Prepping for Africa - Shooting from sticks

[JG26Irish_2]

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.

 

[MntMan82]

This is very similar to what I did last year. I burnt through a ton of 22 ammo running drills off sticks. I pushed myself out to close to 100 yards. A month out from Safari I burnt through a couple boxes of 375 just to get the feel of it. Highly recommend for anyone to do for practice.

 

[Zinz]

This is fantastic advice. My brother bought a Ruger M77 in .22Mag to replicate his Ruger Safari rifle (same safety and type of action).

We shot a lot off tripod sticks made from bamboo.

Any practice is better than no practice.

I’m sure you will do very well on your trip.

Ed Z

 

[Elkeater]

Lots of .22lr is a recipe for success in my opinion. Before our trip last month myself and the kids (mostly the kids) burned through a couple thousand rounds of .22lr off tripods shooting 3” steel plates at 50 yards and 5” steel plates at 100 yards. The result was no lost animals and happy kids. My 9 year old and 10 year old took 7 animals at ranges from 50 yards to 215 yards.

 

[375er]

I will also add-in dry fire practice from sticks is beneficial too when you can't shoot live ammo.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I had never shot off sticks before my first safari. I had no trouble adapting. Second trip I used my PH's 270 WSM with bipod to make a couple of very long shots. Last two safaris I brought my own bipod but will leave it home from now on. It's a pain having it stuck on my rifle and just not that useful in most situations. Quad sticks can be incredibly steady IF the animal doesn't see you, doesn't move, and the ground is relatively forgiving. Quad sticks can require a fair amount of time and movement to set up properly. I find I can shoot just as well if not better from the sitting position if the shot presents itself.

 

[cajunchefray]

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

This is exactly the regimen I learned from an old gunsmith, I bought my first 375 H&H from 20 years ago. An experienced NA hunter, he had just finished his dream African Safari.

He said “son get a good.22 rifle, practice from sticks, at 50 yards. Hit the target every time within 3 seconds.
So of course I had to buy another rifle, a Ruger 77/22 .22WinMag. Set up with a simple but clear 4x IOR Valdada with the German #4 reticle. It’s a laser to 75 yards, my limit.

20 years later, it’s my around the place gun for rodents, opossum, and clay pigeons.

And practice at the range. I start with 10-15 rounds of 22 mag, switch to the big bore for a few rounds, then finish the session with another 10-20 rounds of 22 mag. If I am shooting more than one big bore, I always take a break after 8-9 rounds, back to the 22 Mag, then back to the big bore. Like all sport training there is a physical and a psychological aspect that requires repetition.
I use an arm sling position, slight tension, only my left hand resting on the tripod, both rim fire, 30-06, and big bore for consistent holding.

It’s satisfying to hit targets. Half of shooting is mental ( if not more).

Once you gain proficiency, you can advance from a rifle shooter to a rifleman.

 

[Green Chile]

Dry fire and rimfire practice is a perfect recipe for building and maintaining skills. I will say that every serious rifleman I know is also a student of the rimfire. If you're into Blasers, the R8 also gives you the option of turning your centerfire rifle into a rimfire trainer. I've done that and love the outcome.

 

[PlumberEd]

A lot of good advice on practicing. My wife and I are going to Limpopo, SA in August. We have been shooting three or four times a week, mostly off bamboo sticks and sitting using a backpack for a rest. My wife is doing quite well standing and shooting off of sticks, but I am struggling a bit, wobbling around. Is there a specific technique required or will stability come with practice?

 

[375er]

A lot of good advice on practicing. My wife and I are going to Limpopo, SA in August. We have been shooting three or four times a week, mostly off bamboo sticks and sitting using a backpack for a rest. My wife is doing quite well standing and shooting off of sticks, but I am struggling a bit, wobbling around. Is there a specific technique required or will stability come with practice?

What kind of sticks? If tripod, stand more squared off to the sticks, feet wider apart. In my experience quad style sticks are the way to go.

 

[GuttormG]

I do most of my training with a .22 Anschuts 1417.

If you do not have on, go buy one. If you are to buy one, buy a really good one (honestly, most .22 are barely ok for beercan plinking...).

 

[matt vejar]

Quad sticks make a 200 yd shot a chip shot! That is a long shot in most African hunting areas. Makes 300 doable.

 

[trperk1]

Practicing indoors is sound advice. I do that daily leading up to my trip, using snap caps. I took a first timer this year and he was having problems wobbling, I got with him and noticed that his scope was cranked up to 9. If you do that you'll dramatically increase your wobble. I shoot with a 1.5 x 5 and shoot at 100 yards with 1.5 and 200 yards set on 3. Same power I shoot animals with. With that said you need to learn to shoot through the wobble. I shot on the Marine Corps rifle and pistol team and the premise was the same at 200 yards shooting off hand. You'll see some movement but focus on a clean trigger pull & your sight picture, you'll be amazed how accurate you'll be. Another suggestion would be timing, I don't think anyone get's more steady the longer they are on the sticks. I give myself 5 seconds before putting a round downrange. The reason is twofold - helps me kill more Kudu and I'm more accurate. This is something else I practice at at home. Last thing I'll emphasize is frequency at the range. I'll go ever two or three days but only shoot 8 -12 rounds.

 

[Green Chile]

A lot of good advice on practicing. My wife and I are going to Limpopo, SA in August. We have been shooting three or four times a week, mostly off bamboo sticks and sitting using a backpack for a rest. My wife is doing quite well standing and shooting off of sticks, but I am struggling a bit, wobbling around. Is there a specific technique required or will stability come with practice?

There is technique to help you. Look up Stickology from Craig Boddington for some help...articles, videos, etc.

 

[trperk1]

There is technique to help you. Look up Stickology from Craig Boddington for some help...articles, videos, etc.

Great advice.

 

[Hunt anything]

This is very similar to what I did last year. I burnt through a ton of 22 ammo running drills off sticks. I pushed myself out to close to 100 yards. A month out from Safari I burnt through a couple boxes of 375 just to get the feel of it. Highly recommend for anyone to do for practice.

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.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

One problem I see practicing with a .22 on sticks is the weight of the rifle. Of course one will notice a lot of wobble shooting a rifle that's light as a feather (match grade target rifles excepted). Same with a hunting rifle that's lightweight or not balanced.

One of the problems most often encountered (even by this humble expert) is shooting at the animal instead of a  spot on the animal. Shoot at a dove's body because its body is only a spot. But when shooting at an impala, aim at that spot where the line on his side meets his front shoulder. I cannot remember the last time I attempted to shoot a big game animal in the head and missed. Sometimes it's the only shot available. I always seem to make it work and, with one exception, always offhand (I culled a springbuck ram two years ago at 70 yards in the head on the sticks - head was all we could see).

A good PH will instruct his client as to what spot to shoot at. Still, it's a good thing to keep in mind when practicing field shooting at the range (e.g. on the sticks).

 

[375Fox]

I will also add-in dry fire practice from sticks is beneficial too when you can't shoot live ammo.

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.

 

[375Fox]

What kind of sticks? If tripod, stand more squared off to the sticks, feet wider apart. In my experience quad style sticks are the way to go.

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.

 

[cajunchefray]

A lot of good advice on practicing. My wife and I are going to Limpopo, SA in August. We have been shooting three or four times a week, mostly off bamboo sticks and sitting using a backpack for a rest. My wife is doing quite well standing and shooting off of sticks, but I am struggling a bit, wobbling around. Is there a specific technique required or will stability come with practice?

Some simple suggestions from a simple man. The resources suggested here are a valuable resource. From trial and error, and from my own physique:

I'm 5'10" 170 pounds, not a big guy with long arms.

The tripod sticks are best set, at the height with the "V" at the height of my shoulders, standing up right.
The tripod feet spread, regarding height, should be at least 2/3 ratio of your height. So about a 4' spread for me.

I always rest my left hand holding fore end, on the V, NOT touching the sticks. My hand is the interface between the rifle and the sticks. No direct contact of the rifle stock on the sticks.

2 reasons:

1. This is how to use the sticks quickly in the field

2. The recoil impulse and dynamics can be altered and hence accuracy, if resting directly on the sticks. This has a big effect. Never shoot the rifle rested directly on the sticks.

Regarding form, stance, posture, this is what works for me. Every person's physique, form, etc. is different. I shoot right-handed.

Sticks spread about 4 feet apart, with the V at shoulder height.

Left foot forward, right foot behind, so that you are leaning slightly forward, but not crunched down, more upright. I sling up with a plain military, or Montana sling, a slight wrap, around my left forearm, with slight tension, just to slow the wobble, but not tight. This is not sniper work, just set for stability. Practice dry fire, in the stance, until it is comfortable.

Many other members here, with extensive training and competition experience, can speak to the proper stance, without torsion, in a natural stance goes a long way to attain consistent field accuracy.