Off-hand Shooting?

[aprayinbear]

How Good is Good?

Recently I joined the local branch of Wildlife Action Inc. (a great conservation, education, outdoors, organization.) One of the benefits is the club range where I go to shoot whenever I get the chance.

I shoot paper mostly and am really trying to work on my off-hand abilities. I generally shoot my Lyman GPR .50. I shoot at 50 and 100 yards using rb and 70 grains FFF Goex.

I do pretty well at 50 yards standing with groups in the 2-3" range, but at 100 yards my off-hand groups open up to around 8-9" (better then the 12" groups I started with a few months ago!) My aging eyes really struggle at 100 yards. :shocked2:

I guess my question is, "What should I shoot for, what would a good group look like." I do manage to keep my shots centered equally around the bull. I think I just need more practice to minimize my range of motion. I wish I had some other BP enthusiasts to shoot with, but for now I'm just working on my personal best.

All Thoughts Appreciated!
Happy Shooting

 

[biliff]

Link to same discussion about flintlock offhand accurracy:
http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/...d/261281/post/1045353/hl/offhand/fromsearch/1/

 

[aprayinbear]

Thanks BB,

That's a great thread that clears things up a bit. Can't wait to get out there and practice some more. I think it would be great to shoot the "woods walk" described by one of the posters.

Lots of Shootin' Fun!

 

[crockett]

If you are talking about standing up with a muzzle loading rifle with open sights and getting 8" groups at 100 yards- that's pretty good.

 

[aprayinbear]

Crocket,

Yes, that's what I'll getting right now. Of course I'm taking my time, wiping the bore between shots, etc. I know the big competitors do much better, but I just like to challenge myself and see how well I can do.

Happy Shooting! :thumbsup:

 

[newtewsmoke]

check this out, helped us/me. Scott Link

 

[aprayinbear]

Newtewsmoke,

Excellent article! :thumbsup: I'll definitely give it a careful read when I can kick my feet up this evening!

Shoot Safe, Shoot Often, Shoot Tens!

 

[Rifleman1776]

"pretty good"?
I'd say darned good. Keep it up. :thumbsup:
Keep practicing. Many of the better shooters train with weights.

 

[David G]

That's darned good shooting offhand at those ranges. I would not change a thing other than to keep steady practice to further hone your technique. :thumbsup:

 

[newtewsmoke]

Newtewsmoke,

Excellent article! :thumbsup: I'll definitely give it a careful read when I can kick my feet up this evening!

Shoot Safe, Shoot Often, Shoot Tens!

ya its pretty long winded but very good. Scott

 

[smo]

I was just glad to hit a hub cap at 120 yds using the windshield of my 4 wheeler as a rest last week end. :idunno: I have never shot at this distance before and expected the ball to drop more than it did. I don't shoot off hand anymore due to a back injury. I have always used a rest even before the injury when deer or squirrel hunting.I limit my shots to 75 to 80 yards max now because of my eyes and the places I hunt are mostly thick brush. Both deer I took this year were less than 40 yards. The only off hand shooting I have done in years is with a shotgun . However I did discover last week end I can fold my arm and grab hold of my jacket and lay the rifle across the fold at the elbow a have a steady aim without causing back pain.I plan to practice shooting this way more in the months to come. Would that still be considered offhand :idunno:

 

[rafterob]

I shoot pretty good at 25 and 50 yards and I feel that if I am hitting a hand spread at 100 yards that is good shooting. The occaisional bull has got to be pure luck I figure!

 

[zimmerstutzen]

Much of shooting tight groups is also the physical conditioning to hold the gun. The better shape you are in and the more relaxed you are the better the groups are likely to be. I have known more than one or two off hand shooters that actually lifted weights with their left arms to help their offhand groups. I found that my groups were slightly better if I was doing sit ups every couple days. (but not match day) It does something to strengthen posture when shooting offhand rifle or pistol.

 

[bob308]

back when i was really shooting comp. both h-p and m-l. i lifted weights and worked on a stairmaster.

 

[Flash Pan Dan]

Learning to shoot well from any position takes knowing the proper technique, practicing the proper technique, and discipline in applying the technique learned. When I started shooting offhand I was coached by two High Master shooters and I practiced and competed with them weekly. So, I had the first two parts down pretty well, but the third part took awhile to get. I was one of the best practice shooters you could find. It took awhile for my competition scores to catch up to my practice scores. When I started to compete I would get flustered and would not apply my learned technique. I had to learn to be very discipline about accepting the best position I could achieve and not settling for ”˜close enough’ to start shooting.

 

[aprayinbear]

Dear Flashpandan,

I hear you. For me, just shooting at the club range is a challenge (I am used to shooting alone at my brother's farm.) And since I'm usually the only blackpowder shooter there, everyone wants to watch. Last time out, the range officer pulled up a chair behind me and started calling my shots (noone else was shooting at the time.) I'm learning fast about not getting too flustered by others watching. I'm also trying to get a blackpowder match going. That would really help.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Often, Shoot Tens! :hatsoff:

 

[aprayinbear]

Dear Flashpandan,

I hear you. For me, just shooting at the club range is a challenge (I am used to shooting alone at my brother's farm.) And since I'm usually the only blackpowder shooter there, everyone wants to watch. Last time out, the range officer pulled up a chair behind me and started calling my shots (noone else was shooting at the time.) I'm learning fast about not getting too flustered by others watching. I'm also trying to get a blackpowder match going. That would really help.

Shoot Safe, Shoot Often, Shoot Tens! :hatsoff:

 

[smo]

What's fun is when the ladies with the black gun boys see the groups these guns can shot and start asking questions. :idunno: :wink: :grin:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Getting "Stage fright" is a most common problem for all shooters. Here is how I make my brain overcome the problem:

First, understand that your brain is INCAPABLE of thinking about NOthing. Its always thinking something.

So, don't listen to folks who tell you, " Clear your brain of all thoughts"! Its IMPOSSIBLE TO DO.

INSTEAD, think of something that fully occupies your thoughts, and is a help to shooting discipline. By thinking of something YOU CHOOSE, you shut out all the other distracting noises, sounds, and voices. NO? :shocked2: :idunno: :bow:

I use music that I once played, and even Conducted in High School, that is and was a very difficult piece to play. Now, I was raised as a musician, with a "stage mom" who pushed me to perform in front of relatives, and then total strangers when I was very young. I was scared going out in front of those folks. But, I didn't want to freeze, or embarrass myself, so I learned to focus my mind on my music, and get through it.

EVERY PERFORMER I HAVE EVER KNOWN- ALOT-- SUFFERS FROM ANXIETY BEFORE GOING ONSTAGE

 

[paulvallandigham]

Sorry. My computer hiccuped before I finished this. :cursing: :idunno: :barf:

Use the music( I Hum it silently) to develop a rhythm when I shoot. Rhythm is very important for most shooting sports, and music allows me to regulate the rhythm I use from shot to shot.

It also allows me to Exclude all other sounds, and noises around me for the few seconds between the time I mount my gun to my shoulder, and when my planned " follow thru" ends. It would be too exhausting to try to maintain "Auditory Exclusion" throughout an entire shooting match, and I don't even try to do so.
the one advantage shooters have over musicians, is that the "audience" usually are behind you when you are shooting, while musicians face their audiences. When you are a musician, performing, you need to not only learn how to go into "auditory exclusion" but also create tunnel vision so that you are not distracted by the people you face. On stage, usually the lights on the front of the stage are so bright you hardly can see your audience. In live performances, without the stage lighting, learning to not "see" those faces can be a huge help in overcoming stage fright. :thumbsup: :v :hatsoff: