How to hold a rifle...who knew?
 

This ol' dawg keeps learnin'....last year it was that Hoppe's was two syllables....today I learned how to hold a rifle ;). I've been shooting for 50 years, no formal training, but I can shoot. One foot in front of the other is how I hold a rifle/shotgun....so today I walk up on one of my tennants, teaching his 5 yr old...both feet even....hmmm. Did some reading with my Googlefu.....who knew :)? I ain't changing....just wonder how you guys stand....feet even, or one in front of the other?

I'm right handed, right eye dominant. I shoot a rifle like I shoot pool...right leg back, left forward for good balance.

May be totally different for a right handed left eye dominant shooter...

In all of my shooting, which runs the gait from various disciplines of competitive shooting to hunting, I have never seen anyone stand for offhand with anything but their weak foot forward. I think it would be very awkward to stand with feet even. Not to mention, once we are dealing with the recoil of a big game rifle, I think one could actually get hurt. Seems like really bad advice.

I used my googlefu after I got home Jeff....I'd never heard of such. BTW...he's LE and a trained former sniper...and built like a NFL linebacker...I sure wasn't gonna correct him :).

Interesting. I had a lot of coaching when I was younger, and I was always taught the weak foot forward position. My NRA affiliated club, with our certified instructors, still teaches weak foot forward. A cursory search for photos of the 200 yard offhand leg in highpower still shows everyone with their weak foot forward. I wonder who teaches this "even foot" stance, and where he learned it.

Of course there is a difference between the competitive "offhand" position and the hunting "standing" position. Pictures are worth a thousand words...

Competitive offhand position:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1519002913.jpg

Hunting standing position:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1519002961.jpg

I wonder which he thinks he is teaching his kid. And, like I said, I wonder where he learned it. You should ask him.

My dad would naturally be a right hand shooter, but he's blind in his right eye, so he shoots left. 74 and the one eyed SOB can still drop a moving deer at 50 yards. After the celebrations where over, I paced off from his blind to where he hit his deer the past year. It was moving downhill, angling away from him. I hope I'm that good at his age.

I did briefly ask him about it...and my googlefu calls it an athletic stance...preferred by LE. My tennant mentioned wearing a vest underneath, and googlefu mentions reducing side exposure. It was all news to me....and just seems totally unnatural...btw his kid is gonna be a natural...some got it....some don't...he does :)

That makes sense. As far as I know, bullet proof vests provide no protection from the side. While I have never had to face such, I understand many things change when one is fighting with a gun, rather than target shooting or hunting. I would not want my exposed side facing the bad guys either.

Sounds like the old "Weaver vs. Isosceles" debate, applied to long guns.
Each has their pros/cons, IMO. Some prefer to shoot squared up to the target, with the stock more centered on the chest/pec than in the shoulder "pocket".
Whatever works for a comfortable and consistent cheek-weld, I say.

If anything, just keep those "chicken wings" down, lol... :cool:

So how would a right handed left eye dominant person shoot? Because totally describes me - all these years I've been shooting with my weaker eye because it feels more natural

I think they shoot full auto like that no? Feet even, leaning forward.

He was teaching his son tactical shooting tips. How to shoot when someone is shooting at you.

A different technique from hunting/bullseye type shooting.

You always face the threat. The theory is if you take a bullet it will only go through one major organ. If you stood sideways, the bullet could go through several organs.

You stand and shoot square to the threat so you can walk forward, sideways, diagonally and backwards while shooting. Hitting the target when you shoot is not necessarily a goal all of the time. You could be laying down suppressive fire as a distraction to the threat while you retreat, advance or so others can gain a tactical advantage.

Most folks, when rifle shooting, default to strong side / weak eye. It's just more natural, and quite honestly, you really don't have to see all that well to shoot well. Handguns are different - it's pretty easy to shoot "crosswise", using both the strong hand and dominant eye.

Again, thank God I have never had to do that. Granted, I've hunted animals that figuratively "shoot back", but they do it with hooves, horns, claws, and teeth. I've had one or two tense moments, but never like that. Different game entirely. That said, a "bullet-proof" vest wouldn't do you a damn bit of good...

My hunting buddy and I often practiced shooting left handed. Came in handy under certain situations.

What's weird is being able to shoot left handed helps in pool as well.

Thanks for the background info! I'm glad my tennant is now "off the street"...LE is in his blood...his dad was too, but it's crazy out there. He's a detective now with somewhat " normal" hours....tough profession to be in imo.

I think it depends on the gun you are shooting. A pistol is shot with your feet spread about 2' apart, and even with both hands on the gun (doesn't matter which eye, or hand is dominant). A rifle is shot with your weak leg forward, and your weak foot facing the target, more for stability after a bigger recoil from a more powerful gun.

I shot my first 12 ga at 9 years old....scrawny as a beanpole back then...it worked for me ;). But a quick read seems to defy what many of us have always thought. The "athletic stance" sure seems to be taught...and my tennant was teaching like Vash posted (re auto, etc.)....feet even, leaning forward just a bit. But if you can shoot....you can shoot :)

When I show someone how to shoot a black powder muzzle loader I usually show them 4 or 5 different ways to stand and hold and then let them try it to see which is best for them. Many things can affect this such as medical issues, left VS right handed, which eye is dominate and even can the shooter hold on the bulls eye? As long as they can hit the target and are happy, that is their best way to shoot. Not many muzzle loaders are used for home defense soooooooooo.

I know some don't like him (Travis Haley) but he does shoot decently. He said he really didn't learn to shoot well until after he left the service to become a competitive shooter. He doesn't do the even foot hold. Much. Start at 3:35.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PEdSrHuvmvE" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

That said, I saw an instructor once show an associate how to shoot his new 9mm and the instructor had him in isosceles, leaning back on his heels standing upright. He had a hard time balancing and coudn't understand why he wasn't hitting his target. I said that was a very poor stance is why. His "instructor" said that he had to shoot that way until he was stronger. I did NOT ask for his card.

Student: But I put every single shot dead center in the bulls eye?
Instructor: Yeah...but you didn't to it right!

I'm a lefty shootin' spoons designed for a righty world....I ain't right a lot :)