Questions about rifle shooting
- Thread starter CMichael
- Start date
I was curious, as well ..... so I looked.
Lotsa Legal n' Political stuff, back in the day .... Handguns, Tactics, Shotguns.... New to Rifles, it appears ..... different paths for different people.
There are those who shoot handguns who are ....... less than concerned with precision ...... so many, apparently, that there are now pistols marketed with very rudimentary sights- some even with no sights on them at all .......
I am not sayin' that the OP is one of these folks, but the tools, mindset and skillset is very different between most rifle and most handgun shooting.....
Lotsa Legal n' Political stuff, back in the day .... Handguns, Tactics, Shotguns.... New to Rifles, it appears ..... different paths for different people.
There are those who shoot handguns who are ....... less than concerned with precision ...... so many, apparently, that there are now pistols marketed with very rudimentary sights- some even with no sights on them at all .......
I am not sayin' that the OP is one of these folks, but the tools, mindset and skillset is very different between most rifle and most handgun shooting.....
Wow, Jimbob86.
I clicked on your link http://nefirearm.com/ and read about NFOA, I really like it. There should be a way to take this show on the road. If not nationally at least to Texas.
Yea, I checked on him too and found a lot of post 9/11 political postings and handguns. I'm glad he is finally graduating to more interesting stuff. An AR is a decent place to start.
I clicked on your link http://nefirearm.com/ and read about NFOA, I really like it. There should be a way to take this show on the road. If not nationally at least to Texas.
Yea, I checked on him too and found a lot of post 9/11 political postings and handguns. I'm glad he is finally graduating to more interesting stuff. An AR is a decent place to start.
Eppie, IIRC, the Texas State Rifle Assn. is much older, larger, and more maybe more accomplished group than our state Association. Don't get me wrong, we have accomplished so much more with so much less in our state than the NRA has..... I have often likened the NRA to a 5 foot wide push broom with a 12 foot handle- great for a gym, but useless in my kitchen..... so it is with the NRA in state gun laws ..... 15 local guys who show up at a Judiciary Hearing are SOOOO much more effective than the rep the NRA flys in from Waples Mill Road, Virginia.....
https://www.tsra.com/
There may be other Texas Gun rights groups .... and you won't know unless you look.
https://www.tsra.com/
There may be other Texas Gun rights groups .... and you won't know unless you look.
Yes.*
No.
..... when I see something out of the ordinary, I check it out..... sorry, just me.... I noticed that you started no threads for a long while ..... 2004? to 2010 ..... nothing to say, or busy?
* Not really a test, more of a cursory examination.
I test the daughters' prospective boyfriends, extensively.
No.
..... when I see something out of the ordinary, I check it out..... sorry, just me.... I noticed that you started no threads for a long while ..... 2004? to 2010 ..... nothing to say, or busy?
* Not really a test, more of a cursory examination.
I test the daughters' prospective boyfriends, extensively.
L_Killkenny
New member
Answers: No and I'd probably be scared by the results. 
You don't talk about group size in your OP, could be you're a horrible shot or maybe your expecting too much. I do know that for all the advantages a rifle has I don't notice myself being a noticeably better shot with them vs. short guns. Can I hit smaller targets farther out? Yes. But it's not like I shoot 2" groups with a handgun offhand and bugholes with a rifle offhand.
LK
You don't talk about group size in your OP, could be you're a horrible shot or maybe your expecting too much. I do know that for all the advantages a rifle has I don't notice myself being a noticeably better shot with them vs. short guns. Can I hit smaller targets farther out? Yes. But it's not like I shoot 2" groups with a handgun offhand and bugholes with a rifle offhand.
LK
Crow Hunter
New member
Please don't take the following questions as insulting, but coming from pistols to rifles with no rifle experience could potentially be a "culture shock" and you might be making some assumptions that shouldn't be made. I tried to ask questions if I didn't know anything about rifles or sighting them in.
Did you make sure your Eotech is tightened down good and not moving around?
Did you verify it with iron sights?
What kind of groups did you get when sighting it in versus just blasting away off hand?
You did sight it in right? Most rifles won't be shooting to POA/POI right out of the box.
If you are coming from pistols and expecting to pick it up and have it shooting exactly where the sights pointing, you might be suprised how much of an adjustment that you will have to make to just get on paper.
And lastly.
You did sight it in from prone or from a bench, not trying to do it offhand right?
Give the guy a break
Micheal asked a legitimate question, I don't see the reason to question his motives. People use this board for many different reason or in different ways, not really dissimilar to how people use different firearms (or other weapons) in different ways and for different reasons.
Michael,
It seems like you may want to practice and learn the iron sights (BUIS or MBUS if Magpul) before you worry about the HWS. Several members have posted good replies to improve your skill set. Take heed. Practice obtaining a good sight picture in your living room or your backyard. The YouTube video on Marine Fundamentals of Rifle Marksmanship are very good, thank you Chaio & Eppie.
If you haven't zero'd your new rifle's iron sights or the HWS you will want to. The distance you choose to zero should be based on what you intend to do with the rifle, keep in mind zero at one distance will have consequences on others.
Good luck to you.
Micheal asked a legitimate question, I don't see the reason to question his motives. People use this board for many different reason or in different ways, not really dissimilar to how people use different firearms (or other weapons) in different ways and for different reasons.
Michael,
It seems like you may want to practice and learn the iron sights (BUIS or MBUS if Magpul) before you worry about the HWS. Several members have posted good replies to improve your skill set. Take heed. Practice obtaining a good sight picture in your living room or your backyard. The YouTube video on Marine Fundamentals of Rifle Marksmanship are very good, thank you Chaio & Eppie.
If you haven't zero'd your new rifle's iron sights or the HWS you will want to. The distance you choose to zero should be based on what you intend to do with the rifle, keep in mind zero at one distance will have consequences on others.
Good luck to you.
smoakingun
New member
www.appleseedinfo.org Appleseed is a great place to learn to shoot that rifle. Check the web site to find an event near you
Crow Hunter
New member
Can you bring in a ladder or a stand or something?
It will be next to impossible to sight something in off hand, too many variables, even using a shooting sling.
You really need to rest the rifle on some bags pointed at a specific Point of Aim and adjust the sights Point of Aim to match the Point of Impact of the rounds. Keep in mind that with an AR you will have a 2.5" offset to contend with. At close range you need to set it up to impact lower than POA otherwise you will be shooting WAY TOO high at 100 yards.
This will also tell you IF there is something wrong with the emitter on the Eotech, sometimes they are loose and won't hold a zero.
Also make sure your mounting screws are good and tight using thread locker (like blue Loc-tite) and then witness mark them with a paint pen or nail polish so that you will know if they are backing out. Recoil can do funny things to fasteners, they can walk all over the place.
CMichael, sounds like you are trying to use a pistol range (20 yards, no tables or prone position) to zero in your rifle. Those limitations are creating some very high barriers for you. Are you in a urban area?
If you are serious about sighting in your AR and practicing with it, you need to find yourself a range that can accommodate both rifles and pistols. Here in Houston membership to a NRA affiliated range costs about $120 a year. It is well worth the money even if you have to drive a bit.
If you are serious about sighting in your AR and practicing with it, you need to find yourself a range that can accommodate both rifles and pistols. Here in Houston membership to a NRA affiliated range costs about $120 a year. It is well worth the money even if you have to drive a bit.
How is your grouping at 20yrds
Michael,
How is your grouping at 20yrds. If you draw a circle around all our shots (say you shot 3-5 times) would the circle have a 1in diameter? 2 inches? 5 inches? Based on your answer to this question you will receive better advise for improvement.
For instance if you are within 1-2 inches but happen to be 6 inches left and below the bulls eye you will improve by zeroing the rifle at the distance you want to shoot at. If you are 5-6 inches and sort of all over the place then you need to work on controlling the rifle OR the sights are not tightened down. Determining if your guns sights are tightly secured to your AR is easy. do that anyway.
Also, learn to shoot and control the gun without the EOTech optic. Don't misunderstand, Red Dots (and EOTechs specifically) are excellent for fast target acquisition and allow the shooter to keep both eyes open for improved depth perception and peripheral vision. Red dots are not ideal for replacing skills and fundamentals.
Iron sights are reliable and will always work even when you forget to change the battery in the red dot. Iron sights are very accurate and have been used by sharpshooters for years, decades, even centuries. If you learn to shoot with open sights you should be able to translate the skill to shooting with optics without a problem.
You should not need a red dot or a scope to see the bullseye at 20yrds, some people need corrective lenses of course, but a gun optic isn't a solution for that. You should not need a bench or other rest to learn to shoot within a 1"-2" group at 20 yards. You shouldn't need a sling to accomplish this grouping either. Once you get the fundamentals down, the slings and optics may help you improve further but in the beginning they could easily become a hindrance as you are adding more variables to the equation.
Apply the KISS method, (Keep It Simple Silly). Practice gripping the rifle with the same hold. Practice consistent Cheek Weld (placing your cheek tight against the stock). Practice your breathing control, Practice squeezing the trigger without moving the rest of your hand on the grip. Others (likely superior shooters to me) have given you sound advise on this topic already, my advise is to heed their advise.
If you are able to do these things, then you should become consistent with your shot placement. Once you are consistent you will know where the gun is shooting at whatever distance you choose. Learn to shoot 20 yrds (or meters), 50 yrds an 100 yrds. Don't bother trying to obtain accuracy at 300+ until you've mastered the shorter distances. If you are only going to shoot at 20 yrds and want to use the riffle for Home defense then it may be reasonable to zero at your local indoor range.
Good Luck to you
Michael,
How is your grouping at 20yrds. If you draw a circle around all our shots (say you shot 3-5 times) would the circle have a 1in diameter? 2 inches? 5 inches? Based on your answer to this question you will receive better advise for improvement.
For instance if you are within 1-2 inches but happen to be 6 inches left and below the bulls eye you will improve by zeroing the rifle at the distance you want to shoot at. If you are 5-6 inches and sort of all over the place then you need to work on controlling the rifle OR the sights are not tightened down. Determining if your guns sights are tightly secured to your AR is easy. do that anyway.
Also, learn to shoot and control the gun without the EOTech optic. Don't misunderstand, Red Dots (and EOTechs specifically) are excellent for fast target acquisition and allow the shooter to keep both eyes open for improved depth perception and peripheral vision. Red dots are not ideal for replacing skills and fundamentals.
Iron sights are reliable and will always work even when you forget to change the battery in the red dot. Iron sights are very accurate and have been used by sharpshooters for years, decades, even centuries. If you learn to shoot with open sights you should be able to translate the skill to shooting with optics without a problem.
You should not need a red dot or a scope to see the bullseye at 20yrds, some people need corrective lenses of course, but a gun optic isn't a solution for that. You should not need a bench or other rest to learn to shoot within a 1"-2" group at 20 yards. You shouldn't need a sling to accomplish this grouping either. Once you get the fundamentals down, the slings and optics may help you improve further but in the beginning they could easily become a hindrance as you are adding more variables to the equation.
Apply the KISS method, (Keep It Simple Silly). Practice gripping the rifle with the same hold. Practice consistent Cheek Weld (placing your cheek tight against the stock). Practice your breathing control, Practice squeezing the trigger without moving the rest of your hand on the grip. Others (likely superior shooters to me) have given you sound advise on this topic already, my advise is to heed their advise.
If you are able to do these things, then you should become consistent with your shot placement. Once you are consistent you will know where the gun is shooting at whatever distance you choose. Learn to shoot 20 yrds (or meters), 50 yrds an 100 yrds. Don't bother trying to obtain accuracy at 300+ until you've mastered the shorter distances. If you are only going to shoot at 20 yrds and want to use the riffle for Home defense then it may be reasonable to zero at your local indoor range.
Good Luck to you