W
wolfhunter
Guest
B. R. A. S. S.
Breathe, Relax, Aim, Slowly Squeeze.
Let's talk about controlling our breathing, attaining a good sight picture and proper sight alignment. While every handgun shooter knows these are important, the rifle shooter must be fully aware that the slight error at pistol distances is only magnified at rifle distances. FM 3-22.9 tells us "Any alignment error between the front and rear sights repeats itself for every 1/2 meter the bullet travels. For example, at the 25-meter line, any error in rifle alignment is multiplied 50 times. If the bullet is misaligned by 1/10 inch, it causes a target at 300 meters to be missed by 5 feet."
Breathe calmly and deeply when you're getting in position. Natural body alignment is essential. When you first sight in from a position,close your eyes and go through all the motions of shooting EXCEPT pulling the trigger. Open your eyes and see how much your sights drifted. DO NOT just point the rifle back at the target, instead, shift your position slightly. When you are positioned properly, you should be able to sight in, close your eyes for several breaths, and still be sighted in.
As you sight in relax, think about nice,slow, steady breaths. Some advise holding your breath as you squeeze the trigger. Some advise doing this in the middle of an exhalation. I've found many shooters begin to shake slightly using this method. I prefer to begin to squeeze as I start to exhale and slowly, gently continue to exhale until the round is down range.
Aiming is all about that sight picture and sight alignment. The description of these will vary depending on the type of sights you use. On rifles with a rear peep and front post sight configuration, the tip of the front sight must be centered in the rear sight. A correct sight picture has the target, front sight post, and rear sight aligned and the front post in focus. The sight picture includes two basic elements: sight alignment and placement of the aiming point. Placement of the aiming point will vary based on the distance to the target.
At this point you're ready to fire. Begin to slowly squeeze the trigger and only the trigger. Do not tighten the grip of the whole hand, do not jerk or pull the trigger. Do not flinch or anticipate recoil.
At this point, there should be a hole in your target exactly at the point you selected. If the hole is not at the point you selected, analyze your technique and make any necessary changes.
Breathe, Relax, Aim, Slowly Squeeze.
Let's talk about controlling our breathing, attaining a good sight picture and proper sight alignment. While every handgun shooter knows these are important, the rifle shooter must be fully aware that the slight error at pistol distances is only magnified at rifle distances. FM 3-22.9 tells us "Any alignment error between the front and rear sights repeats itself for every 1/2 meter the bullet travels. For example, at the 25-meter line, any error in rifle alignment is multiplied 50 times. If the bullet is misaligned by 1/10 inch, it causes a target at 300 meters to be missed by 5 feet."
Breathe calmly and deeply when you're getting in position. Natural body alignment is essential. When you first sight in from a position,close your eyes and go through all the motions of shooting EXCEPT pulling the trigger. Open your eyes and see how much your sights drifted. DO NOT just point the rifle back at the target, instead, shift your position slightly. When you are positioned properly, you should be able to sight in, close your eyes for several breaths, and still be sighted in.
As you sight in relax, think about nice,slow, steady breaths. Some advise holding your breath as you squeeze the trigger. Some advise doing this in the middle of an exhalation. I've found many shooters begin to shake slightly using this method. I prefer to begin to squeeze as I start to exhale and slowly, gently continue to exhale until the round is down range.
Aiming is all about that sight picture and sight alignment. The description of these will vary depending on the type of sights you use. On rifles with a rear peep and front post sight configuration, the tip of the front sight must be centered in the rear sight. A correct sight picture has the target, front sight post, and rear sight aligned and the front post in focus. The sight picture includes two basic elements: sight alignment and placement of the aiming point. Placement of the aiming point will vary based on the distance to the target.
At this point you're ready to fire. Begin to slowly squeeze the trigger and only the trigger. Do not tighten the grip of the whole hand, do not jerk or pull the trigger. Do not flinch or anticipate recoil.
At this point, there should be a hole in your target exactly at the point you selected. If the hole is not at the point you selected, analyze your technique and make any necessary changes.
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