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LJ126 Practical Skills Primer #4 - Concepts of Marksmanship: Shooting from a Seated Position
FOREWORD
The following article is a product of the culmination of professional instruction from some of the greatest people I have ever known, quite a few hours of competitive experience with rifles and handguns, and through reading many thousands of pages written by some of the biggest names in firearms pop culture. This particular article is heavily influenced by Jeff Cooper's book, The Art of the Rifle, many hours behind a fill-in-the-blank centerfire rifle with my father, and lots of time meditating why my bullets aren't striking where I'm aiming... and while I don't claim to be the best marksman or casual shooter in the world (or even on the ZSDW) I do indeed know a thing or two.Sometimes, it can be difficult to avoid regurgitating things that others have said before, especially about a topic that has hundreds of magazines and books dedicated to it. I will take every effort to cite my sources when appropriate. It is certainly possible to come to the same conclusions as other writers, just a different path was taken to reach them.
Much of this article assumes that you have some basic understanding of shooting, that you know how to safely operate and maintain a firearm or air gun and that you have access to shooting facilities to put these theories and your understanding of them to the test. Even more of this article operates in the realm of the hypothetical - meditation, revision, and practical application are absolutely essential if you expect to improve your skills in any endeavor, including shooting. So much comes naturally to us, but to exceed beginner's limitations, it takes serious concerted effort and dedication. This article will be meaningless for those who aren't willing to challenge what they've been previously instructed or self-trained to do. This, as well as any other literary work on the topic of shooting, is incapable of replacing proper instruction or individual practice - rather meant to complement your skill building endeavors. Leaning on text alone can't teach you how to cook, you have to dirty a few pots and pans first!
Anyways, even if you don't find this article useful, I hope that you enjoy reading it. I will try to insert humorous and amusing quips when possible, so that this article isn't entirely droll and boring. This article may be too deep or too straight forward for some casual shooters, but other folks might just 'get it' and learn something new. It is for those people I am writing.
~Jo
n (LJ126)De Omnibus Dubitandum
Why shoot from a seated position? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this position? Is there really a "right" or a "wrong" way to do it? Why do we want out elbows forward of our knees? Is it more accurate that a standing, off-hand stance? If it's so valuable, why don't competition (IPSC, IDPA, etc.) shooters use it frequently? Can I shoot my rifle from this position?The seated shooting position is easily one of the least understood and most overlooked of all of the shooting positions, and this is really a shame. When entered properly, it is an extremely accurate position, one that can be assumed quickly and relatively inconspicuously. Additionally, the seated position is well-balanced, and can be held with stability for long periods of time. It is low, it does not inhibit access to your gear (like prone shooting does), and it thoroughly breaks up the human silhouette because while sitting, we do not look like any person, standing or lying flat. Breaking up our silhouette by taking a comfortable (but unnatural looking) position makes us more difficult to spot when properly blended with the environment - in plain English, this means that it is a stealthy position in most situations.
What is a "Seated Position?"
Well... let's start with what it is not. Obviously, one could sit at a bench rest and say that they're shooting from a "seated position" and technically speaking, they'd be right. Their body weight is resting on the primarily on their buttocks, their back is upright (more or less) and they're shooting a rifle. This, for our purposes, is called "benchrest shooting" and it is NOT what we're talking about in this article. Benchrest shooting is fun and challenging, but it has limited practical value to us as marksmen because where we're going to be shooting (in the field), there probably won't be a nice cradle to anchor our rifle stock forearm, nor will there be a nice little bench or steel chair from which to comfortably set our Gatorade, ammunition, targets and water bottles.A loose, unrefined explanation of a proper seated position is that it utilizes an unprepared surface - like the ground, a flat rock, a car hood on top of mud, etc - as a starting point. Most of us identify this position with sitting either "Indian style" or with our feet apart, resting our elbows approximately at our knees, with our body at a slight angle towards our strong side. The 'strong side' refers to the side of your body where your dominant hand is to the target. Go figure, the rifle sights and muzzle should already be facing towards the target. Ideally, you are fit and flexible enough to place your elbows just past your knee caps while sighting your rifle. The reason for this is so that you can utilize your bone structure to support the firearm, not your upper body muscles. A good position uses the linear paths of your bones to create a symmetrical base from which to shoot. You will reduce side to side sway and and muscle fatigue if your position is strong.
Fundamentals of Seated Shooting- Make the rifle safe: Turn on the safety, keep your fingers away from the trigger guard and point the rifle in a safe direction (downrange, pointed upward-and-away from you)
- Carefully sit down: Use your free hand to guide your rear to the ground, and sit Indian-style (or open-legged) on the ground
- Shoulder the rifle properly: Bring the stock to your cheek, not your cheek to the stock and maintain a proper cheek weld
- Get into position: Lean forward at the waist and place your elbows as far forward on your knees as possible. Ideally, you will be flexible enough to place your left elbow forward of your left knee
- Fine tune: Adjust position - not the rifle - so that the rifle stays on target naturally and without effort
- Shoot: Apply principles of marksmanship when firing: sight alignment, sight picture, breathing, trigger control, follow-through
The seated position should be taken when there is nothing available to use as an improvised rest. Obviously, if you can take a more stable position - like an improvised bench rest - you should, and you should always be looking for better positions from which to fire. Obviously, a sturdy tree limb or the hood of your truck will be more steady and provide more cover than sitting ass-down on the ground or trying to make a 440 yard off-hand shot connect. Apply common sense liberally when it is available.
Never Ending Quest for the "Right Way"
First of all, there are various shooting styles and stances, and these vary by country of origin and the school teaching them. There is an infinite number of different personal variations to each of these stances, some more or less effective. These are due to differences in body structure, flexibility, and the size and fit of the arm you might be operating; holding and firing a Yugoslavian M48 will necessitate minor changes in grip and stance from those required of the AR-15 platform rifle, and these will vary from the handling requirements of a Kel Tec SUB-2000. Bullpup-style military rifles will be held differently than longer, traditional military rifles, which will be held differently than WWII bolt-action surplus rifles. Additionally, military shooting stances invest heavily in the concepts of cover & concealment: military shooting tends to stress getting and staying in a low position, and then being able to get up and move as military riflemen tend to be concerned about the steel-cored ammunition being fired at them and their buddies. Precision shooters and hunters don't have that problem - it could be argued that if deer carried Kalashnikov-variant rifles into the woods duri
ng hunting season, they'd bag more of us than we do them! That being said, military shooting positions are very accurate and they're certainly adequate for 99% of situations you will encounter when shot-to-shot accuracy is your primary concern.Only after a marksman or casual shooter has demonstrated that they understand the principles of a given shooting position, can they begin altering it so that it is more natural and comfortable for them. A baseline understanding of the principles must be demonstrated FIRST. The most important component is consistency - in order to shoot accurately, one must be able to repeat the same shot over again.
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| Chewbaccas | The sniper with the highest confirmed kills used this position | 4 | May 1 2011, 12:10 PM EDT by Sharpie41 | ||
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Thread started: May 1 2011, 10:29 AM EDT
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During the Winter War of 1940, the Finnish sniper Simo Hayha got over 500 confirmed kills using primarily the seated position
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