Some general questions from a new rifle shooter...

[jeffesonm 0]

I've been shooting pistols for about a year now and have done some skeet/trap shooting too. Following a recent pig hunting trip to Alabama I decided it was time to get into shooting rifles. I've bought myself a CZ 452 a few weeks back and have been shooting that at the 25 yard rimfire range, just with open sights. So far so good.

 

Last week I purchased a used Browning BAR in .308 that came with a 2x-7x x 20? scope. Today was my first trip to the rifle range with the Browning and I just shot 15 rounds at 25 yards just to see if it was sighted in (plus I wanted to try out the new toy). Seems pretty much on... I'm sure the group would be much better if I had a decent rest and any idea what I was doing :mrgreen: I held off on shooting further because it was getting late and I don't have a spotting scope to see the holes.

 

So now for the questions...

 

What else do I need to practice shooting rifles?

Thinking a spotting scope, cheapest one I can get that will let me see .22 and .308 holes at 100 yards. I know, I know, don't cheap out on glass, but I'm on a budget and don't see myself going past 100 yards for at least a few years. Also probably a rest or some bags or something? A real rest vs. real bags vs. sandbags/bags of shot?

 

How should I be practicing?

Obviously the more practice the better, but should I be sticking with the .22 for awhile to get the basics and then move up to the .308? Practice at 25 first, then 50, then 100?

 

Worth finding a teacher?

Could take a NRA class or something but I'm not huge on formal instruction, and again with the budget. Also considered an AppleSeed weekend but there aren't any close don't really want to burn a whole weekend. Can I do this on my own or do I risk forming bad habits that will be hard to break later?

 

Any other general advice/comments?

Thanks to all for whatever help you can offer.

[bbk 188]

I'm not a glass guy, so, I'm sure Maks can sell you on some Nikon ( :shifty: ), jk!

But as for rests, some guys prefer to sit on the bench, some prefer to be in the dirt. I wouldn't mind shooting on the bench if it was more comfortable for me, and I learned how to shoot from the prone anyway. Do what makes you naturally comfortable. I would also use sand bags myself if I had any, but I just use one of my range bags as an improvised rest anyway.

 

If you're really into distance shooting, maybe looking into the whole ballistics and ammo thing could fit your niche. I'm not going to go into specifics with ballistics because there are far more knowledgeable people then me regarding that stuff. But it'd be a good idea anyway considering the type of ammunition is a huge component of accurate shooting/"tack driving." Good luck.

[Malsua 1,422]

Just get a sandbag of some sort for a rest. I bought a Caldwell one for $15 and it's great. http://www.exploreproducts.com/caldwell ... e-rest.htm

Like that link. I bought it off ebay with free shipping.

 

Anyway, you're going to find that shooting a .22 at 50yards, then 100 yards is going to be a problem. The reason is that a .22 will drop 5 or more inches between 50 and 100 yards. My suggestion is to just sight it in at 50...it will still be very close at 25-65 yards. I would sight the .308 in at 100...it'll be pretty much right on from 0 to 100...it won't really start to drop off until 250+

 

The biggest thing you need to practice is squeezing the trigger as in capture it, don't jerk it. If you do it enough on the .22, you won't anticipate the recoil when you go to the bigger calibers. I also stop breathing the moment I pull the trigger, but I don't hold my breathe. Just a pause while I pull the trigger. It helps keep me on target, perhaps it will help you to. I used to spend summers hunting ground hogs with a 22-250 out at 200-300 yards and until I got my breathing figured out, I never got a kill.

 

It will certainly help to have someone around to watch you shoot and correct your errors if you're new to shooting and a class is a good way to get that done. I had a 'Nam vet (who later became my Step father) teach me how to shoot rifles and actually hit the target. As a kid I was very impatient to pull the trigger when I had something in the cross-hairs. It lead to missing a lot until it sunk in. Relax and squeeze.

[NJgunowner86 0]

My favorite rest is a nice sandbag rest, the one the guy above me linked is a nice one. When you use a rest make sure you're resting your hand or front handguard/stock on the rest but never the barrel.

 

Use a front rest, but I consider those rear rests, lead sleds, etc. completely useless shooting, unless you're testing out reloads or zeroing a scope and want to remove as much human error as possible. Otherwise, rest only the front. I also like to use a sling myself, i adjust it to the right length and I wrap my offhand arm in it, it really helps for tighter shots standing or kneeling.

 

As for positions, I would say practice the three - prone, kneeling, and standing. I consider bench rest shooting the most useless kind of shooting as I don't see anywhere in the real world you'd want it besides a bench rest competition. Practicing the three positions will make you a better rifleman overall, much better than someone that just puts the rifle in a lead sled and sits at a table playing with knobs.

 

As for glass, it all depends. Think of magnification as distance reduction and compare that to how your naked eye shoots the irons. The more magnification the smaller your field of view becomes. Personally I like lower magnification, I prefer 4x out to 200 yards. I have not shot past 200 yet but would probably stick to 4x maybe out to 300 or even 400. But then again it all depends on your style of shooting, I just go for COM shots at those ranges So if you're looking to make little itty bitty holes you'll need different tools than I use.