Rifle shooting

[Mobuck]

I'm most likely 'spoiled' by having my own place to shoot and plenty of time to do so. Also, any time spent shooting is better than time wasted on other stuff. That said, I have trouble understanding why some folks will sit at a bench firing shot after shot (group after group) at paper targets getting the same result time after time.
Since most of my shooting is preparation for hunting, not much is learned by bench shooting once the ammo & firearm potential has been assessed and zero proven. After that, it's just the challenge I place upon myself and that challenge is to make first round hits at probable hunting distances.
My Grandson has decided he wants to learn to be a better rifle shooter. I probably influenced this by relating stories of my military competitive shooting experiences. He's developed some poor shooting habits and attitudes that I'm not sure I can correct. One of those is missing and not taking responsibility for the miss. He misses and then misses again because he didn't determine WHY he missed. I know why this is happening but can't convince him that continuing to miss doesn't improve the shooter's skill. I keep telling him the rifle doesn't miss, it's the shooter.

 

[kmoore]

I bench shoot a lot for a few reasons. Testing different loads and shoot them at 100, 200 and 300 yds. I have lots of rifles to shoot. It will teach you proper trigger control, sight alinement, shooting against wind. I shoot all my hunting rifles standing while practicing at 100 yds. Sometimes kneeling and prone.
I only have 1 rifle I that am my always trying the find the tinniest grouping, that rifle staying on the bench.
Load the rifle for your grandson, leave the chamber empty without him knowing. He will see his mistakes.
My son is about the same. As a small child to teenager, I took him to many matches, and he seen me mostly win. He doesn't want to shoot competition in any way but wants to shoot hunting rifles great. He can't relate to my years spent practicing at home dry firing or being at a range several days a week to be able to win. I don't really like to shoot with him but just help him. He gets frustrated when he attempts shots, I make but he can't. What I don't do is get mad at him, I still repeat like you said how to do it right/better.

 

[WAYNO]

I am the person you don't understand. I love sitting at the bench, shooting many of the same rounds into the same paper targets, over and over, doing my best to turn a 7/8" group into a 13/16" group, or striving to duplicate nice groups over and over. The payback to me, is I thoroughly enjoy doing so.

And at shorter ranges, 50 yards, I enjoy shooting the tiniest little 10-shot groups with a rimfire. It takes tremendous concentration to shoot a dime size group without a single flier, and is not necessarily easy. I am pleased when I do so, and it does help me to make the extreme long range shot while I am hunting.

I am not getting younger, and I need all the practice I can get.





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[DGW1949]

Sitting at a bench while shooting is fine for testing loads or ammo. It don't however, teach one much at all about shooting....just my .02 .

DGW

 

[bobski]

not everyone hunts.
bench work marry's the shooter to his gun.
the bench is less prone to changing.
everything changes when hunting.
before one can master the hunt, best to learn the results of no change to have a (bench)mark to compare to.