C'mon, guys - motivate me and help me decide to do this properly.
Shooting prone is something I've never practiced, and it sure seems that I should. It feels considerably more stable when I dry-fire practice with the position at home.
But... how does one practice prone shooting at the range? I've never seen anyone prone-shooting at the main range at Ben Avery here in Phoenix. Not even sure if it's allowed. Also, the only time I have available to shoot at Avery is early in the morning before I go to work, and I gotta be presentable when I show up at work. No time to change clothes or anything. Lying on dusty concrete ain't gonna help me look presentable at work.
I can probably remedy my cleanliness concerns with a sheet on the ground, but does anyone know if Ben Avery allows prone fire on the main range?
I'd get a heavy canvas or foam shooting pad and some elbow protection.
I like this shooting mat
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ZBQ1081-285-859.html
Don't get the hard plastic elbow protectors, get the padded cloth kind. The hard ones tend to slide around and mess up your NPOA.
Don't know about Ben Avery, but can tell you that I have shot proone on every range I have been to. Usually, I just snug up right in between those big benches. Never had a range 'official' or any shooter say anything about it.
I'd say do it until someone says stop, then ask them why exactly you should stop! If your muzzle is even with the muzzles of the guys shooting from benches I am not sure they have any basis for complaint (other than your making them look bad).
Get a GI ground pad and some cheap coveralls and boots and leave your work clothes in the car.
Wish I could shoot before going to work in the morning. Might make the rest of the day go a little easier....
Prone is by far the best way to keep a rifle steady. Most people have become lazy, don't want to get dirt on them, and believe that a rest is more accurate to sight in a rifle. I have never used a rest myself, but I can tell you that I am most likely a better shot than most people who use them(I mean, are you going to have a rest when you're hunting?).
As far as lying in the prone at a local range, I see no problem with it as long as you stay behind the firing line and clean away any high grass that can obstruct your view when you put up your target(don't forget to put a mat under the muzzle area so the dust doesn't kick up). It doesn't hurt to ask, but then again, you can't really be at fault if there isn't a rule posted about it at the range. ;D
But if someone does give you lip about it, you can try it out at home in the backyard with a quality air rifle and good pellets. SGN (July 20 subscription) has several articles on airguns this month, and I was shocked at how far they've come along since my childhood(OK, so they've been around longer than that, but this is the first time I've ever heard of a buffalo being taken with one! :o ).
Also CMP is selling some quality competition air rifles, including the same model Daisy M853 I used in my high school JROTC shooting team(complete with great peep sights!). http://www.odcmp.com/Rifles/JrRifles.htm (http://www.odcmp.com/Rifles/JrRifles.htm) Which by the way, isn't a bad way at all to teach younger kids how to shoot! Just $180 and all the
cheap lead .177 pellets you can afford for a lifetime of accuracy? Who can complain?
EDIT:
QuoteGet a GI ground pad and some cheap coveralls and boots and leave your work clothes in the car.
I had completely forgotten about coveralls! Thanks for that reminder TC! I am told that back in the good ol' days, high school students would be able to keep their rifles in their truck along with some coveralls to go hunting before and after school(because school clothes were always presentable in those days). But now that schools have sadly become victim disarmament zones...
Ditto to TredCarefully's post -- if it's not posted that you can't do it, you can do it. And either keep a change of clothes or the aforementioned coveralls on-hand for such pre-work endeavors.
One thing I am NOT seeing any talk of here is the cloth coat (rifleman's jacket).
WHY NOT?
Buckshot
I use a shooting jacket like that all the time. Just thought coveralls would be a better answer to the 'how do I keep my work clothes nice?' question.
Agreed -- it's a nice accoutrement, but a little too hot for GA in July ;D
Prone is generally my prefence for shooting, as that's the NPOL (Natural Point of Landing :)) as I effectively a paraplegic. A recent problem that seems to be getting worse, is the refraction of light within my glasses lens (no line bifocals). This a problem only when I wear my cooling vest, I''ve tried taking out the gel pack on the Rt. shoulder (where I fire from) but no joy! Anyone have ideas or suggestions?
Please visit the Disabled Shooter Threads.
THX
Have you tried other sighting systems- scopes, red dots? I don't understand the nature of your visual problem, but other sighting systems require focus on objects other than a traditional front post, which hopefully would help.
And good on you for shooting despite physical limitations. Any strategies that work for you might help other folks, so please share any gems you discover.
Try a good anti-reflective coating. (Crizal is a great one). This type of coating helps keep reflections off your lenses. Another option if you have the edges of your lenses polished...try not polishing them..that shiny edge reflects the light too. yes its happened to me. I happen to wear contacts when i shoot as a personal preference then just add safety glasses to protect my eyes.
Hope this helps.
NorCal22Gal
Quote from: AZRedhawk44 on July 25, 2007, 01:59:17 PM
C'mon, guys - motivate me and help me decide to do this properly.
Shooting prone is something I've never practiced, and it sure seems that I should. It feels considerably more stable when I dry-fire practice with the position at home.
But... how does one practice prone shooting at the range? I've never seen anyone prone-shooting at the main range at Ben Avery here in Phoenix. Not even sure if it's allowed. Also, the only time I have available to shoot at Avery is early in the morning before I go to work, and I gotta be presentable when I show up at work. No time to change clothes or anything. Lying on dusty concrete ain't gonna help me look presentable at work.
I can probably remedy my cleanliness concerns with a sheet on the ground, but does anyone know if Ben Avery allows prone fire on the main range?
I am unclear on the premise "it feels considerably more stable when I dry-fire practice at home." If you get a stable position at home, what stops you from recreating it at the range?
Or am I completely misunderstandig the question? As for me, my winter months are spent shooting small bore rifles indoor, prone at 50 feet making one hole groups. Every Thursday night. Perhaps there is a small bore league somewhere in your area?
I have never shot at Ben Avery, but some of the top 1000 yard prone shooters in the world practice and compete there. If you run into a young Marine on the Marine Reserve shooting team named Wayne on the range, tell him that I still regret selling him that 40X small bore rifle. ;)
Thanks for the suggestions, I'll give them a try. I can do well with the raised M1A type rear sigts, but I was using musket type, think Spr '03 sights at the AS. NorCal22Gal, I'm not famiar with Crizal, but I'm guessing before it's all said & done I will be. Thanks all for the suggestions.
To AzRedhawk44, wear coveralls, and use a piec of rug or a Ensolite sleeping mat- it's going to insulate you from that nice, balmy 200o AZ heat. As far as allowing prone shooting, just go for it. As long as your muzzle is where it's supposed to be, you don't present a trip/fall hazard and can hear the Line Commands, you should be OK, if the Range Master has an issue with your position, politely ask him where it is publicly stated that shooting prone is not allowed, the same with policy in writing as that will carry the most weight in a dispute. The difference in 'the feeling of stability may be the venue changes- at home you're in your 'comfort zone'; at the range you're probably looking in all directions behind the line as well as in front. All that while comfortably resting(?) on spent brass & range flotsam might be the cause of not duplicating your home results. Just some random thoughts.
Hope this helps,
desertrat144
Ask your eye care professional abt antireflective coatings for your glasses....Crizal is a brand name of one of the top ones.
NorCal22Gal
Great, that I will.
Again, I like to invite those readers of this thread to amble over to the Disabled Appleseeder Program. If you see anything that grabs your interest, please wade in! To get this facet of Appleseed working, Appleseeder's need to know of it's existance.
Thanks to everyone for their help with the question & any questions about the disabled shooters.
desertrat144