STAGE 1. HOLDING - Rifle Coach

The Prone Position

I use a remington 700 sps varmint 308, however the firearm and model is not consequential. The terms refered to below are regardless of brand or model. As long as you put the following and subsequent lessons into practice you will overtime become a marksman.

In this section I will use the terms Basic Prone and Alternate Prone positions.

The first principle of marksmanship requires that the position and hold must be firm enough to support the rifle. So let's examine the lying or prone position which is the basis for holding the rifle in all firing positions. It is the most stable position and results in the most accurate shot placement. It gives the firer the best support, and allows you the best opportunity to conceal yourself from game. The prone position is also the least tiring. Once you have mastered the following techniques in this position, the other techniques and required skills will be a natural progression.

To adopt the Basic Prone position, advance the left foot and hold the rifle in front of your body with the left hand, break your fall with your right hand and adopt the positon as follows:

a. Relax your body and at an angle of approximately 10 deg. (180mils) to the line of fire. Your left leg lies parallel to the direction of the body with the toes turned inwards and the leg muscles relaxed. Draw your right leg up until the thigh is at right angles to the line of the body and the lower right leg is parallel to the line of fire. Your right foot points outwards with the heel on the ground.

Lets' examine what we just did - By drawing up the right leg, the weight of the body is rolled to the left, this allows easier breathing and less constriction on the heart, which in turn reduces pulse beat. The firer can adjust the position of the right leg to suit his/her build. I will discuss the Alternate Prone position later in this article.

b. The rifleis supported by the left hand holding the forestock and the right hand firmly gripping the small of the butt stock (not over tight but firm) with the butt now firmly into the meaty area of your shoulder.

To achieve maximum support when holding your rifle in the prone position, as the shooter you must achieve stability by firm contact with the ground and firm support of the rifle.

You achieve this by the following points:

Left Hand and Arm. The left hand should be as far forward on the rifle stock as practicable, thereby giving firm contact between wrists and forearm. The weight of the rifle is supported by the rear outside of the elbow joint thereby achieving bone support. The stock should lie diagonally across the palm of the left hand and bear equally on the hand and the elbow joint below the index finger. No attempt should be made to either grip tightly or pull back with the left hand; it should simply support the rifle and maintain steadiness.

Right Hand and Arm. The right hand is the controlling hand, and must hold the small of the butt stock firmly. This should be done before the right elbow is positioned. The grip must be firm, pulling back into the shoulder but taking care not to twist the rifle away from the upright attitude (twisting away is known as canting). The thumb should be located in the small of the butt stock and the trigger finger must point parallel to the axis of the barrel. The position of the right elbow is determined after taking a correct right-hand grip, which is one that does not cause the wrist to twist.

Body. The body should be slightly oblique (approximately 10 deg./180 mils) to the line of fire. Comfort of the position should not be neglected as a means of lessening any muscle tension. The muscles should be as relaxed as possible.

Shoulder. The shoulders should be a level as possible. If they are not level, the position of the right elbow should be adjusted. The most common error is a high right shoulder, which may be corrected by moving the right elbow to the right. The butt of the rifle should rest in the fleshy part of the shoulder below the collar-bone. If the butt is too high on the shoulder and rests on the collar-bone, some pain may be felt on firing, which may cause a tendency to flinch.

Head. The head must not be pressed against the butt. The cheek, and the cheek-bone, should be positioned naturally on the butt so that this position can be maintained for a successive shot. Your head must be upright in order to:

1. ensure that your instinctive sense of balance does not exert undue influence on your position, and

2. enable the eye to be positioned as near to central in its socket as possible.

Eye Relief. The distance between the firers eye and the back sight is known as eye relief. Ideally, the distance should be a minimum of 1 inches to a little under two inches or 40 to 50 mil. I suggest scoring the butt with a pencil mark at first until you get familiar find the suitable distance for yourself. Please remember though your eye should be no closer than the minimum distances above. Your ability to achieve consistent eye relief will assist you obtaining correct sight alignment and in particular, the ability to select the centre of the aperture.

Alternative Prone Position. If you are unable to obtain a firm and comfortable position, the alternative prone position may be more suitable. In this position, the body lies at an angle of about 28 deg. or 500mils to the line of fire, with both legs straight and well apart, and with your toes pointed outward with your heels down.

Variations. Variations in the basic positions may be necessary due to differences in build and height of individual shooters. Once you have a grasp of the basic positions, you need to make your own adjustments to the position as long as it satisfies one need: and that is it must afford the maximum degree of support for the rifle.

The model remington varmint 700 series of rifles have always given me the confidence to shoot well as long as I adhere to the Marksmanship Principles.