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First time with a rifle (part 3)
This third and final part of 'First time with a rifle' covers the basics of setting up a firing point, aiming, loading and what to expect when taking the first shots. This is very basic level information designed for the complete beginner. More advanced infromation about prone position and more advanced techniques is available in later chapters.
Firing point set up
Lying down with a rifle
How to aim
Loading
Firing the first shots
First time Do's and Dont's
Setting up and using a rifle
Firing point set up
As a general rule the firing point should be free of clutter and contain the rifle with a breech flag, a mat, an ammo block (optional) and the supporting stand or sandbag for the rifle.
The instructor may have a scope so that the shots fired can be seen on the target – this is not to see how well the shooter is doing, it should be used only to check that the shots are hitting the correct target. If the new shooter hits anything other than the target (floor, ceiling, walls, another target, etc) the instructor can pause the session and attempt to find out and correct whatever is causing the shots to miss.
A typical firing point set up with the rifle already in place. A mat, rifle stand and an ammunition block are also visible.
The rifle must always point down the range towards the target. If the firing point is set up before the new shooter arrives the rifle will already be in position on the mat. If the new shooter has been asked to carry the rifle to the firing point it must be placed on the mat with the muzzle pointing down the range.
Rifles should have a breech flag inserted at all times except when being loaded and fired. The Breech flag is a small and usually plastic tag that is inserted into the breech and shows, even from a distance, that the rifle is not loaded and is safe.
Side note
It is not uncommon for new starters to be asked, after receiving a safety briefing, to carry the rifle from the rack to the firing point and this can provide the first hands on experience of handling a weapon.
The rifle must always be held pointing upwards when carrying it and a breech flag should be visible.
Handy tips
Before shooting it is advisable to empty all items from trouser pockets – lying down on a bunch of keys is not usually very comfortable. If a belt is worn by the shooter it should be removed if it has a large buckle as they too can be uncomfortable to lie on.
It is also important that mobile phones are switched off. People at the club might be shooting competition cards and usually do not welcome distractions caused by ring tones and text alerts.
Lying down with the rifle
The following list provides a step by step guide to lying down with a rifle for the first time. When using a rifle for the first time an instructor should be present to provide assistance and guidance. (If the shooter is left handed reverse all of the ‘right/left’ instructions described here)
* Stand at the end of the mat facing the target – the mat should be at an angle of 10-20 degrees from the firing line
* The rifle should be at the end of the mat nearest the target and on the right hand side
* Lie down on the mat with the centre line of the body in line with the centre of the mat. This will put the body at an angle to the target
* Pick up the rifle keeping it pointed down the range and place the butt in the right shoulder
* The weight of the rifle is supported on a stand or a sandbag.
* The left elbow is extended in front of the shooters’ left shoulder, with the hand lightly gripping the underside of the stock about half way along the length (this will vary with both the length of the stock and the arm)
* The right hand lightly grips the pistol grip – DO NOT PUT A FINGER ON THE TRIGGER
* Extend the right elbow out to the right of the body until comfortable, this may support some of the weight of the upper body
* Once the arms, elbows and hands are in the right positions the head can be lowered until the right cheek rests on the cheek piece of the rifle – the right eye should be directly behind the sights and able to see through the small hole in the rear sight
How to lie with a rifle that is supported on a stand
The rifle butt is correctly positioned in the shoulder
The rifle butt is too high in the shoulder
The rifle butt is too low in the shoulder
Upper body and arm positions when the rifle is supported on a stand. The index finger should only be on the trigger when firing, at all other times it should rest on the stock
Common things to look out for:
Rifle pointing at ceiling/floor - If the butt is not correctly placed in the shoulder adjust the position of the body forwards or backwards until the rifle is pointing at the target. If excessive movement is required or the position is uncomfortable then lower or raise the stand/sandbag to level the rifle.
Rifle pointing to the left or right of the target – Adjust body position to the left or right until the rifle points towards the target.
Left elbow is painful – Most clubs will have elbow pads to help cushion the elbows. If no pads are available fold a jumper or other item of clothing and place it under the affected elbow.
Sights are touching the face or are too far away – either the head is pushed too far forwards or the neck is ‘scrunched up’, relax the neck and if this does not improve the situation the sights might need to be moved – ask the instructor for guidance.
Eye cannot see through the sights because it doesn’t line up behind the rear sight properly. The head may be in the wrong position or the butt may be too high/low in the shoulder. This is one occasion where the sights should not be moved to fix this issue – it is head and body position adjustments that will resolve this.
It is usually quite simple to set up with a supported rifle and despite a bit of shuffling around on the mat the new shooter should be able to find a comfortable position, with the rifle pointing toward the target, whilst being able to look through the sights.
How to aim
It is recognised that many individuals use corrective lenses to improve their vision. Positioning the head behind the sights whilst wearing glasses is possible and it should not interfere with the shooters’ ability to aim properly. If the shooter finds this awkward or uncomfortable then there are specialist shooting glasses that can be purchased and are made with prescription lenses.
Aiming with a rifle involves lining up three separate points; a pair of sights (a rear sight and a fore sight) with one at each end of the rifle, and the target as the third aiming point. If this is done accurately the shooter will be able to hit the target when the shot is fired – simple.
There are different types of sight used on rifles, each does the same thing (aids the shooter in aiming the rifle) but in a different way. The most common sights for Smallbore rifles are the circular sights but shooters may also come across blade and notch sights.
Different sight pictures are created by the different types of rifle sights. These diagrams show what is seen when both the fore and rear sight are aligned correctly
In the ‘types of sight’ diagrams the images show the ‘perfect’ sight picture, with each element of the image having well defined edges. The reality is a little different because the eye cannot clearly focus on objects at different distances at the same time.
When aiming, the rear sight will never be well defined or clear because it is positioned too close to the eye and the eye cannot focus on objects closer than 15cm.
The foresight is about 100cm away from the eye and the target is 25 yards away (depending on the length of the range) and both of these can easily be independently focused on. What the eye cannot do is focus on both the foresight and the target at the same time.
Photo showing actual view through rear sight with the eye focusing on the foresight. The foresight is clearly defined and the target appears as a slightly blurred spot.
Photo showing the view through rear sight with the eye focusing on the target. The target appears to be well defined and the foresight is blurry.
The shooter should focus on the foresight instead of the target. In this case the target should appear as a slightly blurred spot and the eye will automatically try to make the shooter line up the target and the foresight. If the eye focuses on the target the foresight becomes blurry and it is much harder to align the target and the sights, thus making it harder to shoot accurately.
Loading
Although loading will happen before aiming in the firing process it has been included after the aiming section so that the basics of aiming are understood and can be practiced before the rifle is loaded. When the rifle is loaded it is best to already know how to aim it at the target rather than the shooter being unsure of how to aim whilst holding a ‘live’ weapon.
Loading will almost certainly be done by the instructor on the first session , this allows the shooter to focus on shooting at the target and not be worrying about anything else. If the shooter is allowed to load they will be shown how to do this by the instructor and should follow these steps.
* Keep the rifle pointed down the range (towards the target) at all times
* Remove the breech flag from the rifle
* Pick up a round holding it by the rim at the flat end of the brass case
* Place the front of the round at the mouth of the breech
* Gently push the round forward with a finger (or thumb) until it is fully inserted into the breech
* Make sure the rifle is still pointing down the range
* Slide the bolt forward and push the bolt handle down until the bolt is fully closed (or close the lever for Martini actions)
Hold the round by the end of the brass case when putting it into the breech
Use the thumb (or a finger) to push the round all the way into the chamber before closing the bolt
At this point the rifle is loaded, cocked and ready to fire – if there is a problem for any reason the shooter must immediately ask for help from the instructor and keep their hands away from the trigger. If the instructor is unavailable, place the rifle on the ground with the muzzle pointing down the range towards the target and move back away from the rifle to wait for the instructor.
Firing the first shots
With the rifle loaded the shooter should aim at the target and when they are satisfied the sight picture is correct they should gently squeeze the trigger until the shot is fired.
Some people have questions about what will happen when the first shot is fired: Will it be really loud? Does the rifle move very much? Will it bang into my shoulder? Will the sights hit me in the face? All these questions are completely valid. To prepare the shooter for the first shot here is a brief description of what will happen.
The shooter is lying down correctly, the rifle is loaded and aimed properly and it is now time to squeeze the trigger…squeeze, squeeze… BANG…!!
That is really all there is to it. The rifle will make a loud crack when it is fired and this noise will be negligible when the proper hearing protection is worn. The rifle will not move any more than a few millimetres and there is not a big ‘thud’ into the shoulder. If the head is correctly aligned behind the sights nothing will touch the face when a round is fired and if the sights are very close to the eye they can usually be moved forward to provide a larger gap.
On completion of the firing session it is important that the shooter collects all empty cases from the firing point and places them in an appropriate container for disposal or recycling. Empty cases must not be removed from the range and they should not be kept as souvenirs.
What to expect from the first shots
When learning to shoot it is not important how close the holes are to the centre of the target. Instead the thing to look for is how close the holes are to each other, this is called ‘group size’. Group size is a key measure of a shooter’s ability and a good method for tracking progress.
The group size of any new shooter will vary depending on their level of knowledge, clarity of eyesight and general shooting aptitude. If the shooter has a basic understanding of how to use both the sights and trigger before taking their first shots the chances of a reasonable group will be much better.
Group sizes will vary the first time someone uses a rifle. Accuracy will improve with time and practice. Note that not all groups are in the centre of the target
For every new shooter the first shots taken should appear on the target area. In this case ‘target area’ means anywhere on the cardboard target and the holes are not either missing or appearing in the frame holding the target.
Handy tip
If some shots have missed the target altogether, the reader should check that they are looking through the rear sight and not over or around it – the sight picture should look similar to that shown in the section about aiming.
It is not the place of the author of this book to say what is good or bad from a first shoot. Everybody has their own level of ability and will start out with different group sizes.
First time Do's and Dont's
* Do listen to the safety briefing given at the start of the session
* Do wear ear protection of a suitable standard
* Do make sure a breech flag is used at all times when the rifle is not being loaded or fired
* Do ask questions if there is anything that is not clear
* Do empty pockets before lying down to shoot
* Do ensure lying down behind the rifle is comfortable – elbow pads or something soft can make a big difference in the level of comfort
* Do make sure the eye is looking through the rear sight and that the foresight is in the centre of the rear sight aperture
* And remember that if there is a problem of any kind to move away from the rifle and get the attention of the instructor in a safe way.
* Do not break any of the safety rules
* Do not take a mobile phone onto the firing point
* Do not point the rifle anywhere other than down the range towards the target
* Do not tense when taking a shot
* Do not close the eyes whilst firing a shot - they need to be open to make sure the rifle is pointing at the target
Above all just enjoy it.
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