Home >> Information >> New to Shooting >>The Prone Position (part 2)
The Prone position (Part 2): Upper body posiiton
There are two main positions for the upper body; the high and the low positions. Each has pros and cons and the reader should try both to find which suits them best.
Whichever position is used the shooter should be both comfortable and stable. Trying to force a position to match one of the photos in this book may cause the position to be incorrect and can even be uncomfortable. Remember, each shooter has a different shape and size and the position they adopt must be the right one for them.
Handy tip
Wrist watches and belts should be removed prior to shooting. The sling will press against the wrist and if the shooter is wearing a watch the watch could be caught beneath the sling and this is not very comfortable. Likewise lying on a belt buckle can be uncomfortable and cause a distraction to the shooter.
The high position
The low position
The high position
Both elbows are positioned close to the body and the chest is raised up off the ground.
Advantages of the high position: Breathing is easy as the chest is not on the ground. The eye is looking straight out from the head which reduces the strain on the eye when focusing on the sight picture.
Disadvantages of the high position: A lot of pressure is placed on the elbows because they are supporting the weight of the chest, the head and the rifle.
High position 1 – There is a large angle between the ground and the left forearm and the left hand under the stock is close to the trigger
High position 2 – Right elbow is bent to a small angle and the head is near vertical
High position 3 - The elbows are drawn in close to the body and the torso is raised up off the mat
High position 4 - Looking down from above, the high position is identifiable by the elbows being drawn in close to the body and the left hand positioned close to the trigger under the stock
The low position
The left elbow is placed further forward of the body and the left hand should be further forwards on the stock than for the high position. Moving the left arm forwards will lower the rifle and the chest will be closer to the ground, but the angle between the forearm and the ground must be more than 30 degrees. The right elbow will extend away from the body and be less vertical then in the high position.
Advantages of the low position: The low position can be more stable than the high position and the pressure on the elbows is reduced because more of the weight of the chest is supported by the ground and not through the arms.
Disadvantages of the low position: The head must be angled down to get the eye behind the rear sight and this angles the eye upwards making it work a little harder to focus on the sights.
It can also be more difficult to keep the sling in position high on the upper arm because of the angle of the arm.
Low position 1 – There is a small angle between the ground and the left forearm and the left hand under the stock is close to the front of the rifle
Low position 2 – Right elbow is bent to a large angle and the head is angled forwards to get the eye behind the rear sight
Low position 3 - The elbows are far apart and the torso close to the level of the mat
Low position 4 - Looking down from above, the low position is identifiable by the elbows being extended away from the sides of the body and the left hand positioned much further forward of the trigger than in the high position