shooting small groups

[fernie kazam]

Hey i was just wondering when people talk about shooting 1/2moa groups or other small groups at 100 yards what are you using for a rest?? Are you leaning the forend on a sandbag or a bit of foam or do you have one of those complicated vice things that you clamp the stock into that supports both the front and back? do you ever use a rear rest?? Thanks

 

[tuck2]

The March 2008 No. 236 Rifle Sporting Journal artical starting on page 28 ( Rifle Rest Techniques ) has the info you are looking for. I used shaped sand bags front and rear on a bench rest to hold my varmint rifles when working up reloads.

 

[elmerfudd]

Most people that I see shooting tiny groups use a rest and a rear bag.

 

[gbran]

I use a bipod or a manufactured rest up front with a bag in the rear.

 

[iamkris]

Front elevation adjustable rest with sandbag/bunny ears in back. Clamping the rifle won't make you shoot tiny groups.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Front elevation adjustable rest with sandbag/bunny ears in back

That's what I role with as well...I'm still working on the tiny groups though.

 

[QUICK_DRAW_McGRAW]

4X6 with a sand bag up front, my sholder/hand supporting in the rear.

 

[biscuitninja]

Bipod or sand bag. I don't want any proper stuff because to me its just a crutch. But I do get jealous of those guys that DO have a proper set up.

-bix

 

[rcmodel]

Sandbags front & rear.
Then squeeze the rear bag to make minuet elevation changes.

As already noted, a clamp-type rifle vice will not shoot tiny groups.
Too harsh an environment, and barrel & stock harmonics will play havoc with the groups.

They are best used by manufactures to separate shooters from any excess money they may have available.


rcmodel

 

[taliv]

bags

 

[flashhole]

An Uncle Bud's Bull Bag works well with a folded towel at the butt stock.

 

[Tarvis]

I usually shoot with a bipod and a monopod on the buttstock swivel. My buddy uses a jacket. The more sturdy it is the better, but that doesn't mean you have to have a really really good rest to shoot small groups. Are you benchrest shooting, sighting in a deer rifle, working up a hand load for your rifle?

 

[fernie kazam]

Mostly My friends and I like to shoot 375ml cans filled with water at around 200m for the 243win and 150m for the 22lr. We've been using a pile of newpapers tied together with some string as the front rest and just our shoulder for the rear. I've just read about people shooting 1/2moa and 1/4moa groups and wondered how they did it.Thank you for your anwsers.

 

[Tarvis]

Well, the rest has something to do with it, but a lot of it is also the ammo, most of which is hand loaded.

 

[Reyn]

Well, the rest has something to do with it, but a lot of it is also the ammo, most of which is hand loaded

Along with their tape measure.

 

[HOLY DIVER]

for the broke guys like me

i shoot small groups off of bean bags lol i take a sock fill it full of dried beans
tie the end off and it works great i use it on the frount and rear
i like it because if you want to adjust just squeeze the bean bag

 

[AK103K]

I've always shot prone off a bipod with very good results.

 

[browningguy]

I'm old and weak, so for shooting groups I use a bipod with a hard hold on the shoulder. This is my heavy barrelled Savage 12FV, 5 shots at 100 with handloads. I also shoot a heavy barrelled AR15 the same way, this simulates the way we varmint hunt. Always room for a bipod, but can't always have two rests.



Now the guys that shoot the really small groups, .1' and .2's, use a front and rear rest all the time, with triggers measuring in the ounces, from very heavy rifles. I shoot next to a couple of "F" class guys occassionally and if they shot a group as big as mine the rifle would be going off the the gunsmith to fix whatever was broke.

For sighting in my regular hunting rifles or load development I use a front sandbag as a minimum and front and rear preferred. The goal is to take as much of the human element out to see what the gun and ammo will do.

To be honest shooting 1 moa groups isn't hard, with a rifle that fits and is capable, most can learn to do that from a sling, seated or prone. Sure it takes practice and you probably won't do that the first couple of times but many people could.

 

[YodaVader]

Hey i was just wondering when people talk about shooting 1/2moa groups or other small groups at 100 yards what are you using for a rest??

Since you seem to be talking pure target shooting, not a hunting set up , the best and most consistent results I have fired were obtained with a front rest and rear bag.

 

[Tarvis]

Along with their tape measure.

+1. I read a post once about a guy that claimed he shot a 1 inch group at 300 yards with a remington 710. I think what he meant was he guessed it was 1" and it was the distance between each shot instead of the diameter.

 

[sinistr]

cheek weld, breathing, positionall come into play.loading one round at a time also is helpful.