Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

I am a decent shot inside 100 yards offhanded...but reallizing that we can always get better and I know there are bound to be some serious deadeyes on here I was wondering if they had any tips to offer when shooting offhanded. Anybody can be a dead eye from a rest but I would like to hear some ideas on maybe getting better shooting without a rest. Thanks in advance.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

I'll give you a longer answer later, but in short, get a .22 rifle that fits you well and shoot it ALOT - use reactive targets like pop cans and work your way down to smaller objects like golf balls, and keep extending your distance.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

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RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Briman, I know I made fun of you once for suggesting alot of running and heart rate and all. But it sounds like you may know what you are talking about when it comes to offhand. I have came to the conclustion that my offhand shooting sucks. I can hit a pie plate at 100yards with a 270. But thats about it. I am not satisfired with that.

Maybe you can send me the long version of improving my offhand shooting.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Practice.

I think too many guys just sight in at the range, and shoot maybe once or twice "to get ready" for hunting. Then they get an opportunity under hunting conditions, with less than an optimal rest or body position, and they just miss.

I agree that using a 22 or something very light in recoil is the best way to practice a lot without developing bad habits like flinching.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Well I realize that. about practice. I think all of us do on this page. But looking for more specifics on how to steady yourself. Mental preparation, possible posture, or form. Documention on it. I shoot alot as most people do on this page. 90% of it is load development. 10% prone or shooting sticks. I know I need to increase my free hand skills.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Find the position that works for you. Then as said above PRACTICE. Quite a few years back some other ranchers and I set up a steel silhouette range. The targets were from 200 meters to 500 meters . This is all off hand shooting. When we started it was a joke. None of us could hit the steel critters without a rest. As time went on we all started getting pretty close. Closer each week that we would shoot. After a few months we started hitting them more and more. If we took the winter off it would start all over. To improve my shooting I would spend a couple days a week with my 22 shooting different size targets. I would off hand shoot a couple boxes of 22 shells paying attention to doing things the same each time. It works and I know of nothing else that does. All that said, I never shoot off hand if there is any other option. At game animals that is.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

It is easiner to compensate for up and down motion than it is for side to side. At least it is for me. Because of that, I try to induce up/down, and stop side/side. I use a "Ching" sling, it is as fast as a hasty sling, and as tight as a target sling. Goggle it for a good explanation, and some pics. Mostly I try to shoot either from sitting (open country) or kneeling (in black timber).

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Just a little point - If you do a lot of practicing with a .22, make sure you are using a form that is approp. to high-power hunting (if that's your goal). For example: if you practice with a form that isn't conducive to recoil control (not a concern with .22), that form isn't going to help you much when you move to your high-power rifle.

In other words - try to shoot your .22 as if it were a high-power rifle.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

I would find a place where you can pracice shooting from a sitting or kneeling positions, not as good as prone, but generally there will be more times you can use those positions than the prone and practice using your sling.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Actually as mentioned there is almost always a rest and time for it to be used if you practice that.

But to get better you have to have positive reaffirmation to the subconsciuos brain. That comes from accurate practice. It requires muscle memory which is learned. IE shoot more as noted. You'll get better.

FWIW I shoot highpower and a perfect score offhand at 200 yards is 20 rounds in a 6inch circle. At 100 it would be in a 3 inch circle. Very few people shoot better than 95% of that score. Thtas with a jacket, 1 minute per shot etc...

And I never did much better even if I fired 50 rounds a day with a 22 upper. But if I had not done that, I would have been much worse.

In your brain is the only difference between a 22 and your deer rifle. The fundamentals are all the same. Its all sight picture, trigger control and follow through. Recoil comes into play only if you let your brain allow it to. And FWIW I operate under the theory that I get thumped regardless of hitting or missing so I may as well hit 100% each time.

Dry firing at animal pictures in the house is another good way. Learn to get it up and get it off. Air rifles are good indoor practice. Practice is good practice.

Mentally you must know you will succeed. Think about doing it well, dream about it, visuallize it. And reaffirm it by good shooting.

Mention is made of heart rate. Other than being in good shape heart rate in a hunting situation is hard to control. Especially if the sight of the animal excites you like it really should(when it doesn't you need to quit) But not being able to calm down at the instant of the shot and be in control is commonly called buck fever. A better term is target panic. That is because your brain is not sure that you can hit the target(animal) The way to overcome that is shoot so much that a chip shot is 300 yards. THen the 100 yarders are a cinch and target panic should not be a factor.

Finally silhouette is mentioned. Its a decent way to practice. Its quick, no support etc... I do not really like it at the hunting standpoint because it rewards you with a hit anywhere and we need to be better than that. But it is still great practice. You can do taht with a pistol, 22 rifle, or centerfire.

Good luck, Jeff

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

lost, I am getting aquainted with using the sling. Still very wobbly. I am more concerned at standing freehand. I guess I need to invest in a good heavy 22. My rugers and marlins just don't have the same feel and balance as my bigger hunting rifles. Especially my 10/22 I usually use in between my load development to help settle me down, it just is so much lighter. I just don't seem to be improving much over the past year. I feel confident I can hit a 10" plate at 100 yards 8 shots out of 10 with my deer rifles. Just really would like to improve.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

i learned by shooting pellet guns and 22s at random things.....people throw trash all over around here.....there pop cans and plastic bottles make a nice target......ive shot all sorts of things.....clay pigeons are a nice target.....you know when you hit them....practice practice practice.......and youll get better....i rarely shoot from the bench....i sit down and lean my back on a pole and shoot like im hunting..only time i shoot from the bench is when i have to sight in the gun...22s are cheap.....dont have any recoil...arent loud....i just wish mine was heavier...its full sized...but its still not as heavy as my deer rifle......but i practice with the deer rifle alot shooting groundhogs...practicing is key......ive noticed when i dont have time to practice shooting freehand im off a bit and takes a little while to get back in the groove...thats how i know practice is important....shooting form is important as well as your stregnth....i noticed when iwas younger and didnt lift it was hard to hold steady and my arms got tired quick...but im older and power lifted for 2 years...and learned to use my body as a rest...i can get my left arm up against my chest and that kinda supports the rifle....foot placement is important too...my right foot is in the back of me angled outward and the left foot is infront of me a little facing the target...let most of your weight fall on the back foot..and make sure you have a good footing.....works for me.....i kinda learned on my own....and am no expert....thats just how i do it and it works for me atleast.....i dont know what kind of accuracy your looking for but 100yds hitting a paper plate every time is pretty good id have to say...i wouldnt shoot freehand much past that..i know myself....and just dont think im steady enough any farther freehand unless im JUSt target shooting...not hunting...good luck

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Thanks guys this is all good stuff. Rost funny you should mention dry firing at targets. Last day of buck season I spent the better part of an hour dry firing offhanded at a small doe feeding in a field...lol. She was legal...just not what i was looking for. It was really interesting to see where the crosshairs were just as the firing pin went. Lo and behold I ended up killing a big 8 point at right at 300 yards later that evening in a different field. Of course i did have a pretty solid rest for that one.

From the sounds of the suggestions i need to quit buying guns and stuff for a while and buy more shells to shoot. I practice some but not nearly enough..that is changing though as I am just getting ready to start reloading.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

I do a lot of Ambush type hunting. Being a given range from where the deer come up on the grain fields. Because of this, I usually have a rest already prepared. It might be a fence post or a bale of hay but something solid. I like to set up 200 yards from where I expect them to appear. Of course they don't always follow my plan.:D

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

The trick to any accurate shooting is NOT to be still, just to be smoothe. If you're taking standing off hand shots at any distance, I don't care who you are, you're going to move, especially if you've got an elevated heart rate or respiration rate from running or excitement.

The trick is to let yourself move slowly and confidently, don't just try to hold on target. Allow the cross-hairs to slide gently down across the target as you exhale and pull the trigger as it falls across the sweet spot. If you try to fight yourself and stay still and on target constantly, you're going to start shaking and swinging worse and worse.

Snap shooting is a good idea for some people, useless for others. If you're planning to take snap shots, then practice them, if you're only taking measured, steady shots, snap shooting really doesn't help you that much (ok, so the general gun handling DOES help, but you'd be better served by other practice).

Main thing: Practice. Practice a lot and practice properly...I've got an old daisy popgun that I practice with standing in my living room during commercials, I also shoot a Crossman airgun in the basement for practice a lot. Then I dry fire my rifles a lot, and live fire even more.

If you're hunting in the woods, there's almost ALWAYS something to lean on to steady yourself, if you're hunting in the open prairie, take a set of shooting sticks.

Shooting sticks are invaluable. They're a bit cumbersome in dense brush until you get used to having them, but they're worth their weight in gold. A shaky off hand standing shot becomes a piece of cake.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

This is my theory:

Have you ever worked in a factory or a warehouse or done some other hard physical labor where on your first week or so you struggle moving heavy or unwieldy items while people who who have much less muscle mass than you seem to have no problem?
The reason is not because of more strength in their major muscle groups but more tone in their supporting muscles. The supporting muscles are the little muscles to correct your balance when you sway momentarily off balance or help you lift heavy objects with out toppling yourself or the item ove to one side or another.

The same kind of strengthening of these muscles happens when you do other athletic activities like ride a bike or lerning to ski- the more you do it, the steadier you get. Part of thj equation is the brain reprogramming itself to use the muscles properly so you keep your balance.


Its the exact same deal with shooting a rifle from a sitting, standing or kneeling position, but especially standing since your center of balance is higher, making it more difficult to steady. You need to strengthen these supporting muscles but actually doing the activity.

Here's what I do:

In the winter months, I make a small target and mount it to one of my basement walls. The target is just a sheet of bright white paper with a bladck dot in the center from a felt tip pen. Put the target up at chest level. I stand back at least 20 feet, bring the gun up align the sights and squeeze the trigger. After the shot (dry firing) I visualize what the shot looked and felt like and wehre the imaginary bullet went. I do this about 10 times per day- no point in over doing it. As you are working on your trigger control and sight picture, your muscles are also getting a wrorkot- very subtle but they are getting stronger and steadier.

At the range, I set up bleach bottles on a 100 yard berm. Having sand or dirt in the background around the bottle helps, because as you visualize each shot, you will also get confirmation as to where your shot went by the plume of dirt flying. I use a .22 that is sighted in at 100 yards, and single load my shots so that I have to think about each shot and make each count. When I'm hitting the bleach bottle with every shot, I use a smaller target- a 2L soda bottle, then a 1L bottle, and finally a 12 oz soda can which is about the limit of the accuracy of my .22 at 100 yards. It took me about 500 shots to get to the point where I was able to hit a bleach bottle every time, after another 500 shots, I had progressed to hitting the soda can with nearly every shot.

If a 100 yard range isn't available, golfball at 25 to 50 yards is a challenging target.
The reason I like reactive targets versus paper targets for practicing is that I get instant feed back as to where the shot went. I can get readily see when and where I'm missing, and analyze what i did wrong and correct it. When shooting at paper targets at matches, I know where the shot went even before the target is pulled and marked- Its sort of a feel I get if the shot was good or not.

This isn't something you can learn overnight, and it takes a lot of practice- there is no substitute for practice. Spend a few days at a range and fire through a brick of ammo or two at a slow deliberate pace and you will see big improvements in time.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

start at the top of the target, center your crosshairs, bring crosshairs down across bullseye, as you exhale, when your crosshairs go acroos your bullseye, you squeeze.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Focus on the fundamentals of shooting. The main 3 would be sight alignment, trigger control and breathing. The most important of the 3 is obviously trigger control.


Breathing: This is simple. Whenever you are going to shoot you should always take a deep breath, let out half and then hold the rest and then concentrate on the other two fundamentals. Your muscles can only go for so long without being replenished with oxygen rich blood so if you hold to long and begin to tire, recoup and try again.

Sight alignment: Since most people now use scopes this isn't as difficult as shooting with open or peep sights. I'll cover sighting with a scope. When you are aiming offhand at a target from say 100 yards, you will notice what is considered a "wobble". This will be percieved as your crosshairs moving in a sideways figure 8 around the bullseye. It will seem like you are drifting off target then back across, off again and then back on. This is created by the beat of your heart. There is nothing you can do about this. What you need to do is mentally block this out and just concentrate on the bullseye. This is where it ties into trigger control. Even though it seems you are drifting all over the target, as long as you do not create an angle by jerking the trigger your shot will be true. This is the trap that most people fall into. They think to themselves, I'll wait until my sights are over the bullseye then I'll squeeze the trigger. In reality they are jerking the trigger which results in a shot low to the right for a right handed shooter and low to the left for a left handed shooter. To convince yourself to ignore wobble try this experiment. Stand directly in front of a paper target while aiming at the bullseye. Your muzzle should only be an inch from the paper. Now look at your muzzle. It's not drifting way out of the bullseye is it? As long as you don't create an angle your shot will be true.

Trigger control: This is simply applying steady rearward pressure on the trigger. Every time your gun fires it should be a surprise. If it is, I guarantee your shot will be good. If you are anticipating the shot or jerking the trigger your accuracy will suffer.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

They refer to it as plinking and for myself it's the best way to get to know a rifle . Brimans tip about the golf ball is a good one which I use alot especially for the .22 . Rabbit hunting with .22's is fast offhanded shooting and good for quick reaction to the target .
You will see the bullet hit the ground if it's a miss and you can react to it more easily opposed to walking back and forth to a paper target thats hung off the ground .
For bigbores ( mine are .303brit and .308win ) I really like waterballoons stretched out in a field . A hit on a waterballoon looks like a geyser and clean up is pretty well none exsisant .
Flinching , just as the trigger is pulled is something that will mess up a shot everytime and a shooter has to get that under control ...all in all , the fellas here have posted alot of great tips .

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Doe Dumper

I dry fire at deer all the time. Its amazing how still and relaxed the brain allows you to be if you know you aren't gonna shoot. Still its good practice.

Don't discount the value of a good 22 and a case of GOOD 22 shells. That doesn't have to mean expensive. It does mean you go down to the local gun shop and buy a box of every bullet they have. Then what shoots best you try to buy 5000 of at least. Of course there is no guarantee that it will shoot well if its not from the same lot # but for practical purposes it should work fine. IE not match winning accuracy but good enough for this game.

I'd shoot the 22 so much till you are one with it. And say you have a Ruger 77, buy a 77-22. If its not heavy enough, put some lead in the buttstock. Keep the same kind of scope basically. Same weight trigger pull. And shooot.

You can then move up to something like a small centerfire at the end of summer and finally to the real deal as season closes in. One thing you don't want, is to burn up your good barrel. While a 22 might take 100K rounds to shoot out, a 300 mag can do it in 1500 rounds.

FWIW Idon't shoot my actual hunting rifles much except for load testing and zeroing. IE drop checking. My brain accepts the fact that shooting is shooting. Doesnt' matter what you put in my hands. And lately for longer ranges I'm much more inclined to click on the sights instead of guessing holdovers.

Finally for practice ammo-- don't discount bulk surplus ball powders (www.patsreloading.com, powder valley and a few others) and bulk bullets like Rem bulk corelokts etc.... They may not be quite as accurate or have the same trajectories but its sure cheaper than blasting with primo ammo. SAve that for zeroing, checking and hunting. IMHO

Jeff

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

The right gun/sight set-up is also important. A lever action with iron sites or ghost rings is a lot easier to snap shoot than a long barreled, bolt action with a scope. If you use a scoped rifle invest in a set of brush rings for it. Then practice snap shooting with your iron sites. As a general rule a shorter, lighter gun that is very "pointable" will be easier to snap shoot than a longer, heavier gun.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Does anyone have the armys handbook online for rifleman? I got a copy for pistol which helped me out alot years ago with correcting my stance and eye and breathing.

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Big

Sorry I don't have an online copy BUT go to delphi forums Florida Highpower(rifle shooting?) and ask for it. They have done a bunch of online stuff and it may be available. I lived there every day while actively match shooting till family health issues etc... all caved in and I decided its high time to start hunting again, I'd like to kill an elk etc... before I die....

1865, I have to respectfully disagree on iron sights. I used to think the same way but I can snap shoot onto target much faster and very accurately with low power optics. I'm not fighting sight alignment and am very quick that way. In fact if its really close shots, I suspect out to 30 yards or so you don't need sights anyway. I sure don't use pistol sights at close range ever.

Jeff

RE: Anybody have any tips for shooting offhanded?
 

Thanks for all the tips!