Shooting Sticks - Accuracy Expectations

[Deepfork]

Practice shooting from sticks is always one of the first pieces of advice heard about preparing for a safari. I did not really do it before my first hunting trip to Africa. I have been leading up to our next hunt though.

Target below is from yesterday with my M70 30-06 at 100 yards. Top is from a table top with a sand bag (Would have been a sub MOA group if I had quit after 3 shots LOL!) Bottom is from 100 yards off of sticks.

I am shooting 2-3 inch groups pretty consistently off of the sticks. Field conditions and adrenaline when hunting will likely cause the groups to open up more. Bottom line is right now I am not comfortable taking a shot a animal at much past 100 yards from the sticks.

 

[mdwest]

what type of sticks you are shooting from will have some impact as well... a set of quads will be more stable than a tripod.. a tripod set will be more stable than a bipod, etc... and then the quality of the set (no matter how many legs) will have some impact as well (some are more rigid, some are more wobbly, etc)...

those groups are more than minute of impala.... youre definitely ready for 100+ yard shots.. you should have no problems I would think..

 

[Datchew]

I respect your realistic approach and setting limits. Lots of folks think they can shoot better than they actually can.

I'm not a PH but have done some guiding and hate searching for a poorly shot animal.

What kind of sticks are you using to practice? Perhaps a different type would help?

 

[wesheltonj]

I have tripod sticks. Just shot off the quad sticks. Way more stable. Buy Quad stick in Carbon Fiber.

 

[Green Chile]

I think that shooting off sticks and analyzing/improving that process is one of the most important things a hunter can work on for Africa. One thing I have learned is that too much magnification magnifies my wobble and is a mental obstacle. Whatever magnification you are at on those targets above, try rolling back magnification until you see less wobble. Then slow your breathing and take a shot while in between breaths. Also, experiment some with your offhand placement and tension as well as how you face the sticks with your legs. Experiment some with leaning in versus neutral stances. All of those have helped me. Having said that, there's nothing wrong with your shooting above.

 

[PARA45]

Keep practicing, you’ll get better. These are the shooting sticks I use in SA, and my PH loved them and I gave it to him when I left. I took a shot at a Nyala at over 300 yds with a 375 H&H. My PH told me that the shooting sticks have helped shoot a pile of animals.

Rudolph PH Shooting Sticks

The PH Sticks by Rudolph Optics is taking the long range shooting and hunting market by storm. This technology is allowing seasoned veterans who have shot long range for years to be able to tighten their groups by more than 50%. It allows young kids and people who are new and just learning how...

www.rudolphoptics.com

 

[khesser]

From a 100 yards and in that should work. And probably good enough out to 200 yards. Since you’ll more than likely only be getting off 1 shot I’d practice a cold bore shot instead of shooting groups as it looks like it opens up after 3 shots.

 

[USMA84DAB]

Your PH is probably not going to give you a shot past 100 yards anyway. Sure, longer shots may pop up, but my one trip experience was in Limpopo and nearly every shot was under/at 100 yards.

Your concern for learning/applying limits is awesome. BZ to you!

Is your PH going to have 4-legged sticks? Or are YOU going to bring them with you? If you got used to 4-legged, and then the PH uses only 3-legged, that could be some piss in your cornflakes.

 

[Firebird]

While I also love the Rudolph shooting sticks, I will reiterate to practice with what your ph is using. Or take your own sticks with you.
I don’t shoot well on paper but give me an object to shoot and my marksmanship improves exponentially. My recycle bin is full of can and jugs and “stuff” that I filled with water-destroyed with bullets then returned to the bin.
I shoot a lot and just expect to hit a one gallon jug off sticks at 300 yards.
Your scope, eyesight and experience level will determine your comfortable distance.
Practicing off sticks also helps you get better at acquiring your target quickly.
Try them sitting down or with you butt leaning against something or with your elbow resting on someone else.
Practice builds confidence and will make you a better shot

 

[uplander01]

Good advice in previous posts about quad sticks, night and day difference. If you can consistently shoot 1.5-2.0" groups off sticks at a hundred, stay practiced up and go hunting. A little heavier rifle with lower magnification optic can make a big difference as well. 1-6 is my largest magnification scope I will take to Africa, and I get in shape so I can carry a little heavier rifle, steady up on the sticks, and let it rip. The lightest rifle I have that I would ever go to Africa with is a 375HH that weighs 8.25 without the optic, more times than not you'd see me with a GMA 416 Rigby that weighs 9.25 without optic. My point being put some thought into the firearms. You don't have to carry a pack or wear big heavy clothing in Afirca, all you have to carry are binos, ammo, and your rifle,.....seems easy compared to hunting out west in the US or in Alaska.

IMO you got a good rifle with the right action, and looks to me like you can shoot it......have some good hunts

 

[Nhoro]

I would be happy with those groups. If your rifle is 1 MOA, then you have about a 1/2 inch wiggle off the bench and 1 1/2 off the sticks. I find that my rifle steadies up when I put some weight on the sticks- mostly straight down. I also think shooting offhand helps- I use an airgun at home. Don't measure yourself by the things you read on the internet. A 4 " group puts you into an impala vitals at 200 m. Don't stop practising but you got this.

 

[WAB]

3 shot group off sticks at 100 yds with my .275. Using ghost ring sight (RJ Renner’s).

 

[Deepfork]

Lots of great input...thanks! To answer a few of the questions:

The group at the top was shot from tripod style sticks. That is what the PH on my up coming hunt provides and I was not going to take a set with me if I did not have to.

I own a set of the Rudolph PH quad sticks. Have not shot them much but I will, if they tighten up my groups I will take them with me. I just checked they will just fit in my gun case.

I also have BOG Mono, Bipod and Tripod sticks.

Up coming trip is Eastern Cape in SA. My PH says most shots will be 50-150 but there are often opportunities for longer shots.

I have several rifles that would work well for all plains game....308, 30-06, 338-06AI, .338WM, 35 Whelen, .375 Ruger. Have not decided which one or two I am taking but whichever will group for me best off of the sticks will be a front runner.

I don't like a lot of magnification. My 338WM has a 3.5-10X, everything else is less, 1-5X, 1-6X, 2-7X and 2.5-8x.

 

[Hogpatrol]

Triggers are a part of the accuracy equation. A crap trigger with a lot of creep and heavy pull is a bigger negative shooting from sticks than the bench.

 

[Puddle]

My rule of thumb is whatever I consistently get from the bench I automatically double it for the field.

This is to account for all the field variables such as shooting off-hand, from the knee, against a tree, adrenaline, out of breath, lousy shooting position, etc. You get the idea.

This keeps things realistic, and keeps me from getting into self-inflicted trouble...

 

[shootist~]

Instead of group size, I like to look at the max and mean radius from point of aim (from the sticks). Your 2.5" "group" at 100 looks to be about 1.5" max radius and sub 1" mean radius - over 6 shots. If consistently in this area, you are more than capable to at least 200 yards if not a little more.

My goal is all shots inside 4" max radius *from POA*. Mean radius is usually about 1/3 of max, btw. I've been there for some time at 225 yards with tripod sticks. BTW, practice at 325 makes 225 look a lot easier.

I'm currently in process of switching from tripod to quad sticks. After two range trips I'm convinced I can get to my goal at 325. Though I'm not quite there yet.

My issue is relaxing through the shot when shooting at the range (and looking for accuracy). I don't seem to have that problem in the field.

 

[Rare Breed]

I think that shooting off sticks and analyzing/improving that process is one of the most important things a hunter can work on for Africa. One thing I have learned is that too much magnification magnifies my wobble and is a mental obstacle. Whatever magnification you are at on those targets above, try rolling back magnification until you see less wobble. Then slow your breathing and take a shot while in between breaths. Also, experiment some with your offhand placement and tension as well as how you face the sticks with your legs. Experiment some with leaning in versus neutral stances. All of those have helped me. Having said that, there's nothing wrong with your shooting above.

I agree with but two differences that just depend on which military service you want to duplicate. A former navy SEAL sniper instructor taught me when I lived in Texas…They believe in what is called “cold zero”. This means they want their heartbeat to be as low as possible so they advocate squeezing the trigger at the very bottom of letting out your breath. He told me I then have between 3-6 seconds to make the shot. Also I highly recommend squaring up on the sticks versus turning sideways. You will find you will have a more stable platform. I am a very average shooter despite monthly practice. This technique enables me to shoot to 300 yards off sticks with great confidence with my bolt action rifles

 

[MTA]

I hunted in the EC in 2023. I prepped by practicing exclusively on standing sticks (tripod from @African Sporting Creations which are fantastic) and most of that time was spent shooting 200-300 yards at a steel target. I did start at 100 yards but stick shooting came very naturally for me so I moved on quickly. I did make it a point to shoot nothing but my rifle, a Sako S20 in .300WM, for about 9 months prior to departure. I shot 400-500 rounds in practice. I was extremely comfortable with shooting this rifle from prone and from a bench at 400 yards and in before starting.

On the sticks, I never focused on group size, instead choosing to focus on getting on the sticks and making a hit in the kill zone. With enough reps, the group that formed showed that I was getting into the same position on the sticks every time and making a good trigger pull. Imo this was way more useful as there were plenty of times where we were running or crawling fast to get on to an animal. Most of my shooting was from a rifle bipod or bipod sticks:

Blesbok, 305 yards sitting bipod sticks
Gemsbok, 25 yards prone rifle bipod (pretty intense)
Blue Wildebeest, 250 yards sitting bipod sticks (after 3-400 yards of bear crawling through high grass)
Kudu, 200ish yards standing sticks on the side of a mountain
Zebra, 205 yards prone rifle bipod
Impala, 200 yards kneeling behind boulder with rifle bipod
Springbok, 150 yards prone rifle bipod

Lesson learned: I am upgrading to an Atlas bipod and it would have been way easier for me to have a 9-13" bipod instead of the 6-9" Harris I was using. Before I go back, I will practice much more from sitting with bipod sticks. Once a rifle is chosen, I would shoot nothing but that rifle (if you are only taking one) until you leave.

Here is 300 yards with a .300 win mag (that hole is from 150 gr rocket at 75 yards ):

 

[Green Chile]

I agree with but two differences that just depend on which military service you want to duplicate. A former navy SEAL sniper instructor taught me when I lived in Texas…They believe in what is called “cold zero”. This means they want their heartbeat to be as low as possible so they advocate squeezing the trigger at the very bottom of letting out your breath. He told me I then have between 3-6 seconds to make the shot. Also I highly recommend squaring up on the sticks versus turning sideways. You will find you will have a more stable platform. I am a very average shooter despite monthly practice. This technique enables me to shoot to 300 yards off sticks with great confidence with my bolt action rifles

No differences to what I do as I was advocating practice to see what works best for you. My own practice has shown the same to be true. I square up and I shoot at the bottom of the breath or shortly after.

 

[Hogpatrol]

With the goal being the kill zone, full size silhouettes at match distances with reduced or hunting loads off sticks is good practice. This is my m.o. For close work, a .22 and clay birds works too.