Alternate Shooting Positions

The National Shooting Sports Foundation just released another of their shooting tips videos. This one features Ryan Cleckner who was an Army Ranger sniper team leader in an earlier life.

As Cleckner makes clear, you can’t always shoot from the prone position and you rarely have a shooting bench when you’re out in the field. He discusses and demonstrates a number of alternate rifle shooting positions including two sitting positions, kneeling, and standing using a tree as a brace. With many Southern states starting their deer seasons as early as next month, this is useful information.

Scope Tracking

In another of the NSSF videos on rifle shooting, Ryan Cleckner explains that not all scopes track identically. He offers a drill you can use to find out if your scope over or under tracks in both windage and elevation.

I think the NSSF provides a fine service by producing videos such as this. With each one I learn a little bit more about shooting, firearms, and the like.

Doug Koenig – Finding Out What Works For You

In another of his fine videos for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig discusses finding out what works for you. Doug notes that everyone is a little different in terms of physicality, strength, and balance.

He uses himself as an example. When he first started shooting the Bianchi Cup, he was advised to use a revolver. That is fine except he was an auto guy. After a few years, he decided to go back to his auto which was the right move for him as he has now won 13 Bianchi Cups.

Jeff Cooper On The Surprise Break

I stumbled across this clip of Col. Jeff Cooper explaining the trigger break to students at Gunsite. It’s worth viewing a few times to help increase your trigger control.

This, by the way, is the same Jeff Cooper who is accused by the hoplophobes at CSGV of being a racist and a misogynist. I don’t have to wonder what he would think of these gun prohibitionists but I do wonder what might happen if they had the balls to make those accusations to his face.

Practice Dos And Don’ts From Doug Koenig

In his most recent video for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig goes over the dos and don’ts for successful practice sessions. Given most people have the goal of becoming a better shooter, Koenig says go in with a game plan on what you want to work on. Moreover, he says to stretch yourself and do hard stuff. No one ever got better by only doing the easy stuff.

Sheriff Jim On Dry-Fire Practice

I don’t think there is any question about how much dry-fire practice can help improve your shooting skills. In this video, Sheriff Jim Wilson talks about how to do it safely.

The ballistic pad that Sheriff Jim uses can be found here. One alternative to using a pad like this is doing your practice facing an outside wall of your house which has a backstop beyond it. By backstop, I mean a hill or retaining wall and not a wooden fence.

Good Advice Even If You Aren’t A Competitor

The NSSF is out with a new Doug Koenig video on handgun shooting. Goal setting is an important part of getting better. While much of what he is saying applies to competition, it can apply equally well to practicing for self-defense. If you go to the range just to blast away, you are plinking. But if you go with a goal in mind and certain skills you want to work on, that is practicing.

Clearing An AR-15 Double Feed

The National Shooting Sports Foundation is back with another one of their video training tips. This one features Gunsite instructor Bob Whaley showing how to clear a double (or more) feed in your AR-15. As Whaley notes, slamming the bottom of your magazine to make sure it is seated can sometimes cause the rounds to “volcano” as he puts it.