Sighting in rifle and getting barrel jump

[kiwi hunter]

Perhaps. When I was in the US military we qualified and that's it. I carried a .45 every day on the job the next three years and never fired it at the range again. When I qualified with a pistol and calibre (1911 Colt) I'd never handled before, I shot the third best score ever at Ft Gordon. The best score was shot by a woman who'd never handled a pistol before in her life! But she probably had eyes like Ted Williams. In Africa I shot a black wildebeest with my PH's 270 WSM @ 350 metres (370 yards?) behind the ear and in a stiff sidewind. Never shot the gun before and it's crisp light trigger was significantly different than my old 30-06 Springfield's. Next shot with it took a kudu in the boiler room at 440 yards. Then five more animals the next day all at 250-180 yards. All but one dropped on the spot. I credit that unfamiliar gun almost entirely ... and abundant field experience to some extent. Buck fever is a thing of the past for me ... distant past.

i still get buck fever at 72,,gets the blood moving

 

[OntarioHunter]

Cool, When I was active duty in the Marines, we shot far more often then that. Rifle Qual was once a year but I fired god only knows how many rounds thru an M16A4, and a 240g out the back of a V22 osprey.

Perhaps your an outlier and not the usual.

I was a military policeman not combat soldier. Still, you'd think we would have had more training. Not to say I never fired my service weapon again, because I did. Just three times I think. Made a helluva shot nailing a giant rat in the road at the trap club in Yongson. One warning shot through the ceiling of a Korean club in the middle of a wild melee. That got some quick results! My ears are still ringing. And one shot at some fool with an M16 who broke up with his woman and wanted to die suicide by police. Knew I couldn't hit him at that range but pissed me off when he hit our car. I wanted to send the message that I was maybe trying to shoot him. Again achieved the desired result and rifle came out the barracks window. I might have been in trouble for that one but the guy's CO helped sweep it under the rug.

 

[OntarioHunter]

i still get buck fever at 72,,gets the blood moving

Not saying my pulse still doesn't quicken a bit but there's a big difference between blood moving faster and buck fever.

 

[howl]

Thanks. Guess I misunderstood your post. I thought you were saying a bag should be on top of the gun which admittedly didn't make a lot of sense. How would the shooter see over it?

So I should be using shooting sticks that cradle the forearm firmly rather than the ones with a flat platform rest that provides for some lateral movement? Does my homemade rest above look like it provides what's needed for bench shooting support? Any suggestions for improvement?

Just to be clear, I never was much of a fan of shooting sticks or bipods. Too awkward for the style of hunting I prefer. When stalking in snow, especially in steep country, I don't want my hands full dragging shooting sticks. In Africa that's the way things are done but hunting is usually in relatively flat country and there's always plenty of hired help along to carry the things. Bipods may require a reassessment. They are a bit awkward and add some weight but if there's time to deploy, the advantage in improved accuracy is significant. Any advantage that improves the odds of a quick clean kill is worth considering. I'm usually hunting deer spot and stalk in eastern Montana in dry conditions and a bipod would work well for that. For tracking elk or moose in snow and timber I would remove the bipod. Rarely have time to deploy it.

Pipe insulation may be thick enough. Never have tried it. There's technique involved with sticks and bipods to load them so they don't bounce. I've not spent much time with them because I'd rather use my pack or a natural rest. Any field technique for resting involves learning to use the rest.

My comments about sandbags pertain to sighting in and testing loads, not hunting or target practice.

 

[std7mag]

The point of the bench is to take us out of the equation as much as possible. Choking or horsing the rifle does not help and teaches bad habits when you shoot in the field. On the bench my left hand is tucked back holding the butt rest, or BEING the butt rest. 22 LR to 358 Norma Mag. Everything you need to shoot magnums is learned with a 22 LR. Bench rest shooting builds confidence in your gear. Practical shooting builds confidence in yourself.

A retired police sniper buddy of mine says he can "guide" his shots with just a subtle pressure on the grip with his trigger hand. I don't have the time or ammo budget to get that good. One way I check my cranky gear is to have HIM shoot it. The gear is usually fine.

Once I have my rifle's group centered where I think it should be for my ballistics, I leave the bench behind and shoot field positions off my pack, or trekking poles, etc.
My actual paper groups on targets matter very little to me or the animals. I limit my hunting shots to ranges I am confident I can hit a volleyball for deer and a basketball for elk.
Knowing I can consistently hit that volleyball, I then aim for a golf ball sized spot on the animal when the shot comes.

You wrote "high impacts from various ammo." Does this mean all the shots from one brand of factory group higher?

Posting a picture of you targets might help if you want to drill down. There are lots of variables in play for accuracy questions. We'd have go through those in a rather systematic approach.

Your buddy is correct, to a point.
Through my experience the right hand on the wrist of the stock, at the trigger, has a huge impact!
A tight grip here can throw your shot off more that inconsistant, or no grip at the forestock.

Keep a loose grip with a squeezing motion of thumb & trigger finger has given me my most consistant groups.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Your buddy is correct, to a point.
Through my experience the right hand on the wrist of the stock, at the trigger, has a huge impact!
A tight grip here can throw your shot off more that inconsistant, or no grip at the forestock.

Keep a loose grip with a squeezing motion of thumb & trigger finger has given me my most consistant groups.

Interesting.

 

[Caseknife]

I may be an outlier, but I remove both front and rear sling studs from my rifles on the bench when working up loads to alleviate any contact with the rests. I also rest my off hand either on the barrel right in front of the scope or on top of the scope with light rifles, works well with the ultralight rifles for me. My right hand will also grip firmly and hold straight back into my shoulder. This technique works for me. I always have both hands on the rifle while shooting from the bench with the exception of heavy target rifles. My methods differ than many, but work for me.