ocabj

I registered on this site after I saw some hits coming to my webserver from this specific URL. I saw the discussion and wanted to put in some input. Anyway, that youtube video and the URL to http://www.ocabj.net/use-bone-not-muscle-rifle-shooting-and-photography/ was recorded and written by me a few years back. With regards to how you should shoulder your stock, there are variations on which to do this, depending on the rifle platform and depending on what kind of shooting you're doing. The skeletal support method I demonstrated in the video is meant to provide the most stable support for a standing shot with no other support (e.g. sling). If your only concern is consistent and accurate shots from the unsupported standing position, then the way described in that video and article is the most ideal. This is what you will see in what we in the United States call "High Power Rifle" matches, also known as "Across the Course", where one stage of fire is 200 yard unsupported standing, 20 rounds in 20 minutes slow fire with a 7 inch 10-ring and a 3 inch X-ring. In those matches, you're trying to put 20 rounds into a 7 inch circle at 200 yards from standing. A little tidbit on how high the stock is on the shoulder, what people need to understand is that the AR15/M16 platform we use in High Power is a "Service Rifle" and has to follow strict rules with regards to the configuration. One being that we us the A2 stock with A2 sights (although the sights are competition grade). The most consistent cheek weld with the A2 configuration is always going to be nose to the charging handle, and the best way to shoulder the stock is to get the sights to the eye, not the head down to the sights. Getting the rifle to the eye will keep the head and neck straight. This improves balance. For most people to do this with the A2 service rifle, this means getting the toe of the stock really high on the body. Fortunately, the AR15/M16 recoil is little to non-existent. Also, it helps when A2 competition service rifles are heavily weighted (we add lead weights to the gun, often increasing a standard A2 rifle which usually weighs ~9 lbs up to 18lbs or more). To give a better understanding of what I mean by keeping the head and neck straight for balance, here's an experiment. Stand on one foot, close your eyes, now tilt your head slightly to one side. What happens to your balance? I'm going to bet that you start to fall towards that side and you're body will instinctively try to muscle counterbalance. This is what you don't want happening when you shoot slow fire standing in High Power Rifle competitions. If you tilt your head to the rifle sights to get good cheekweld in standing, you mess up your natural balance and are introducing 'muscling' into your position, which leads to instability over time as you fatigue in the position. That being said, in a combat or dynamic scenario, shooting like this isn't practical. You're going to be moving, engaging multiple targets and various distances and directions, so the competition "slow fire" stance really isn't going work. So what do you do? Change stance and holds. Instead of blading the body to the target, you'll square up more to the target, bring the stock more into the pectoral muscle than in the shoulder. This it style that you'll see being currently taught by various weapons manipulations instructors (e.g. Magpul Industries, Haley Strategic, Costa Ludus, Vickers Tactical, the list goes on). I advocate using the type of stance and hold for the situation at hand, whether it be competition - High Power Rifle "Across the Course", 3-Gun, etc, or combat/dynamic. Self by ocabj, on Flickr