by Jim Dickson | Contributing Editor
Offhand shooting with a rifle was the way the long riflemen of the Eastern frontier shot.
Mint, unfired M1873 Trapdoor Springfield on loan from Hunters Lodge in Ethridge, Tenn. being fired by David Jones. This gun shot a 1-inch group at 100 yards with the first rounds ever fired through that new condition barrel. It was one of those rare guns with which you just can’t seem to miss.
Daniel Boone and Davey Crockett would be shocked to see that it has become almost a lost art among today’s hunters. I do most of my shooting offhand because I never seem to have a chance to take a rest when I have to make an important shot. I’m certainly not against taking a rest I just never seem to have a chance to do it so I practice accordingly.
If you can shoot offhand, you can shoot from a rest but the reverse is definitely not true. Part of that is because you have to train the muscles to be steady. This means holding a heavy rifle on a mark until you can no longer hold it steady at least once a day and preferably more. You cannot skip this for several days and return to the same steadiness. This is all about training the muscles to be steady and not strength.
I am a blacksmith and a weightlifter and I am here to tell you that just because a muscle is big and strong does not mean it can hold a gun rock steady. That takes separate training. The results of that training have enabled me to put the first two shots in a one-inch group at 100 yards offhand with open iron sights on more than one occasion. I just wish I could do that good on demand. After the first two shots the group size always doubled with each succeeding shot as fatigue set in.
A long full stocked 30-inch barrel such as was popular on military rifles up to WW2 in some places is a great help for steadiness. The leverage gives the effect of a heavier barrel without you having to lug around the extra weight.
Weight is your friend where both recoil and steadiness are concerned. So-called “Sporterizing” of military rifles just unleashes a vicious unsteady kicker. One must shoot a lot to learn how to shoot well, and extra recoil creates a problem. You may not notice recoil at first but when you sit down to fire 200 rounds at a time as I do, you will notice it towards the end. The wide butt plate of a military rifle will do far more to mitigate felt recoil than the narrow butt with its rubber recoil pad found on most sporting rifles. I consider the standard rubber recoil pads found on most rifles to be absolutely useless. Get a sorbothane pad if you want results.
Most people believe that peep sights are more accurate than open sights. Having shot 1-inch groups with open sights at 100 yards I cannot agree. I don’t shoot any better with a peep sight or for that matter, a scope. For me, the big advantage of the scope is the magnification lets me examine my target better, especially its antlers or lack thereof.
I prefer a V notch rear and an inverted V front sight as found on the German Mauser rifles. These offer the narrow point for fine sighting while having a wide body to pick up light so you can see them more quickly. Perhaps most important, they are strong enough that they do not need wings on the side or a hood for protection. Wings can get confused with the front sight under stress while a hood cuts off light and reduces the daylight time in which you can see the sights. Those extra minutes are critical in many hunts as game starts moving at about dusk.
Today’s hunters hold Boone and Crockett up as the standard to aspire to yet they do not practice to shoot offhand as Boone and Crockett did. The frontiersmen of that day shot offhand because they knew that you can’t always find a rest before the game is gone or an enemy has sunk a tomahawk in your head.
They would use a rest if it was handy but it wasn’t always there so they practiced offhand and shot their matches that way. If you don’t want to have to lose game waiting for a shot where you can take a rest, then you must practice offhand shooting. Take a comfortable stance and control your breathing if you are out of breath from climbing or running to a position to head off game. Moving the left hand forward on the fore end will help compensate for the short stocks found on most factory rifles. I find the finger grooves on some of the older military rifles a help to fine shooting.
The older long barreled military rifles will hang more steady than the more modern 24-inch barrel rifles. Leave them in the original military configuration if you want the best shooting results. If you want a scope, then mount one but don’t cut back the stock or the barrel if you want the best off hand shooting results. Remember, Boone and Crockett could have had short barrel rifles if they had wanted them. The German Jaeger rifles on which the Kentucky rifle was based were short barreled but the frontiersmen found the longer barrels would hang more steady. That fact seems to be lost on most modern shooters who prefer to let the big commercial gun factories set the style of the guns they carry afield.
M96 Swedish Mauser on loan from Hunters Lodge in Ethridge, Tenn. being fired by David Jones. This gun grouped 1 inch at 100 yards despite a slightly rough bore.
These factories are concerned with selling the least gun for the biggest profit whereas the armies of the world were tasked with making the best gun for the worst combat conditions that exist. The longevity of Mauser, Enfield, and Springfield rifles is a testimony to their success at building the best. Why would anyone think that cutting them down to look like a commercial rifle is an improvement?
When it comes to semi-autos the civilian versions of modern military rifles are again far more rugged than their commercial rivals plus they are usually a lot easier to take apart and put back together. I have seen too many commercial semi-autos that really should have a gunsmith to take them apart and reassemble them to suit me.
Whatever gun you are using the key to success is practice. Find a comfortable position that works best for you as an individual and permits you to traverse properly by turning your whole body in the direction you are shooting.
When turning to the left push off with the right foot and when turning to the right push off with the left foot. Remember that game shooting requires more versatility in movement than target shooting. Targets are always at the same place directly in front of you but game pops up at all angles and has to be successfully engaged before it is gone. Practice mounting the gun and firing in one motion. Your first sight picture is your best one and the man who lingers over his sight picture may see his game escape.
Keep practicing. There are only three ways to learn to shoot. Shooting, shooting, and more shooting. This is why I encourage people to get common military calibers and avoid expensive commercial calibers. For most game shooting there is not enough difference to justify the price unless you are using the really big bores like the .577 three inch nitro express. If you are going to shoot enough to be a really good shot you really need affordable ammo. Just remember this. When you do all your practice off hand it does not detract from your ability to shoot from a rest but if you do all your shooting from a rest you will not be able to effectively translate that practice into off hand shooting.
