New shooter, getting better!

[Spectre6]

This was my 4th time shooting my rifle.. Its a Rem 700 SPS Stainless in 30-06.

I shot 12 sighting rounds in the middle, then 3 each at the corners..



It may not be the .5 MOA uber-groups or 5 bullet bugholes.. but I was really happy with how I did.

Id like to start shooting at 200, at this point, ive only been able to get in on paper at that range.

[danp]

You shoot better than the "Sniper" on that TV show Texas SWAT I'll tell you that much.

[aubie515]

How do you like the Remington SPS? I owned a PSS, but sold it...my friend is a big fan of Remingtons. I prefer .308 over 30/06 even though they are very close when it comes to ballistics.

I think you did pretty weel for being a new rifle shooter. The shoot NC targets are great because you see what you hit. I normally just buy some orange stickers and stick them on the back or regular targets...that way I see where I am hitting on the paper.

Here is one of my targets from my DPMS LR 308...don't mind me mispelling Medal

[Spectre6]

Nice shooting! What range is that at?

I really like the SPS. I have never owned a rifle (or any firearm for that matter) before, so I dont have much to compare with. I have fired assault rifles and pistols, but never a bolt action.

I was very impressed with the accuracy however, I think its alot more accurate than me at the moment. It just fits, it has lots of aftermarket goodies.. its such a 'standard' rifle that you just cant go wrong. The *only* thing I dont like about it, is that it doesnt come with iron sights.. I think the ADL used to, but when they 'upgraded' it to the SPS, they took the irons away.

I have been shooting Remington 150gr PSP or Federal 150gr PSP with good results. I tried the federal 'American Eagle' 150gr FMJBT, but I got sporatic results with it. Occasionally I would get a sweet little 1 inch group, but rounds would also fly wide. I know I flinch occasionally, but I did better with the other ammo.

One thing that is interesting, the bullet holes from the boat-tail rounds were elongated on one side. Could these rounds be going 'wobbly' and impacting sideways? That could explain the inconsistant results.

Im really starting to get into shooting, and im thinking about reloading. Maybe you guys could give me some tips on longer range shooting?

One thing im having trouble with is getting a comfortable prone position. Any tips?

[aubie515]

Boat tails are suppose to help. I highly doubt that your bullets are impacting the target sideways.

When you shoot...do you use front and rear bags? When I shoot on the bench I always make sure that I am using a front and rear rest. It helps to stabalize the rifle.

What I see on a lot of forums is people who spend a lot of money on a rifle and buy cheap ammo or optics. I wouldn't say you have to buy all top of the line stuff, but as far as ammo is concerned...I would not recommend shooting surplus ammo if you are trying to find out what your rifle is capable of shooting.

That target was from 100 yards. That range is pretty much the average standard to sight in a rifle. And the only reason why it wasn't a 5 round group was because I was at a PA Public Range and they only allow 3 rounds in any firearm. I didn't want to shoot 3 rounds than reload and shoot the final round, so I just loaded two rounds at a time.

[Tomcat088]

Hello Spectre. I'd be more than happy to try to help you out with some shooting tips. I'm from west texas and grown up doing long distance shooting with my father my entire life. I have been known to hit coyotes at 800 meters with my .300 winmag, which I know some people won't believe, lol. Anyway, one of the most important things that you need to work on when you first start shooting is the basics, before you start entending out to longer ranges. It gets a little monotonous sometimes, but if you can get the rifle to group tight at shorter distances, then you can extend and learn to group tighter at further distances.

I noticed some changes in the height of your shots, especially around the "zeroing shots" that you made. I'm not sure if you were actually zeroing yoru rifle or settling in, mind telling me which it was? Anyway, usually height differences has to do with your breathing. You should never truly "hold your breathe" when you shoot, so that means you should never fire a round when your lungs are completely full of air, or completely empty of air. The technique that several military snipers have taught me is breathe in all the way deeply and then halfway out. You should already have the gun about where you want it, and as you breathe out halfway, settle in, and take a pause there for a second, this is when you should fire. After the shot, you should exhale the rest of the air, breathe in halfway, and this is when you'd fire your "follow up" shot. If you are just firing one shot and being methodical, you don't have to shoot on the inhale, just take your time and do what you did the first time. Shooting this way helps keep your heart rate down, controlled, and you don't get the feeling of "panicking for air".

Something else you should be aware of is if your shots continually are lower even after you are breathing well, you could be letting your left hand on the forestock (for a right hander) slip more forwards. Usually if you pull the arm in just a bit closer, so that it's a little more bent, it will correct for this problem.

I think one of the biggest problems for new shooters is the trigger squeeze. It's something that you should practice ALOT, because at long distance it is what can be the difference between a hit or miss. When you squeeze the trigger, it should be very smooth and clean, never a jerk or abrupt. You should squeeze with constant pressure and sometimes not even quite know when the trigger is going to break to fire. My father use to have me practice my trigger pull by placing a quarter on the barrel, the closer to the end, the harder it is. Then you relax and get the rifle about level, and then slowly squeeze the trigger, when you can do it without knocking off the quarter, or without making it wobble too much at the end of the barrel, you have a good trigger squeeze. Sometimes for beginning shooters a quarter is a bit hard, so using a nickel, which is a bit smaller makes it easier. This drill is really hard if you don't have at least a stable front rest or bipod, so make sure you're settled in pretty good. Most of the time dryfiring isn't bad for your rifle, if you don't do it all the time, although some people might disagree. What you want to remember in this drill is to just barely lift the bolt high enough to reset the trigger, you do NOT have to fully rack the bolt, it results in unnecessary bolt wear, etc. So just barely lift the bolt to reset the trigger, settle down and get the quarter set, relax, breathe, squeeze and wait for the click.

If you have any questions or there is any way that I can help, please let me know. Welcome to the shooting family, and best wishes.

[Spectre6]

Aubie:

You arent shooting at the range off 910 near pittsburgh are you?

Tomcat:

Thanks for your advice!

Those zeroing shots were really to zero in my scope. I was firing 3 rounds then adjusting the elevation/windage.

I was aware of this breathing technique.. What I do is settle in for the shot, and start breathing steadily and watch where the crosshairs move. Ill line up the movement so the target is centered when my lungs are about half empty. Ill take a full breath, then slowly exhale untill the crosshairs are lined up, then I hold it, and start to apply pressure to the trigger.

I know that the shot *should* come as a surprise, but Im positive I have a problem with flinching, however minor. I noticed it when I was just practicing dry firing at home. I would squeeze the trigger and my body would just involentarily shudder very softly.. even though I *knew* there wasnt a round chambered!

So I need to really work on that. The first 20 rounds I fired from the rifle really beat up my shoulder, the next 2 times I went to the range, I fired 40 before I called it quits. Last time I fired 60 with very little soreness. So im getting used to the recoil, I just have to practice I guess!

I will try practicing the coin drill. The trigger pull is a little heavy from the factory, but I really dont have much of a desire to fiddle with it.

Thanks for all the help guys, ill let you know how I do!

EDIT:

I did the 'coin drill' several times and never dropped the coin. Had a quarter at the end of the barrel and the most it did was shake a little.. id shake at the end of that barrell too It was pretty easy with a bipod.

[aubie515]

Spectre, I live close to Philly.


While the 30/06 is a great caliber...I dislike LA calibers...I prefer SA calibers because it doesn't beat me up as much. I wouldn't say that I am recoil sensative, but I don't like the added recoil of the 30/06. I would advise a new shooter to take his/her time while shooting. It is not a race to see how many rounds you can send down range. Take a shot and let the barrel cool down. I do not believe the SPS barrels are the heavy barrels, so allow the barrel time to cool off in between shots.

[Spectre6]

Is there really that much of a difference in recoil? Ive never fired a .308, but it seems according to newtons law, a same sized projectile, moving at 2900 fps +- 100, should kick about the same. If anything, I thought the slower burning powder would give more of a 'push' than a 'kick'?

Maybe im missing something.

And Im sure to let the barrell cool, it takes me roughly 2 hours to fire 60 shots.

[Tomcat088]

There is a very big difference in recoil between a .308 and 30/06. I'm not sure if you realized it or not, but aubie was talking about short actions and long actions. Long actions hold the powder in a longer case, while shorter actions are usually a larger diameter case that is shorter. I would think that whether the gun gives a "push" or a "kick" also depends on the angle. Some guns sit a little differently than others, or the stock is a bit lower, in my experience it can have a drastic effect on recoil. I have a 7mm mag that "kicks" way less than my friends, even when I use my ammo (same) on both rifles. You also have to realize one thing, just because the bullets weigh the same and are moving the same speed doesn't mean they used the same amount of powder. Especially in longer actions you see what is called "over bore". What happens is the bullet has already exited the barrel before all the powder has burned, so even after the bullet has left, some of the powder is burning, which will result in more of a kick, even though none of that power is transfered to the bullet. You also mentioned "slower burning powder". You can use a fast or slower burning powder on either long action or short action. Most of the times the difference comes in what you're looking for. Slower burning powder gives a more consistent burn, and you see less fluctuation in fps as the bullet exits the barrel, but the trade off is that sometimes the bullet is a bit slower. If you're not shooting long distances, a few fps isn't that big of a deal, and you would prefer a faster bullet. When you're shooting great distances it becomes very important. Because too much variation in fps will affect your height. Typically once you get used to a rifle and consistent muzzle velocity, you can take "bullet drop" out of the equation and deal mostly with windage.

Anyway, hope that helps you out, and glad that you're working on the drill. If you can get ahold of a 50 cent piece give it a shot on the barrel drill, it's MUCH harder, lol. Sounds like you're off to a great start. Also, don't worry so much about how many shots that you fire, but that you learn something from each one. Notice if you pushed, pulled, flinched, if you were breathing, distracted etc. Just like you were doing when you noticed that little shudder when dry firing.