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58 SHOOTING SPORTS MAGAZINE
AIRGUN | SHOOTING A SPRING GUN- PART 2- SHOOTING (POSITIONS)
Likewise,
unclipping the
under-lever on this
style of rifle makes
it obvious that the
action is safeThat’s better! The
hand now absorbs
much of the recoilapproach is probably the most
important factor yet again. If you hold
the forend at the very tip, try and do
that every time. Likewise, if you
squeeze the pistol grip in the aim, then
do that every time too. That said, a
relatively light yet supportive grip, is
probably the best approach. From this
comes not only a more relaxed shooting
stance, but also more accurate shot
placement, as the guns movement is
allowed to gently fi nd its own path.
It is of course essential, regardless
of which position you shoot from, that a
recoiling rifl e isn’t allowed to come into
direct contact with a hard object.
Kneeling up, yet resting the gun directly
over a fence post for example, could be
disastrous, as the force of the recoil
could make the gun bounce upwards on
fi ring, causing not only possible
marking or damage to the gun, but a
wayward point of impact. Cushioning
the gun with a hand or arm can be the
answer, yet as previously mentioned, if
the gun has been zeroed from a
particular position, any change from
that position will almost certainly alter
the impact point.PRONE
Taking a shot from a lying down/prone
position can be tricky with a spring-
powered gun, since it can be really
awkward to cock the action for the
next shot, whilst still lying fl at. Try
breaking the barrel or cocking an
under lever rifl e whilst in the prone
position, and you’ll see what we’re up
against. Having to keep getting up in
between shots, over an extended
practise session, just to cock the gun,
can be a chore too. But the irritation isminimized when competing in a Hunter
Field Target (HFT) shoot for example, since
there’s only one target per lane, before the
shooter has to get up and move along to
the next lane anyway. Spring gun/recoiling
rifl e shooters have their own class in this
event, and there’s a healthy competitive
atmosphere at each tournament I’ve
attended.OFF THE PEG
HFT allows competitors to take the
majority of shots from the prone position,
where prone is the default ‘free-style’
position and here, the shooter is required
to touch a ‘peg’ (normally a wooden or
plastic stake in the ground) whilst taking
the shot. The use of a shooting mat makes
the whole task more comfortable and
angling the body off (at around 30° to the
left in my case) to one side, seems
preferable for many shooters. As per our
previously mentioned guidelines, we don’twant to let the gun itself touch the peg, as
the recoil may cause it to bounce off the
hard surface. Holding the peg, and resting
the rifl e over the lead support hand is the
preferred approach and here, ensuring
that the gun rests on the same part of the
supporting hand, is the key to consistency.
A properly adopted, unsupported, two
handed prone shot, can be highly
effective, but again, however you do it, just
do the same thing every time! Crucially,
do your own research and check things
out in private practise sessions.
Experiment by gripping the rifl e more
tightly and see whether the impact point
changes. Likewise, hold the gun in a
different place along the stock and again,
gauge where the shots fall, and how much
allowance would have to be given if that
shot scenario should occur in the future.
Next month we’ll look at shooting
from the sitting position, and of course
taking those dreaded standing shots“HFT allows competitors to take the majority
of shots from the prone position, where prone
is the default ‘free-style’”