rifle prop

[randyt]

Been reading a book called Derzula the Trapper. It's about a Russian survey of the taiga. Anyhoo the trapper carries a stick, I presuming forked. They call it a rifle prop, it goes everywhere the rifle goes. I wonder how common that was in other areas of the world. The rifle they are carrying is a berdan rifle. the rifle was the one issued just before the mosin.

[hunter63]

Been reading a book called Derzula the Trapper. It's about a Russian survey of the taiga. Anyhoo the trapper carries a stick, I presuming forked. They call it a rifle prop, it goes everywhere the rifle goes. I wonder how common that was in other areas of the world. The rifle they are carrying is a berdan rifle. the rifle was the one issued just before the mosin.

I use a walking sticks alot...and the newer versions are forked for that reason....
I'm not as steady as I use to be.

This is a telescoping version....
Out and about my favorite is diamond willow

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[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I only remember reading about their use in Africa. I cannot recall ever reading about the use of a shooting stick in the Americas. I have tried using on and have tried the telescoping kind and the kind that grows wild. I have found that it is just one more thing for me to make noise in the brush with. Binoculars, canteen, rifle, glasses, maybe some rattling horns, then add a five foot stick and I sound like a tinker coming down the road, and heavy footed tinker at that.

Alan

[hunter63]

Do the "Ranger Hop" first...get ready to go..... than jump up and down...(not so high these days).....anything that makes noise put inside the coat or pocket.
I don't know if that's what it's call....but works pretty well.

Anyway.......I try to have everything inside and covered up, mini noc's, flash light, ....etc.
Only things I carry are shoulder bag, stick and rifle.

[kyratshooter]

I am a big believer in assistance in holding the rifle steady.

I have been counting on a shooting stick or some kind of prop for the past 30 years. It was a carry over from backpacking and I used the same stick/pole for a while. I changed to natural wood after a time. Still use wood. Mine is made from a poplar sapling.

It is not forked. I prefer to grasp the stick and use the back of my wrist or my fingers to cushion the rifle.

Before that I generally chose shooting positions or blinds that provided a steady rest. Sometimes I would move to a nearby tree if I spotted game and had no "prop" with me. I have been known to drive 20P nails into a tree in a propositioned blind to hold the rifle pointed at an appropriate spot on a game trail, so all I had to do was the final aim and trigger squeeze.

Historically for the American shooter; crossed sticks were commonly used by the buffalo hunters. NMLRA still has a "Crossed Stick" category in the National Championship events. Many of the early hunters were known to carry sticks as well as their rifles and I am sure they could have used them as "props". Simon Kenton carried his shooting stick even after he stopped carrying a rifle as daily wear when the frontier and advanced age passed him by.

It is documented that the American riflemen seldom/never shot their long rifles from standing unassisted position. They used a rest whenever possible and often took the prone position if no rest was available. The British especially took note of this, remarking that the skirmishers would often run into the open while out of musket range, lay down in prone, and put fire on the British officers from 300-400 yards.

Much of their reputed "taking cover in the woods" was due to the search for a good rest for that long 10-12 pound barrel!

It only makes sense. Even among competition shooters the "standing" category is always their lowest score on any rotation and the military does not even teach shooting from the standing unassisted position any more. All of our qualification was done from standing in a "foxhole" with the rifle resting on sandbags, and that transition was close to 50 years ago.

[rebel]

In the Marines you had standing, kneeling, sitting and prone. No support.

[kyratshooter]

And national matches are still fired from three positions.

That still does not mean that unsupported is better than having a rest.

[rebel]

Just responding to “the military doesn’t train unassisted standing position”. Ain’t true for the Corps.

[kyratshooter]

Sorry, I should have specified the Army stopped teaching 4 position combat shooting 50 years ago.

[rebel]

No worries. JMO, I feel that the standing position actually helps because it’s your most attuned position for control. You feel the wind. Every heartbeat and breathing has it’s effect. Then you find your rhythm. When you go to the lower center of gravity positions with there better contact points for stability you’re confident on shot placement. I say practice standing as much as you can.

[puddingenie]

I am a big believer in assistance in holding the rifle steady.

I have been counting on a shooting stick or some kind of prop for the past 30 years. It was a carry over from backpacking and I used the same stick/pole for a while. I changed to natural wood after a time. Still use wood. Mine is made from a poplar sapling.

It is not forked. I prefer to grasp the stick and use the back of my wrist or my fingers to cushion the rifle.

Before that I generally chose shooting positions or blinds that provided a steady rest. Sometimes I would move to a nearby tree if I spotted game and had no "prop" with me. I have been known to drive 20P nails into a tree in a propositioned blind to hold the rifle pointed at an appropriate spot on a game trail, so all I had to do was the final aim and trigger squeeze.

Historically for the American shooter; crossed sticks were commonly used by the buffalo hunters. NMLRA still has a "Crossed Stick" category in the National Championship events. Many of the early hunters were known to carry sticks as well as their rifles and I am sure they could have used them as "props". Simon Kenton carried his shooting stick even after he stopped carrying a rifle as daily wear when the frontier and advanced age passed him by.

It is documented that the American riflemen seldom/never shot their long rifles from standing unassisted position. They used a rest whenever possible and often took the prone position if no rest was available. The British especially took note of this, remarking that the skirmishers would often run into the open while out of musket range, lay down in prone, and put fire on the British officers from 300-400 yards.

Much of their reputed "taking cover in the woods" was due to the search for a good rest for that long 10-12 pound barrel!

It only makes sense. Even among competition shooters the "standing" category is always their lowest score on any rotation and the military does not even teach shooting from the standing unassisted position any more. All of our qualification was done from standing in a "foxhole" with the rifle resting on sandbags, and that transition was close to 50 years ago.

Excellent and informative comments. I prefer my walking stick as well if I'm shooting in a more open area. No cross, just a well-aged, varnished walking stick that I carved years ago. I prefer to leave it behind in wooded areas and carry as little with me as possible. Plenty of tree limbs and stumps to brace against. Either way though, shooting with support vs without is a no brainer IMHO.

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