What is your method to combat offhand wobble?

[Larry (Omaha)]

We all know that practice in our sport will make us a better shot. This post is asking what do you do to combat any wobble when shooting offhand? I have alway been taught to bring the rifle up, acquire sight picture, center and hold your POA, stay steady, and squeeze the trigger. I just read an article that said to help avoid OH wobble one should shoot similar to wing shooting. The article said that when the rifle is used in the swing position, it has little, or less wobble. I have never been successful at swinging the sights across a target and timing my trigger pull to have discharge when the POA is accoss the sights.
Opinions and thoughts please.
Larry

 

[BS2366]

Not sure how well shooting like the article suggests would work. I usually get comfortable in my shooting position, hold steady to acquire target, breathe, and shoot. If the sights are floating around I like to press the trigger when the front sight floats across the target. Kind of have to anticipate where the sight is going to be. Usually heavy guns don't float around to bad for me.

 

[SOLANCO]

Sounds good but implausible. My training is do not shoot off hand if you can find any sort of rest. You want shots to count. Not to count shots.
Shooting flying is a different thing altogether. If, as a child, you ever squirted another kid with a hose as he ran, you will figure it out.

 

[LME]

We all know that practice in our sport will make us a better shot. This post is asking what do you do to combat any wobble when shooting offhand? I have alway been taught to bring the rifle up, acquire sight picture, center and hold your POA, stay steady, and squeeze the trigger. I just read an article that said to help avoid OH wobble one should shoot similar to wing shooting. The article said that when the rifle is used in the swing position, it has little, or less wobble. I have never been successful at swinging the sights across a target and timing my trigger pull to have discharge when the POA is accoss the sights.
Opinions and thoughts please.
Larry

I was never able to hold a rifle steady enough on target. What I do is bring the rifle up till the sights are on target and pull the trigger.
You will automatically stop for a split second which is exactly what one has to happen to be accurate. I believe this is what the author is relating to? In my youth I was a trick shooter and put on shows in my small part of this country. The reason I mention this is a moving target is shot while the rifle is in motion. The good part is a swing lead keeps the wobble out of the equation. The biggest problem is a muzzle loading rifle requires longer follow through on wing targets than say a .22 rifle.I would like to know where I can get this book? I think this fellow you refered to is right?

 

[Flint62Smoothie]

Breathing … stance (establish your Natural Point of Aim) … practice … keeping all your focus on the front sight, front sight, FrOnT SiGhT, FRONT SIGHT all the way THROUGH the shot, plus recognizing that no human being can actually eliminate wobble. With practice, you will know how to hold, make the shot and ‘when’ to fire.

Add in some dry firing and/or practicing with a springer air rifle and you’ll have it!

 

[SOLANCO]

Front sight. Press.

But I will still take every opportunity for a rest. A hit is more important than a wish.
Shooting to kill? Shooting for thrill?

 

[COTNTOP]

I found that the stock being held firmly against my shoulder helps. When I reach POA is when I squeeze the trigger if everything seems right. Trying to hold on target for periods of time is when I get wobbly.

 

[64Springer]

Delay causes wobble.

Rifle up. Target acquisition. Squeeze.

When hunting deer, I prefer a walking deer to a standing deer.

A walking deer eliminates wobble because you're swinging the rifle laterally.

 

[Dartwick]

Shooting sooner rather than later can help.

But the technique described is terrible - if its actually helping you - then youre a mess. Its basically the same as "snap shooting" that archers with target panic resort to. It builds bad nabits and will make you a worse all around shooter. The only time that should be used is if you hunting rabbits or some other moving target with a rifle.

If you cant hold steady enough - find a rest or something to lean on.

 

[Tom A Hawk]

The heavier the rifle, the further to the rear my supporting hand goes. My full stock Hawken is close to 10 lbs and I get my best off hand accuracy with my hand just forward of the trigger guard. This allow for a nearly vertical forearm.

I'd like to take this gun still hunting more often - if I could just get somebody to carry it for me.

 

[nchawkeye]

My method?? Take a rest...I grew up squirrel hunting, head shots only, always take a rest with a rifle...

 

[64Springer]

The heavier the rifle, the further to the rear my supporting hand goes. My full stock Hawken is close to 10 lbs and I get my best off hand accuracy with my hand just forward of the trigger guard. This allow for a nearly vertical forearm.

I'd like to take this gun still hunting more often - if I could just get somebody to carry it for me.

View attachment 223170

If you want to get your forearm even closer to your torso, turn your left hand around and put your thumb on the right side of the rifle.

Believe it or not, it's a much more comfortable position when you're gripping just in front of the trigger guard.

I used to shoot my Garand this way. That muzzle just sat there.

 

[oldwood]

I was taught to shoot off hand rifle at about 10 yrs old , 1957, by an NRA Lifetime master rifle shooter , my dear old DAD. I still have his NRA award certificate in my shop. Dad taught me the basics ,and many years of firearm's competition , taught me the rest . When I was a teenager , a close friend of my Dad's , was a Competition Trap shooting coach. I mention him , because he taught me how to hold a gun , and the most effective trap shooting stance . One element of the way to hold a rifle , is to raise your elbow at a right angle to your body , instead of the method of putting your palm under the forearm of the rifle , military style. I've tried the military hold , and I wobble . These comments are for a right handed shooter , and are reversed for a lefty.. 1. Put the rifle /shotgun to your shoulder. 2.Raise your right elbow to a right angle to your body , locking your cheek to the gun. 3. Your left arm is extended as far foreward towards the muzzle as is comfortable , and firmly pull the gun into your shoulder. These elements tend to create angles using your arms for stabilization of the gun. A second benefit of using this shooting stance , is if you teach yourself how to move your body from the hips while maintaining the 1. , 2, 3. step hold and sight pattern , the gun is always looking where you look with sights on target. It works for moving targets , as well as the most important off hand shooting. ......Practice. , ditto , ditto , ditto...................oldwood

 

[appalichian hunter]

Accept it, you will never eliminate wobble when off hand shooting, you can minimize it by practicing the fundamentals, BREATH, RELAX, AIM, STOP and SQUEEZ as the sights align with the target.

 

[Absoroka]

Develop a comfortable position - put a dot on your wall and shoulder your rifle with your eyes closed. Practice this until you find a solid and as natural position as possible. Manage breathing - in and out a few times and exhale half the breath as you lift the rifle. Don't hold too long - put the rifle down and breathe and lift again. Follow through - count one thousand and one before you move the rifle. Practice all the above with a wood flint to develop a good process and minimize 'snatching' the trigger when you start to wobble.

 

[morehops52]

Interesting reading all the replies here. As with most everything in shooting everyone finds there own way to solve the puzzle. I always use a rest when I can but some times I ve been caught between moving between trees when my target appeared. Yes there is no way to stop the drifting so I've used two different ways of holding the rifle based on how the situation presents itself. Enough holds have been discussed already so I'll tell you what makes my off hand shooting work really well for me.
I've been a photographer for 50 years. Whether it's sports, portraits or wedding shots there is a critical moment, usually measured in milliseconds, when the subject matter is at it's best. The way to capture that smile at it's peak is shutter control. A shutter tripping is like a charge going off. The mechanism that controls that is a shutter release and most shutters are like a two-stage trigger. A very light travel followed by a harder spot that requires just so much extra pressure to cause the shutter to release. Sound familiar? Yep pretty much like a trigger. The other thing to get that picture sharp is to make sure that only one thing moves at that critical moment: the tip of my finger. Nothing else. When you have everything else dialed in for that perfect shot, whether camera or rifle, that critical moment when the sights cross just behind the front shoulder that finger tip movement gets the deer. That finger travel is the last thing you control until the ball leaves the barrel. Before I go to the range or the field I will dry fire the lock until I get the exact feel for that particular trigger release. I have triggers that release from 8 oz. to 6-1/2 lbs. The only way to know your trigger is to practice just like everything else we want to be very good at.

 

[French Colonial]

I have always been a better than average offhand shot, when target shooting I rest the fore end on my thumb and fingers, not my palm, and I can get the wobble to slowly get smaller until it finally for a brief instant stops on the center of the target, in the mean time I have gradually increased the pressure on my trigger finger until the trigger is just short of breaking. (this is knowing your trigger like morehops says) When it all aligns, break the shot and follow through. Usually takes 5-7 seconds, any longer than that and I have to lower the rifle and start over.

My best day was eight chickens in a row shooting BPCRS and then my rifle malfunctioned, always tried to get the magical ten in a row but never got there.

 

[Rodd Boyer]

While shooting competitively with the military, we were instructed to make a figure 8 with the front sight, either laying flat (infinity sign or Cuban 8) or upright. The thought was to control movement rather than wonder all over the place. The old adage of the trigger break is to be a surprise to you doesn't work here. You need to know your rifle and know exactly when the sear breaks.
YMMV
Good luck, shoot straight and God bless,
Rodd

 

[Art Caputo]

I agree that a degree of wibble is always present. It important to make sure your rifle fits! Given my rifle fits, is well balanced, and the weight does not cause muscle fatigue(at least for the time it takes to release the shot), my most accurate technique is to; after having acquired the smallest portion of the target, focus my eyes “heavily” on the front sight. With practice, the brain will take care of releasing the shot at the proper time……And……Assist with the follow through necessary when shooting ML’s, particularly flintlocks. Personally, while the swing through method can work with a scope and modem high velocity cartridges, I find that the course sights and the longer dwell time of the muzzle loader makes this approach quite difficult to master for all but the closest and largest targets, and best employed for moving game at close range with a rifle, or with a shotgun….IMO.

 

[tdudley]

I usually lift weights to control the "wobble." The stronger your shoulders and upper back and neck and arms are, the better your shot is.... That's my personal expericene