Guys I got a question around barricade/no rear support shooting without a bipod where the front of the rifle is on a game changer like bag. How much forward pressure are you putting with your shoulder into the stock? It seems when I lean into the barricade more which is putting more pressure I get a more intense wobble. Let me know your thoughts and approach. Trying to cut down on my wobble and I am stuck. FYI not looking for tips on free recoil method.
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Advanced Marksmanship Barricade shooting wobble how much pressure
- Thread starter Walker TR
- Start date
Watch this and don't focus on the exact thing that the rifle is resting on. Focus on the concept:
I haven't found any use for the "Wojick" technique, but the first one I use at almost every barricade/obstacle I practice. No doubt it cuts my wobble easily in half, verified by dry firing on 1.75 MOA targets
I haven't found any use for the "Wojick" technique, but the first one I use at almost every barricade/obstacle I practice. No doubt it cuts my wobble easily in half, verified by dry firing on 1.75 MOA targets
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308 Pirate I appreciate it and I have used that tech on a tripod but I do not see how you could use it on a barricade.
I am really wanting to know how much shooters typically are leaning into their rifle on a barricade IE...pressing hard, light pressure or medium pressure. I have trial and errored a lot here and wanting to gain additional feedback.
Well, exactly the way you do with the tripod except you don't thread the sling under the barricade.
Trying to understand how like in this video he is so solid with no bag and the bag...
experience and lots of trigger time/training...note where his left hand is when hes shooting..gripping the scope...watch his body position when hes shooting...note how he is not straight but kind leaned into the barricade...leaning forward just a little naturally tightens the core muscles...and note where his right elbow is and how his knee moves forward to support the right/trigger arm.
theres more to it and the best way to learn is to watch other shooters very closely but with a wide eye...see everything...see what they are doing and then try it during practice and find the positions that work best for you and practice them...dry fire is your friend...add an IOTA a few props and its like being at the range but in your house or garage.
also i personally try to use as little gear as possible...i have a TAB PRS sling and ive used it twice in 2yrs or so and that was when i first got it...actually ive forgot about it until this thread...my go to's are a red tac rear bag an original game changer and once in awhile when really needed the wiebad pillow...im to lazy to carry a bunch of gear and it just slows me down fumbling with it when i get to a stage.
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Slings don't see much use in our neck of the woods in PRS competition. More often than not I see it lead to wasted time and clumsiness in transitions. Of the top 10-20 shooters in our region (which includes some of the top 10 nationally) I can't say that I've seen any of them run a sling for a normal barricade position.
IMO there's a spectrum between "free recoil" and "lean into the barricade to load the gun". For me the sweet spot is light cheek pressure on the cheek rest and just enough shoulder pressure to catch the rifle and control sight picture on recoil. For me that feels about like taking all the space and air gap out of a loose fitting t-shirt up against my shoulder. Only time I go to a true free recoil (no touch except support hand and trigger finger) is if the position is so unstable or if my adrenaline and heart rate is so jacked that any touching of the gun introduces wobble. I don't like that nearly as much as controlling the gun though.
Main thing is just to learn how to relax in any position, which comes with practice.
IMO there's a spectrum between "free recoil" and "lean into the barricade to load the gun". For me the sweet spot is light cheek pressure on the cheek rest and just enough shoulder pressure to catch the rifle and control sight picture on recoil. For me that feels about like taking all the space and air gap out of a loose fitting t-shirt up against my shoulder. Only time I go to a true free recoil (no touch except support hand and trigger finger) is if the position is so unstable or if my adrenaline and heart rate is so jacked that any touching of the gun introduces wobble. I don't like that nearly as much as controlling the gun though.
Main thing is just to learn how to relax in any position, which comes with practice.
Read this thread last night, and it led to this, this morning.....
Had some stuff laying around and had to try for myself. I've used the ladder, a barrel, chairs, coolers, truck beds, the whole lot. I'll be the first to admit, this was more difficult to shoot from than any of the others. Once I calmed down, and stopped overthinking it, my process was similar to what @Sheldon N Sheldposted above. Light pressure, steady form, follow through. I'll be using this barricade every time I range trip now.
Had some stuff laying around and had to try for myself. I've used the ladder, a barrel, chairs, coolers, truck beds, the whole lot. I'll be the first to admit, this was more difficult to shoot from than any of the others. Once I calmed down, and stopped overthinking it, my process was similar to what @Sheldon N Sheldposted above. Light pressure, steady form, follow through. I'll be using this barricade every time I range trip now.
A sturdy baracade can do with some loading and your hand supporting (pushing into the baracade and somewhat downward) ontop of the scope. A rickety ass baracade needs free recoil technique IMO. You can make it worse trying to load into it.
Things that are not practiced well become a clusterfuck under pressure.
Trying to use a sling this way without both an instant length adjustment for the front half and a QR buckle between the carabiner and the rear half leads to a clusterfuck
I'm not going to tell people who are better than me how to shoot. The flip side of that is that I'm not going to toss what improves my shooting because others who might be better don't do it.
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Your explanation and technique of light pressure on the rifle and enough contact to control recoil is exactly how I shoot. Seems to work well for me, makes the rifle do some of the work. having a good stance is just as important too.
I find that my left hand is better off forward on the forend, rather then on the scope. Scope is a teeter totter, further up front offers better leverage, much like bipod positioning.
In the case of that video though, he was using a pretty solid barricade. Very different from a wobbly one.
Also, the first run with no gear and resting in the middle, was interesting, but I'd like to see the comparison to jamming the gun up against the side wall.
The video was so cut up, that drawing any conclusions from it is tough. Did it take him 30 more seconds to get steady with the other techniques, or was the time taken in moving the bag around? Combo of both, or something else?
You cannot believe 95% of the shooting you see on the internet.
In the case of that video though, he was using a pretty solid barricade. Very different from a wobbly one.
Also, the first run with no gear and resting in the middle, was interesting, but I'd like to see the comparison to jamming the gun up against the side wall.
The video was so cut up, that drawing any conclusions from it is tough. Did it take him 30 more seconds to get steady with the other techniques, or was the time taken in moving the bag around? Combo of both, or something else?
You cannot believe 95% of the shooting you see on the internet.
A good video on barricade shooting:
I built my rifles to be pretty well centered or even a tiny bit front heavy and put pressure on the scope to hold it still, but in this video he uses a little pressure on the front to point the rifle and get it balanced. Both ways work fine I think, but I'm thinking about trying Dave's method at some point. Shoulder pressure, use just enough to keep the front of the gun from flipping up under recoil, but not enough to add pulse or wobble. There's a fine line and you have to practice it for sure.
I built my rifles to be pretty well centered or even a tiny bit front heavy and put pressure on the scope to hold it still, but in this video he uses a little pressure on the front to point the rifle and get it balanced. Both ways work fine I think, but I'm thinking about trying Dave's method at some point. Shoulder pressure, use just enough to keep the front of the gun from flipping up under recoil, but not enough to add pulse or wobble. There's a fine line and you have to practice it for sure.
Good points! Once I started practicing free-recoil, my skills-stage points climbed to where I finally can clean it now. I use either a GC with a balanced rifle:
Or if I'm using my MPA rifle, I wedge the barricade 2x4 between the mag well and the barricade stop. It's stupid-solid. I do the same on nd of thing Preston and I'm sure a lot of others do, with just the tiniest bit of pressure on the recoil pad and driving the gun with my left forward arm. It works quite well.
Hes shot ALOT. Try using less shoulder pressure and clamp your hand above the scope on the barricade with the rifle pointing down a little. Then use your cheek to rock the rifle up onto target this will wedge the rifle betweem the barricade and your hand. Works pretty good for me
I'm learning too. Loading into the barricade doesn't work for me. Running on top of a bag helped steady. Straight legs standing or rear support kneeling sitting.
Hand on the scope to push pressure over the balance point helps me. Pressure on the fulcrum slows movement of you think of the gun as a lever pivoting over the barricade.
I use as heavy rear pressure into the gun as the barricade allows depending on my position. I am running closer to free recoil as I practice it and get more comfortable shooting my new 6xc.
I created a bag to help me remove wobble for barricades. It takes out between .2 and .5 mil wobble on average. I went from poor performance on barricades to what I did in this video. I dropped the one point because I didn't let the rifle steady onto the target. You can see the muzzle moving when I broke the missing shot.
Hand on the scope to push pressure over the balance point helps me. Pressure on the fulcrum slows movement of you think of the gun as a lever pivoting over the barricade.
I use as heavy rear pressure into the gun as the barricade allows depending on my position. I am running closer to free recoil as I practice it and get more comfortable shooting my new 6xc.
I created a bag to help me remove wobble for barricades. It takes out between .2 and .5 mil wobble on average. I went from poor performance on barricades to what I did in this video. I dropped the one point because I didn't let the rifle steady onto the target. You can see the muzzle moving when I broke the missing shot.
If I’m not using any bag and just the rifle then I will put a little bit of forward pressure into the stock to help stanleize. If I’m using a game changer bag then I put as minimal forage as I can to keep it stable. That barricade rail is totally crazy. Looks so easy it’s not even fun.
i load my rifles as hard as possible.
if i have a nice sturdy barricade....im essentially putting my full weight into it.
if i have something like a Vtac barricade( which is less rigid), im really only using it as a rest for my rifle, and im getting pressure by pulling the rifle into my shoulder.
honestly its not something i actively think about.....my focus is on fundamentals......if all my other fundamentals are in check.....chances are youre going to make your shot regardless of how much you are loading it.
I use a soft bag and left hand on top of the scope. I also use a sling (yes, I'm the odd one out) and light shoulder pressure.
