How does you hold yer forearm? arrrr

[Spot Shooter]

I'm gett'n what I consider ta be seriously phenominal right on hits with most my round balls, However.....

Ever third shot the rifle-gun seems to kick up and right, and sure enough the bugger punches a hole 3" high and 1" to the right.

Now I'm gonna try to time it so the deer I shoot won't be on the third shot, BUT I think i should try'n figir this out anywho.

Any of ya old codgers can led me part of yer bain 'cause I ain't figgired her out yet. I oughta name this gun after a women.

Spot

 

[Stumpkiller]

Arrrr. I keep me left forearm in the box next to me right leg ever since I got this here hook and the peg.

The trick to beat your problem is to skip right past from the second shot directly to the fourth. That'll solve it I'm sure.

Anyway, I hold my left arm with the elbow directly below the rifle and my trigger-hand elbow perpendicular. Pure Boy Scout, target shooting, civilian marksmanship posture drilled into kids of my generation like the Pledge O'Llegiance. If you relax the left shoulder (if you shoot right handed) and concentrate on your breathing and the target you MIGHT get over it. Are you shooting a heavy load without ear protection? Could be that bad 'ol debil Flinch has found you.

Have a helper hand you a loaded rifle, but instruct them ahead of time to leave the prime out/use a dud cap every fifth shot or so randomly. That will show if you have a flinch.

 

[Spot Shooter]

Stump,

I've been palm'n the forearm with my left hand, but am surprized that every once and a while she'll buck just a bit right.

I'm wonder'n if I had it shoulder'd different. unlike a modern weapon the butt plate curl is bugg'n me so I may be movin' it around.

Spot

 

[Randal Zartman]

Name it after a women, huh? How about Tricksy :crackup:.
If you "think" you are uncomfortable with the butt plate, why not try video tapeing your shooting process. The only problem with that is you may have a hard time finding a period correct video camera :haha:. Good Luck.
Zman

 

[silverfox]

I don't know if this will help with the jump on the third shot but try this. Hold the gun as you normaly do, fingers on the right side of the rifle if you are a righty. Now with the hand holding the forearm move your fingers to the left side of the forearm. A little arkward feeling? Good If you feel a strain in the forearm of your left hand thats good. This should make it harder to move the rifle either up & down or left and right. Takes a little to get used to but will give you less wabble on target and better scores. If you didn't do it before you have to turn your hand around to get your fingers on the left side. The rifle should be between your fingers and thumb resting on your palm. good luck :results: :says:

 

[Spot Shooter]

Zman,

The more I think about it the butt plate is too small to fit my shoulder, and it's most likely causin' the problem.
Then the problem is what ta do?


Silver,

I was wond'ren if yer supposeta hold her fairly tight or guide her with a light grip. I'm fig'rin ya mean to hold her light and guide her home. The fly'ers I got were while I was rest'n my hand on a sandbag which makes me wonder all the more. I'm still think'n it's the butt plate issue. I'll try'n fig'ur that out pretty quick.

Spot

 

[silverfox]

Howdy again. I hold fairly tite with my fingers against the valley between the barrel and the stock. Try to hold the same pressure all the time but can slide the hand forward or backward on the stock until the arm feels locked. You mentioned the butt plate, maybe right it got to be the same place if'n you got boney shoulders like I do I have to be sure it's located in the soft spot or it can hurt smartly. Luck be with you :RO:

 

[roundball]

I brace my left elbow down on the left side of my chest with my open left hand slid up snug against the front of the trigger guard...the rifle lays in the open relaxed hand without really being "gripped" at all...

 

I doubt it's the rifle. You're anticipating the shot, not flinching per se, anticipating the shot and compensating by trying to beat the recoil. Once you see what happens you settle back in for a few shots then repeat the process. It's an easy thing to do and probably all of us have done it at one time or another. Shooting is all between your ears, that is that it is a matter of concentration. Whether we're shooting muzzleloaders offhand, handguns at long range from a rest or BB guns at flys at 10 ft., the constants are just that, constant. Sight picture, breath control and trigger control. If you're comfortable with the way you're holding the forearm with your forehand I'd stick with that form and concentrate on the three above mentioned things. They are never wrong and if adhered to will manifest themselves with good groups. The way I or someone else holds the forearm may not be right for you. That isn't to say that you can't learn from others or try their technique for effect, merely that it may not be right for you. My offhand stance is quite normal but I've seen some strange ones out there.....and I can't argue with their results, they often times beat me but just as often don't. I'm going to stick by that you're anticipating the shot.

Vic

 

[Spot Shooter]

I'll give it a try, thanks sharps!

Spot

 

It's long been a secret, but here it is.
: I hold my forewood at the entry pipe(long rifle), with the forefinger running up the pipe, elbow below the stock. My right elbow is horizontal, butt tucked into the crook. I find this practicaly eliminates ALL of the horizontal movement, leaving mostly vertical which I find is easier to control. This may not work for all, but with practise, really reduces group sizes - 1" hole at 25yds. and 2" at 50 yards are easily possible with open sights & a round ball gun.
: I also use this method in modern rifle 3 position shooting and increased my scores to high 80's on the standard 100 meter target, offhand stance. Since that's averaging over 8's every shot, It was a good boost to my high 60's scores of previous & put me solidly in the Master Class along with 100's prone and 96/97 kneeling scores.
: The exaggerated Swiss-Style, leaning back, etc, really doesn't work for me very well. 1st of all, it's hard on my back and secondly, I've always been able to shoot tighter, with up straight & tall stance, head erect as much as possible. If you have to scrunch it down onto the stock due to poor stock fit, your groups will suffer. The closer your eyes are to flat horizontal, the better your balance will be and the closer you'll shoot. Some comercial stocks don't have the drop or fit for this - That's unfortunate. Try the forefinger forward - you might see an improvement.

 

[Sparks]

Is your gun fitted to you? Is your stock length right for your 'pull?' See if a gunsmith friend can answer these for you. He'll probably do two things. First, he'll measure your arm at 90-degrees from the middle of your trigger finger to the crook of your arm...that's called your "pull." That should be how long your rifle is from your butt plate to your trigger. Next, he might have you wearing a coat similar to what you wear when you hunt, and watch you shoulder your piece as if to shoot. He/she will see how you mount the rifle, including wether you seat your butt plate high or low on your shoulder (like if you plant the bottom corner of the plate in the center of your shoulder, etc. There are adjustments that can be made to correct those two items, at least on newer guns. I can just imagine how much of a pain it would be for a smith to shorten your stock and have to redo the patchbox, etc. But gunsmiths can be clever fellows and it may not be as bad as all that.

I ordered my flintlock after being measured for pull. I have had several shotguns modified to fit me.

Sparks

 

Spooky, a gun that can count!!! wow!!!

and it throws every third shot high and right?

Does every third shot go wild even if you fire 15 shots, each spaced at 1 minute interval?

what do you change when you see that this shot has gone high? Do you stop and wipe the bore? do you stomp around for 5 minutes and fuss and let the barrel cool? Do you really settle in and get a good grip for the 4th shot?

You are changing something on that third shot, or are changing something on the 4th shot that puts the point of impact back where it was on the second shot.

We used to get shot stringing like this from heating up the barrel on modern guns. Try waiting 5 minutes, exactly five minutes, between shots. Let the barrel cool.

Try wiping the bore between each shot.

If you wipe the bore between shots you should be returning the barrel to "first shot" condition for every trigger pull.

Ahh...what range are you shooting? A three inch 100 yard group is nothing to lose sleep over. A three inch 50 yard group, from most factory guns, is no biggie.

Everyone missed that little detail. This may be normal shot spread! It's still a good tight 3 inch group!

:imo:

 

[Spot Shooter]

The fit is Good, but I think I wasn't being consistant with shoulder'n the gun on #3.

And Swab'n may have also contributed.

I don't have that problem anymore....

God has a sense of humor.


Spot