Book Chapter 27-Home

Hunting Bullet Metrics

Apply Terminal Performance Truth

AFRICA HUNTER QUEST©

Chapter 27 - THE PILGRIM LEARNS TO SHOOT FROM A BENCH

GG had Donny set up his rifle and bag on a bench opposite a 100-yard target frame. GG saw that Donny’s bipod was the same as his, so he gave Donny a plywood fixture he had made to secure the bipod’s legs on the bench top. The fixture had four sets of holes that accommodated the bipod’s feet placement based on the detent locations on its legs. The holes in the plywood restrained the legs. When clamped to the bench, the fixture allowed loading the bipod as well as keeping it aligned on the target after the shot.

GG had Donny place his bag at the bench’s near-side edge, both to allow chest support from the bench and to help with better stock placement in the shoulder. Donny noted that the bag placement would have him positioned to the side of his rifle, nor directly behind it. GG had Donny set up on the rifle and look through the scope so that the bipod’s leg height could be adjusted to accommodate both his rear bag height and the scope’s vertical alignment on the target frame. When Donny found the right bipod leg height and placed the legs in the fixture’s holes, he slid the fixture around on the bench top so that his sight picture was on the target frame. When Donny was happy with the likely sight picture, GG clamped the fixture to the bench with one of Donny’s clamps.

GG: Your bipod freely swivels. The manufacturer makes a locking lever accessory that allows you to keep the same level from shot to shot. Eliminating rifle cant improves what shows up on paper. For now, you have to keep both eyes open so that you can see if your scope’s level bubble is actually level for each shot’s hold. You need to do that any way so you can watch your wind flag, as well. Besides, I have found that keeping both eyes open helps me to better relax.

They both walked down to the 100-yard target frame. Donny carried the targets, including an off-the-shelf commercial target with a 1-inch grid pattern to serve as a fouler target. Donny also carried a cardboard backer that GG had brought.

GG carried Donny’s wind flag. At about 25 yards from the firing line, GG stopped and positioned the flag, offset from the rifle alignment so it could be seen with Donny’s off eye.

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GG: You should be able to easily see this with your off eye. With any flag array used in conjunction with short-range load development, the one closest to the rifle is the most important. For a short-range hunting load objective, trying to cipher multiple flags is kindly a waste of time. Just play ‘same and different’ with the wind condition indicated by the one flag, then shoot as close to ‘same’ as you are able. You will be way ahead of the game compared to most.

GG told Donny to set up on the rifle and do dry fires. He wanted to see the Pilgrim’s technique, or in this case, lack of it. GG rolled his eyes.

GG: Awkward, isn’t it? According to most high-power shooters, ain’t no thang shootin’ off a bench. Easy as pie, only Sissies need apply. Yet they typically resemble a gorilla trying to have sex with a greased football: lots of passionate groping in a variety of innovative, contorted positions, all trying to figure out what goes where. The end result is typically a very messy spray. I guess they aren’t in their element unless the shooting position is a masochistic ritual with bondage and leather.

D: Was it that bad?

GG: Getting there. Learning to actually shoot well in any discipline takes time and practice. I have been on my belly more than several times, trussed up in a coat and sling, trying to shoot targets at both 600 and 1000 yards. I imagine I looked like I was on the ground trying to have sex with an electric eel. My shots were on paper, but I was also on sensory overload. Maybe one day I will do the necessary dry-fire practice at the house to teach myself to shoot comfortably in the prone position with a coat and sling. Based on what is going on with the steel bangers, I would be better served to use the field craft in that discipline, as it is better transferred to hunting applications. Regardless, it is a skill set that must be learned and practiced, just like the skill set needed for shooting off sticks and seated from a bipod.

D: Is there anything salvageable, or must I start with a clean sheet of paper?

GG: Understanding and mastering the rear bag are fundamental to your success with your setup. Based on what I saw, a clean sheet of paper. That is not a bad thing, as I didn’t see any bad habits that could hinder our progress. Get up from your rifle and I will show you some techniques that should get you way more comfortable and focused.

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Donny got up and moved away from his rifle. GG went down to his bench and came back with his adjustable pneumatic stool. He removed the club-supplied wooden stool and substituted his own.

GG placed the stool close to the bench, then sat down directly facing the side of Donny’s rifle. He fiddled with the stool’s height adjustment, making several attempts to get it ‘just right’. He then shifted the stool fore and aft, each time looking at the stock before he moved it again. This last stool adjustment was laterally inward toward the bench.

When GG appeared satisfied with the stool placement, he grasped the bag with his non-trigger hand, then placed his forearm on the bench with the elbow pointing directly at the target. He then seemed to wrap his trigger hand’s shoulder around the stock, pressing it forward as he embraced it so that the bipod was slightly loaded. He dropped his head, then peered through the scope.

GG grunted. He unwound his shoulder from the stock, then repeated his bipod loading/sight picture acquisition sequence.

GG: Yep. Scope likely needs adjusting. What you have seen me do is position the stool so that there is good, consistent placement of the stock into the shoulder. The first step you saw me do was adjust the stool height. The visual cue is that my chin just clears the stock when I am sitting upright. The club-supplied stool is really too high for you, based on what I saw. The second step you saw was me adjusting the stool fore and aft so that my nose was directly at a right angle to the end of the stock. Finally, I moved the stool in toward the bench so my chest was in firm contact with the bench.

Once I had the stool where I wanted it, I positioned my non-trigger hand’s forearm on the bench with my elbow pointing directly at the target. This arm placement is key, as it allows good control of the hand pressure that is necessary to literally aim the rifle and follow through with the shot. We’ll get to those mechanics later.

I then mounted the stock into my shoulder pocket and lightly loaded the bipod. Finally, I just dropped my head to acquire the sight picture. The scope’s eye relief is off for me, but may not be for you. Before we go any further, you need to make sure the scope is properly adjusted fore and aft so there is no craning of the neck when the stock is firmly in the shoulder pocket.

D: But that scope placement is perfect when I hunt.

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GG: We aren’t hunting today, are we? You have a Pic rail, which is good if the scope needs fore-and-aft adjusting. Just record the breach scope ring’s notch location so you can later remount it. The hunting zero will have to be checked when you remount it.

Donny resisted the urge to grumble, tripping over the “shooting off a bench can’t be that complicated” thought that flitted by. He was going to bench-shooting school, and he damn-well needed to pay attention.

Donny noted GG got up off the stool being careful not to move it. Donny paid homage to the stool’s placement as he positioned himself adjacent to his rifle.

Donny sat on the stool and contemplated its placement. As GG has indicated, his chin was just above the stock and his nose at a right angle to its end. He felt his chest pressing lightly into the bench, again as advertised. After he had grasped the bag, he positioned his non-trigger-hand’s elbow so that it was pointing toward the target and dropped his elbow and forearm down onto the bench. He then embraced the stock by wrapping his trigger hand’s shoulder around the back of the stock, securing it in his shoulder pocket. The position of the non-trigger-hand’s elbow required him to lean into the stock.

Although it had looked like a contortion, the position was actually comfortable. The forward lean necessitated by the non-trigger-hand’s elbow placement had drawn his shoulder into the stock, and the wraparound of his trigger-hand arm seemed to lock it down. He needed only a very slight forward lean to lightly load the bipod. He dropped his head down and immediately knew the scope needed remounted. Except for the bogus sight picture, the position felt surprisingly good.

D: Yep. Scope needs to be moved forward.

GG: How did it feel otherwise?

D: I am surprised at how good it felt. Stable. Comfortable. A feeling like the rifle isn’t going to get away from me when I pull the trigger.

GG: Good. A productive first step. Let’s get the scope remounted so we can take the next one.

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Donny didn’t have the tools to remount the scope. GG went to his range box and shortly produced the necessary wrenches. “Of course he did,” thought Donny.

With Donny on the rifle, GG moved the scope back and forth to find ‘the’ position. To confirm the scope position gave the proper eye relief, GG had Donny close his eyes as he positioned himself on the stock, then open them when the position felt ‘right’ to assess the scope’s sight picture. It took several trials before the scope rings were in the proper Pic rail slots for a full, unimpeded site picture.

When Donny looked up to see where the scope had been placed, he breathed a sigh of relief. The final placement only allowed one more notch of movement forward. Fiddling with the scope rings to get the scope’s level mounted so he could see it with his off eye had nearly fornicated the canine. “Blind hogs and acorns,” thought Donny.

GG cinched the scope down and then checked the tightness of the rings actually holding the scope.

GG: Your rings are kinda loose. I’m going to tighten them some. I would urge you to get a torque tool and cinch all of these appropriately.

Donny’s face turned red. He had been so immersed in getting that damn scope level positioned, he hadn’t gone back and checked the torque of the rings.

GG had Donny get back on the rifle, then told him to align it on the fouler target.

GG: Move the rear bag fore and aft. You can see that the movement is a very coarse elevation adjustment. Position the bag so the target dot is about 2 inches high and about ½ inch to the right of the aiming square. Now just squeeze the bag to drop the crosshairs onto the center of the aiming square.

Donny followed GG’s instructions and was amazed at how precisely he could control the placement of the target dot, particularly the vertical. The new bag was stiff, but his grip was strong and he could easily control placement of the reticle.

GG: Your bag hand is your follow-through. Once you get the sight picture, tell yourself that you aren’t going to change your grip pressure no matter what. Envision seeing the bullet strike where you’re aiming, recoil be damned.

D: Got it.

GG: Now dry fire. Always dry fire before every range session to refresh the muscle memory. Consistent site picture. Breath control. Trigger squeeze. Follow-through. Calling the shot. The same principles of all shooting disciplines apply. But now we have to add lack of rifle cant and a ‘same’ wind direction with approximately the same speed. Keep both eyes open. Multitasking on steroids. Keep dry firing until you get three in a row where the reticle doesn’t seem to jump.

Donny repeatedly cycled the bolt. Getting the reticle to stay put was hard, far harder than he had imagined. He lost count of the trigger pulls, frustrated that he couldn’t quite get the crosshairs from jumping ever so slightly when he squeezed the trigger. He finally figured out that it was his trigger hand placement and pressure that was the culprit. He then got his three in a row.

D: I’m ready.

GG: The point of impact is going to be way different because you took the suppressor off. Put it back on so we don’t have to do a ‘go fish’ because you are off paper.

Donny reinstalled the suppressor. He was eager to finally get started.

GG: Dry fire again until you feel you are ready. Then take one of the fast powder rounds that you loaded to ½ grain less than published maximum and shoot the fouler target. Open the bolt slowly after you fire and remove the case by hand. You want to do that with all your brass.

Donny selected the round from his ammo box that GG had brought to the bench. Donny noted that GG had apparently moved directly behind him so that he presented no distraction. Donny chambered the round. He used his off eye to check for proper level and noted no movement of the wind flag. When he was confident of his hold, he squeezed the trigger.

The shot felt good. He was proud that he had held his head down during recoil and felt confident his hand pressure on the bag had not changed. He was confident there would be an impact at least close to his aim point.

Donny peered into his scope and found the impact. Somewhat low and a fuzz to the right. He turned around to announce the impact placement. He was startled to see GG positioned directly behind him with what appeared to be spotting scopes

rigged as binoculars. The scopes were cinched down into a metal frame that was supported by a surveyor’s tripod. “Ho . . . lee . . . buckets!” thought Donny.

GG: You are where you need to be. Shift over to one of those targets with the small squares. Aim at the middle square. Start with the lowest powder charge and work your way up. I will record the impact sequence. You just concentrate on shooting and measuring extractor grooves.

Donny nodded and shifted the rear bag slightly to align on one of the targets with the small squares. He dry fired several times to calm himself down. He selected the cartridge with the lowest powder charge and began his sequence of firing, then measuring the extractor grooves.