Positional Technique
Spring guns require a focussed approach to get the best from them.
When the gun is shouldered, and the shot released, any recoil generated will then be directly transferred to you, and any object that the gun comes into contact with. How that recoil is dealt with can affect our point of impact (POI). Deviate in any way, from the exact position which was adopted when the gun was zeroed, then POI could well change.
Whether competition shooting or hunting, we are often forced into different positions, and the key is to have done our homework in advance, as to how the gun reacts, so we know how much to compensate.
Kneeling
The classic kneeling position sees three points of contact, and if you’re right handed, it’s as follows:
Raise the left knee as a support for the left elbow, the right knee contacts the floor, the toes of the bent right foot also contact the floor; and the heel of the right foot sits under the bottom. Ideally the left elbow sits in the small hollow of the supporting knee, whilst the front leg goes straight down at a right angle under the elbow. This sees weight fully supported.
Bring the front foot further back and that natural tripod soon collapses!
Watch some HFT shooters trying for a lower kneeling position, and you’ll notice the forward arm lower on the leg. The shot should be more stable, but if it’s not comfortable, don’t do it.
A key point is to ensure that the rifle’s butt pad locates in exactly the same point in the shoulder, and by so doing, recoil will be allowed to dissipate through the shoulder in an identical way every time.
This also promotes a consistent shooting/eye position, minimizing the dreaded parallax error.
Grip Technique
A consistent grip is vital with springers, and the simple rule is, do the same every time! Favour a tight grip, or you like to hold the forend tip, then do it every time. That said, many springers respond to a light hold, so try just letting the gun sit in a consistent but gentle grip. This will allow the action to recoil and move as necessary, and it can promote a more relaxed approach all round.
Given a springer kicks when it fires, we don’t want it coming into direct contact with a hard object either. The gun could get damaged, but the shot will be wayward too.
The answer is simple – just allow the hand to act as a soft buffer. However, as previously mentioned, if the gun was zeroed from the sitting position for example, then adopting a kneeling shot will almost certainly alter the impact point.
Research the effect and you’ll know by how much.
Prone
Shooting a springer lying down, requires far more input than a pneumatic, yet watch top HFT shooters, and it’s clear familiarity and practise are the key. For a start, cocking a spring gun in this position can be very awkward, whether an under-lever or break-barrel.
However, with only one target per lane in HFT, it is manageable. And don’t forget there are dedicated classes for spring gun shooters in this discipline too, so everyone is in the same boat.
Let’s remind ourselves that with Hunter Field Target shooting (HFT), most shots have to be taken from the prone position, as sitting isn’t permitted.
The competitor also has to touch a ‘peg'(a small, normally wooden post in the ground) whilst taking the shot. Most participants use shooting mats for comfort, and these often need to be set at an angle off from the target, dependent upon the individual.
As stated, we need to prevent our spring gun from touching anything hard, and that includes the peg!
So grip the post, and allow the gun to gently sit in the supporting hand at the same time. Size of the individuals hand will dictate the finer detail.
Use The Rules
HFT rules now allow the shooter to have their lead hand actually on the ground, and this promotes a particularly stable support. However, make sure the gun rests on the same part of the hand every time for absolute consistency.
It’s still permitted to adopt the traditional unsupported two elbows on the floor, elevated arms approach, (assuming you still touch the peg), and this will allow the gun to recoil, but if the rules now allow us to cut corners, you may as well take advantage!
The latest rules amazingly even allow the butt of the rifle to touch the ground, and whilst this may not be possible with a conventional butt pad, the rise of dedicated elongated butt hooks is no surprise. Theory dictates that resting the butt of a recoiling rifle onto hard ground shouldn’t work, but several top shooters, often using super heavy rifles to dampen recoil, are proving a point, that this is an area worth experimentation.
As usual, see what works for you, and do your own research. Experiment by adopting different holds and gauge how the impact point changes. Grip the gun differently and again, make a note of how much allowance would need to be given if you are forced to use that position, having previously zeroed the gun from a different position. HFT is used as an example, but results are of course transferable to hunting or any other discipline.
In the final section of this 3-part blog, we’ll cover sitting positions, whether Field Target or hunting, and also the dreaded standing shots.
Until then, happy shooting!
