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AR15.COM
9/18/2008 11:31:06 PM EDT
I need to better my tactic for shooting a rifle. I need the 'basics' before anything.... apparently what I do now is pretty bad because I couldn't hit jack (AK)

during my research I found these would help me, which i'll have to try next time I go shooting...

1. put your nose on the charging handle - (why is this?)
2. shoot either during the pause on ur inhale or exhale (I think the pause on my exhale would be better) don't hold your breath!
3. focus not on the target, but on your front sight - I haven't tried this yet, but on a long range (300+) or small targets at around 50-100 (like water bottles) the target would become too blurry I'm thinking?
4. ease up on the trigger gently and 'dont expect' the shot.
5. keep the stock tight as you can to your body
6. don't chicken wing, put that forearm in!
7.relax your body!
8. during prone, don't use the mag as a pivot point. - I think this could really help stabilizing the gun though, since all the weight is now on the ground,so the rifle doesn't wander around as much.

anything else, or anything you can feedback me on what I gathered so far?
9/19/2008 1:31:03 AM EDT
[#1]

Quoted:
I need to better my tactic for shooting a rifle. I need the 'basics' before anything.... apparently what I do now is pretty bad because I couldn't hit jack (AK)

during my research I found these would help me, which i'll have to try next time I go shooting...

1. put your nose on the charging handle - (why is this?)

Accurate shooting means being able to do everything EXACTLY the same with each shot. So if you put your nose to the charging handle, you get exactly the same eye relief (distance between eye and rear sight) every time. I had been shooting differently for some time, and when I started shooting this way, I was surprised at how much more control I had!


2. shoot either during the pause on ur inhale or exhale (I think the pause on my exhale would be better) don't hold your breath!
3. focus not on the target, but on your front sight - I haven't tried this yet, but on a long range (300+) or small targets at around 50-100 (like water bottles) the target would become too blurry I'm thinking?

The idea is to get the target centered on the front sight. You can't do this if you are focused on the target.


4. ease up on the trigger gently and 'dont expect' the shot.
5. keep the stock tight as you can to your body
6. don't chicken wing, put that forearm in!
7.relax your body!
8. during prone, don't use the mag as a pivot point. - I think this could really help stabilizing the gun though, since all the weight is now on the ground,so the rifle doesn't wander around as much.

Using the mag as a pivot point puts a lot of wear on the mag and mag catch. Also, in my opinion, it is harder to sight in the rifle this way.
You really need control of the rifle to be in your hands, not on an arbitrary pivot point. This is a very good argument for having some 20-round mags in your inventory.


anything else, or anything you can feedback me on what I gathered so far?


One more thing to add: Trigger follow-through. It is very easy to get into the habit of resetting the trigger immediately after the shot, but this can lead to 'slapping' the trigger.
When you fire your shot, wait about 1 second before you release the trigger. What I learned to do is to make the TRIGGER RESET, NOT the shot, the "high point" of the event!

This is very similar to the follow-through of a golfer's or a tennis player's swing. They don't stop swinging after they hit the ball; they follow through with a (hopefully) perfect swing, making the 'swing' the most important part of the event, not the contact with the ball. In this way, they improve their control of the ball.

Ever seen Japanese feudal-era archery? The point of this pastime is to perfect FORM, and NOT to hit the target. After form is perfected, the archer finds that he or she has become a marksman.
9/19/2008 1:26:34 PM EDT
[#2]
Randy Cain.

www.southernexposuretraining.com
9/19/2008 2:36:27 PM EDT
[#3]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I need to better my tactic for shooting a rifle. I need the 'basics' before anything.... apparently what I do now is pretty bad because I couldn't hit jack (AK)

during my research I found these would help me, which i'll have to try next time I go shooting...

1. put your nose on the charging handle - (why is this?)

Accurate shooting means being able to do everything EXACTLY the same with each shot. So if you put your nose to the charging handle, you get exactly the same eye relief (distance between eye and rear sight) every time. I had been shooting differently for some time, and when I started shooting this way, I was surprised at how much more control I had!


2. shoot either during the pause on ur inhale or exhale (I think the pause on my exhale would be better) don't hold your breath!
3. focus not on the target, but on your front sight - I haven't tried this yet, but on a long range (300+) or small targets at around 50-100 (like water bottles) the target would become too blurry I'm thinking?

The idea is to get the target centered on the front sight. You can't do this if you are focused on the target.


4. ease up on the trigger gently and 'dont expect' the shot.
5. keep the stock tight as you can to your body
6. don't chicken wing, put that forearm in!
7.relax your body!
8. during prone, don't use the mag as a pivot point. - I think this could really help stabilizing the gun though, since all the weight is now on the ground,so the rifle doesn't wander around as much.

Using the mag as a pivot point puts a lot of wear on the mag and mag catch. Also, in my opinion, it is harder to sight in the rifle this way.
You really need control of the rifle to be in your hands, not on an arbitrary pivot point. This is a very good argument for having some 20-round mags in your inventory.


anything else, or anything you can feedback me on what I gathered so far?


One more thing to add: Trigger follow-through. It is very easy to get into the habit of resetting the trigger immediately after the shot, but this can lead to 'slapping' the trigger.
When you fire your shot, wait about 1 second before you release the trigger. What I learned to do is to make the TRIGGER RESET, NOT the shot, the "high point" of the event!

This is very similar to the follow-through of a golfer's or a tennis player's swing. They don't stop swinging after they hit the ball; they follow through with a (hopefully) perfect swing, making the 'swing' the most important part of the event, not the contact with the ball. In this way, they improve their control of the ball.

Ever seen Japanese feudal-era archery? The point of this pastime is to perfect FORM, and NOT to hit the target. After form is perfected, the archer finds that he or she has become a marksman.


do you actually TOUCH the CH? lol
9/19/2008 9:31:54 PM EDT
[#4]

Quoted:
do you actually TOUCH the CH? lol


Yes.

Av.
9/23/2008 8:38:43 PM EDT
[#5]
If you are holding the firearm tight enough you'll be fine. This also helps control muzzle climb and keeps you closer to the target for a fast second shot if needed.

I have a question? If he is using an AK i don't see why pivoting on the mag will cause any problems. The Russian army does PT using there rifle, including push ups on the gun with all there weight on the mag into the ground. I can see where wear could be a problem but with the weight of the rifle only i don't see it causing much of a problem.
9/23/2008 8:51:06 PM EDT
[#6]
Follow the plan you listed, and you should do just fine.
9/24/2008 2:43:19 PM EDT
[#7]

Quoted:
I need to better my tactic for shooting a rifle. I need the 'basics' before anything.... apparently what I do now is pretty bad because I couldn't hit jack (AK)

during my research I found these would help me, which i'll have to try next time I go shooting...

1. put your nose on the charging handle - (why is this?)
2. shoot either during the pause on ur inhale or exhale (I think the pause on my exhale would be better) don't hold your breath!
3. focus not on the target, but on your front sight - I haven't tried this yet, but on a long range (300+) or small targets at around 50-100 (like water bottles) the target would become too blurry I'm thinking?
4. ease up on the trigger gently and 'dont expect' the shot.
5. keep the stock tight as you can to your body
6. don't chicken wing, put that forearm in!
7.relax your body!
8. during prone, don't use the mag as a pivot point. - I think this could really help stabilizing the gun though, since all the weight is now on the ground,so the rifle doesn't wander around as much.

anything else, or anything you can feedback me on what I gathered so far?


One thing I would add to all that has been said so far is repetition. You can do yourself a lot of good by running dry fire drills in the living room.
9/24/2008 2:55:41 PM EDT
[#8]
Get to an Appleseed shoot.  You won't regret it.
9/26/2008 7:16:33 AM EDT
[#9]
Training anecdotes, taken out of context or on their own, won't make you a better shooter.  Get quality instruction, there is no substitute.