Tips for Offhand shooting

[MSW]

excellent (and concise) treatise ... thanks!

(by the way, I use a five shot group for zero: more data is good data.

 

[Darkgael]

my challenge is holding steady.

LOL. Standing still is everyone's challenge.....and it is impossible to do.
The best one can do is minimize how much one "wobbles" - and all the good advice so far is about making the wobble as small as possible.
Another name for the wobble, the essentially circular drift of the muzzle/sight around the point of aim, is "arc of movement". Trigger control is learning how to manipulate the trigger so that the gun fires at the point where the arc of movement and point of aim coincide.
Dry firing is a big help. Lots of dry firing.
Pete

 

[nhmoose]

Start upper body weight lifting and other upper body strength exercising.

I am old an my offhand suffers because.

 

[Melnic]

Hmm, all this talk about weight lifting.
I was at a ML shoot. The guy to the right of me was like 70+ years old and barely 140lbs.
Guy on the left of me was 50+ and probably 170lbs. Guy on the left was planting groups about 3" @ 50 yards. Old guy on the right made me look silly. I think there is some experience and skill involved here. Guy on the left had a dedicated Target ML @ 29 cal, and the one on the right was a .45 Hawkenish type ML with a rear peep.

I'm sure Arm and core body strength would be helpful but these chaps did pretty darn good w/o it.

At the beginning, 1/2 my shots were not on paper, by the 2nd round all were on paper and by the last 50 yard set, I was actually doing much better (I think I have pics).


I did lighten up the trigger on my Lyman GPR last night. I will see if I can work on a consitant and comfortable grip and stance next.

I think I'll spend some time with some center fire or maybe 22 to get more time shooting offhand.

 

[Col. Batguano]

All that stuff helps, but building a proper offhand position is all about balance, and finding and maintaining a solid natural point of aim. try to center your wobble on the 10 ring, rather than do a "sweep and grab" when you are breaking the shot. that is easiest to understand when you do it with a (high powered scoped. like 15x+) .22 in prone, and you can actually see the pulse wobble sweeping the 10 ring through the scope.

rather than centerfire, try and build your position with smallbore or air. the best target shooters also do a lot of dry fire practice, and use the electronic SCAT or NOPTEL systems to practice with too. then you get in to training regimen, nutrition, avoiding cafiene, and things like that to help manage your pulse rate.

What are you wearing for footwear, or a jacket? That makes a difference too. Highly supported and relatively stiff boots with very flat soles help a bunch.