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who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? #6524658 11/03/16 02:36 AM
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maximum Offline OP
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i've seen a bunch lately that raise their head
and drop the rifle down while looking at it
while they cycle their rifle. i never realized
that so many people didn't know how to shoot properly.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6524665 11/03/16 02:39 AM
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Depends on the situation but a majority of the time I stay on the rifle.


"A vote is like a rifle; it's usefulness depends on the character of the user" Theodore Roosevelt
Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6524669 11/03/16 02:40 AM
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I shoot a right handed rifle left handed. I kinda have to


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6524672 11/03/16 02:41 AM
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Drives me crazy!!!

If I'm shooting, cycling, shooting my eyes never look anywhere but through the scope, and/ or down range.

Almost want to say the majority want to watch the rifle cycle another round into the chamber.


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: TFF Caribou] #6524697 11/03/16 02:51 AM
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Originally Posted By: Tff caribou
I shoot a right handed rifle left handed. I kinda have to


i'm also a lefty. when i was young, you didn't
just go and buy a LH rifle. consequently, i had
to learn to shoot RH. but i can't shoot a bolt
properly so i use mostly singles and semis
and levers
(or bows) (had to edit- last 5
years or so i've used only singles-it's always adequate)

maybe we all need a JG class

Last edited by maximum; 11/03/16 02:54 AM.
Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6524723 11/03/16 02:59 AM
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I shoot RH rifles LHed. If I don't lower the rifle I hit myself in the nose. Dead things don't seam to care... confused2

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6524730 11/03/16 03:01 AM
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A lot of them lack follow through. They are already looking over the scope to see if it was a hit. might as well work the bolt that way.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6524921 11/03/16 05:47 AM
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I open both eyes to get a view of what's downrange of me or keep the target in view while cycling the bolt. Close weak eye again to shoot.

I'm probably not doing it right, but that's just what I've always done.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525023 11/03/16 12:23 PM
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I shot my elk off-hand at under 150 yards this year. Watched the dirt/dust fly and saw him fall to the ground all through the scope. Cycled the action with the rifle on my shoulder but had to raise my head a bit to let the long action cycle properly. 2nd shot was needed to make sure he stayed down.
Many times I've seen people drop the rifle to cycle a 2nd round.
I learned to shoot from my father, who had been a Marine DI in WWII. He taught me the ONLY reasons you dropped the rifle was to either find another target or you had a malfunction.
I agree, we all could use a class in how to shoot. But, too many 'know' how to shoot and are to proud (read: stupid) to take one.


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525143 11/03/16 01:29 PM
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I have developed a bad habit of lifting my head to cycle the bolt. I think this is because for a while now I've been single feeding my rifle at the range.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525236 11/03/16 02:22 PM
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In the words of my dad "Never Ever let the rifle come off your shoulder to cycle the bolt when shooting."

Many a "dead animal" has gotten away due to peaking over the rifle and not being ready for follow up.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525265 11/03/16 02:35 PM
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I think some of yal take things just a tad too far! loco


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: redchevy] #6525437 11/03/16 03:58 PM
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Originally Posted By: redchevy
I think some of yal take things just a tad too far! loco


There's a difference in a Rifleman, and someone that kind of shoots a rifle.


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525453 11/03/16 04:05 PM
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Can you explain why its that big of a deal? Other than if you need to be ready for a follow up shot.


It's hell eatin em live
Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: redchevy] #6525476 11/03/16 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted By: redchevy
Can you explain why its that big of a deal? Other than if you need to be ready for a follow up shot.


Can you spot a shot at 375 yards with a naked eye? It kind of relates to a follow up shot if necessary BUT, did you miss bc you're a bad shot or did you miss bc you misjudged elevation or wind? A ground impact can be corrected if it can be seen, also which way did the animal run again?

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525480 11/03/16 04:15 PM
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This is interesting. If I'm shooting off the bags, I just stay on the gun. If I just shot a deer and know I placed the bullet well, I lower the gun and slowly work the bolt so that the case goes to my fingers and not the floor. If I'm popping a bunch of pigs from a blind, I shoot and rotate the rifle clockwise as I work the bolt, so the case goes down to the floor and not out a window. My eyes stay on the hogs and I can be back shooting in a fraction of a second. Same with coyotes. If there's just one, I shoot it. If there's two, which happens often, I shoot the rear one, cycle the bolt as with the pigs, and get the gun back up in anticipation of the other coyote stopping at the wood edge to look back - as they usually do.

Sounds odd, I suppose, but this method evolved over the years so that I don't have to dig around in the leaves for a case or two or three.


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525486 11/03/16 04:17 PM
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I was taught in a private NROTC high school to use my palm and base of my thumb to cup the smooth round bolt handle to cycle the bolt, without removing my hand or grasping the handle with my thumb and forefinger on a Springfield 'O3A3. My instructor was a WW II & Korean War Vet Navy training Cheif Petty Officer.

The problem today is that not all the bolt action hunting rifles today come with the same kind of bolt handle...some do, but most don't have a O3A3 style bolt handle. They almost all look like some version of a Remmy 700's flattened & heavily checkered, surrounded by a heavily crosshatched side of the bolt handle's knob, designed specifically to grasped by the thumb and forefinger and not conducive to the WWI style of bolt operation. Garands don't have that style bolt handle either as I recall, but are easier to maintain a "mounted" shoulder firing position as a "self feeding" rifle.

Yes, there are some teardrop shaped smooth bolt handles that are easier to use in the "correct" manner, and when I am in the field actively hunting I generally fall back on my early training - from getting my 14 year old butt kicked repeatedly by my CPO, but then I rarely need to make strings of multiple shots like I was trained for in a battlefield scenario with a 4 shot maximum magazine capacity in any of my hunting rifles.

FWIW about half the NROTC high school at my St Peterburg Florida & the sister Toms River NJ campus's in 1959/'60 were populated with Cuban kids whose families were supporting the Batista Government during the Cuban Revolution, and expecting at some point to need this early military training....they almost NEVER got the their butts kicked for failing to follow protocol, as they were constantly reminded that this training might just keep them alive when they got home.

I also learned at that age about what it meant to get a "M1 Thumb" too, but most that training time went to the non American upper clssaman kids.
Ron

Last edited by WileyCoyote; 11/03/16 04:24 PM.

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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525502 11/03/16 04:21 PM
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For me personally it falls in line with trigger control and recoil management. I mainly LR target shoot so now it's just muscle memory. Shoot and maintain follow through with trigger, release trigger pressure, cycle bolt without breaking cheek rest so I can call my own corrections.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: redchevy] #6525526 11/03/16 04:31 PM
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Originally Posted By: redchevy
Can you explain why its that big of a deal? Other than if you need to be ready for a follow up shot.


Not staying on the rifle, and in the scope means your breaking your concentration. If a person has the habit of shooting and immediately breaking their cheek weld, they will not shoot as tight as they can by not doing it. Same holds true for slapping the trigger. They worry about what they are about to do, instead of what they are doing right now, and that is supposed to be making an accurate shot.

I explain, and have the habit of trying to not let the rifle move me. Meaning I am following through on the trigger (not releasing it until the bullet arrives) maintaining cheek weld, and keeping my eye looking at what ever I'm shooting at. At 200+ yards that equates to witnessing impact, or more importantly, a miss. Since my body is still in a shooting position I can make a correction shot very quickly. While cycling I am still looking through the scope, so the only movement I have is the hand cycling the bolt. That equates to speed. The reason that is important is to get a corrected shot off before the coyote hauls a$$, or in the case of target shooting long range, before the wind changes. And I mean any change, before it gusts or lulls, or in the case of the head or tail wind, before the wind has time to switch directions. So I want shot number two to be in the same wind that shot number one was, that missed. Proper form is the only way to get that accomplished, and breaking position is not proper form.


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: cxjcherokec] #6525531 11/03/16 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted By: cxjcherokec
For me personally it falls in line with trigger control and recoil management. I mainly LR target shoot so now it's just muscle memory. Shoot and maintain follow through with trigger, release trigger pressure, cycle bolt without breaking cheek rest so I can call my own corrections.


Exactly!


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: cxjcherokec] #6525533 11/03/16 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted By: cxjcherokec
For me personally it falls in line with trigger control and recoil management. I mainly LR target shoot so now it's just muscle memory. Shoot and maintain follow through with trigger, release trigger pressure, cycle bolt without breaking cheek rest so I can call my own corrections.


I would bet there are more people who have never shot 400 yards than do routinely. Sure I can see the reasoning in that instance. But for every day average Joe sighting his rifle in at 100 yards to shoot deer at his 100 yard feeder I don't think it makes a whole hill of beans, past a follow up shot. In all reality follow up shots for me are probably something that will never happen, I hunt on senderos with brush on both sides that are appx 18' wide... if the deer doesn't fall down your not going to get a follow up shot.


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Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525561 11/03/16 04:43 PM
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i would be willing to bet that you cant watch the impact through the scope on my 300WM. Follow that one through

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525582 11/03/16 04:56 PM
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Nitro your probably right if there is no hard background I correlated to to my LR experience which usually has some sort of back drop.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525593 11/03/16 05:02 PM
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Nope, not with a bolt action, pump action, or lever action.

Some people are hesitant, I think they are worried about getting hit in the face.

Re: who drops their rifle down to cycle the action? [Re: maximum] #6525594 11/03/16 05:02 PM
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It's not perfect, sometimes the deer run immediately sometimes they might freeze for 2 seconds after a miss before bolting. With proper recoil management you can make that followup where you might not by breaking cheek weld. Another good experiment Chad & jason to try while doing the mbpr test. Time a followup shot at 200yds, 2sec max time limit. Who makes it, cheek break vs cheek weld.

Last edited by cxjcherokec; 11/03/16 05:03 PM.
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