Training - Kneeling - DURC - 12th August 2010

Spent the evening shooting kneeling in the college range. That was the first time I'd shot kneeling with that rifle and since I have a 3x20 in just over a month I'd like to spend a good bit more time shooting it and getting used to the position.

There's a good bit of work still to be done to sort out the kneeling position. It's not stable enough to begin with. The heel of the shoe does not locate solidly in the seat of the trousers and so slips. Thr trousers, being right handed, are a hindrance in that the zip is on the wrong side, so the left leg is dragged inward, narrowing the base of support. The jacket is sitting nicely, feels good. The buttplate may need to be offset to sit better in the shoulder however. The right leg does not locate in such a way that it stays solid. A solution must be found for this. In additon, the rifle is not tight enough in the shoulder for my own liking.

The hold is inconsistent. One shot it will be solid, sitting on the ten ring. The next shot, it will be moving, either vertically or horizontally. Trigger technique with this much movement is an issue, causing shots to go wider than they otherwise might. This is compounded of course by the looseness of the position, which exaccerbates the effects of recoil on shot dispersion. While new trousers are definitely necessary, I will have to persevere for the time being with what I have until I reach my target figure, at which point my jacket will also require adjustment.

The following are the points to note for improvement of kneeling shooting.

1. Better location of heel, slight increase in filling of kneeling roll and consistent stability of lower half of position, from waist down. This is the core focus as all else depends on it.

2. Consistent, solid location of forward leg in such a way that it does not move from side to side but rests comfortably and vertically, providing maximum support for elbow.

3. Increased tension of setup. Experiment with increased butt length, tighter sling and handstop adjustment to increase pressure in the shoulder for better control of recoil. In conjunction with improved core stability of the position, this will also improve the hold and enable better trigger control.

I must say, I like shooting kneeling. It's despicably uncomfortable, but I like the challenges it presents. I like the coordination between the two halves of the position it demands and I like the psychological element of it which demands strong focus and the exercise of good technique in spite of the physical discomfort. I can see kneeling being a strength of mine once I overcome the current technical obstacles. However, once I have worked through the issues listed above, and acquired a properly fitting set of trousers, I expect respectable kneeling scores. Along with my decent prone, standing is the last major obstacle, and one I expect to start tackling shortly.

Currently, my goal is to average over 90 in kneeling by that match on the 18th of September. Depending on my progress, I will revise that upwards and will hopefully improve significantly on that by the end of the year. I would like to shoot 1050+ in October. Assuming a prone score of about 385 (fairly pessimistic) and a kneeling score of about 365 (optimistic but readily achievable) a standing average of 75/100 would see me through. This is certainly achievable by October. So my 3P training is off to a decent start anyway. The path to decent kneeling scores is pretty clear, so wrap up with a decent standing position and I'll be doing alright. Medium term goal is to be hitting 1100 comfortably enough by next year and to work towards 1140 thereafter.

On the kit front, interestingly enough, I may be okay without sight raisers for kneeling, and am definitely okay without them for prone (until I add a tube). I'll see how my head position and pressure develops in kneeling, but for now I'm happy enough not to use them. The current kit list is a new pair of trousers (once I'm down to the weight I want) and my jacket altered at the same point. A tube would be nice to play with for prone but I'm still not certain I could make good use of one yet. I'll need a decent fore-end raiser for standing and possible a set of sight raising blocks. I'll know that once I start working on the position. Apart from that, I don't think there's anything I can't get from the club for the time being. Unfortunately, I need a big stack of ammo over the next while, so while some money is going to be squirrelled away, there won't be that much to spare. Need to get back doing more running and cycling, then I'll be buying those trousers and having the jacket altered and that will be the big buying done.