No two people are alike. We may be the same height but our cardiovascular fitness may vary. We may be the same age but different in weight. We may both be right-eye dominant but one of us has better vision than the other. We need our rifle to fit us individually. This translates to a rifle that is fit to accommodate our wingspan, our ability to manage recoil, our realistic needs, and our skill set. Far too often aspiring shooters are sold the wrong rifle by eager gun store salesmen. It is easy to get wrapped up in the fantasy of firearms but one must match the true needs of the outdoorsman/shooter against the wants of their imagination. Some firearms are easily modified to suit your specific needs such as optics, flashlights, slings, and so on. When you are done fitting your rifle to you, it will have a character and feel you will know and trust. This will hopefully inspire a willingness to train with it and develop a trust in what you carry. If your rifle has multiple adjustment points, consider marking it with a Sharpie to indicate the exact spot where it fits you best. Also consider marking all screws to help you identify if they have walked out at all.
Knowing your rifle means becoming competent with it. For many years, I shot from a bench at my local Fish and Game Club. I spent the vast majority of my training seated behind a concrete slab. I had a tough time learning how to accurately shoot from a standing position since I became too comfortable in only one position. I can’t dictate what the scenario will look like when I need to call upon my marksmanship skills. I may need to take a shot from a standing position, from my other-strong side shoulder, from a prone position, or from a makeshift kneeling or crouched position. There are many shooting positions you should train with your rifle. You may find the rifle that is comfortable from the bench is awkward on the move and standing. You might find the rifle you can easily manipulate on one side of the body is awkward when you apply bilateral shooting techniques. Since shots in the field are rarely taken from the prone, you need to know how your rifle handles when you’re kneeling, seated, or when you prop up against a wall for a hasty brace.
Top performing athletes don’t eat whatever is available. They understand nutrition is an important component of their performance. Much like a pro athlete, a rifle should be fed well too. After spending a significant amount of money on your firearms, optics, and training, don’t skimp on surplus ammunition or whatever is available. You should know what ammunition your rifle performs best with. If you are only used to shooting surplus ammunition or inexpensive ball ammo, recognize performance ammo will yield different results downrange and spending a little more to practice with isn’t a bad idea to know your rifle. There really is something to be said about quality ammunition and components. Variances in bullet types, powder charges, and manufacturing differences can mean extreme differences in accuracy, reliability, and longevity. Some ammunition runs dirty and can foul your rifle faster than others. Much like that athlete who wants a long career in their sport, a steady good diet of protein shakes for them or bullets for your rifle is a long-term investment in performance.
The moment a bullet leaves the barrel, it is affected by gravity. Bullets do not “climb” as they don’t have lift. They will rise depending how the barrel is pointed in relation to the sights. If those sights are not adjusted as the range between your rifle and the target increases, the point of impact of each bullet will vary. A great practice, in fact an essential practice, is learning how far below your rifle’s zero (where your bullets impact the center of your crosshair, red dot, or sights) the point of impact is at varying intervals. For example, a typical zero is 100 yds. I would want to know where my bullet impacts at 50 yds, 150 yds, 200 yds, and so on. I do this for all my rifles from ARs to precision bolt guns. When I know how low the bullet will impact, I can hold the point of aim that distance above the intended point of impact for a given distance. These hold overs will vary if different ammunition is used in your rifle. Don’t rely on the suggested ballistics from the manufacturer as they may have used a longer barrel and could have achieved different ballistics. Once I know my holdovers, I can write them down and tape them to my rifle for a quick reference.
You need to know your rifle intimately. This means spending time with it in every shooting position. Some shooting positions will yield better results than others. Prone is generally the most stable followed by seated then kneeling. Working through the various shooting positions will help weed out your equipment choices. Perhaps you have a particular sling on your rifle and when you try to use it for supported shooting, it doesn’t adjust easily. Perhaps the way it is mounted gets in the way of your support hand. Knowing your rifle means you can drop into any of the shooting positions instinctively and not have any issues along the way. When you pull up your rifle, you should have already worked out how to apply it in that position during practice. The moment you need it in a strange position, should not be the first time you encounter it.
That same air rifle I learned how to shoot as a kid became rusty one day from leaving it too long in a damp basement. My father told me the importance of taking care for my gear and showed me how to remove the rust with some oil. Caring for your gear includes properly cleaning your gear, storing it correctly, and making sure you maintain it with proper lubricants, fresh batteries for electronic optics, and ensure the screws are properly torqued to avoid changes in your rifle’s harmonics. I don’t advise people to “clean” their rifles but “care” for them. Cleaning is only part of caring. Rifles should be stored as if they matter, because they do. Don’t leave your tools where they can become rusty (thanks for teaching me the value of that Dad) and know their status. Status by the way, is not just loaded or unloaded. Perhaps your rifle is dirty or the optics are starting to dim. Track your care for your rifle in your rifle’s data book and stay on top of it. If you take care of your rifle, your rifle will take care of you.
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Hunting is much more than pressing the trigger; it is an entire process you should enjoy year round. From preseason scouting to year round consumption of harvested wild-game meat, hunting can become more of your lifestyle than hobby. Some people think hunting is just as simple as pressing the trigger but to the true hunter, the experience extends long after you leave the field. You hear a lot of people say “I want to know where my food comes from” but so many of the same are quick to hand off their kill to a butcher. No disrespect to the great butchers out there but there are some hacks (no pun intended) in your industry with less respect for the game brought in to be processed. The only way to follow your game from field to table is to take it from field to table by yourself. In this month’s blog, I want to share some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned for butchering wild game. I believe in processing my own animals and staying hands on as much as possible through the process.
Kevin Estela
Author
As a Survival Instructor, Kevin Estela founded Estela Wilderness Education. He formerly worked for Fieldcraft Survival teaching classes on various survival, preparedness, and firearms related courses. Kevin has been a frequent contributing writer for publications such as RECOIL, Athlon Outdoors, Beckett Media, and of course, here on Fiddleback Forge's site. He is a Sayoc Kali Associate Instructor Level 5, as well as a BJJ Purple Belt.