Help me build the perfect practice rifle

[Ontario Hunter]

Here is my full feature practice rifle in 22 LR, sized same as my big rifles. It is helpful with reducing flinch as zero recoil and but the bolt throw is short, so not good for follow up practice.
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That is really something. A fun project for sure. Where did you find a barrel band that skinny? I have an old Marlin clip feed that might be a good candidate for a build like that. My grandson uses it at the junior rifle club. A safari grade .22 would pop a few eyeballs there for sure.

 

[Red Leg]

@Red Leg, would you be so kind to perhaps write a little more about the "call-the-shot" technique? I have not yet read about this.

I did a lot of competitive shooting back in the day, and much of that was from the kneeling and standing positions. To some extent, they represent the sort of sight movement we see when firing from field positions as opposed to the sighting bench. One of the techniques one learned was to take a mental polaroid photo of the sight picture as the rifle fired. With practice, one would know exactly where the bullet went before looking through the target scope. Subconsciously, it also forces the shooter to maintain sight picture that extra millisecond through the shot. Hence, not only do you know where the bullet hit but also groups tend to shrink significantly. All of that translates directly to the field. When a PH or guide inquires "how did the shot feel," I can typically answer pretty precisely where I hit the animal.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Not practicing from sticks before arriving in Africa (or Europe or South America for that matter) is one of the most foolish things a client can do. It also seems to be a remarkably common occurrence. While duplicating one's intended hunting rifle is probably ideal, I do not think it is at all necessary. What is necessary is to become comfortable quickly settling into firing position and getting the shot off accurately regardless of the rifle in hand. That can be done with a .22, .223. .270, or the intended DG caliber. In fact, with rental rifles becoming ever more common regardless of destination, becoming comfortable with the basics regardless of firearm is actually probably a useful approach.

As others have noted, do not under estimate the value of dry firing your primary rifle. Most bolt actions do not require a dummy round unless the sight of it flying through the air inspires the soul. Always use a spring loaded primer dummy round with a double. It takes a lot of self discipline to effectively dry fire. A mental tool that I use whether on the range or in the gun room is to call the shot. If it is a technique you have not used, it is amazing how accurate you can become with regard to the impact point. It also tends to encourage follow through which is, I believe, hugely important in the field.

Absolutely. While I personally don't care for the hassle of going to the range unless I have to, dry firing at home is very useful, especially mounting quickly and firing at an imaginary target. My living room has striped wallpaper and wainscoting that's very useful for this exercise. I pick a stripe, mount the rifle, swing on the molding at the top of the wainscoting till I reach the stripe, and fire. This is an adaptation of the exercise I used to train my left eye to close when shooting my shotgun (surgeries have left that eye seeing off kilter). Do not dry fire shotgun though. Even with a hard nylon primer snap cap I still broke a firing pin in my A5. Rifle or shotgun it's great practice for mounting and follow through. I also practice mounting and dry firing at still "targets" (usually the seal on one of the diplomas hanging in my office ... finally found a use for those things ).

One late evening when I was practicing with my shotgun there was a knock at the door. It was the city police. Neighbor across the street came home from working swing shift at the fire hall and noticed me dancing around in front of the picture window waving a gun. Dan doesn't hunt but not antigun either. But he thought that was kinda nutty. People doing kinda nutty things with guns should probably be checked into. The cops were fine with an explanation. We all got a chuckle and I insisted they go tell Dan I was okay with him ratting me out. Moral of the story: pull the drapes when dry firing at home.

 

[Green Chile]

To add just a bit, calling the shot is when you know exactly how the sights were aligned when the shot broke. It’s an essential skill in competitive shooting of all disciplines. It requires a lot of discipline and can only happen when you have no concerns for recoil. It’s a very cold and neutral ability to be brutally honest about the sight picture ALL the way through the process. It’s a perishable skill that can grow and shrink with practice. With it, you can tell someone that your shot broke as the animal moved and it landed here or there. Every PH I’ve hunted with has asked me where do you think it hit…and I’ve been able to call most of those shots closely. PHs appreciate that level of detail and observation.

 

[cajunchefray]

To add just a bit, calling the shot is when you know exactly how the sights were aligned when the shot broke. It’s an essential skill in competitive shooting of all disciplines. It requires a lot of discipline and can only happen when you have no concerns for recoil. It’s a very cold and neutral ability to be brutally honest about the sight picture ALL the way through the process. It’s a perishable skill that can grow and shrink with practice. With it, you can tell someone that your shot broke as the animal moved and it landed here or there. Every PH I’ve hunted with has asked me where do you think it hit…and I’ve been able to call most of those shots closely. PHs appreciate that level of detail and observation.

Good explanation. I learned this from a competition shooter while in college, in a casual setting shooting at a friend’s farm. It has been helpful, I need to practice more.

 

[VertigoBE]

I did a lot of competitive shooting back in the day, and much of that was from the kneeling and standing positions. To some extent, they represent the sort of sight movement we see when firing from field positions as opposed to the sighting bench. One of the techniques one learned was to take a mental polaroid photo of the sight picture as the rifle fired. With practice, one would know exactly where the bullet went before looking through the target scope. Subconsciously, it also forces the shooter to maintain sight picture that extra millisecond through the shot. Hence, not only do you know where the bullet hit but also groups tend to shrink significantly. All of that translates directly to the field. When a PH or guide inquires "how did the shot feel," I can typically answer pretty precisely where I hit the animal.

So it is in a way, shifting one’s focus from trigger, grip, anticipation of recoil, environment etc, to only crosshairs and where they are, just before and at the moment the trigger breaks?

Any technique in doing this? Or just concentration? I’ve never tried this on purpose, although I must admit that my best shooting is when I have ignored everything but the target….

 

[Bush Buck]

Dry firing, follow through and calling the shot are super valuable techniques.

This starts with dry firing. Until you can follow through and hold a perfect sight picture while dry firing there is really no need for live ammo.

Once you start shooting you need to "call the shot" before you look through the scope for the hit.
If you can't do this with centerfire then switch to rimfire - it makes it easier to follow through and keep your eyes open.
Follow through and call your shots - even the ones that don't look good - those help the most in learning to call.

A good adult 22 LR is the most important trainer because it encourages follow through and helps tame the twitches promoted by lots of recoil. A scope and target that allows you to see the hits improves this effect.

 

[Rare Breed]

@Red Leg, would you be so kind to perhaps write a little more about the "call-the-shot" technique? I have not yet read about this.

Without question having the proper stance, handholds on sticks in my opinion is the single most important thing to practice before Africa hunt. Even shooting off sticks I have seen friends with the barrel not fire end resting on fulcrum that was quickly corrected. To me, when I say call the shot which I completely agree with is mentally I want to see the hole on the target/ animal after the shot. So I pick my spot stare a hole through it and when I squeeze the trigger I try to see the bullet hit. While I can’t actually see it it forces me to stay down on the rifle guaranteeing follow through versus lifting my head up to “see what happened after the shot.”

 

[Red Leg]

So it is in a way, shifting one’s focus from trigger, grip, anticipation of recoil, environment etc, to only crosshairs and where they are, just before and at the moment the trigger breaks?

Any technique in doing this? Or just concentration? I’ve never tried this on purpose, although I must admit that my best shooting is when I have ignored everything but the target….

I think of grip, cheek weld, trigger pull, etc as ingrained muscle memory actions. I do not consciously think of any of those. I also shoot with both eyes open. With practice, one only sees the target though peripheral vision is still working if something unexpected happens. At the shot I "know" where the sights were, and can thus accurately call the spot struck on a target or an animal.

 

[Green Chile]

The thing about shot calling is you will not be able to judge yourself honestly. You think you are doing it but you cannot be certain. If you have someone load the gun for you with a mix of dry fire and live fire ammo and then they watch you…it will reveal the truth. I know that sometimes I blink if I can anticipate the shot. If you blink, you are guessing on the shot calling.

 

[375Ruger416]

Yes, I made the biggest progress on this practicing with a rimfire - check out the NRA’s Appleseed course or Mapleseed here in Canada - and practicing with a 6.5 CM and having someone load a mix of dummy rounds and 1 or 2 live rounds.

Focus on the crosshair, not the target, and keep your focus on the crosshairs. After you squeeze off the shot, keep the trigger squeezed until you are back on target (follow through), and think of the sight picture you had right as the shot broke. Did you slap the trigger? Pull to the right or left? Pop your head up to look over the optic/sights to judge your impact?

All of these habits will impair your ability to make an accurate shot as well as spot your shot. With time, you will start taking a mental snapshot of the sight picture at the time your shot broke and be able to reliably call your impact.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Without question having the proper stance, handholds on sticks in my opinion is the single most important thing to practice before Africa hunt. Even shooting off sticks I have seen friends with the barrel not fire end resting on fulcrum that was quickly corrected. To me, when I say call the shot which I completely agree with is mentally I want to see the hole on the target/ animal after the shot. So I pick my spot stare a hole through it and when I squeeze the trigger I try to see the bullet hit. While I can’t actually see it it forces me to stay down on the rifle guaranteeing follow through versus lifting my head up to “see what happened after the shot.”

Exactly. I recall first employing this technique when I shot my first elk back in '71, an exceptional 6x6 bull (346 B&C). I'd already hit it twice, first in the neck then in the poop chute. When I finally caught up to him I knew if that bull ran any further down in the canyon I'd never get it out. I concentrated on following the bullet into his head and that's where it went.

 

[ftrovato]

I find there is no better way to work on Sight Picture, speed of Target Accusation and Trigger Control than with a rifle that has no recoil and little to no sound. So I do it with my Ruger 77/22 in 22LR (Top Rifle). Bottom rifle is a Ruger Compact 7mm-08 that my daughter uses when she deer hunts.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Yes, I made the biggest progress on this practicing with a rimfire - check out the NRA’s Appleseed course or Mapleseed here in Canada - and practicing with a 6.5 CM and having someone load a mix of dummy rounds and 1 or 2 live rounds.

Focus on the crosshair, not the target, and keep your focus on the crosshairs. After you squeeze off the shot, keep the trigger squeezed until you are back on target (follow through), and think of the sight picture you had right as the shot broke. Did you slap the trigger? Pull to the right or left? Pop your head up to look over the optic/sights to judge your impact?

All of these habits will impair your ability to make an accurate shot as well as spot your shot. With time, you will start taking a mental snapshot of the sight picture at the time your shot broke and be able to reliably call your impact.

Interesting dialog. For me it's concentrating on a spot on the target, not the reticle. The biggest mistake I find myself making when wingshooting is shooting at the bird and not a spot on the bird, e.g. white ring on a pheasant's neck. Or in Africa the spot on an impala where the lateral stripe meets the front shoulder.

 

[375Ruger416]

Interesting dialog. For me it's concentrating on a spot on the target, not the reticle. The biggest mistake I find myself making when wingshooting is shooting at the bird and not a spot on the bird, e.g. white ring on a pheasant's neck. Or in Africa the spot on an impala where the lateral stripe meets the front shoulder.

Yes, the crosshairs and the desired Point of Impact have to be in alignment of course, but it is possible to follow your desired target and not keep your crosshairs in alignment. For me, focusing on the crosshairs and looking at my target ‘through’ the crosshairs helps me avoid this mistake.

This is the way I was taught by retired Canadian Master Sniper - he actually teaches to think/say - reticle, reticle, reticle before you break the shot as well as practicing natural point of aim. More applicable to precise shots than following moving game or shooting a shotgun of course. It’s been working for me ‍<shrug>

 

[Jay Kelley]

Obviously practicing with the rifle you’re going to hunt with is the best thing you can do. Realistically though most people can only handle a limited number of shots from heavier recoiling guns. There is great benefit to working on breath and trigger technique with lighter recoiling rifles. This is obviously a supplement to practicing with your actual hunting rifle not a replacement for that practice.

So I got to thinking what’s the perfect practice rifle? Ideally it should be a set up similar to your main gun in terms of safety position etc.

One candidate would be a quality bolt gun in .22 long rifle. Something like a Model 52. But I think I’d rather for with something centerfire partially because I enjoy reloading. Working up new loads would be an excuse to shoot more.

One of the centerfire 22 calibers would fill the bill but some of those suffer from short barrel life. My 375 is a Model 70 and I alway thought one in 220 Swift wood be a nice pairing but I’ve heard those burn out barrels quickly.

So if you were building the perfect lower recoiling practice rifle what would you

Ruger (I think) used to have a heavy rifle (Hawkeye African?) in .223. A rifle, identical to your dangerous game rifle in an inexpensive, soft recoiling caliber would be the answer if you could find or get someone to build/modify

 

[Sideshow]

I think it might be Briley but could be wrong. I thought I saw a 470 that had slip in 22 rifle sleeves that did what you are asking. I saw something like that on AH but can’t remember anything else about it

Yes ive seen those 22 rifle sleeves here in the uk @Rare Breed

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The pot calling the kettle black re drivel.

I see very little utility in shooting a lightweight .22 with a typically not-so-crisp trigger and possibly entirely different safety off shooting sticks (although admittedly I have never found a rifle with strange safety a handicap shooting off sticks - i.e. rental gun) when one plans to hunt with a much heavier rifle in both weight and recoil and probably with different sights, scope, and/or reticle.

Some folks enjoy punching paper. Fine. I do not. I also disagree with a certain gun editor's philosophy that hunters must "practice, practice, practice" in the off season. It can develop flinching, especially with heavy recoil rifles. In my opinion, a hunter only needs to spend enough time at the range to familiarize (or refamiliarize) himself with the rifle he will be using, i.e. zero it. I see no advantage in familiarizing or over-familiarizing myself with a gun I won't be using. I can certainly foresee that it could actually be detrimental.

This is not drivel. There is some sense to my thinking. You may not agree with it and that's okay. But try to keep it a clean fight.

@Ontario Hunter
When I was teaching my son to shoot off sticks in preparation for Namibia he used a 22lr.
We didn't worry about the use of a safety as he didn't need to use it during practice.
Both his 22 and 308 have the same 3# setting so switching from on rifle to another the trigger pressure was identical. All my rifles have triggers set to the same pressure.
Not only did he practice off stick he practiced ALL field positions to go with it.
After each session with the 22 he finished with the 308 on sticks and field positions.
Somewhere around 1,000 22s were fired and may be 50 308s.
After this he could pick up either rifle with ONE round in the mag. The sticks were set up ready but he didn't know what position he would be shooting from. I would call the position and he would get 5 seconds to assume the position he was told, load the rifle, acquire the target and shoot. He got very good at it and could usually do it in less than the 5 seconds.
Worked for us but others may be different.
Muscle memory and practice is the key in my book.
Bob