Prepping for Africa - Shooting from sticks

[Neil Molendyk]

I have been prepping for Africa for over one year now and will soon be off to the dark continent. Looking forward to the adventure. I was and am an experienced hunter and rifleman but was not accustomed to shooting from tri-pod sticks. I do often use a simple mono-pod for hunting squirrels with a rimfire rifle but that was not the same. While prepping for the trip, I bought a tripod to practice with and found that I can shoot better than expected from them but it is still not the solid rest I get from a bipod or rucksack rest. To build muscle memory and confidence with the sticks, I went to the range often to test ammo, dial in new optics and tune the two rifles I plan to take on this trip. A matched pair of FN Browning Hi-Power bolt action rifles in 308 and 375HH. However, one can only afford to shoot these so much. Most range sessions were 10-20rds each and then done. I practiced at 100/200/300 yds. But the range is a 1hr drive and it eats up half a day or more when I go. To keep sharp and supplement my actual rifle practice, I also began a 2nd practice regimen.

A few times each week, I get out a silenced 22lr that is of similar size and weight to my 375HH and shoot it from sticks at very small targets from a distance of about 35y. Why? Well, the 35y is the distance from my garage door to a large pile of dirt in my yard. This acts as a bullet stop even though there is not much down range beyond the dirt pile, there is a street out there and I want to keep safety in mind as well as the peace of mind of my neighbors. Using subsonic 22lr ammo, the rifle is no louder than a pellet rifle. Standing from sticks I have been shooting 1/2" diameter DumDum suckers with the 22. Normally from prone or a bench, I can hit these most shots out to 100y with this rifle. Standing from the sticks, it usually takes me 7-10 shots to break 5 DumDums in a practice session. But I am extremely close with every shot. Today, I shot 10 of them using 18rds. It only takes about 10min to get in a short practice session and each time, I can feel my marksmanship improving.

My wife asked me why use the little 22? You may be thinking the same. Well, the mechanics of hold, aim, working the bolt and pressing the trigger are all very similar to the larger rifles and while the report and the recoil are much less, the benefits are quite the same as if I was blasting thru my supply of magnum ammo. It is similar to dry firing a pistol to practice draw, presentation, sight picture and trigger pull. You don't have to use a silencer, but it helps if you have neighbors close by. My plan is that when the sticks go up, I want to be able to place and balance the rifle upon the sticks and have my sight picture within 3sec. After that, conditions such as distance, cover, awareness by my prey, etc will determine how quickly I may or may not need to send the shot. If very close and staring at you, I would say shoot NOW. If further away and/or unaware, then there is more time to fiddle with things like range finder, power zoom setting, reticle hold over if needed, etc. Most of my shooting will be between 50-350y.

If you are still learning how to shoot from sticks, you might want to try this approach.

View attachment 618915

Excellent practise, very similar to what I used in my African hunts. Add a couple of other practises (I used these as well and they were both beneficial). Set up your sticks on a target, then retreat a hundred yards from them, then run up to them, set up on the sticks and take your shot immediately, see how you do. Another practise is to approach your target using the Hoover Manuever as described in Kevin Robertson book, Africa Most Dangerous. I have a cattle operation so I had plenty of opportunities to try it, I would use it to approach mature cows equivalent to mature Cape Buffalo in size, approach them with my rifle on my legs, then set my sights on the intended target and dry fire. I would then get up and step out the distance to the bovine, It gave me a lot of practise on quietly approaching the animal and great for estimating distances. But it is critical to keep the firearm unloaded.

Another thing to consider is practising with a noise suppressor on your rifle. Here in Chinada (formerly the great Dominion of Canada) they are deemed as illegal so I had zero experience until my hunt in the Eastern Cape. I found them cumbersome when shooting off sticks, the whole balance of the rifle was off for me IMHO. Have a great hunt.

 

[MntMan82]

I pretty much do the same. I also bought a set of plains game targets from African Sporting Creations, each target has a range on it to simulate a 100yd shot. Something like the target at 35yds appears in a scope as it would at 100yds. Great practice with a .22 and more interesting than just punching paper. I think they came as a set of springbok, blue wildebeest, warthog and kudu. I hope they are still available as I need a new set.

This is brilliant didn’t know it was a thing. I’ll have to look for these

 

[mark-hunter]

If you are to buy one, buy a really good one (honestly, most .22 are barely ok for beercan plinking...).

You have a point.
Anschutz, CZ, Tikka t1x. That would be my suggestion

 

[BryceM]

Great topic.

I tried quad-sticks on our last safari and found them to be AMAZING! Game-changing. I came home and ordered some. They might be a little finicky when needing to move left-right, but up-down is a breeze. They do take a bit to set up, and they probably wouldn't be my first choice with big bores because it's harder to manage the front end. But, big bores don't have much purpose beyond 100 yards anyhow. On a DG hunt, I'd be happy with a tripod setup.

On the last hunt, most of the shots were in the 150-200 yard range. On the quad-sticks, I'd say it's comparable to being prone on a bipod. Not quite bench-accurate, but really, really confidence-boosting. The bullets go exactly where you want them to. In the right situation I'd be perfectly confident shooting out to 300 or 400 yards from them. On a regular tripod setup, I've always felt that 200 yards was pushing my limits.

The other thing that is fun and pays huge dividends is to go on a cull hunt. We did quite a bit of this on our last trip, maybe 30-40 animals between the two of us. They only want headshots and duiker and springbok heads are pretty small. Many of the springbok were in the 200 yard neighborhood. It teaches you to be precise, every time. Most of it was done from a vehicle, but some on foot. On actual game animals, this would take a lifetime in the US.

 

[VertigoBE]

I actually learn a lot more from dry fire practice. I had dummy rounds loaded with same weight and bullets as live rounds so I can’t tell difference at all picking them up. Where the crosshairs are when the trigger breaks is where the bullet would go. A lot cheaper and no recoil to cover up any bad practices you wouldn’t catch otherwise. A 22 just never did it for me because your mind knows there is no need to prepare for recoil or a loud bang.

I also do a lot of dry fire at home. Excellent practice for taking a slung rifle of the shoulder and presenting for an offhand shot or setting up on sticks.

I would only perhaps caution against using dummy rounds with the same weight as live rounds, in double rifles with ejectors. Those ejectors were designed for the weight of an empty case. Not to eject a full weight round.

 

[VertigoBE]

I fully agree on the quad sticks. If someone makes the effort to learn to shoot from them they are equally quick as a tripod just with a much more accurate shot. Tripod you need to learn to be accurate. Accuracy is much more of a given with quad sticks but you need to practice to become fast at getting on them. Most negative comments I see are from individuals who I can tell put no time into learning how to use them.

When alone, I also find quad sticks easier to set up and get my rifle on, then a tripod. But a tripod is much easier when there is two of you.

If you plan on using quads, then make sure your PH has some experience setting them up. If they only experienced setting up tripods, the PH tends to set them up in front of him, after which it becomes much more of a dance to get you behind the sticks, because he must hold on to them until you’re on them.

 

[GuttormG]

You have a point.
Anschutz, CZ, Tikka t1x. That would be my suggestion

Actually, I don see CZ as comparable to the 2 others. CZs are nicely made and finished; but they are just not as precise as I believe a 22 should be.
Some guys around here throw money on their CZs, custom this and that, when done it still do not shot as good as a Anschutz and they have spent more money then a Anny costs.

Semi-autos? Phøøy.. Toys

 

[mark-hunter]

Actually, I don see CZ as comparable to the 2 others. CZs are nicely made and finished; but they are just not as precise as I believe a 22 should be.

For serious shooting you are correct. I have CZ and Anschutz and can compare.
However, overall quality, and ergonomics of CZ is still very much satisfactory. New ones come with guarantee of 15 mm group at 50 meters (that is 1 MOA), this means they can still provide meaningful recreational shooting and training.

 

[Ridgewalker]

All the above is great info! I would like to add a bit. First find out what your PH uses, ie tripod, bipod, etc. and practice with the same.
My experiences: the tracker walks a couple of steps ahead, then the PH and finally you a couple of steps behind the PH. The tracker carries the sticks. He stops, points to the game, and sets up the sticks. PH verifies/approves it. The PH waves you up while holding and aligning the sticks. You move up, mount your rifle, align and fire. This may happen several times before you actually get to pull the trigger.
All this happens within maybe 5 seconds. So, after duplicating what sticks your PH uses, practice having your wife set up the sticks and you mount your gun, aligning it and squeeze the trigger. This develops muscle memory, quick sight alignment, and quick trigger pull.
JMO&E
Best of luck and remember it will be addictive!

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I also do a lot of dry fire at home. Excellent practice for taking a slung rifle of the shoulder and presenting for an offhand shot or setting up on sticks.

I would only perhaps caution against using dummy rounds with the same weight as live rounds, in double rifles with ejectors. Those ejectors were designed for the weight of an empty case. Not to eject a full weight round.

Even for big bore bolt rifles. My 404 Mauser will barely burp out heavy 400 gr cartridges ... which is kinda handy when unloading the rifle. They fall next to my foot. But it will broadcast an empty case into the next zip code!

 

[JG26Irish_2]

Actually, I don see CZ as comparable to the 2 others. CZs are nicely made and finished; but they are just not as precise as I believe a 22 should be.
Some guys around here throw money on their CZs, custom this and that, when done it still do not shot as good as a Anschutz and they have spent more money then a Anny costs.

Semi-autos? Phøøy.. Toys

CZ is not equal to most annies but costs only a fraction of what an annie will. Plus, the difference with quality ammo that is matched to the rifle is very small. It only really shows up in benchrest shooting. When shooting off hand or off sticks I would suggest that most shooters would have a hard time seeing the difference. I have three annies. One is a 54 super match that is well equivalent to nothing. It simply shoots magnificent one hole groups at 50y. The next one is a 64 repeater heavy bbl that is also a fine shooter. On the bench both of these will out shoot my CZ by a small margin. The last one is a mid weight 64 sporter model. The CZ's can hang with it and often out shoots it. For me any bolt action rimfire that closely matches the ergos of my hunting rifle(s) is ideal. Similar optics is also a plus. Some budget options include: Savage, CZ, Tikka, Bergara. Other options at a higher price point include: Anchutz, VuDoo, Sako. And do not forget the older used vintage options such as Winchester, Remington, Stevens, etc.

My long winded point is that one does not have to acquire the best of the best 22lr rifle to practice the art of shooting from sticks with a 22. The goal is to practice the process of mounting and shooting from sticks accurately. It need not be top flight precision. Just so y'all know, I am a former national champion rimfire benchrest competitor and when actively competing was ranked one of the top 10 shooters in the nation most of the time. When we shoot BR at 50y the center bull is the size of a "." period. No joke. You cannot see it with the naked eye or with most hunter grade scopes. It takes 20x, 36x and higher power scopes to even play that game, none of which is very much transferable to any hunting situation outside of maybe prairie dogs. I am also a reasonable accomplished PRS shooter but was never serious enough about it to make a run a national ranking. The rifle I use for hunting from sticks practice is a Sako Quad GAP custom with Lilja bbl and 6-24x scope dialed down to 6x. It is a magnificently precise little rifle that I shoot from a bench out to 400y with good accuracy. It is actually a bit heavier than my 375HH but the bolt and fit are close to my FN's for this task. I also have a Winchester 52 sporter with a vintage Unertl 4x hunting scope on it for this form of practice but cannot get away with shooting it in the back yard since it is not threaded for suppressor. It is identical to the FN's in most ways and is used at the range for similar practice. So, while the CZ's are enough, I also like precision in my rimfires like you. Use what you have or get what you need.

 

[Hunt anything]

A lot of talk about the quad sticks, they work great but for me took more practice than a tripod. The reason being in a fluid situation they don’t want to swivel as your target moves in the bush or in a herd. At least this has been my experience.

 

[mfcharn]

For me the quad sticks took a little getting used to but once familiarized are they are great.
The PH was very good at setting them up so there was minimal interference when transiting.
I would also recommend bringing a bipod depending on where you are hunting.
We were in hilly terrain and bipods were very useful in shooting from an elevated position or when using a large boulder for support where the sticks could not be deployed.

 

[GuttormG]

My long winded point is that one does not have to acquire the best of the best 22lr rifle to practice the art of shooting from sticks with a 22. The goal is to practice the process of mounting and shooting

Agree, if that is the goal almost any .22 sized to fit adults will do.
On the other hand, even the cheapest 30-06 from Walmart is "good enough", but we would not drag that to Africa?

 

[Hunt anything]

As a former athlete that’s older and fatter it’s the muscle memory. Do something enough the same way it will become second nature.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Blaser shooting sticks 2.0 are the best shooting sticks on the planet IMO. Yes they are 350$. I used them for the first time in Zambia a few weeks ago. FLAWLESS SHOOTING from my .375 and 300 win mag.

If you believe in "You get what you pay for" buy these. They are worth every penny, you won't miss.

 

[cajunchefray]

As a former athlete that’s older and fatter it’s the muscle memory. Do something enough the same way it will become second nature.

This discussion means I need to get back out at the range with my tripod sticks and my Ruger 77/22 Magnum. Need to go to my friends nearby place and practice the drill of run 100 yards, set up the sticks, and shoot a hundred-yard target in 5 seconds.

I always wrap my sling 1X around my forearm, not too tight, wide stance and I am steady for a target at that range.

 

[Longwalker]

I agree with the previous suggestions and will add one more. I am fortunate to have access to high volume varmint shooting - ground squirrels are abundant here and farmers don't like them. Yesterday I took a centerfire rifle and a .22 for a walk in a pasture. Shot a couple boxes of ammo from each rifle, thoroughly testing my ability to shoot quickly, accurately, and at various ranges at small, mobile targets. Adding a few running shots and offhand shots in addition to more deliberate shots from the sticks will make you a more capable field shot in all situations, not just those "typical" shots where the tracker and PH have the sticks set up for you. Those extra skills can come in handy with dangerous game, wounded game, or surprise encounters in thick cover.

 

[gearguywb]

So if you dont want to drop $350 on shooting sticks to practice (that's hunt money we are talking about ), what would you recommend?

 

[Hunt anything]

Make a set , easy to make a tripod for the front and a bipod for the back. Set the tripod up and then position the but stock when you get ready to shoot.