When getting ready for a match, do most of you guys sight in your rifles from a bench or do you sight in from the standing position and make sight corrections?

Always from match position and conditons on paper even down to the time. These are Lever action targets but you get the idea. One centered up nice one not. Make the sight correction from center of the "normal" group. Don't include flyers or off shots. Be precise use a framing square to box them in measure with a ruler don't guess at sight correction. S/B Ram sweet spot is only 2 1/2 inches high one MOA off will cost match strikes. Top ram nice and centered little bit off would have caused enough misses to drop quite a bit final match score.





Boats

I say this depends on the quality of a persons hold. Shooters that are new to offhand shooting are generally going to have poor holds and/or trigger control. They would be better served sighting in from the bench. I would say this is equally true for anyone else that is shaky or just has a difficult time with a steady hold. If a person cannot accurately call their shots the the bench might serve them better for sighting in before a match.

When you are training though I like Boats' method above.

I have a few rifles and they all shift, day to day, range to range. I generally use the bench.

First you put your elbow on your hip.

Sight in from the bench first and then once you feel you have good numbers try them from your offhand position and see where you are actually hitting. A lot of people say they are off about one minute from the bench to their offhand hold and adjust accordingly. Once your hold improves and your trigger control you can usually just sight in that morning before each match offhand shooting at swingers or the backstops if they have them to see your POI versus POA. That is what we usually do to get a quick number check before the match starts. It does require you to be able to call your shots though and have a pretty good hold. Once you can do that you can dial any little change that might be happening from the last session in and go from there. As conditions change like sun overhead or falling it can cause your sight setting to change but that is something you will have to learn to adjust for over time.

For you being a new shooter I would just get bench numbers and then see if you can hit targets offhand with those numbers. If you can get someone to spot for you and tell you where you are hitting or missing so much the better. Again this requires you to be able to call your shots though and that is something most new shooters just can't do well. If your bench numbers are knocking animals over just run with those until you have refined your game more and can see what you call versus your hit area is and adjust for it all offhand.

Dee

I'm with you Trent. If you hold your rifle on the bench just about like you hold your rifle offhand, the bench is great.

I like your idea Dee: that is, everything except the part about putting my elbow on my hip. I'm afraid my days of being a contortionist have long since past. Since I will probably be by myself at the range, perhaps I can shoot offhand at a picture of a ram on a big cardboard box after I bench the rifle at 100m. Dee, give me an idea of how far 1 moa is at 100m from the bench to the offhand position. I'm trying to judge just how good most people can hold their rifles offhand. Thanks.

jaja wrote: give me an idea of how far 1 moa is at 100m from the bench to the offhand position.

1moa is about 1 inch at 100 yards. Actually it is 1.047197580733 inches at 100 yards. If my math isn't as bad as my shooting its about 1.141 inches at 100 meters.

Thanks

There is a difference in sighting in first time, new scope or rings and sighting in for competition. Only thing useful for actual matches is exactly like the gun is going to be handled match day. Even if the beginners group looks like a shotgun pattern, score will be higher if it's a centered up pattern.

Ram alone difference in bench zero and offhand zero will account for misses. Besides shooting at paper offhand tells you exactly what's going on. Might as well measure up the strikes.


Boats

I agree - Point of impact from the bench and offhand are not the same. I burned a lot of ammo learning this.

With my SB rifle the difference is significant.
Last week we had a warm day and I took my lever gun to the range...I couldn't even find the paper when shooting from the bench...Offhand made nice groups. Then back to the bench - nada.

Get 'er close from the bench, then fine tune it from the Offhand position...you may need a spotter with you. Best if you can sight in at the range where the match is held - this will give you similar lighting conditions.

M

Snake tail has it right, zeros can be very different range to range. I shoot one that’s level another you hold the gun downhill. Lot for Chickens less as you work through the critters to about level on Rams. I think the distances are the same difference in zero is the hold down hill offhand position. It's significant on the short targets. Missed a fair number of chickens at that club until I put the rifle on paper at chicken distance and figured it out. Bench would never have shown the difference.

If you have a good spotter and a nice dirt berm best to shoot at a rock or clump of grass offhand to get rough zeros. Then go to a spray painted critter on cardboard. Saves a lot of time fooling around with benches bags etc. I carry too much stuff anyway leave the rest at home.

Sight in like you plan to shoot.

Boats