Shooting offhand

[CopperFouling]

I'll be the first to admit that I shoot handguns 60 percent of the time, shotguns 30 percent of the time, and rifles about 10 percent. Almost all of my rifle shooting is done from the bench. I get pretty good groups when shooting from a sandbag on the bench.

Today, I went squirrel hunting with a .22 rifle and a 3-9x33 Leupold. Toward the end of the day, I had a shot on a squirrel at 35-ish yards. I completely missed. It was a total embarrassment, and I am glad no one was there to see it.

With a handgun or a shotgun, I know intuitively when I miss before checking to see if the bullet or shot hit the target. However, with my rifle, I thought that I hit him...until he jumped up after a few seconds and ran away.

So clearly, I am in need of some pointers about shooting offhand with my .22. Any suggestions?

 

[Bfh_auto]

I use a sling and/or brace my elbow off my ribcage.
At 35 yards neither of those should be necessary if you practice.

 

[JFrank]

I was typing a thread on this exact topic a couple days ago, Grandson kicked my butt at 70 yards. He’s 12

Man gots to know his limitations.....

 

[Varminterror]

Practice. Hasty sling, monopod support, and practice. And practice.

 

[AK103K]

Dry fire is great help. Helps get and keep your muscle tone where it needs to be.

Id skip the sling for practice. Nothing wrong with it for field use though.

90% of my rifle practice is offhand, as its always been my weakest.

 

[jmr40]

Dry fire practice is your friend. Just be aware that many 22's cannot be dry fired without damage. MOST centerfire rifles are OK. Make sure before you break a firing pin. If you can't do it with your 22 chances are good a center fire rifle you own can.

 

[Barbaroja]

I’m with ya, don’t feel too bad squirrel heads are tiny and move a lot. I rarely take a shot not leaning on a tree if one is available.

 

[Dibbs]

Squirrels are some resilient little varmints. I've dropped them with one shot, and hit them 2 or three times,
and they just kept running. If you hit a vital, dead squirrel. If not, it's likely to fall, then get up off the ground, and run up the nearest tree.
So if you're not knocking every one of those furballs down, with the first shot, don't feel too bad.

 

[CopperFouling]

Dry fire is great help. Helps get and keep your muscle tone where it needs to be.

Isn't that a bad idea with a rimfire?

I’m with ya, don’t feel too bad squirrel heads are tiny and move a lot. I rarely take a shot not leaning on a tree if one is available.

I was in the middle of a path and didn't have anything handy, unfortunately. From what I've read, though, I should probably find some place and sit rather than walking. When I find a place to sit, I'll look for something on which to rest the rifle.

 

[Boattale]

I'll be the first to admit that I shoot handguns 60 percent of the time, shotguns 30 percent of the time, and rifles about 10 percent. Almost all of my rifle shooting is done from the bench. I get pretty good groups when shooting from a sandbag on the bench.

Today, I went squirrel hunting with a .22 rifle and a 3-9x33 Leupold. Toward the end of the day, I had a shot on a squirrel at 35-ish yards. I completely missed. It was a total embarrassment, and I am glad no one was there to see it.

With a handgun or a shotgun, I know intuitively when I miss before checking to see if the bullet or shot hit the target. However, with my rifle, I thought that I hit him...until he jumped up after a few seconds and ran away.

So clearly, I am in need of some pointers about shooting offhand with my .22. Any suggestions?

Yes. Same way you get to Carnegie Hall.

 

[LoonWulf]

Id suggest getting an air rifle, dosent need to be a powerful one, and practicing in the yard or house even. I LIKE, and do dry fire practice kinda a lot, but even something like an adult red ryder can provide a bit more entertainment, and immediate feedback.

 

[MikeInOr]

Shoot your rifles more often!

I also shoot my pistols more often than my rifles and this also shows in my off hand rifle shots... I guess I should follow my own advice.

 

[Barbaroja]

Isn't that a bad idea with a rimfire?



I was in the middle of a path and didn't have anything handy, unfortunately. From what I've read, though, I should probably find some place and sit rather than walking. When I find a place to sit, I'll look for something on which to rest the rifle.

When I hunt with a .22 I’ll pick a spot and wait, still hunting works better for me with a shotgun as I can almost never seem to spot them before they are running for it.

 

[Pivot Dr]

I’m much better on a running/moving target than a stationary one shooting offhand!
At 73 it’s not nearly as good as it was at 35, I can assure you of that!

 

[caribou]

I shoot a .22lr, a 12 gauge and a .308 Win or 7,62x54r, and most of the Rifle shots are shot kneeling, the shotgun/.22lr is usually shot while Im standing or such, pretty close and mostly on small game.

Shooting moving/flying animals is alot more than not, I usually get Caribou standing, they run 100 yards or so, and stop for a second look, sometimes...

 

[LoonWulf]

Yes. Same way you get to Carnegie Hall.

By being an amazingly talented pianist?

 

[Oldschool shooter]

The only time I shoot from a bench is to zero my rifle/scope combo. Then my shooting is done offhand, with a sling to help give me a stable platform.

 

[AK103K]

Isn't that a bad idea with a rimfire?

They make snap caps for 22's. My kids used them in their Chipmunks while dryfiring learning to shoot. I still use them with a couple of my 22 handguns.

I've seen some post you can use the proper size screw anchors too. I never have though.

Personally, I'd use one of the heavier rifles you have, and better yet if it has a heavier trigger, to dry with. You want to work those muscles.

Something to consider too, heavy barreled guns hold better/steadier offhand than lightweight barreled guns. If you're planning on hunting like this a lot, a heavy barrel target rifle might be a better choice.

 

[lemaymiami]

Spotted LoonWulf's mention of air guns to practice with. When I was a kid (only sixty years ago), can't remember how many squirrels and rabbits I killed with a Benjamin .22 cal air rifle.... It was all I ever used. I actually still have it, waiting for the first suitable grandkid that really shows an interest. I have seven of them (grandkids) at last count so at least one of them should show an interest -but these days, who knows?

 

[bearcreek]

Isn't that a bad idea with a rimfire?

Depends on the rimfire. Many, like the 10/22, can be dry fired with no damage. The "gun community" has a very long memory but is sometimes slow to learn and it's common for things that haven't been true for 50 years or more to be touted as fact. You can still, on occasion, run across people who think that AR's must be kept squeaky clean in order to work properly, for example.

 

[X62503]

Can a spent .22 case be used for dry firing? There must be ignitable substance in the case rim. Any drawback?

 

[illinoisburt]

I think what everyone is saying is simply shoot more. Practice really is the only way to learn a skill. Least cost and most benefit is get a BB rifle, BB trap, and 10,000 BBs. Blaze away a hundred per day. Start real close (like 25 feet) and add a couple yards each week. After two or three months you won't think twice about offhand shooting. It will just seem natural.

 

[GBExpat]

The only time I shoot from a bench is to zero my rifle/scope combo. Then my shooting is done offhand, with a sling to help give me a stable platform.

This.

Before leaving the yard I make sure that the sling is properly adjusted to the thickness/bulk of my clothing (e.g., the thick sleeve of a heavy winter coat will require that I loosen the sling a bit).

O'course, if there is a tree/post/tractor on which to lean when I have to shoot, I will usually choose one of those over only the sling.

IMO Back-To-Basics offers a good start to improving offhand shooting. Paying attention to your breathing and waiting patiently for the glass rod to break (gentle, steady trigger press) are very important.

 

[GBExpat]

Can a spent .22 case be used for dry firing? There must be ignitable substance in the case rim. Any drawback?

Many of us (I imagine) use small plastic wall anchors for .22RF dry firing ... as an example:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H5WVCS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Random 8]

Shoot more offhand. Mix in field expedient rests, slings, and some sitting/kneeling (prone is seldom encountered in field hunting IMHO.) Awhile back, we had some informal "postal" matches on here that required field position shooting. They were eye openers for many.

I like to "hasty sling" whenever possible if I have to, or expect to, have an offhand shot. Side bracing on a tree is even better. Just fire your arm through the sling from left side past the elbow (right handed shooter), bring it under and around sling back to forend and pull tight. This will aid stability.

Square your feet to the target (90 degree angle to vector of fire). Your final angle to find natural point of aim will vary slightly based on your anatomy, but 90 will be close. Spread your feet about as wide as your hips. Lean back and right slightly above the waist. Bend your left elbow and grip the rifle rather far back, near the magazine well. It will feel really awkward at first, but the idea is to make a sort of triangle with your support arm, your body and the rifle.