By OutdoorClass Staff
The goal of every hunter when presented with an opportunity is to make a clean, ethical shot. Most of us have heard the saying “perfect practice makes perfect.” That couldn’t be more accurate when it comes to rifle marksmanship. It’s important to think consciously about your shooting fundamentals when you go to the range. Running some shooting drills is a good way to slow down, think about your form and make the most of your practice time. Colby Ingram, chief of range operations and director of the Leupold Optics Academy at Leupold & Stevens Inc. instructs special forces operators, professional hunters and civilians. Here are a few drills he suggests that will help you hone your rifle fundamentals.
Create Your Stable Setup
First set up in a prone position behind your rifle. You may want to have a bipod and/or sandbags to help stabilize your rifle as it’s facing downrange. Make sure you can draw a straight line from your rifle barrel to intersect at a 90-degree angle with your shoulders and hips. Keep your legs and feet wide apart. Stability is key.
Dryfire Drill
After you are confident in your stable setup, take 5-10 minutes and do a dryfire drill to establish what the trigger pull feels like. Dryfire your rifle 10 times, taking your time on each one. Pick a spot on the target and maintain your aim on that point throughout the dryfire. When you are ready to fire, trigger-finger placement is key. If you have too much or too little of the surface area of your finger on the trigger you could inadvertently pull the shot. Make sure to pull the trigger straight back each time. To do this, pick a spot on your body to pull the trigger toward, and envision yourself pulling the trigger straight back into that spot every single time. After each dryfire, concentrate on keeping the trigger pinned like a follow through on a basketball jump shot. You can even count “one one-thousand, two one-thousand” before breaking your positioning and cycling the bolt.
Five Perfect Shots Drill
Another good drill to execute is the “five perfect shots” drill. During this drill you take five perfect live-fire shots nice and slow, with five perfect trigger presses, breaths (squeezing the trigger during the couple of seconds after you exhale and before your next inhale) and follow-throughs, while focusing on perfect body positioning.
10 Shots at 10 Dots Drill
Try the “10 shots at 10 dots” drill. Take 10 shots at 10 different dots on a target one after another, breaking and resetting your position after each shot. This requires you to repeatedly practice the whole cycle of positioning yourself behind the rifle, making a shot, then following through on the trigger squeeze.
Remember, no matter how long you’ve been hunting or shooting, you can always improve your marksmanship. Focusing on your fundamentals can help take you to the next level.
Want to learn more marksmanship tips? Find Leupold’s Big Game Marksmanship course at www.outdoorclass.com.