by Marshall Bowen on December 13, 2011

fun·da·men·tal

serving as, or being an essential part of, a foundation or basis; basic; underlying: fundamental principles; the fundamental structure.

This is VERY important when it comes to marksmanship. It doesn’t matter if you are shooting a target 5m away or a target 1,000m away. You MUST remember and apply the basic fundamentals of marksmanship.

ELEMENTS OF A GOOD SHOOTING POSITION (RIFLES)

1)      BONE SUPPORT – The weight of the weapon should be supported by bone instead of muscle when possible. Muscle fatigues whereas bone does not. This also applies to your cheek-weld. Make sure your cheek bone and the buttstock are making as much contact as possible. This limits the amount of movement when you fire. If you're doing it correctly it should be slightly uncomfortable. You will get used to it.

2)      MUSCULAR RELAXATION – This will help you hold a steady point of aim and greatly increase your accuracy. If you are not using good bone support you will not have muscular relaxation. When your muscles are tense it will cause excessive movement in your rifle and your aim.

3)      NATURAL POINT OF AIM – This is where the rifle naturally rests in relation to your target. When you are in your shooting position and aimed in on your target, close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and relax as much as possible. When you open your eyes, your point of aim should be where it was before you closed your eyes. Since the rifle becomes an extension of your body it might be necessary for you to adjust the position of the rifle until you achieve your natural point of aim. Once you achieve this you must make sure you hold your position in relation to the target in order to maintain your natural point of aim.

The next time you go to the range, try and make a checklist of everything you do as you get into your shooting position. For example,

1.      Drop down on both knees.

2.      Lower the rest of your body to place the buttstock into the pocket of your shoulder.

3.      Pull rifle into shoulder with non-shooting hand and maintain sufficient pressure.

4.      Place firing hand into preferred position.

5.      Find proper cheek-weld and eye relief.

The list above is just an example, create your own.

The best long range shooters did not get to where they are today by skipping the fundamentals of marksmanship. The only way to improve your shooting skills is to get out on the range and push your skills to the limit. Just make sure you don’t push the fundamentals aside.

-Marshall Bowen