Tips to shoot a lightweight rifle better

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rayatphonix

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i have a couple of rifles that would be considered “lightweight.” All are under 6 1/2 pounds. I can shoot them very well from a bench, but my accuracy suffers somewhat in the field. The issue isn’t nearly as problematic with heavier rifles. With all the experience in this group, I’m sure I can get some helpful advice. Thanks, Ray
 
Dry fire is your friend, work on all of the fundamentals. I think trigger control is most important. A heavier rifle is more forgiving of errors. Think about it, if you are pulling a typical 4 lb trigger on a 9 lb rifle you aren't likely to cause the rifle to move, but a 4 lb trigger on a 6 lb rifle will often pull the rifle enough to move the sights around. I don't like super light triggers on a hunting rifle, I can use a 3-4 lb trigger. I'm uncomfortable below 3 lbs on a hunting rifle, maybe on a target gun only shot at the range. But if your gun is much above 4 lb trigger pull it is more of a handicap on a light rifle than a heavy rifle.

When dry firing you will know if the sights are moving at the instant you hear the firing pin drop.
 
I can never shoot light guns well. I put about 1/2 lb of lead in my 308 stock to beef it up.
 
I always use some type of rest. Some of my hunting is out of ground blinds and I use a tripod whenever I can.

Jesper, one of my goals this summer is to practice offhand shots. I’ll use a sling, but am confused as to the best type. All my huntin* is done with bolt action rifles. Is there a particular type I should look for?

JMR, I practice by dry firing. That’s one reason I know I suck at it. I agree that more practice will improve my performance. Concerning trippers, nearly all of my rifles have about a 3# pull.


Thanks for the advice. Please keep it coming.
 
After years of screwing around with ultra light rifles with pencil barrels and all of the issues that come with them, I have sold off my Match Grade Arms built rifles and am back to rifles in the 7.5-8.5 lb range and have never looked back.

They may work for some guys, but I suspect many have spent thousands like I have in trying to find the joy in an ultra light hunting rifle only to go back to the tried and proven sporter weight barrels which don't heat up and change point of aim so quickly and are much easier to hold steady when shooting.
 
Dry fire is your friend, work on all of the fundamentals. I think trigger control is most important. A heavier rifle is more forgiving of errors. Think about it, if you are pulling a typical 4 lb trigger on a 9 lb rifle you aren't likely to cause the rifle to move, but a 4 lb trigger on a 6 lb rifle will often pull the rifle enough to move the sights around. I don't like super light triggers on a hunting rifle, I can use a 3-4 lb trigger. I'm uncomfortable below 3 lbs on a hunting rifle, maybe on a target gun only shot at the range. But if your gun is much above 4 lb trigger pull it is more of a handicap on a light rifle than a heavy rifle.

This reminds me of what CZ does with their 527s. The trigger is normally a field weight trigger, but push it forward and it becomes a ~1lb hair trigger.

Seems like an ideal solution to what OP is wanting to do.
 
make them heavier? positioning and practice are important, and will mitigate the issue somewhat, but you can't really get around the fact that it's just easier to hold something heavier still than something lightweight. that's why most of the "service rifles" on the line at camp perry will be stuffed with lead in the handguard and buttstock.

the fundamental issue you're dealing with is inertia.
 
A 527 is one of the rifles I’m struggling with. I shoot my 550 well, but it’s probably 8 pounds or so. With my 527 I try and time my lunge properly. Not the best technique I admit.
 
Shooting a lightweight rifle, the odds are always against you from field positions. If simply adding some weight to make the rifle slightly heavier is not an option, there are a few things you can do to tip the odds in your favor.

Fit and balance. UL rifles tend to suffer in this category. Corners are often cut to save weight, throwing off the balance. Short actions tend to be muzzle heavy, long actions tend to be butt heavy. Of the 2, the former is a better situation. Something as simple as reconfiguring your scope mounts or going with a heavier or lighter base and rings may bring things into balance. Also, comb height is often sacrificed. Make sure LOP, butt plate angle, and balance point are near perfect. A UL rifle will amplify your mistakes.

As above, slings. All my rifles wear some iteration of the M1907 military rifle sling or the "Garand" Web sling. Although I seldom sling up per army specs outside of NRA service rifle matches, both work very well in "hasty" mode with a quick wrap around the forearm. This will aid your consistency, especially in offhand.

Rests and bipods...Use them when possible, but use them correctly. Changing the pressure point on your forend will change your POI. This is usually amplified with lighter contour barrels. Quality glass or pillar bedding can alleviate this, but it will still be an issue even on the finest rifles. NEVER rest the barrel or bottom metal on or against anything.

Practice. Dry fire helps, but only live fire will tell you what you can realistically accomplish in the field. Over many years of mentoring hunters, youth and veterans, I've found that most shooters, even with the best gear and well developed rifle skills, are REALISTICALLY 200 yard field position shooters on game at the furthest. This includes guys that qualified Expert in the USMC. Not until you get into guys that shoot a lot of competition of various sorts the realistic effective range begins to increase, but they're not generally shooting 6 1/2 pound rifles. Keep your expectations reasonable. You're toting an ultralight hunting rifle, not an F-class rig. It's designed to hold at best 1.5 MOA from a bench. 3 moa from a bipod or improvised rest would be realistic. Guess what, not including wind, that puts you at 200 yards prone or rest, maybe 100 offhand if you practice a lot. Hunt your game, don't snipe it.
 
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Better yet learn to shoot off of shooting sticks while sitting and kneeling. They're lightweight and easy to pack and you can make your own for about 5.00$
 
  • Recoil pad and make sure cheek weld, etc. is working: You may be getting recoil sensitive and jerking a bit. It happens, nothing wrong with it unless you don't recognize it.
  • Check your stance: Without a good base, you cannot make anything else work well
  • Check your grip. Can you hold it differently? More forward, a c-grip, more push-pull, etc? There are options.
  • Think about a sling. Make sure it won't interfere with how the gun works (need a free float barrel with plenty of channel), but also think if you can use the sling suitably all the time. Do you shoot offhand because of no trees to brace on, or because you have no time? If the latter, sling may slow you down too much.
  • Get used to your wobble zone. You cannot hold perfectly still, so find out how to live with that, how to shoot
  • Practice, even just with dry fire (better: laser for where impact is) to get used to how it works
  • Practice more: get a .22 (or air-gun/airsoft) trainer of similar weight/configuration to keep ammo costs down
  • Accept your limits. Offhand is hard to do over about 200 yards, and that with practice. And to me, that's /hits/. Being a conscientious hunter and hitting the right place? It maybe more like 50-75 yards. Do you need longer range practically, in the field, or is it for use in the woods where that's fine?
 
I use a single shooting and walking stick for all of my hunting situations and I always shoot sitting down. That takes away any concern about getting hit near the eye by the scope with a recoiling rifle. I can shoot near minute of angle out to 300 yards and further if wind and cold are not a factor. Using a shooting stick in a sitting position allows me to shoot out of tall grass and brush. In over 50 years of deer hunting I have never shot a buck from the prone position. Another thing I like with light rifles is the use of sling swivel cups instead of studs. This allows the complete removal of the sling from the rifle for practice and makes shooting a light rifle more comfortable. For light rifles you need to find ways to keep the front sling swivel from whacking your hand and you also need to find a shooting position that keeps the trigger guard from whacking your trigger hand. Wearing a glove on the forearm hand works and holding the rifle firm into your shoulder helps with the trigger guard problem.
 
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I just got a Savage LWH that weights 6lbs4oz scoped. I read about people having issues with light rifles so I was worried about it but I haven't seen an issue. I can hold it rock solid steady for much longer. It's a 308 and with the 125gr accubonds the recoil is nothing.
 
I just finished building a light 308 on a Remington M7 action.It weighs 7 pounds including 5 rounds of ammo,scope,sling,etc.I put a 20 inch barrel on it and did a custom contour on the barrel that did add a little bit of weight,but I was very careful to have the rifle balance right near the front action screw.The main problem I have shooting light rifles is in the way they are balanced.I like a muzzle heavy balance,and this rifle gives me that.I used two front swivel studs,actually located one at the normal location that screws into an aluminum bushing epoxied in the stock and the other one is permanently epoxied in the end of the fore end.I leave the normally located stud out unless I want to use a bipod.The other stud is out of the way,and that allows me to have the whole forend of the stock to work with.Good stock dimensions are critical to field shooting a light rifle.I re-made a fiberglass stock with a comb height,cheekpiece,palm swell and fore end cross section all done to fit my dimensions.Light rifles are always going to be harder to shoot than heavier ones.But if a gun fits,is balanced and set up right,light rifles aren't such a bad shooting handicap,they just take a little more attention to detail that heavier rifles.
 
I think you just have to practice from expedient field positions. Once my hunting rifles are dialed in, I don't shoot from a bench except to confirm zero. The rest of my practice is from prone, sitting, standing using a rest--like I would use a tree--for support. Rest your rifle on a backpack, a log or railing ... any of the things you might use for support in the field. Bipods are fine, but I don't generally have one on my hunting rifles.

I don't try to shoot tiny groups when practicing field positions. I shoot steel targets, paper plates, soda cans (yes, pick up the trash). I just want to confirm that I can put a round in the boiler room from positions I am likely to shoot from in the field. You just have to practice!
 
If you can shoot at steel plates, get 12”, 8” and 4” steel gongs and set them up, start with the 12 and 8 at 100 yds and the 4” at 50 or less. The 4” is for a 22lr

Pick up the centerfire rifle, dry fire twice at the 12” target. Set it down, then pick it up and take one shot

If you hit, repeat it
If you miss, try to note why

Then grab a 22, and take 10 good shots at 50 yds

Repeat until you can get the 12” target most of the time, then switch to the 8. Then play with distance and alter the routine
Keep the steel clean so you can note where you hit relative to where you think the sights were when the gun went bang

Steel is a great teacher and is fun, so is 22lr
 
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Z7, I like the plate idea. I’ll practice that this weekend. That’ll be enjoyable and my 22 needs more use anyhow. Thanks to everyone for the ideas.
 
Aside from some practice to develop the proper musculature & comfort level ...

... IMO, the Expedient Rest is the best way to go.

I always, also, have my 1¼" slings setup at a proper length to quickly wrap my left arm thru & around for a nice, stable fit. During winter, I let them out a bit to account for the thickness of the coat sleeve. :)
 
There are a lot of good tips listed. The only other thing I can think of is, set up a sling with the length adjusted so when you drop your elbow to your ribs it forces the rifle into your shoulder. You will be gripping the rifle near the magazine. This cuts my group size in half compared to standing without a sling. There are better techniques, but this works for me.
 
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