Prone vrs bench

Based on these responses.
I read:
3 prefer prone
5 neutral (either way)
1 no

Put me in the prone group. Seems like the people who have never done it are afraid to try. Wonder why? X

As far as prone shooting . I never shot prone until going to Friendship . I did practise prone positions in my living room. Myself i did not find it difficult and actually kinda liked it . But i do know that some others do not like shooting prone for reasons i really dont know .

X-RING1 said:

Put me in the prone group. Seems like the people who have never done it are afraid to try. Wonder why? X

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Have difficulty in getting up???

edmehlig said:

X-RING1 said:

Put me in the prone group. Seems like the people who have never done it are afraid to try. Wonder why? X

Click to expand...

Have difficulty in getting up???

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I think it actually goes back to the choice given.
Of shoots I attended and as I mentioned above, there were few prone shooters. Reason was, they were given the choice to use a portable bench.

I may be off some on the numbers, which I'm sure will be immediately corrected but, if there were 35 shooters the first time I attended a shoot, there were 5 I think, that shot prone. So only 14% of the shooters shot prone, with 86% choosing to shoot from a portable bench.

The last time I shot, the total number of shooters had dropped by approximately 1/3, say 33%, down to I think 23 total shooters. Those same shooters who had shot prone prior, shot prone again. That relates to 22% shot prone, but 78% still choosing to shoot from a portable bench.

So as the total number of shooters dropped by 33%, the highest remaining number of shooters still chose to shoot from a portable bench.

edmehlig said:

Have difficulty in getting up???

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This is why it is so very much more fun shooting an AR from prone. Having to get up after each, and every shot, gets old, when one is old........ :mrgreen:

Leaving physical limitations out of it. The most
stable position is the one that places the rifle
closest to good ol mother earth. I don't like
getting up and down either but I've done some
pretty unbelievable shooting over the years
with the use of a sling and coat.

enough said for me

anyone who has ever stalked game and had to shoot whenever the game was deemed to be "close enough" has shot prone. I am not intimidated by prone shooting and find it quite reliable. with the choice of "bench" or prone , sure it's going to be bench with bags, sled etc... that being said for real field experience those items are not available and practice and shooting prone, sitting, kneeling and offhand is required practice for anyone who is a hunter. OH, yeah a proper jacket, glove and sling is icing and if you add sticks it's really good. Remember that safety is 1st, then accuracy. Geez, how many of you practice "off" hand shooting, like if you're right handed do you practice shooting left handed? and vice versa? It will make you a better shooter and much more conscious of what it takes to hit the target in the X. Practice, practice! W

I have been hunting for 70 years, starting in the South when deer were scarce and you used a sawdust pile or a board nailed in a tree for a stand. At that time most of our deer hunting was done on public or leased property and permanent stands were generally not allowed. In the early 60's I made the first of many trips to the Mountain West, for antelope, deer (wt and mule) as well as elk. Most were on public land using horses etc to access the hunting area. Prior to those trips I had never shot at an animal from a prone position. The Boy Scouts in those days did use mats to teach shooting prone or sitting..Given the terrain we had to cover on foot after the ride in, I used prone a lot. We also used back packs , saddle blankets, jackets etc to shoot from. I even killed a nice whitetail using my guides shoulder as a rest. In the 70's I moved to Lousiana and since that time have done the majority of my deer hunting in South and West Texas on private leases.. There, 90% of hunters use box stands ranging from converted porta potties to shooting houses with AC, heat, tvs , wireless service and a huge array of shootng rests and aids. My opinion, shared by many others , I s that if your shots exceed 175 yds you need a two point rest and very good glass to hit deer size game consistently. While parts of Texas produce large body deer., the Hill Country deer I hunt have live weights that rarely excced 150 lbs. We do have large feral hogs, Aoudad, Axis and Fallow on our current low fence lease.

IMO if you want to be a sucessfull hunter in all types of terrain with multiple target species do your home work, talk to the guides etc. get there input and practice a lot at the ranges you will be shooting and using the types of techniques suggested. Know where your gun shoots and learn to pay attention to the wind and understand its effect. Hundreds of rounds from a bench certainly help, but it's of little comfort when that trophy of a lifetime is 200 yds, cross canyon, with a 20 mile cross wind and you lying behind a rock with your jacket on it as your only viable rest.
Whether you shoot a metallic cartridge gun or a muzzle loader, the basics are the same. For me, I gave my kids all my centrrfires 20 years back and do all my hunting with my 3 Knight Disc Extreme 50's, with bare primer breech plugs and Moutanier style bolts. After trying most, but not all, of the powder choces over the years, I use BH 209 exclusively. Keep um clean and find the components that work best in your gun as I have and you will have an accurate and deadly gun and most importantly you will have a ball doing it.

pooldoc said:

....... My opinion, shared by many others , I s that if your shots exceed 175 yds you need a two point rest and very good glass to hit deer size game consistently........

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By a two point rest, do you mean something like a bipod, or sticks at the front, and some sort of a rear rest?

A rear rest is something i have never ever used whilst hunting.

I practise so much without a rear rest i can shoot just about as good without one . I hardly ever use a rear rest even while developing loads . Goes back to what a guy said a couple of post ago .... practice practice practice i cant agree with that statement any more !

Pooldoc few years ago would have agreed but after watching many shoot extremely well off sticks prone or bench with front rest only. And practicing myself deer accuracy is possible at 500 yds .

15 shots on 18"x18 " square in 45 min shooting off sticks prone 500yds 12 shots are in 8"x9" area



5 shots at 500yds off bench front rest only.
1st shot high came down 1 moa 2nd shot high down another moa. Last 3 on 8" shoot n see .
3 shot group is under 3"

Hey guys...Edumacate me. By rear rest do you mean supporting the bottom not the rear of the stock (not the shoulder)? I first learned the two point rest in the military with an M-16. To me the two point was both elbows on the ground, on one or both knees, on a back pack, etc.

halloflin said:

Hey guys...Edumacate me. By rear rest do you mean supporting the bottom not the rear of the stock (not the shoulder)? I first learned the two point rest in the military with an M-16. To me the two point was both elbows on the ground, on one or both knees, on a back pack, etc.

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The stock can only be supported in the rear by the shoulder. No rear bag, sled, or the rifle stock touching/resting on the bench.

Most of my deer huntig today is done from an elevated 4' x 6' box blind in West Texas. My blind has a 6 inch shelf under the front windows that I put a tactical bag on. I drill a hole in the shelf under the bag and use a heavy carriage bolt to attach the end of a 36 inch 1 x 4 that rotates out as needed to get me on target for the longer shots. Resting my elbow on the 1 x4 provides a great rest.. A wing nut lets me keep it snug.Just swivel it under the shelf when you leave the blind. Frees up a lot of room and its cheap.