Rifle shooting accuracy and competence for beginners

Rifle shooting accuracy and competence for beginners starts with practice. But the all-important advice from Marksman’s Nest chief ranger Geoffrey Coetzee is, “First and foremost, get to know your gun.” “You’ll start getting the feel of the gun by testing the weight and balance. Get familiar with the cheek weld. Once you’re comfortable, just put the sights in the middle of the target and pull the trigger. We’ll show you how to master the recoil.”

Competency

Now you have to learn to operate all of the rifle parts like a pro. Geoffrey recommended, “Practice smooth loading of the magazine and activate the safety for on and off without breaking away from the gun. Next step for a bolt-action rifle is operating the bolt smoothly and safely, or operating the semi-auto bolt. You must be able to perform all these operations with your cheek on the stock, plus your eye on the sights and target.

Breathing control

“Once you’ve mastered the above, start concentrating on your breathing. “Learn to maintain precise breath control and smoothing out the trigger pull effortlessly. Trigger control is paramount to become a top-notch rifle marksman.

Barrel Floating

“By floating your barrel – i.e. not allowing it to touch anything, including the stock – you’ll have more consistent and accurate shots. Therefore, your other hand should remain on the handgrip of the stock.”

Weight

The weight of the rifle will help absorb much of the recoil. Also, the weight will help with aim and staying on target. But that said, weight can also be a negative. Once the weight starts moving, it keeps moving. That means that muzzle sway might become a factor.

The Flinch

Flinching may be caused by the report from the barrel end, recoil from the gun butt or the blast from the end of the barrel. Geoffrey explained, “If you use a rifle with a longer barrel, the flinching effect will be lessened. However, if you don’t have a longer rifle, we advise wrapping a bandana around your face to act as a barrier of sorts between the blast or noise. But leaning into the gun also helps a lot. “To master rifle shooting accuracy and competence for beginners, visit the range and we’ll show you how to shoot a rifle like a boss.”