A good Highpower/SmallBore type shooting coat, especially a hardback, is a tremendous support for offhand shooting. Even the quilted “light” coats are incredibly stiff, such it locks a guy’s spine to integrate their shoulders and hips. With a cuff sling and a Creedmoor jacket, standing offhand shooting is a completely different game - I’m more confident and stable in a shooting coat than I am with most standing bipods/shooting sticks. I just lean against the jacket, which levers against the hips, let the sling bear the weight of the muzzle against my upper support arm, crane my support wrist, and relax everything above my knees.

Such is why you’ll see rulebooks including “no hardbacks,” or “unbuckled shooting coats only.”