Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Checklist please of things shooter can do to improve accuracy from the bench

I do not want equipment or ammo tips

I am looking for a comprehensive list of the many small things that can be done by the shooter to improve accuracy from the bench with a black rifle.

For example:

Rest contacts same spot on forearm each shot

Seat is comfortable

Constant distance from eye to ocular

Thank you

how much do your crosshairs move?

Can you hold them on a 1/4 inch spot while breakgin the shot?

I cannot shoot worth a flip, but many times I like to rest the fore end in my hand and my hand on the bag up near the mag well, so I am actually holding the gun. My cheek makes pressure down on the stock and pushes it down on the back bag. It works OK for me if I have not had 4 Grande Starbucks and a 16 ounce Dr. Pepper.

This spoke to me. I've recently started dry firing 2-3 times while letting the barrel cool. I find that when the firing pin drops, my crosshairs DO move, more than 1/4-inch. I don't think it's a flinch on my part (though it could be, I suppose) as much as the spring and firing pin movement within a relatively lightweight rifle. I'm guessing this could be a real detriment to my efforts for nice groups. Am I right?

First, when at the range, check parallax.

You'll have to do this at the range.

Arrange the rifle so that it is supported without you touching it.

Aim so that the crosshairs are centered on the bull.

Without touching the rifle, get behind and look through the scope.

It should be centered, or close.

Move your eye L to R, up and down, without touching the rifle, and observe whether the crosshairs move on the target.

If they do, you have some parallax present.

If you can adjust parallax with your scope, adjust until there is no movement of the crosshairs on the target, as you move your eye.

If you cannot adjust parallax, concentrate on your cheekweld, and keeping your eye in the same position relative to the center of the line of sight through the scope, to minimize the effect.

Then, the rest of the fundamentals come into play.

We all think we are good if we can hold fairly still. Even when a bolt gun pin drops their can be stress induced movemtn... if its moving without a round, its moving while the bullet is in the barrel too...

Dry firing can show a LOT of things that you normally don't see because its masked by recoil.

I have not benched an AR in quite some time, but as I recall I never got totally rid of movement, but there was not enough movement to move me off a 1/4 inch dot.

Parallax can kill you as mentioned BUT IF you do things right and the same you can not have it present even without adjusting.

Mirage can open groups beyond what you believe. Wind adds to that(2 seperate things for sure) Shooting at night with no mirage, and no wind and having zero parallax will show better groups than during the day usually...

Getting the position repeatable, comfortable, relaxed and solid, how ever you go about it, is what you are after.

I wrap my off arm around the rear bag and pistol grip often, to get comfortable.

I want my chest touching the bench in 2 spots, not one large flat one.

I shoot better with my firing arm elbow on a small sandbag...

Just some of the things that help me...