Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Proper bench technique for hunting rifles

When a fella starts finding out his darling's secrets he will discover all manner of idiosyncrasies if the effort is diligent and thoughtful. The only light rifles I own are a couple of Contenders, the rest are kinda hefty, so maybe I don't know giddy up from sick'em on this topic. I use bags, sometimes front and rear. both leather and both filled with bird shot. I'm careful to insure the sling studs don't impinge on the bags. I hold all firmly to my shoulder but seldom hold the forend. A few other guns use what is called a foot rest which is screwed tightly to the barrel about 6" behind the muzzle and it is designed to slide on a steel plate that is part of the rest. These are BP slug guns and weight anywhere from 19-30 pounds. Other days and other purposes find me using an elbow rest. Why? They are hunting rifles and I don't take a bench to the woods. Sometimes they are shot offhand, other times might find me leaning against a tree. I figure it best to simulate field conditions with such guns when zeroing for the hunt though I don't do it when working up loads.

Example: The .45-70 weighs around 10# and is a hunting piece, not a movie star.



For the curious, the target above was shot with a tang sight, a bullet of ~530 gr cast with 30:1 alloy and Swiss 1.5 FG. I have a scope for the gun but see no reason to use it.