Tips for improving shooting technique

I’ve been shooting for pest control for a while, informally taught by my old man. I have had reasonable success but am definitely prone to a few flyers.

I’m looking to invest some effort into improving my technique.

Really interested to hear any tips and techniques.

Looking to get a bit more purposeful with trigger technique, as well as understanding ballistics a bit better. The sort of stuff in the second half of this video has been really helpful around how to observe the target, slide into the scope and actually fire: https://youtu.be/ZPAuefpZY6o?si=JFae1WbNib_3Oytp

Yep good vid, my freehand shooting has been buggered by too much benchrest. Use sticks alot these days when hunting but more practise wouldn't go a stay. Agree with the lower magnification thing, 6X is what I use at 200M deer size, too much & I wobble around like a Mad thing, most of my hunting is trying to hit 20c piece size targets, varminting rabbits & hares, to 75M.

Dry firing is an excellent training tool. There's loads of ways to go about it depending on your goals.
A simple way to get started is to balance a coin on the end of your barrel, aim and fire (no ammo). If done correctly the coin will stay in place, if done perfectly there will be minimal movement. This will help develop your fundamentals.

I like shooting service rifle at my local club. I use it as a training tool. The shooting itself is pretty simple however shooting from different positions in sequence on the clock in a competition setting adds a level of stress that is hard to duplicate on your own.

buy a whole lot of ammo

the techniques for a bench or prone are easy - what takes practice for real hunting is standing shots taken quickly - thats what you get bush hunting - I have taught myself to come down onto my target - and if you can teach yourself moving targets - prepare yourself for real deer suddenly in front situations -quick shooting - of course if south island and you have time to range etc different story but north island practice snap shooting especially standing

Id be hesitant to do dry firing practice with a rimfire.

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Originally Posted by blip

Id be hesitant to do dry firing practice with a rimfire.

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you are right blip not on with a rimfire firing pin damage etc but some of our knowledgeable buggers on here could tell us all how it can be done

Ive tried snap caps but it gets old. If you have the place to do it live ammo is cheap enough. Possum shooting is good practice for standing shots

yes .22 is cheap getting to spot to shoot not so much so use the time well set up some type of moving target practise practise

Standing shots -lift your elbow higher than feels normal and watch how it steadys your sight picture.
Practice until it’s your new normal.

Shooting offhand is a pretty perishable skill, the more is a perishable skill, the more you practise . . . having said that I've seen a couple of very experienced pest guys have howlers on offhand gongs.

Funny enough the basics of any shooting position is the same for any situation, especially including benchrest and prone off bipod. That's "natural point of aim" , offhand don't swing the rifle, move your feet, sitting, move your butt, bench, move your body then the rifle. If you are gripping the rifle any firmer than a "ladies handshake type pressure" you're doing something wrong.

Many modern rimfires can be dry fired, 10/22's, CZs, new Lithgows etc. Not Tikkas . It just a matter of good design and correct firing pin tolerances.

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

you are right blip not on with a rimfire firing pin damage etc but some of our knowledgeable buggers on here could tell us all how it can be done

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If it has an exposed hammer, you can cut a piece of leather to fit under the hammer, this also works with Swedish Mausers due to the shape of the cocking piece.

Another way to do it is to use an old parts gun that you no longer want to shoot, good trigger technique is good trigger technique. If you get as good as you can be on one trigger, you are 80-90% of the way to being as good as you can be on any other trigger.

Buy a springer air rifle & practice everday at home. Shoot out of the garage, with a good backstop to keep noisy to a minimum and safety top priority. A swinger at 20metres or so, free hand only a hand full of shots a day, target size 25mm. You will find shooting often creates muscle memory, & springers are very hold sensitive, artillary hold is a must. Plus its cheap.
A coaster I know swears by standing in a room & sighting the corners left & right & mock pulling the trigger, He's shot alot of deer, awesome bush hunter.

Tell us a bit more about the kind of terrain you are hunting or shooting in. Sticks are good, but there is a reason you don't see them here often. If they were practical they would be part of kit.

Without knowing anything else, Id say the best thing you can do, is get in the habit of looking for a rest as the first thing you subconsciously do. A tree, fencepost, mound of dirt, daypack.
Don't try to shoot off hand too far. 50 to 60 meters on a deer size animal at most. Less than 20 on a rabbit or possum.

shoot as much as you can and just practice the basics of good form, breathing and trigger control.

I have never used sticks, they just look like more crap to carry. I only use a bipod at the range, I prefer to use a sling in the field. Don't forget you can shoot of a pack or use the environment as well.

Sticks are a incredibly usefull tool if you have the discipline to use them in a systematic way. One of the most formidable night shooters I know (he's on here) is too old to get down and has buggered shoulders uses sticks exclusively and will get rabbits/hares/possums to 150M with his 17 HMR and 200M with a 223. He doesn't educate many . . . .

Doesn't @Norway have several videos on the topic?

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Originally Posted by blip

Id be hesitant to do dry firing practice with a rimfire.

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Can you dry fire using a spent cartridge? Turning it so the pin hits a different spot each time? A bit laborious maybe

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Originally Posted by Sh00ter

Dry firing is an excellent training tool. There's loads of ways to go about it depending on your goals.
A simple way to get started is to balance a coin on the end of your barrel, aim and fire (no ammo). If done correctly the coin will stay in place, if done perfectly there will be minimal movement. This will help develop your fundamentals.

I like shooting service rifle at my local club. I use it as a training tool. The shooting itself is pretty simple however shooting from different positions in sequence on the clock in a competition setting adds a level of stress that is hard to duplicate on your own.

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Thanks, I’ll give the coin a go

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

the techniques for a bench or prone are easy - what takes practice for real hunting is standing shots taken quickly - thats what you get bush hunting - I have taught myself to come down onto my target - and if you can teach yourself moving targets - prepare yourself for real deer suddenly in front situations -quick shooting - of course if south island and you have time to range etc different story but north island practice snap shooting especially standing

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Can you explain what you mean by come down onto your target?

There is no substitute for trigger time. You need to shoot weekly at a minimum. When prepping for a comp, I shoot min. 40 shots a day in the month leading up to it.

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Originally Posted by Jesse1122

Can you dry fire using a spent cartridge? Turning it so the pin hits a different spot each time? A bit laborious maybe

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You could. In fact, I have done it myself. The fun wears off fairly quickly though.

I think what he means is that you move your sights down onto the target and pull the trigger when you come onto what you are trying to shoot its easier though to do it moving sideways onto the target what it does is take all the shaking trying to hold steady on a point of aim by moving onto it sideways is better because the animal if it moves is going to move sideways rather than up or down

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Originally Posted by Jesse1122

Can you explain what you mean by come down onto your target?

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lets say a deer is standing looking at you side on about 30 meters away common bush hunting scenario instead of coming up onto the deer I have taught myself to place rifle onto shoulder initially start getting scope lined up above deer and bring cross hairs down onto center of shoulder squeeze off - the alternative is to try and center on deer first - I have found that involves quite a bit of wobbling around to get everything centered- by using one smooth motion of coming down onto the shoulder it seems to stop a lot of the wobbles- in practice for our DOC shoot we used to have of the 20 shots 10 were standing - one 5 shot string was standing without a sling and some time to take the 5 shots so I practiced by coming down onto the target in small stages slowly getting breathing right as I did so - the last 5 shot string was to be fired quickly so I practiced just coming down and when the crosshair passed the bull squeeze off - and yes I did eventually get my name on the historic shield and even won a swazi thar coat great day only took me about 6 years - sadly shoot no longer held - I believe the shield now resides with the Deer Cullers assoc I do get what Carlhurley is saying and it makes sense but me bit late to change now - either way by moving down or sideways it takes out the wobbles -as you move your trigger control starts as does breathing -to try and hold on a target standing without wobbling around takes olympic skill or the help of a sling or both - practise air rifles are great and cheap to run - but you cant beat at least some of that practice is with the rifle you are hunting with even if it is dry firing

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Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

lets say a deer is standing looking at you side on about 30 meters away common bush hunting scenario instead of coming up onto the deer I have taught myself to place rifle onto shoulder initially start getting scope lined up above deer and bring cross hairs down onto center of shoulder squeeze off - the alternative is to try and center on deer first - I have found that involves quite a bit of wobbling around to get everything centered- by using one smooth motion of coming down onto the shoulder it seems to stop a lot of the wobbles- in practice for our DOC shoot we used to have of the 20 shots 10 were standing - one 5 shot string was standing without a sling and some time to take the 5 shots so I practiced by coming down onto the target in small stages slowly getting breathing right as I did so - the last 5 shot string was to be fired quickly so I practiced just coming down and when the crosshair passed the bull squeeze off - and yes I did eventually get my name on the historic shield and even won a swazi thar coat great day only took me about 6 years - sadly shoot no longer held - I believe the shield now resides with the Deer Cullers assoc I do get what Carlhurley is saying and it makes sense but me bit late to change now - either way by moving down or sideways it takes out the wobbles -as you move your trigger control starts as does breathing -to try and hold on a target standing without wobbling around takes olympic skill or the help of a sling or both - practise air rifles are great and cheap to run - but you cant beat at least some of that practice is with the rifle you are hunting with even if it is dry firing

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Thanks @Barry the hunter and @carlhurley for writing that up. Makes a lot of sense when you describe it but I'd never have thought of it.

What are we doing with our breathing when we're come down/across onto the target? Breathe out as we start the sweep, and hold it out until fired?

normally yup thats the idea

If only air rifles' triggers were as sweet as deer rifles'. Any way of fixing that?

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Originally Posted by Jesse1122

Can you dry fire using a spent cartridge? Turning it so the pin hits a different spot each time? A bit laborious maybe

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To be clear I wasn't advocating dry firing a rimfire. I understood the discussion to be about centrefire.

If you want to dryfire a .22 I would use snap caps like these.
https://www.guncity.com/accu-tech-snap-caps-22lr-369253

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Originally Posted by Eat Meater

If only air rifles' triggers were as sweet as deer rifles'. Any way of fixing that?

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spend on a damn good one likely the only way the trigger on my Diana was not to bad at all shot extremly well once I sorted the pellet issue ( hated light pellets needed the heaviest one could get )

Some air rifles like the Dianna have a nice two stage trigger. Something to keep in mind if purchasing.


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[QUOTE=Eat Meater;1652005]If only air rifles' triggers were as sweet as deer rifles'. Any way of fixing that?

Yip buy a Weihrauch they have record triggers.
If your bush shoot, snap shots you better off with firmer trigger. Like 2-4 lbs

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Originally Posted by Andygr

Doesn't @Norway have several videos on the topic?

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Shooting sticks? Not really any films. But they are great, especially in forests and agricultural lands. 4 stable sticks is what I use

Yep, I use basic x sticks, or shooting stix. What ever you want to call them.
Best thing since sliced bread. Yanks have been using them since they shot buffaloes.

You can make very light ones using carbon arrows. Mine fold for a compact carry. Or just wood dowl, ally tube.

Hey mate,

I see you're in Auckland. I'm happy to help you some time in person. I'm shooting coach qualified in the army (actually heading away again end of april to instruct on a course)
Offer is open to anyone else as well. Would be good to get a few people together over a weekend

I thought I invented folding shooting sticks. But then I found this. Mine are virtually identical. Very compact and light weight. You can also easily make them a tripod. Even better.