Comments on: Shooting the Gun Blog Rifle Match

By: Mike Gallo

Mike Gallo — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:29:43 +0000

Yeesh. I should’ve shot with my buddy’s AR-15. That’s a damned decent offhand. Perhaps I’ll try to beat the score posting and go shoot a string tonight. I’ll have to see if the wife’s game for it.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:48:33 +0000

With the AR, I’m holding on the ribcage, with my Kimber 82 22 target rifle, my elbow is in, but it’s not tight. I can’t seem to find a stance for that gun where I can let bone bear all the weight. I’ve tried getting my hip out more, and get my elbow on that, but that tends to make me sway too much. I haven’t had the rifle that long, so I just need to work with it more and find an offhand shooting position that works.

By: AughtSix

AughtSix — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 14:52:32 +0000

“I need more upper body strength, because I struggle with heavy rifles offhand”

Are you shooting with the silhouette position, with your elbow away from your ribcage? Or the round-target style with your elbow on your ribcage? If silhouette, getting your elbow on your ribcage might take care of that problem rather nicely.

By: Sebastian

Sebastian — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:52:17 +0000

Yeah… offhand I’m used to. I’m not that practiced with a sling, or in the sitting or prone positions. My offhand shooting with an AR is pretty decent. I’m not nearly as good with the Garand, which should make next week’s match interesting. I need more upper body strength, because I struggle with heavy rifles offhand.

By: mehedi

mehedi — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:33:16 +0000

I need to c & F chittagong price for single target changer for 50m small bore rifel+50m free pistal

By: Weer'd Beard

Weer'd Beard — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:37:56 +0000

“For one, I could swear that hand loaded ammunition ejects brass is a more consistent pattern than factory ammunition. ”

Well one of the big reasons handloads group better on paper all interacts with the action of your gun. Hotter load will impart a bit more energy to the action and possibly cause stronger ejection, chamber fit will also change ejection.

I’m not super familiar with the ejection action on the AR, but in the end firing and ejecting are all a function of the power in the ammo. More consistent loads would naturally imply consistent ejection…

By: AughtSix

AughtSix — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:36:53 +0000

Nice offhand. Must be a silhouette shooter. :) I’m assuming you didn’t shoot it with a proper shooting coat–a 90+ with no sling is darn good shooting. And even with a shooting coat, a darn good score with a stock AR trigger. The sling will definitely change the point of impact on a non-free-floated barrel. I’m not sure if it’s bending or harmonics, or some other mechanism, but you’re not imagining it. I wouldn’t worry about the Xs much. When I was starting (especially in offhand) I’d jump on the trigger too much–it’d result in Xs, or 8s or worse. As I got better (and relaxed more), the 8s and worse turned into 9s or 10s, but the Xs also became 10s.

By: Justin Buist

Justin Buist — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:32:51 +0000

Two, I could swear my point of impact was lowering with the use of the sling, but I find it hard to believe the sling could bend the barrel down enough to matter.

It’s not bending it so much as it’s affecting the harmonics of the barrel. Watch a video of AR-15, or any rifle for that matter, captured under high speed cameras. The barrel whips around a bit while firing. By pulling down on it w/ the sling you’re discouraging it from traveling upward. just a bit, but it’s there.

Here’s a video of an M1A being fired that shows the whipping around that most guns do: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxB_ZrZJQoA

Not hard to imagine that a little extra tension near the muzzle would change POI.