Practice with a Purpose

I'll admit right up front: nobody loves a benchrest more than I do. I really get a kick out of reducing my (sometimes substantial) human error from a shooting equation and evaluating the performance of a rifle / load combination.

Unfortunately, I've never found it particularly feasible to tote a benchrest around with me in the field. The hunting cars of African PHs are stuffed with a staggering assortment of gear, but you won't find a bench anywhere in there. Likewise, I haven't been able to lash one onto a saddlehorse when hunting in the mountains of Patagonia. Or figured out how to schlep one around the plains after pronghorn...

Since the requirements of my hunting only allow the luxury of "field expedient" rests, I regularly (like once a month) make myself get the heck away from my bench and bags and work on ME. Today was one of those times..."Stick Days" I call them. This afternoon was spent with a couple of accurate rimfires, a hundred rounds of ammo, my sticks and a couple of steel targets (50 & 100 yards). The "head" of a 2/3 scale IPSC steel silhouette is about 4" square and makes a dandy 50 yard target. My 8" swinger at 100 works well also.

The toys were a Cooper 57M and my 70's vintage Anschutz 1418 carbine, both in .22 LR. My old Stoney Point standing bipod was used most of the time, but 20-30 rounds were launched offhand. Oh, I wish I could tell that every round hit steel...but I'd be lying. The REAL story is that there weren't MANY misses...and the better news is that I called 'em! Nobody is perfect in the field and practicing to learn to "trust your wobble" is time well spent!

The bench is my shooting friend...but my hunting enemy. It pays for me to remember that...

Mark

I shoot off my Bog Pod Tripod all the time and shoot steel with my 22s in a similar fashion. Muscle memory, plus shooting the 505 is much more pleasant. I have a gravity fed pulley system also to hit moving targets. Need to work on it a little more.

I start dealing with withdrawal if I stay away from the range for more than a few weeks. I've always been one who enjoys using and taking care of all my tools.

I lean on trees or shoot off my mind legs. I have metal swingers at 85 yds or so.

Papalote

Beautiful rifles Mark. Any practice is good practice Sir

I'm a long-time tree-shooter myself!

Nathan, you are one of a select few of my acquaintance that has ever used the words "505" and "pleasant" in the same sentence!

Mark

505 off the bench is just bad, off the sticks is more pleasant does not make it fun. Plus, the Mercury needs movement to work. Another reason to use sticks.

I'll happily take your word on the Gibbs as I've learned that the .470 meets (and slightly exceeds) my personal recoil tolerance. I got by, but just never shot it as well as I wanted.

One of the few things that Eastwood got right in all the Dirty Harry movies was the quote, "A man's gotta know his limitations"!

Mark

I guess I practice with purpose, I shoot pretty much daily and it's nearly always a critter involved.

HIND legs. I gotta proof read

Double tapped

That ain't practice...that's being suited up and ready to play all the time!

Mark