Hand Position on Shooting Sticks

[sheephunterab]

So I've played a lot with my hand position when shooting off sticks and have recently started this. Anyone else shoot off sticks like this? It seems crazy accurate!

 

[brandondd24]

My ph Lionel, helped me with this, pretty close to same.

 

[Edge]

Yes, I find it to be very steady. Found it through trial and error when practicing off sticks at the range.

 

[One Day...]

This is very fine on a mild recoiling rifle, but I would caution you on a large caliber rifle with significant recoil. A .416 will have the front swivel stud dig into your left hand and hurt, a .458 Lott will likely cut and draw blood. Been there

What is most important is to place the rifle and the feet properly when shooting off the sticks.

A rifle positioned on the sticks toward the middle of the stock will amplify the effect of the body movements on the barrel movements.

A rifle positioned on the sticks toward the end of the stock will minimize the effect of the body movements on the barrel movements.

Feet positioned to form a triangle with the tripod will reduce the body sway.

Feet positioned in line with the tripod will not...

 

[sheephunterab]

This is very fine on a mild recoiling rifle, but I would caution you on a large caliber rifle with significant recoil. A .416 will have the front swivel stud dig into your left hand and hurt, a .458 Lott will likely cut and draw blood. Been there

What is most important is to place the rifle and the feet properly when shooting off the sticks.

A rifle positioned on the sticks toward the middle of the stock will amplify the effect of the body movements on the barrel movements.
View attachment 281048

A rifle positioned on the sticks toward the end of the stock will minimize the effect of the body movements on the barrel movements.
View attachment 281049

Feet positioned to form a triangle with the tripod will reduce the body sway.
View attachment 281050

Feet positioned in line with the tripod will not...
View attachment 281052

Good advice on where to place the rifle and forming a triangle with the body for sure. I've used this hand hold on rifles up to 375 H&H with no issues but you sure could be right on the bigger stuff. I see this new hold I'm using especially useful for longer range shooting on plains game. I can bang the gong all day long at 300 yards with it. For up close stuff I likely wouldn't use it.

 

[Powdermaker]

The biggest problem I have, when shooting off sticks, is bearing down on the sticks too much. If I relax, I shoot fine. Sometimes, I tense up and then I tend to push down on the fore-end to steady myself. This causes the rifle to bounce up from the recoil and shoot high. I will give your technique a try! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

This is very fine on a mild recoiling rifle, but I would caution you on a large caliber rifle with significant recoil. A .416 will have the front swivel stud dig into your left hand and hurt, a .458 Lott will likely cut and draw.

Happened to me this weekend shooting Winchester 416 RM. was holding to far forward on forend. Barrel band swivel cut left index finger open. Wont do that again!!

 

[One Day...]

Ouch Mark Biggerstaff, that hurts

A trick that really works well is to place the sling and swivel forward of the sticks "V" and to hold the rifle forehand rearward of the sticks "V". This way: 1) you have the sticks between the swivel stud and your hand, and 2) you do not bear down as much on the sticks as Powdermaker indicates, although you do want to bear down on the sticks (this is what give you forward/backward stability), but not too much of course

My personal experience is that at least 75% of proper positioning on the sticks is linked to the feet position. If you are too high and bear down too much, spread the feet a little more to lower your stance; it works really well

Just back from ringing the 6" plate at 150 yd with a .22 lr; my Sunday afternoon "personal time off" ... and practice. The passing score is 5 consecutive series of 5 shots hitting the plate at 150 yd. Every miss resets the score. You will be surprised how challenging it can be

When you "pass" consistently at 150 yd with the .22 lr, it is good practice to finish the session with 3 shots of your centerfire, just to remember that recoil exits

Range Shooting

• One Day...
• Apr 24, 2019

6" plate at 150 yd. Not as easy a target as one might think. Ringing it 10 times in a row off...

 

[Philip Glass]

We are shooting gongs off our new Viper Flex sticks. We are shooting my 300 yd gongs getting ready for Namibia in 3 weeks.
Philip

 

[Sika98k]

We are shooting gongs off our new Viper Flex sticks. We are shooting my 300 yd gongs getting ready for Namibia in 3 weeks.
Philip

Great to hear the Viper Flex sticks are selling in the U.S. they are a real game changer. Incredibly stable to shoot off.

 

[Timbo]

This is very fine on a mild recoiling rifle, but I would caution you on a large caliber rifle with significant recoil. A .416 will have the front swivel stud dig into your left hand and hurt, a .458 Lott will likely cut and draw blood. Been there

What is most important is to place the rifle and the feet properly when shooting off the sticks.

A rifle positioned on the sticks toward the middle of the stock will amplify the effect of the body movements on the barrel movements.
View attachment 281048

A rifle positioned on the sticks toward the end of the stock will minimize the effect of the body movements on the barrel movements.
View attachment 281049

Feet positioned to form a triangle with the tripod will reduce the body sway.
View attachment 281050

Feet positioned in line with the tripod will not...
View attachment 281052

Thanks for sharing this info! I found it very helpful.

 

[5shot]

I usually place the sticks towards the end of the forearm, and I shoot big kickers using the following technique. It is used to reduce felt recoil in shotguns (slugs, buckshot), but I find it works for anything. A 2oz load of buckshot is no slouch in the recoil department!

 

[LivingTheDream]

We are shooting gongs off our new Viper Flex sticks. We are shooting my 300 yd gongs getting ready for Namibia in 3 weeks.
Philip

Viper Flex sticks are an entirely different animal, you can get ridiculously steady on those.

 

[Longwalker]

I don't rest the rifle on the sticks. I rest the rifle in my hands, always. I rest the back of my front HAND on the sticks whenever they are available. My hand supports the rifle always. In that way my POI and shooting style and practise work well regardless if the sticks are available, or another rest is available, or no rest is available and I am forced to shoot unsupported.

 

[IvW]

A medium to big bore rifle used for DG hunting should not have the front sling swivel on the stock, the reason has been given. A proper DG rifle should have the front sling swivel attached via a barrel band to the barrel ahead of the stock.

 

[curtism1234]

I don't rest the rifle on the sticks. I rest the rifle in my hands, always. I rest the back of my front HAND on the sticks whenever they are available. My hand supports the rifle always. In that way my POI and shooting style and practise work well regardless if the sticks are available, or another rest is available, or no rest is available and I am forced to shoot unsupported.

Me too. Hand holds forearm and top of the hand/wrist goes into the v yolk.

 

[YancyW]

We are shooting gongs off our new Viper Flex sticks. We are shooting my 300 yd gongs getting ready for Namibia in 3 weeks.
Philip

Are you going to make the switch to the flex sticks then? I have been thinking about ordering some to give them a try, I am just not sure how much longer they take to set up, opposed to my traditional shooting sticks.

 

[Philip Glass]

Are you going to make the switch to the flex sticks then? I have been thinking about ordering some to give them a try, I am just not sure how much longer they take to set up, opposed to my traditional shooting sticks.

They are easy to set up and I prefer them. The only downside is you can’t swivel left to right as with traditional sticks. They are better for longer shots.

 

[YancyW]

They are easy to set up and I prefer them. The only downside is you can’t swivel left to right as with traditional sticks. They are better for longer shots.

Great, thank you. I am going to give them a go.

 

[Red Leg]

For the off hand - whatever works is whatever works. The foot positioning that @One Day... illustrates is, to my mind at least, what is most important. On everything up through a .375, I sort of wrap the off hand around the rest with only the thumb and first two fingers actually touching the forearm. For me, it is extremely stable and accurate. The key is to settle on something that works for you and practice it until it becomes automatic.