A There is no one best answer. There are several options. You should try
various approaches and pick the one you feel most comfortable with. My
preferred method of shooting a scope sighted rifle is to rest the
fore-end in the V and grasp the sticks at the band level. All the
fingers of the left hand (right handed shooter) hold the sticks except
the index finger which wraps over the barrel. When shooting hard
recoiling rifles wrap the index and middle
finger over the barrel. The benefit of this approach is that the sticks
and rifle are temporarily bound together by your hand. Recoil is reduced
as the weight of the sticks is added to that of the rifle at the shot.
Also, recoil can knock the sticks out of position. By holding the sticks
and the rifle you minimize this problem and will be better able to make
follow up shots if needed. Note that more than a couple of quick shots
will make the barrel too hot to wrap a finger around.
If shooting an open sighted rifle, wrapping a finger over the barrel
will likely interfere with the sight picture. (An open sighted rifle
is usually a heavy caliber gun.) In this situation I rest
the fore-end in the V and grasp the available part of the fore-end with my
left hand. This can be either in front or behind the V whichever works
best for you. With light recoiling calibers you can just rest the
fore-end in the V and only hold the sticks with your left hand.
Double rifle shooters often hold the rifle fore-end in the left hand and
rest the wrist on the sticks with the left hand just in front of the V.
Do not put your hand directly in the V as recoil can jam your fingers or
the back of your hand into the sticks. Some double rifle shooters have
told me that it is necessary to hold the rifle in the hand to insure
both barrels hit to the same point of aim. Unless this is an issue for
you, I think it is better to rest the rifle stock fore-end in the sticks.
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A Horizontal movements are caused by your body swaying left and right.
If the wind is not blowing, try standing more upright, like a silhouette
shooter. The objective is to minimize muscle tension and allow your
skeleton to support your body. Adjust your stick height to accommodate
this position. Sticks that are too short will not allow you to stand
highly erect. This is why we recommend Long Grass sticks that are at
least as tall as you are when the sticks
are in the closed position.
If the wind is blowing the above recommendation will not work as wind
gusts will move your body more than muscle tremors will. In windy
situations , spread your feet wide apart and adjust your sticks
accordingly. Lock your knees and again try to let your skeleton support
you. Lean slightly into the sticks. This approach uses a bit of your
body weight as a stabilizer against the wind gusts which is better than
trying to fight wind with muscle reactions.
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A The answer depends on many factors. Shooting sticks provide an
instantly available rest to help you hold your rifle steady. You still
have to squeeze the trigger. From the standing stick position, most
people can hold on or near a nine inch plate at 100 yards. Experienced
shooters can do better. One customer sent me a target he shot with a
.416 Rem. Three shots were in 1 1/2 inches. Some report they have shot
groups under one inch. I'm happy with 4". The size of the target you can
hold on from the sitting/kneeling stick position will be roughly 1/2
that of standing. More important than group size is improved consistency
and elimination of all wild shots.
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A Of course you do. Shooting sticks will help you shoot better. Beside
the ethical issue of accurate shooting for quick humane kills there are
other practical reasons to use sticks. In Africa much of your shooting
must be done in the standing position. Tall grasses often make the prone
position useless and the sitting position of limited value. Additionally
while many shots must be taken quickly, there are occasions when you
must hold a rifle in a ready
position for a significant amount of time. For example, waiting for an
animal to move from cover, step clear of other animals, or turn for a
better shot angle. Last but not least, shooting from sticks will
minimize the amount of felt recoil. Big game rifles kick and practice is
of little value if you develop a flinch.
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A This approach may or may not work for you. There may not be a set of
shooting sticks waiting when you arrive. Just as important is you cannot
practice with sticks that reside in Africa. Practice and familiarity
with your own sticks increases the probability of good hits and clean
kills. The sticks your PH (Professional Hunter) has may not be appropriate for your height. The
sticks your PH has will probably not break down and consequently are of
limited use for sitting or kneeling shots. The sticks your PH has may
have all three top sticks protruding the same length which can be
confusing to shoot from. Your PH sticks may not have covered tips to
protect your stocks finish. You can't put your PH's sticks in your
trophy room.
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A Long Grass sticks were designed to be strong and reliable. They are
also simple and repairable in the field in a worst case scenario. The
wooden legs are made of oak or hickory both durable woods. Hickory is
used to make bows and ramrods. The band that holds the sticks together
is a vacuum cleaner drive belt. This belt is designed for a lot more
abuse than shooting sticks will ever give it. Credit for this idea goes
to the
Accurate Reloading Forum,
a true treasure of hunting and shooting information. If the band were somehow cut in
the field you could temporarily patch things up with string, rubber
bands or even wire. The stick connectors are 1/2 inch copper tubes. If
the connection mechanism was inadvertently damaged, a pair of pliers and
a pocket knife would resolve most issues. Long Grass sticks were
designed to be durable but fixable with common materials and tools. In
any event, Long Grass sticks are 100% guaranteed for the life of the
purchaser.
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A We wanted a connection that allowed a quick change between standing
and sitting/kneeling shot opportunities. A simple friction fit provides
for a quick change. A screw in mechanism does not.
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A We chose rubber tips for several reasons. Most importantly they
prevent leg rattle when carrying the sticks. The rubber tips work on a
concrete slab at the rifle range or your tile floor when dry firing at
home. Rubber tips work well in a wide variety of field situations from
rocks to soft mud.
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A Dry fire using different stances and hand positions until you find
what works best for you. Verify your dry firing approach with live ammo.
Sometimes recoil changes things.
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A Your Long Grass sticks make an excellent pistol rest. They also make
an excellent platform for steadying your binoculars or camera. Your
sticks are also very handy for hanging your rifle (bolt open),
binoculars, water bottle, and other gear when taking a break.
A This has not been my experience. I have a Remington 700 in .223 that
consistently shoots under 1" groups at 100 yards. With the "barrel"
rested directly on the sticks, the resultant group does impact two
inches above a bench rest, sand bag group. When the fore-end is rested
on the sticks there is no observable difference in vertical impact
between the bench rest group and the stick group. (Reference pictures on
the targets page.) I have had the same result with free floated and
bedded barrels. Snipers often employ Harris type bipods and they seem to
work OK. The short, stiff, Harris type platform would seem more likely
to throw a shot high than African style sticks.
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A Yes. They work fairly well as is and can be made significantly more
useful as a walking stick by addition of two simple items. The first is
a lanyard loop tied to allow transfer of pressure from the hand to the
wrist/arm and a small Velcro strap to keep the legs from splaying in
certain situations. With these two upgrades your Long Grass shooting
sticks become an outstanding walking stick. The extra length as compared
to most walking sticks is very helpful when transversing rough uneven
terrain or probing undergrowth before deciding to take the step. If
strength of the sticks is a concern for you then make sure you order our
hickory sticks.
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