Scout Rifle Qs

[WillBrink]

Ching sling from Andy's Leather added. I should have looked closer to realize I had to drill the stock to add it, but worked out fine. Still trying to get the loop size right. Too small, can't pull it up to the shoulder, too loose, it falls off the arm. Needs range time to really narrow down sweet spot for loop size, but so far so good and I can see how it makes for a rock steady shooting platform for this great all purpose bolt gun. How have you all using Ching slings got that loop size issue down?

[w squared]

Ching, Rhodesian, or CW - loop size is 100% personal preference. It is dependent both on your body and the geometry that works well for you when shooting.

Remember that you need to choose a loop size that will work for you in all of the positions that you use that loop in. Prone, sitting, kneeling, and (this one is open to debate) standing. A loop size that is perfect for kneeling will be too tight for prone. A loop size that is perfect for prone is too loose for kneeling. The answer is to choose a loop size that works for prone when close to the elbow, and also works for kneeling when close to the shoulder.

Short of getting hands-on instruction, the best method for gaining a good grounding in effective use of the sling is to grab you copy of Colonel Cooper's "The Art Of The Rifle", set up a target on the far side of the room, and do some quality dry practice. If you set up a high-contrast "target" that is half an inch wide and one inch tall, and then aim from a range of ten feet, it will approximate a silhouette at 100 yards.

Practice slinging up, building a solid position, breaking the shot, and your bolt flick. Do that for all four basic positions, and be honest with yourself about how you felt about the break of each "shot". When you do it right (especially when slung prone and sitting) you will know that you stayed on target throughout the process of breaking the shot.

Many will argue that because your support side elbow is not anchored, slinging up is useless when standing. I disagree - slinging up removes any unsteadiness introduced by the muscles between your elbow and your hand on the support side. No, it in no way is as big of an aid to quality hits as slinging up in the kneeling or sitting position....but when forced to shoot standing, I'll take what I can get.

[WillBrink]

Ching, Rhodesian, or CW - loop size is 100% personal preference. It is dependent both on your body and the geometry that works well for you when shooting.

Remember that you need to choose a loop size that will work for you in all of the positions that you use that loop in. Prone, sitting, kneeling, and (this one is open to debate) standing. A loop size that is perfect for kneeling will be too tight for prone. A loop size that is perfect for prone is too loose for kneeling. The answer is to choose a loop size that works for prone when close to the elbow, and also works for kneeling when close to the shoulder.

Short of getting hands-on instruction, the best method for gaining a good grounding in effective use of the sling is to grab you copy of Colonel Cooper's "The Art Of The Rifle", set up a target on the far side of the room, and do some quality dry practice. If you set up a high-contrast "target" that is half an inch wide and one inch tall, and then aim from a range of ten feet, it will approximate a silhouette at 100 yards.

Practice slinging up, building a solid position, breaking the shot, and your bolt flick. Do that for all four basic positions, and be honest with yourself about how you felt about the break of each "shot". When you do it right (especially when slung prone and sitting) you will know that you stayed on target throughout the process of breaking the shot.

Many will argue that because your support side elbow is not anchored, slinging up is useless when standing. I disagree - slinging up removes any unsteadiness introduced by the muscles between your elbow and your hand on the support side. No, it in no way is as big of an aid to quality hits as slinging up in the kneeling or sitting position....but when forced to shoot standing, I'll take what I can get.

Great info thanx. I'd be shooting from standing the vast majority of the time with this rifle and it seems to me, the sling very much adds stability, so I'm surprised some feel it's not of value to the standing position.

[w squared]

Colonel Cooper himself stated that he found no value in slinging up when standing...but I started doing it through sheer ignorance and found that I did notice a benefit. There are folks whose opinion I absolutely respect that disagree with me on this - your mileage may very definitely vary.

As far as shooting from standing...do it when you truly need to, but to quote Colonel Cooper - "If you can get closer, get closer. If you can get steadier, get steadier." I've found that the height difference between kneeling and standing is small enough that you CAN use kneeling in many situations if you're willing to move a little bit laterally to get a line of sight through vegetation....and the payoff in terms of steadiness is worth it. I do practice it - but in each of the occasions that I've had to take an animal, I've managed to find a way to use a position other than standing.

[WillBrink]

Colonel Cooper himself stated that he found no value in slinging up when standing...but I started doing it through sheer ignorance and found that I did notice a benefit. There are folks whose opinion I absolutely respect that disagree with me on this - your mileage may very definitely vary.

As far as shooting from standing...do it when you truly need to, but to quote Colonel Cooper - "If you can get closer, get closer. If you can get steadier, get steadier." I've found that the height difference between kneeling and standing is small enough that you CAN use kneeling in many situations if you're willing to move a little bit laterally to get a line of sight through vegetation....and the payoff in terms of steadiness is worth it. I do practice it - but in each of the occasions that I've had to take an animal, I've managed to find a way to use a position other than standing.

I need to learn shooting positions of long guns far better. My shooting has been almost exclusively pistol over the years. I may be banned, but I only own one AR.

[w squared]

If you have never had any formal instruction in traditional shooting positions, I have two suggestions:

#1. A copy of "The Art Of The Rifle". It contains far more than just those positions - much of it wildly at odds with the current urge to build rifles and shooters that are effective only at shooting small groups from a bench located 100 yards from the target. If you want to invest time and effort in building the ability to hit targets at real-world distances while afield, it is an exceptional resource.

#2. Attend at least on "Project Appleseed". These are great folks, providing quality instruction in marksmanship - and doing so because they truly believe in what they are doing. You will learn more about natural point of aim and the basic riflecraft of positional shooting in one weekend of Appleseed than a lifetime of on line resources could provide to you. https://appleseedinfo.org/

[WillBrink]

If you have never had any formal instruction in traditional shooting positions, I have two suggestions:

#1. A copy of "The Art Of The Rifle". It contains far more than just those positions - much of it wildly at odds with the current urge to build rifles and shooters that are effective only at shooting small groups from a bench located 100 yards from the target. If you want to invest time and effort in building the ability to hit targets at real-world distances while afield, it is an exceptional resource.

#2. Attend at least on "Project Appleseed". These are great folks, providing quality instruction in marksmanship - and doing so because they truly believe in what they are doing. You will learn more about natural point of aim and the basic riflecraft of positional shooting in one weekend of Appleseed than a lifetime of on line resources could provide to you. https://appleseedinfo.org/

Will do. I know that's considered a classic and gad knows I quote the late Colonel enough.

[1859sharps]

I use an Andy's ching sling on my scout rifle. like w squared says, the fine details of adjustment are pretty much personal. I optimized for prone, yet still of value for looping up while standing.

having spent a few brief months shooting a local cmp club match, never occurred to me to think that looping up while standing was a waste or not help.