I know the #1 answer is more practice.

So I went to sight in the new shorty rifle this afternoon at the farm. At 35 yards I had no issue. Boresighted and had it dead center in 3 shots (mil/mil made that easier than its ever been. I've seen the light!) And no problem at that range holding steady (12x fixed power SWFA scope).

Head on down to 100, and the unsteadiness starts to really show. I tried multiple positions, rests, and holds, and couldn't get rock solid. It's something I have struggled with for a while. If I have a front and rear bag, I can get really steady, but using anything else, including my Caldwell dead shot pod thing, I'm just shaky.

I was able to get my rifle properly sighted in, but it took me around 12 rounds. With 7 or 8 of those shots being shots I instantly knew I pulled, or wasn't on target.

Anybody have any tips?

Watch a few u-tube videos to study proper shooting positions, and trigger control. Then practice dry-firing every day for a while, and I believe you will see some improvement.

Too elaborate, it not so bad that I get off target, its just that I'm shooting a 3-4" group from improvised rests, when I am able to shoot better, if I have bags, and a bench. I built this rifle with the idea that I would like to be able to shoot 1-2 moa eventually out to 500 or so.

So I'm looking for tips on how y'all hold steady using any available rest. Specifically what yalls shooting form usually is.

That's a good idea hermano. I'll do that.

Golf???

Ouch

Some would argue, but you can steady a rifle easier by turning the magnification down rather than up. The principle is much like that of steering a vehicle where you can stay between the lines more easily if you focus farther down the road rather than right in front of the vehicle. When you aim from a wider field of view, the muscles are not continually trying to compensate for visible movement.

I can shoot groups that just as tight with a 0X, red dot sight at 100 yards, than I can can with a 9X scope at the same distance.

I get that, and I've done that before. Thats why I listed its a 12x fixed power scope.

Ahhh hemm....

I know, I know... I just can't spend the money on the class. Unless you want to trade a class for food, or a wedding cake lol.

Well, when the time comes let me know.

If it were steel or a big load of gravel I'd be all over trading.

You obviously recognize what many hunters don't, that the value in magnification is not to give close up views, but to recognize the target at much greater distances. Many a German fell during WWII to bullets fired by G.I. snipers using fixed, 4X and 2X scopes.

I can only estimate that the "sweet spot" range of a 12X scope would be somewhere beyond several hundred yards.

On the lighter side, should you ever need to see the craters on the moon..

Drink a lot of caffeine?

Don't shoot a 12x scope is the answer

When I first started reloading and was working up different loads I also had an issue holding on a "bulls eye" or dot consistantly. I started printing a target off of the computer with one horizontal and one vertical line around .125 thick with a 1 inch circle on the apex. It was easier for me to hold on the "cross hairs" on my scope to match the X on the paper. It is just something that worked for me.

Sort of...

Zeroed on 20X Sunday, and 21X today. Going unsupported, I drop down to 12X, but that was after having practiced at 8X, then 10X for a couple of years.

Yes, true. But I didn't buy the scope to shoot groups at 100 yards from an improvised rest. But that's where I needed to sight it in.

But I want to get better at it anyways.

You should sight in from a solid rest such as bags on a bench. Once sighted in then you start practicing off-hand and from sticks. If you can shoot 3"-4" groups at 100 yards from sticks that's pretty good.

Dry firing can help develop technique.

Stop smoking and drinking coffee.

I disagree with the turn the scope down crowd. I'm no expert but the better I can see the target the easier it is to hit it.

You can still see the target perfectly fine with lower magnification. Have you ever used a laser sight on a pistol while trying to hold steady? Same concept. I can hold a pistol pretty steady but the second I see the laser I notice my slight tremors. Then slight tremors turn into larger tremors. Turn off the laser and then I'm back to normal.

High magnification causes over correction. I call it fighting the wobble. The more unsteady you are (heavy rifle offhand) the least magnification you should use. As your steadiness improves, your magnification can increase.

I shoot at 100 yards at about 8x. It works

One of my favorite Jack O'Connor stories was when he was out trying for some kind of varmints at medium range with a rifle that had a 6X scope on it. He posted himself at a high place - but the varmints were not cooperating that day.

So he decided to head back to camp, and started walking down the hill - when a big bobcat popped out of the brush, not far ahead of him on the trail. He described the frustration that followed when it was impossible to get a clear sight picture at close range with the 6X scope.

Jack was all set up for varmint shooting - but then when an actual hunting opportunity popped up, he was SOL.

I like 12x or better at the range, but when in the field I set my scope at 4x unless a situation calls for more, or less power.

If I were going to buy a single power rifle scope for hunting, it would be 4x.

I have the same problem. I have noticed that it is slowly going away for me. Im not sure why or what I am doing other than practicing a lot. 2-3 trips a month to the range has kept me from shaking so much I think. I still shake a bit but it has decreased by 50% or more and I think it is from practice and better breathing techniques.