AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE CADETS

Published by Senior Firearms Officer (22)

June 2010

Marksmanship Principles
When firing any firearm, the cadet must be familiar with a few basic principles if they wish to achieve a good result. Four principles will assist that objective: 1. Position and hold must be firm enough to support the firearm, 2. The firearm must point naturally at the target, 3. Sight alignment must be correct, 4. The shot must be released and followed through correctly. 1. Position and Hold Must be Firm Enough to Support the Firearm

This means that the firearm must be held securely into the body to assist steadiness, aim and reduce recoil. A good position enables the cadet to relax and concentrate when preparing to fire. a. Non-firing hand - This hand is used to support the weight of the firearm and is placed underneath the centre of gravity (CoG) of the firearm forming a u-shape with the thumb and fingers, in which the firearm sits. Grasp it firmly but not excessively which requires overt muscle control. Butt - Place the butt firmly in the pocket of the shoulder, a pad between the rifle and shoulder is unusual but greatly aids in top quality marksmanship, especially over longer distances. The pad absorbs pulse and breathing giving greater accuracy. Firing hand - Grasp the pistol grip with the lower three fingers curled anti clockwise around the grip, and the thumb curled clockwise, then let the index (trigger finger) lay across the side of the trigger guard until you are ready to fire. Also pull the firearm to the rear firmly placing it in the pocket of the shoulder. Elbows - Find a position that is comfortable, if firing from gravel or other soft material dig the elbows in to create an immobile cradle for the firearm. Place the cheek on the stock of the firearm in the same place overtime. A slight adjustment can mean poor sight alignment and different fall of shot. Bone support is the foundation for the firing support, the arms need to be placed close the vertical (y) axis than horizontal (x) axis otherwise

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452

the firearm relies on muscle rather than bone support. Bone is more rigid in support than muscle thus providing greater consistency. g. When relying on bone support rather than muscle, the cadet can relax their muscle which reduces unnatural movement, fatigue, twitches, spasms etc. Any unnecessary muscle use other than that of the trigger finger generates unwanted movement of the foresight blade.

2.

The Firearm Must Point Naturally at the Target

The point at which the rifle rests naturally in relation the target is the natural point of aim, the firearm should need no undue force to get it to point at the required area. a. Once you are in position, and the first stage of supporting the rifle correctly is achieved the cadet may now establish his/her natural point of aim. The best way to do this is to close your eyes relax and let the barrel fall down, wait a few seconds, bring the rifle back up into the aim and then open your eyes. Wherever the firearm is pointing is the natural point of aim. Since the rifle is considered an extension of the cadets body it is necessary to adjust the position of your body to adjust the aim of the rifle. In other words, the body should be moved around the natural point of aim, not the reverse. To change the aim of the firearm is simple, to adjust elevation (y axis) leave the elbows in place and slide backwards extending the body to raise the barrel. Slide forwards compacting the body to lower the barrel. To alter the aim left and right (x axis) pivot on the crucial elbow, the left which stays firmly planted at all times. Once the point of aim has been adjusted accordingly check it again using the first method then this must be maintained, even during cocking/reloading. The butt must remain in the shoulder and the minimal amount of movement caused through it.

b.

c. d.

3.

Sight Alignment Must be Correct

The cadet begins aiming once he/she has achieved both a comfortable and secure foundation and the firearm points naturally at the target. If these are not correct i.e. undue muscle force is used to guide the firearm towards the target then when the firearm is fired they relax, and the rifle moves towards the natural point of aim. This movement occurs just before discharge, therefore the rifle is moving before the bullet leaves the muzzle. This causes inaccurate shots, with no apparent cause, as the recoil however mild - disguises the movement. If the cadet carries out all previous points and achieves the natural point of aim then the cadet may aim the firearm at the exact point of the target. Aiming involves the following criteria. a. Eye Relief. The distance between the cadets firing eye and the rear aperture, the cadet must achieve a comfortable eye relief and then maintain it for every shot. Eye relief is not a conformist distance and 2

SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452

differs for every cadet, but it must be close enough to achieve sight alignment but not too close. All that really matters is that the head remains as upright as possible with the firing eye directly behind the rear u-sight to stop straining, which can cause blurred vision and eye strain. Try to avoid staring through the sights for extended periods of time. b. The sight alignment, with iron u-sights, the relationship is between the rear u-sight and foresight blade as seen by the shooter. You must try to align the foresight blade with the centre of the rear aperture to hit the point of aim. If the foresight blade is not central, then the shot will be displaced the same distance from the foresight blade as that it is from the centre. Sight Picture, again with iron u-sights this relationship is between the rear aperture, the foresight blade and the target. The foresight blade should be centred in the middle of the rear u-sight as mentioned above, then place the top edge of the blade on the largest mass of the target, the bullseye. Sight Alignment Errors, with sight and picture perfect, the shot will hit centre mass. However a slight error and the bullet is displaced in direction. This slight displacement at the firers end may seem slight, but the displacement increases over distance. Close targets show little displacement but over longer distances the shot may miss the target all together. Sight Picture Errors, an error in the aiming point, no difference between rear u-sight and bore so no displacement over distance. In other words, the rifle is simply aimed in the wrong place; even the greatest shots in the world will all experience some rifle movement, regardless of firing stability. The trick is to limit this movement to the smallest possible wobble area closest to the centre. Then with these correct adjustments, the shooter should be able to release the shot when the foresight blade is closest to the centre.

c.

d.

e.

4.

The Shot Must be Released and Followed Through Correctly

The final marksmanship principle is releasing the shot in the correct way, at the right time and falling back to the same point of aim quickly after. a. Breathing - If you try breathing during aiming then the natural rise and fall of your chest/diaphram will cause the rifle to move, principally on the y-axis. Therefore sight alignment must be achieved during breathing. i) Firstly inhale and exhale normally, then stop at the natural respiratory pause. The respiratory cycle lasts about five seconds to inhale and exhale then there is normally about a three second gap to the next cycle. This respiratory pause can be extended to 10 seconds easily with little discomfort. This is when the cadet should shoot, as the muscles relax avoiding strain on the diaphragm.
SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452

ii) Breath naturally until your hold settles, it usually helps to take a larger inhalation exhale and fire during the pause. If the hold does not settle do not take the shot, simply start the process again. iii) The process should never feel unnatural or uncomfortable, if it lasts for too long then the body starts to suffer from oxygen deficiency, then the body sends out signals to try and resume breathing, if this is resisted then involuntary muscle movement occurs and affects the cadets ability to concentrate. During rapid shooting the respiratory system should be forced through a rapid shallow cycle between shots instead of trying to hold your breath or breathing. Firing should commence at the forced pause.

b.

Trigger Control - This element is arguably the most important factor in shooting. The process of firing the rifle when the sight alignment is at its best without causing the rifle to move with a uniformly increasing pressure, rearwards until the shot is released. i) The best trigger control is achieved when the trigger finger is as low as possible on the trigger without touching the trigger guard, therefore getting the best leverage mechanics from the firearm. ii) During the finale exhale of the respiratory cycle, place the finger on the trigger, as the foresight blade rests on the desired point and the respiratory pause is entered the first pressure should be taken until resistance is felt. Then you should increase the pressure gradually as long as the foresight blade remains central to ensure a well placed shot. If the foresight blade moves away from the point of aim, stop the increase of pressure until it returns to normal then carry on. Do not breath during this cycle. If the margin is unrecoverable then stop the process and start again. A well placed shot is better than a missed one, remember unless stated it is not a race.

SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452

c.

As the stability decreases and the wobble area increases, then it is more difficult to fire the shot without reacting. This reaction is caused by: i) Anticipating recoil - the firing shoulder starts to move forward slightly before release. ii) Jerking the trigger - the trigger finger moves spasmodically, tries to release too quick before the foresight blade goes off target. iii) Flinching - the cadets whole upper body flinches in anticipation to the recoil and noise; usually occurs when the cadet is inexperienced with a firearm and not confident. iv) Avoiding recoil - the cadet makes an attempt to get away from the firearm or closes the firing eye just before the round is released. Also caused by a lack of knowledge. Note the .22LR CZ 452 has negligible recoil.

d.

Follow Through - Applying these previous skills can make a wellaimed shot, but additional skills can make the result even better, creating a tighter grouping. One of these skills is the follow through. i) The follow through is the art of applying all the marksmanship principles during and after the round has been fired. This consists of: 1) Keeping the head (cheek) firmly planted on the rifle stock. 2) Keeping the finger on the trigger all the way to the rear. 3) Continue to look through the sights. 4) Keep muscles relaxed. 5) Avoid reactions to recoil and the report (sound of air getting back into the barrel) 6) Releasing the trigger only after the recoil has ceased. ii) A good follow through ensures the firearm is allowed to fire and recoil naturally, and comes to rest again in the natural point of aim ready for the follow up shots.

5. The correct application of all these principles combined will produce better results, either in hitting the target more regularly or creating a tighter grouping. One principle will not work in isolation i.e. not maintaining a firm support will produce a large wobble area and inability to control recoil. An unnatural point of aim will incur unnecessary muscle use and lead to tenseness, shaking etc. Incorrect sight alignment will lead to shot displacement. Poor release and follow through leads to perhaps missing that shot or with the next shot hitting a completely different area. Remember take your time to get everything just right and gradually all these principles will come naturally. Practise makes perfect!
SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452

Shot Analysis Chart for Prone Shooting 6. The following is a guide to assist in determining causes of shot errors. It assumes that the rifle and ammunition are of an acceptable quality.

This target illustrates the effect of dragging wood, caused by placing the trigger finger too deeply into the trigger guard. As the sear is released, the finger moves back rapidly and causes the upper part of the finger to drag against the right side of the grip. This moves the front sight to the left by the time the bullet leaves the barrel. To correct, let a little daylight show between the upper part of the trigger finger and the side of the grip. Such an error is also caused by not squeezing the trigger straight back, but rather at an angle.

SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452

A horizontal pattern as illustrated is usually caused by canting the rifle or by not having the front sight vertical in the same place for each shot.

Shots dispersed to the high left indicate the shooter is not following through. He/she started to relax the right shoulder too soon or anticipated the shot and recoil. The right shoulder pulls to the rear, causing the front sight to stray upwards to the left. Another cause of this type of flyer is releasing the trigger too soon. By permitting the finger to go forward immediately after the squeeze, the hand is moved, which in turn pushes the rifle. A target that has no definite grouping can have a myriad of reasons. The shooter may have been focussing the aiming eye on the target rather than the front sight, the whole position may be unstable, the equipment may be sub-standard (poor quality rifle and/or ammunition).

A compact group not centred. Two possible causes for this type of error no matter where on the target it might appear. Either the shooter is making the same error on each shot in this case heeling with the trigger hand. Or the shooter may be out of position and muscling the rifle onto the centre hold. At the point of shot release, the shooter relaxes, and the shot tends in the natural direction from which it is pushed.

The probable cause of shots displaced to the 6 oclock area is the sling becoming looser with each shot, or the shooter holding the rifle up on to the target.

The vertical errors here could indicate the shooter is erratic in breathing. Erratic or incorrect breathing causes errors predominantly on the y axis. Another possibility is inconsistent cheek pressure on the stock.

SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452

The classic low left pattern is almost always caused by pushing with the right shoulder on the butt in anticipation of the recoil.

Occasional shots to the high right as shown are commonly caused by pushing the rifle with the left hand in anticipation of the shot. The left arm must remain relaxed as a support base during the shot release and follow through. A second possibility is relaxing the right shoulder at the moment of shot release.

The most fundamental mistake of jerking the trigger will cause shots to fall low and to the right. The shooter must learn to squeeze the trigger slowly, up to and past the point of release, so that the sights are not disturbed. A second less well-known reason for this type of shot pattern is the right elbow slipping to the right, causing the whole position to fall off the front support arm. How to Determine Eye Dominance 7. Most people have a dominant eye, or one eye that works a little bit harder than the other. Even though you use both eyes to look at an object, you use your dominant eye more. 8. Eye dominance is important for certain sports which require accurate aim such as shooting. Here's a quick way to determine your eye dominance in a few seconds. a. Extend your arms in front of you with your palms facing away. b. Bring your hands together, forming a small hole by crossing the thumbs and fore fingers. c. Choose a small object about 10-12m away from you. With both eyes open, focus on the object as you look through the small hole. d. Close one eye and then repeat with the other. e. When you close one eye, the object will be stationary. When you close the other eye, the object should disappear from the hole or jump to one side. 9. If the object does not move when you cover one eye, then that eye is dominant. The eye that sees the object and does not move is the dominant eye.
SFO (22) Training Document June 2010 Principles of Marksmanship BRNO CZ 452