my weight and shooting from kneeling

RIght now I am 6'1" and weight 245, when I drop to kneeling position i cant keep all my weight on my right foot for more than a couple seconds which leads to massive shaking of the reticle. should I wait until i've lost some weight to practice kneeling or is this something eveyone encounters at first. Or should I practice anyway knowing i'll suck just to work on technique (or is this a waste of time since I can't get a stable platform).

also, what's a good group size for kneeling at 50 or 100 yards using a 6X optic, 14.5 cold hammer forged bcm barrel, 55 gr plinking ammo...I feel like i'm forgetting something else

I think you should go to the kneeling position frequently, as an exercise, and just get stronger in that position. I don't want to comment on 245 because you just might be solid muscle.

Are you resting your forearm on your "upright" knee (left support arm on left knee - not joint on joint, but "flat on flat") or free "standing"/unsupported kneeling?

Have you tried using a "hasty sling" technique to help stabilize the rifle?
You may need to set your sling up a little more traditionally for this, however a variation of this can also be achieved with current side-mounted slings. You should be able to slip in and out of this technique pretty quickly, so IMO it's still a useful technique for today's tactical drills.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib8OeQdwFEY

Not to also state the obvious, but are you always using your optic on 6x?
If so, as I'm sure you're aware more mag=more perceived "shaking". Try turning it down to 1x for your 50 yd shots and maybe 2-3x for your 100 yard shots.

Lower optic magnification + sling use may help control some of the shaking while you work on your fitness.

Work on the position at home while you’re not shooting. Adjust your foot and ankle and see if you can find a position with less pressure.

The optic is high magnification for compromised positions, agree you need to work on this at 1x or the lowest your vision allows because you will react to the shake and not fire at the center of the wobble. Dry fire practice at home pressing the trigger in the wobble, not fighting it to be stable first.


Andrew - Lancaster, CA
NRA Life Member, CRPA member, Calguns.net contributor, CGF / SAF / FPC / CCRKBA / GOA / NAGR / NRA-ILA contributor, USCCA member - Support your defenders!

Why are you shooting from a kneeling unsupported position? Is this for a competition or qualification that requires a specific kneeling position?

Do you have joint problems?
If its just weight- practice it and find the best position(see jellybeans post).
If you have a real joint issue(cartilage wear, inflammation, etc)- fix that first.

You don't weigh that much. I shot from kneeling just fine at 5'10" and 290#. I'm glad I lost weight, but it didn't change my kneeling one bit. I can now, however, shoot from a sitting position that I couldn't before.

Jellybean has the best advice.% o

As for group size, I'm pretty happy if I can hold the A-zone on an IPSC target from kneeling at 100 yds., or about 8", 100% of the time.