Horizontal movement in prone

[KennyB]

My best hold and sight picture arrive around 5-6 seconds into the actual aiming moment (once the breath is being held). But the rest of that stuff takes much MORE than 8 seconds. 2-3 seconds is FAST, bro. That's Warren Potent Fast. I have to take a little extra time because I have an oxygen issue.

BartP

Hi Bart,
when I say 2-3 seconds, that's after a good while confirming POI/inner position/pre-aiming/breathing etc. It's just the final coming up onto the target and then 2-3 seconds hold before release that I'm referring to in my traces.
I actually shoot quite slowly when all THAT is taken into account.

Before adopting this regime (8 years ago) I found that I could be dithering in the aim and while I thought I was still in the bull, the SCATT was showing that I was sometimes drifting out without seeing it. Afterward I could close my eyes and see an afterimage of the sight picture.
The shorter time on aim is to prevent this "burning in" of the image especially in bright conditions - I also frequently use a polarizer outdoors.
This is one element of technique that has improved my results quite dramatically.

I'm lucky in that I don't have oxygen issues, a visible pulse to worry about and my hold is good...

Not that this has much to do with the OP's problem - unless dithering on aim is part of the problem.

Regards,
Ken.

[Rob25220]

Here is a copy of an average SCATT trace it goes green, yellow for start of last second before shot and blue for last tenth of a second before shot then red for follow through. I have tried several variations however there is still more horizontal movement than vertical. Could sideways pressure on the cheekpiece cause this? More so than coming down directly overthe top. What do you think?

[Dave IRL]

I'd blame trigger control for a given last shot, judging by that trace. I'd prefer to see the shot land in the middle of the yellow trace, while yours is at the edge. Given the result is a couple of millimetres from the centre of that trace, it could very easily have gone the other way and given you a nine. Also, your follow-through is wider than your holding trace, while it should be exactly the same, so you're not maintaining your focus on that throughout the shot and follow through. The hold is good enough to shoot tens, just concentrate on your trigger release and follow-through.

[KennyB]

Yup, that's quite a large hold pattern.
Diagnosing what's wrong is difficult without pictures of your position,
however, my first guess is that your left elbow could be too far under the rifle...

If not:

Taking a firmer grip with the right hand might help damp out the horizontal component (if you're not already). I'm not a fan of the "light grip with the trigger hand" approach.
The support (left) hand has a huge degree of freedom for horizontal movement that has to be kept in check somehow - that's what the trigger (right) hand and elbow do.
If pistol shooters can take a firm hold with their trigger hand, so can I.
I do have a custom (home made) mounded grip for consistency though.

Also,
When on aim, try pushing the rifle with the trigger hand - wobble it around and see if the butt is too loose in the shoulder. It should be quite hard to get the sights to move very far off aim.


And finally,
it seems like you initially settle in the 9 ring at 6 o'clock and then push up into the bull, rather then coming straight up into the bull in one movement.
More "eyes closed" pre-aiming practice possibly, but that's a separate issue.


I like my head on top of the cheekpiece - sideways pressure could be bad but it depends on the balance of forces from the other contact points - and having the adjustment available at the cheekpiece to get your eye behind the sight without effort.

Good luck.
Ken.