Sitting and Sticks

[Eric Johanen]

I've been having a tough time with prone lately (probably due to my health problems) so I shot a steel match on Saturday off the sticks sitting. Some hits and some close misses at 600. My sticks use a pin and in the soft earth they are not as stable as I'd like so I am going to add the spades. With wing nuts I can remove them easily if I get any complaints. Many of our ranges in Wisconsin have pretty soft earth on the firing lines. Sitting on my folding stool used for High power competition felt a bit like a hammock and not as solid as I'd like so am going to try a low wooden stool. I think I can make this work with practice and allow me to stay on the firing line. For those who shoot sitting would you have any suggestions? I am no longer a threat to those in the winner's circle but would still like to shoot well and record a fair number of hits. Improve my average and hear a few more bongs as I plunk those steel bits. Oh, and the C. Sharps I picked up last fall does shoot very well!

[Kurt]

Eric this is the stool I use https://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-...s?slotId=0 Three is just no way that I can shoot in the prone position anymore because the pain is just to great.
I have two sitting sticks one for sanctioned matches that I have a wide spade blade on to hold in the soft soil/sand but even then I have to use a rubber mallet and drive it in deeper to keep the sticks from falling over and keep the muzzle out of the dirt. Stupid NRA rule.
The other sticks I use have 6" or so spikes for the gong shoots and the Wis sandy firing lines ?

I always shake my head when I see shooters on the line during a sanctioned match drive their sticks with a 3" spike or spade in the ground with a dead blow mallet another 2-3" deeper LOL. just don't make sense does it ?

[mherth]

My knees don’t operate like they used to so I graduated from a low plastic stool to the 2-step Rubbermade stepstool or a 5-gal bucket with padded lid. Both work good. I haul my gear in one of the folding wagons from WM.

[Eric Johanen]

Thank's for the tips guy's. I just started experimenting with sitting off the ground and find it a bit difficult. 3 inch pins may work out west but they are not very stable in soft earth. I'm going to add the spades and see if that improves stability. More practice with this position and will see how things work out. I can always go back to prone and just ask for help getting back to my feet. I really love shooting these rifles and it is frustrating to see how the cancer has effected my physical condition the last 3 years. Hope to be pulling triggers for a long time. I have made the switch to paper patch bullets in all my rifles and very rarely run a greaser through them anymore. The grooved bullets shoot pretty well but are just as not as much fun as getting a good paper patch bullet to work. Both work well but it is a lot less messing around with a proper paper patch bullet. Now I need to do some casting and order another case of powder!

[Dan Cash]

Eric, I too, have had to go to a stool but have trouible with anything far off the ground. I tried and really like a "turkey hunter's" stool which is about 4 inches tall and sloopes forward, the front legs being shorter then the rear. Runnings sells them in our area (North Dakota) for about $15.00.

[Don McDowell]

There's a lot of problems associated with using a stool to sit on. If you go with a stool of some sort it's important to find one that combined with the stick height that will let you rest your elbows on your knees, just as tho you are shooting in the normal sitting position on the ground. That will give you the same solid support as shooting from prone. The problem with the sitting on a stool when shooting silhouette is you don't have the flexibility to change your position as you move down the bank of targets, forcing you to apply sideways pressure on the barrel of the gun to get a sight picture on the far ends of the bank of targets. Works fine for stationary things like target rifle and gong matches.

[Eric Johanen]

Thank's Dan. I'll take a look at those. I am gong to give sitting a real good try and see if I can get a stable position. Practice and more practice.

[Martini2]

Thank's Dan. I'll take a look at those. I am gong to give sitting a real good try and see if I can get a stable position. Practice and more practice.

Eric time and health concerns have guided my moving into sitting position. Several of my peers in 75 to 80 winters group are in same condition. Our R&D to find comfortable and stable support led to searching 2nd hand and resale stores for plastic stools with adjustable legs. Typically these are used for "old folks" to bath in shower stall etc. They can be found new at medical supply outlets and some drug stores. The new price is perhaps $75-$90 bucks. But as soon as that original user ascends to happy hunting grounds. The survivors usually dump said Med equipment. Hence with some scouting one can pick up slightly used seat for $5-$10 dollars. The reason for this long qualifier is that the seats usually have independent adjustable aluminum legs. This makes leveling on uneven ground or setting height rapido. Your correct by all means set position to support elbows on knees. Also you might have to modify X sticks to get level etc. We do a lot of Steel Gong silhouette matches here on open ground. In addition to seat and X sticks we sometimes add a device made from old tripod with wooden platform added for cartridge holder and or rifle barrel support during offhand and other positions. Any legitimate trick to keep banging steel is our goal.

[Lumpy Grits]

I have been very pleased with this one.
https://www.amazon.com/Jeronic-11-Inch-P...TXC1H34VT8

Gary