I will begin throwing up some things that have been passed on or evolved over time, things that work for me and techniques that will hopefully help fast track newer shooters. These pointers will be based around PRS / Field Firing / Practical shooting in the hills. There are of course many ways to employ a rifle, not disputing that nor am I trying to force feed anyone... Take away what you can and go from there.
Prone basic 1:
Laying prone is the most stable way to fire a rifle in a field oriented setting, by laying flat on the ground behind the rifle, with the system supported by a bipod / bag / terrain and the rifle hopefully aiming naturally towards the target.
Key points:
- Relax your legs and splay them apart.
- Try to get your shoes resting flat on the ground if possible.
- Avoid having your heels hovering off the ground to minimise unnecessary movement and recoil flop.
- Try to have as little amount of physical input into the rifle system as possible in terms of supporting, controlling or 'muscling' things around.
- Use a rear bag to support the butt stock, rest it in the pocket of your shoulder comfortably.
- Avoid putting your fingers or hand underneath the rifle if possible, you want it sitting on a bag, sitting on the ground with the weight transferring seamlessly to avoid unnecessary movement.
- Manage your eye relief, try to have a comfortable scope height and distance from eye to optic so you don't have your neck jammed back or stretched forward too far.
There is more to this... We will cover other areas down the track.
Get out there, find out what works for you.
The key is to be consistent when you find what works best for your body style.