Stability and Position

The first principle of rifle marksmanship is establishing a stable shooting position. I sometimes reference a “shooting platform” going all the way back to my Navy days. The position must provide a stable foundation to manage the rifle’s recoil and maintain sight alignment. Stability comes from using bone support as oppossed to muscles, which tire quickly and introduce inconsistencies. Learn to use the natural point of aim at all times in all the positions. The three primary shooting positions to master are:

• Prone: The most stable, as the body is closest to the ground.
• Kneeling: Offers some stability with quick mobility.
• Standing: Least stable but essential for moving targets or tactical situations.

The goal for each position is to comfortably stabilize the rifle while absorbing recoil. The purpose behind each position is irrelevant, mastering the positions and letting the situation dictate is the objective.

Grip and Control

A proper grip on the rifle is necessary for control, making good hits on target. With a rifle there are a total of four points of contact; the weak hand, strong hand, shoulder pocket and cheek weld. The weak hand stabilizes the rifle’s weight by gripping the fore-end firmly and pulling into the shoulder pocket for a solid connection. The strong hand grips the rifle with equal tension to avoid imbalances with access to all appropriate controls.  Too much pressure or uneven gripping can pull shots off target. The shoulder pocket positions the buttstock of the rifle high and slightly inboard of the shoulder joint. The more connection with the buttstock, the better the recoil control. The cheek weld is the connection with the top surface of the buttstock. The cheekbone will literally rest on top the buttstock. When gripping the rifle, remember:

• Use the weak hand to stabilize the rifle, controlling it firmly.
• Maintain a relaxed but controlled grip with the strong hand.
• Place the buttstock in the shoulder pocket low and slightly inboard.
• Rest the cheek bone on the buttstock in the same position.

Consistent and equal grip pressure along with more connection will help stabilize the rifle and manage recoil. The more connected to the rifle, the more opportunity for consistency. The better the connection, the more stable the rifle.

Sight Alignment and Sight Picture

The use of red dot sights (RDS) and low powered variable optics (LPVO) has revolutionized the rifle shooting world. For RDS ensure both eyes are open, focused on the target. Use enough intensity so the dot is crisp, not fuzzy on the edges. For LPVO’s that can be run like an RDS apply the same technique. When magnification is utilized, use the dominant eye only and focus on the proper reference in the reticle. LPVO’s with tactical reticles pose an additional challenge of ensuring the correct reference, whether the crosshairs or stadia lines to hit targets at various distances. The default setting for LPVO’s should be the lowest magnification, cranking up when necessary. This provides the user RDS capability for immediate threats. When aiming following these guidelines:

• For RDS, keep both eyes open, focused on the target
• Use the lowest magnification to maintain the widest field of view
• For back up sights or LPVO with magniciation, focus on the front sight post or reticle.
• Keep the rear sight or scope slightly blurred.
• Ensure the front sight or crosshair is centered on the target.

Ensure the optic is properly installed and use the best zero optimized for the mission. Then be familiar with how to exploit tactical reticles.

Trigger Control

Trigger control is often where shots are made or missed. Squeezing the trigger too quickly or with excessive force can throw off the shot. The goal is to apply steady pressure until the shot breaks, almost as a surprise. This ensures the rifle stays steady with minimal disruption to the aiming process. Key tips include:

• Place enough of the index finger on the trigger to apply power, not force.
• Ensure the tip of the index finger is at 90° to the face of the trigger.
• Apply smooth, even pressure past the shot breaking.
• Avoid jerking or slapping the trigger.

Follow-Through

Once the shot is fired, follow-through is crucial and often forgotten. Keeping the rifle steady and maintaining the sight picture ensures you’re not inadvertently moving the rifle after the shot, which can affect accuracy. Follow-through allows the observation of the shot’s impact when using RDS or LPVO’s. When necessary it allows for immediate aiming adjustments for subsequent shots. Being target focus and observing the shot’s impact becomes a huge tactical advantage.

The five rifle marksmanship principles require discipline and practice. Mastering the principles of position, grip, aiming, trigger control, and follow-through not only improves accuracy but builds confidence. These fundamentals lay the groundwork for consistently hitting the target, no matter the situation.

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Get Behind Something

When we look at typical scenarios in an urban setting where you might respond with a defensive rifle you quickly realize the distance is short. Shorter than you might think. The approximate distance of an intersection is 100 feet and most full size trucks are 20 feet. These approximations give us a visual interpretation of distance. The point I’m trying to make is distance is well within the performance capabilities of a good aggressive standing or off-hand position. At these distances using a position for stabilization seems a bit overkill, unnecessary and time consuming. Why then would I still want to develop my shooting positions. The answer has to do with minimizing your exposure or taking advantage of cover and concealment.

Improve Your Position

In an urban environment it is far more likely shooting positions will be used for protection from enemy fire or detection. When we understand the terrain, we use the terrain to our advantage. Not everything will stop projectiles from striking soft targets, but anything is better than nothing but air. The next series of maxims would be to “improve your position and/or improve your weaponry”. Getting behind something is a great example of improving your position. However, once you are there being able to return fire to stop advances and flanking maneuvers becomes critical.

The Laundry List of Positions

We break shooting positions into three heights; high, medium and low. When it comes to a high position there is standing and the high squat. Standing is pretty obvious, but the high squat gets overlooked. It is nothing more than a 3/4 traditional squat. Of course any shooting position will be dependent on the situation and the height of the object. When the high squat becomes to strenuous for long term use we move to medium heights. You have the high knee, supported kneeling, hunters kneeling and double kneeling. When double kneeling is too high or strenuous you move to low height. Here we have sitting, prone, supine and urban prone positions. That’s a lot of different positions to practice. If I had limited time to practice all of them, I’d pick five to do really well. Standing, high knee, double knee, prone and urban prone would be my picks. Between these positions, you should be able to address most scenarios in an urban environment.

Is The Juice Worth The Squeeze

We spend so much of our training and practice shooting standing the other positions get little attention. Having a familiarity with them is one thing, being able to drop into the position ready to fire is a whole other problem. On top of that, being in an urban environment typically means things are developing quickly. Positions that take long to assume and recover from may not be worth the squeeze. Even at the extreme ranges of urban environments such as 50 yards you can return accurate fire quickly from a standing versus taking what little time it would take to assume a kneeling, any kneeling position to return accurate fire. So going prone is even worse.

Go Kneeling For The Win

In an urban environment, I put more stock in kneeling and various adaptions of kneeling over prone. The key is being able to adapt each of these positions to best accommodate the shot required and the type of cover or concealment present. You may find the height or angle is off just enough to increase muscular fatigue and decrease stability. Adjust, even if it is not the textbook position if it solves the immediate problem that is what matters. What I try to do is take each position and further adapt them to hybrid positions. I take the advantages from each and exploit them. What allows me to do this is a deeper understanding of each position. With this deeper understanding you know where you can push and pull.

Urban environments call for quick thinking and aggressive action. If you can take advantage of the terrain it greatly improves your survivability rate no matter the type of encounter.

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