Pages

Sunday 26 February 2017

The Position, or being a gun platform

A platform doesn't hold something, it supports it. Here is the basic premise with rifle shooting. If the platform is unstable what it is supporting won't be secure. A wobbly platform means a wobbly rifle equals a wobbly shoot.

I never gave much thought to how I was supporting my air rifle as a kid. My dad had shown me where my two hands were supposed to go, that the butt went in my shoulder and my cheek against the cheek piece. Having sussed that the next thing was to make sure you were able to look directly through the sights that confirmed the barrel was pointing where you were looking.

Firing a rifle of any kind freehand, without any form of aid or support, is a wobbly affair. Target rifle shooting isn't a static sport. The rifle is moving around a lot, much more than you give it credit for as an observer. Dad taught me to squeeze my wrists into the stock and that helped but really it's no good for competitive shooting because it requires muscular effort, or corrective tension. If you're holding the rifle your muscles tire and you wobble more.

The first shooting aid I used was a two point sling of the very basic variety. A two point sling attaches to a rifle in two places. Slings were first developed to carry a firearm over your shoulder and were attached under the barrel and near the butt. It was worked out that you could insert your arm through the sling and hook it around tricep of the arm that supported the firearm. By wrapping the sling around your wrist and holding any excess length between your supporting hand and stock you could impart three points of tension onto the firearm now in your shoulder. It makes quite a difference and the concept was developed into the one point sling for true target rifle.

We have four points of contact with a rifle; supporting hand, trigger hand, shoulder and cheek. With each and every shot they must be in the same place. These points of contact are attached to our body and by extension the body needs to be in exactly the same position for each and every shot. It sounds easy until you gradually realise just how much you unconsciously move around and how much disturbance reloading can cause to your position.

There should be nothing complicated about a shooting position. It needs to be comfortable and simple, especially when you start out. When lying on your front make sure your spine is straight and your hips and shoulders square to your spine. You want a straight line from your supporting wrist to the ankle of the supporting side of the body. We draw the other leg out slightly to give you some stability width ways. The arm of the trigger hand should be such that it doesn't cause an excessive tilt to your shoulders and that they are pretty much parallel to the floor.

Now, everyone is a different shape and size and few positions are the same but these basic rules are the best place to start. Keep it simple and comfortable, put the rifle to your position not the other way around. Building the position should be an ordered process that is consistently repeatable. Imagining yourself going through that process is a great way of identifying errors as you are making them in reality so you can correct them before you begin your shoot.

The platform is the important bit. The platform creates the natural alignment for the rifle. Natural because there's no effort involved and aligned through your body's four points of contact. Being aware of what your body is doing is a really important skill and is honed through mindfulness and yoga. Peace man!

18 comments:

  1. Great post. It is informative for those who does not how to shoot. Buy Gun parts for sale and other firearm parts from BuyGunSell which is the leading supplier of firearm parts at an affordable price.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This particular blog helped me to understand the various aspects of custom glock parts store. This blog offers complete & enhance discussion on various weapons used.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This blog covers new products, resources, and holster reviewsglock 19 aftermarket parts. This blog offers the best concealed carry holsters on the planet.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The website is looking bit flashy and it catches the visitors eyes. Design is pretty simple and a good user friendly interface. this site

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is my first time i visit here and I found so many interesting stuff in your blog especially it's discussion, thank you. thesurvivallife

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yep, We have four points of contact with a rifle; supporting hand, trigger hand, shoulder and cheek. Thank for info!
    adventurefootstep

    ReplyDelete
  7. Today, shopping for premium organic products that are free from harsh chemicals and toxins is a priority for every family, as our health is becoming more and more impacted by the chemicals we are exposed to. all natural products

    ReplyDelete
  8. This information is meaningful and magnificent which you have shared here about the gun platform. I am impressed by the details that you have shared in this post and It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. I would like to thanks for sharing this article here. ar15 lower 80

    ReplyDelete
  9. Took me time to read all the comments, but I really enjoyed the article. It proved to be Very helpful to me and I am sure to all the commenters here! It’s always nice when you can not only be informed, but also entertained! buy guns online

    ReplyDelete
  10. This information is meaningful and magnificent which you have shared here about gun platform. I am impressed by the details that you have shared in this post and It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. I would like to thanks for sharing this article here. buy condor utility shoulder bag

    ReplyDelete
  11. Quite precious information, it's not like all the blogs we see here, congratulations, I looked and found anything like this. Thanks for sharing here this site.Best Gun Accessories In USA Online

    ReplyDelete
  12. I read your post and got it quite informative. I couldn't find any knowledge on this matter prior to. I would like to thank you for sharing this article here. Ar15 Lower 80

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are providing good knowledge. It is really helpful and factual information for us and everyone to increase knowledge. Continue sharing your data. Thank you. Ar15 Billet Lower

    ReplyDelete

  14. Great article by the great author, it is very massive and informative but still preaches the way to sounds like that it has some beautiful thoughts described so I really appreciate this article. Best Waffen service provider

    ReplyDelete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Best Casino Stocks to Wager on in the USA - Mapyro
    You can find 태백 출장샵 all the best US casinos to wager on 서울특별 출장마사지 in the 군산 출장마사지 USA. You can find all the best US casinos to 안성 출장샵 wager on in the USA. 경주 출장샵 10 of the Best Sportsbook Bonuses and Promotions on

    ReplyDelete
  17. I am very thankful to you that you have shared this information with us. Read more info about Glock 17 Gen 5 Barrel. I got some different kind of knowledge from your web page, and it is really helpful for everyone. Thanks for share it. Q

    ReplyDelete
  18. You are doing such a great job by publishing such informative post in this blog about guns. I got some useful knowledge from this post. Thanks for sharing it. ar10 80 lower

    ReplyDelete