience. You will have to assess whether this is an appropriate class for your skill level. Ask the instructors in advance for more information about the class, and if it would be appropriate. It could be that you would learn a lot in such a class depending on how it is structured. You would stand a good chance of making some connections with people who may be able to offer some good instruction and coaching. The fact that you belong to a gun club that hosts such classes is a good start. Good luck. Sorry I rambled on so much. Edited to add: The post above mine does a better job of explaining the importance of a well supported shooting position. The Marine Corp publication is also a fantastic resource. R/ Doc |
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Couple of things. The article above seems to skip some detail on the importance of running the sling across your forward elbow (the article is written for a right hander, so the left elbow there). The sling across the elbow is a surprisingly good stabilizer. If you are pulling the gun into your should too tight it will cause wobble. Nothing wrong with dry firing your AR. practice your trigger pull that way. "Snatch as you go by" I think I know what you mean, if you can get some instinct mixed into that then it's a good skill. You can't hold it rock solid, so knowing when to squeeze is important, and you are onto that. one last thing, your trigger pull may be messing you up. There are a number of after market triggers. But I just get my stock triggers tunded by Bill Springfield [email protected]. it is much cheaper then an aftermarket trigger, but it is what i would do even at the same price. He gives them a light pull without the creep (distance traveled). Don't let my description give you concerns. he obviously did a lot of work before settling on his finished product. It's very natural to use. |
where in louisiana are you? I'm in lafayette and would be happy to help you out if you're local. |
Imagine my finding someone volunteering to shoot a Stag Model 2T on arfcom. For better or worse, I am in Shreveport, so that would be a good little drive. If you are ever up this way, though, we have an aweosme club you are welcome to join me at. Oh, and have you been to Louisiana Carry.org? Please sign up for our email list. Our list members, for example, were part of the network that fought down that recent assault weapon ban attempt here in LA. We could use your help. Thanks again for the offer!! |
you should check into the hometown forum. we have get togethers frequently at sherburne, between opelousas and baton rouge on 190. several people from shreveport come down, and i wouldn't be opposed to making a drive up to shreveport if there was some good shooting to be done. So long as they dont mind me bringing this   |
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As a matter of fact, Louisiana Carry is having a Live fire and bonfire all day tomorrow. What'cha doin in about ten hours? All guns are welcome. We have an assault deck, a 1000 yd range (only one in LA!) and all kinds of righteous fun stuff. C'mon! Oh, and I just discovered the hometown forum a moment ago. I was there when you posted, thanks! |
I had this problem with a new Bushmaster. Sent it back to them on their dime to get the barrel re-indexed. Definitely get someone else to shoot the rifle, to see if that's the problem. |
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I read this topic for the instruction. I feel like I'm a decent shot, but I like to read any pointers or instruction I can. I'm always reminded of things and try to use them the next time go to the range. I can't offer any true instruction, but I will say dry firing is a great way to become a better shot, do it anytime your able. I wasn't sure about dry firing when I first got an AR, I was always told dry firing was bad. After reading here that it was ok, I dry fired the heck out of mine. It helped way more than I would've thought. I learned my trigger, if that makes sense. Another thing is practice practice practice, unfortunately ammo prices have made that a lot harder than it was only a year or so ago. There are tons of people here who can and will help with anything you ask, and not being afraid to ask is a good thing. It sounds like you're off to a good start, good luck, and have fun. |
| When I shoot in the offhand position, I raise the rifle to my line of sight, if I don't squeeze the trigger within 8 to 10 seconds because the shot just isn't there, I lower the rifle rest for about 10 seconds the start the process over. The offhand position is only 5 rounds in 5 minutes qualifying or 20 rounds in 20 minutes competition so that is plenty of time to rest if needed. |
| Shoot that rifle from a bench to check the poi, Stag had some problems like you are describing with bullets impacting high left. They replaced one upper for me, and other people on the site. Read this thread, link. |
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