TargetTalk

After, sadly, abandoning pistol shooting mainly due to all the hassles with the red tape involved and the serious difficulties in obtaining ammo--also due to red tape-- I decided to try smallbore (22lr) prone shooting. I will still have problems with the ammo but not that serious compared to pistol shooting.

So far, all I have is a little carbine called CZ 452 Lux 22lr. I tried shooting (50 meters) but my scores are terribly low (some 10s, mostly 9s, and a few 8s and 7s). Also, my elbows hurt me a lot after very little and I do not feel comfortable at all when I'm lying down on the ground--maybe I'm not used to that shooting position? I do use a mat which is somehow softer than the concrete below.

Sadly, I have no one to ask for advice on a shooting range level and the local gunstores cannot help much either.

I've been told that I cannot really shoot in this position unless I use a sling... So far, I found this store: http://www.euroshooting.eu/en/index.php ... cke_remeny where they seem to have a huge variety of slings but I do not really know which one would fit me (male, 1.76 meters and 66kg). Maybe this one: http://www.euroshooting.eu/en/index.php ... detail=654 ?? What are those 'artificial slings'?

Do I need a jacket as well? If so, what should I be looking for?

I'd preffer to spend as little as possible as I do not yet know whether I will like this discipline or not and I'm uneasy with the uncertain future of what may happen with the firearm licenses so I'd preffer to keep costs down.

Thank you all for your advice.

The problem with leather slings is that they stretch out while you're in position which is very counter-productive. A synthetic sling is what you should look for. Any sling that doesn't say "junior" on it will fit you. They are very adjustable. In fact, I don't even tell my juniors to order the junior slings.

A jacket will help with your elbow pain. Some of it is you just getting used to the position. Based on what you said in your post, you don't seem to be located in the US, so you will want an international legal coat. The main points on this are that it have buttons, only rubber pads on the elbows, and that it doesn't fit too tight. If you want to save some money, go for a cloth coat (~$80 US) rather than canvas (~$140). You might also want to look around the used equipment market.

As for a position (assuming righty), try to make the angle between your left forearm and the ground roughly 40 degrees. Make sure you don't have trouble reaching the chamber to load the rifle. Keep your spine straight and in line with your left leg which is kept straight. Bring your right knee up to roll yourself off your chest making it easier to breath and making it so your heartbeat doesn't hurt your hold.

Those are some of the basics. If you can find a prone match near you, everyone there will be more than happy to give you a little coaching before the match.

Good luck.

You will find it makes a massive difference shooting with a jacket, sling (and glove). Getting the setup right can be fiddley especially if you do it on your own without knowing exactly what you're looking for (I know, I had to do that). As per Soupy's post, you're best of going with a synthetic sling. Try looking on our hosts site, there must be target rifle slings here and I'm sure, articles on equipment setup.

With the sling, jacket, glove (and handstop), you should get an almost locked position, where you will see very little movement of the sights. The sling holds everything tight and supports the weight of the gun, whilst the jacket helps spread the load off your joints (helping eliminate any joint pain and muscle fatigue). I should add the glove helps spread the load from the sling across the back of the hand, as there's a lot of weight taken there.

Rob.

You are going to want to upgrade your rifle too.

The CZ 452 is a nice sporting rifle, but it doesn't have the weight, sights, or accessory rail for mounting a hand stop on it.

Thanks for all your replies.

I'm not going to buy a new rifle since no gunstore will let me try a gun on a range--it's against the law. Maybe, if I found a used rifle...