Get Off The Bench

[BarryinIN]

I've been a member of my current gun club for three years now. It's the closest club and range to me, but it was closed to new membership until 2008. When they opened it up, I was one of the first few new members in years. During the school year, I drop the kids off at school, head to the range where i spend the day shooting until going back to pick them up in the afternoon. I do this at least three times a week in decent weather seasons, and usually at least once a week no matter the time year. At first, I had the place to myself at least half the time, but membership has grown to where it is busier now and it's common to see at least one other shooter if not two or more besides myself.

Point being, over the last three years, I have seen a lot of people using the range. I see how they use it. One thing stands out.

People are glued to the bench.

I knew one of the members before I joined from when I shot Highpower, and I've seen him shoot offhand at the club range a few times. The club holds .22 rifle silhouette matches once a month, which are shot from standing, and I have seen one man practicing for those a couple of times. I shoot at least a little bit from prone every trip, and usually throw in some offhand or some field position also.

Other than that, I have never seen anyone else shoot from any position other than sitting at the bench. Three out of at least a hundred.

The rest all shot their rifles and handguns from the bench.

Every single one of them. Every single round.

When they see me unrolling a shooting mat or carpet and getting down on the ground, it brings stares. They don't know what to make of it. I guess I can understand that, since they aren't used to seeing it. Some are almost fascinated.

I spend my share of time doing bench work testing handloads, and I think that is how it should be done. There is a time and place for it. Even if I have a lot of loads to test from the bench, I get some prone shooting in at least, even it's it's only five rounds just to have done it.

It's their business, but I don't know if they realize what they are missing. Right before deer season, I see them out there firing a couple of rounds from the bench and calling it good. Maybe it's not good.

The obvious reason to shoot away from the bench is because of point of impact changes. A rifle zeroed from the bench may not be zeroed from sitting or offhand. I rarely find my bench zero to match my actual field position zero, but it does happen. Some rifles are more forgiving of this than others, so some of these guys might get away with it. And sometimes they are setting themselves up for frustration when they repeatedly miss in the field in spite of doing everything right.

Usually, my sitting zero will be different from my prone and offhand zeroes. And not just by a little; sometimes by enough to really matter. Do these guys know this about their rifles? I don't see how they could.

Besides the point of impact reason to shoot them for real, some rifles can be different animals when shot from your own two hands. I've had rifles that shot great from the bench but fit me so poorly I never could shoot them well in the field. It was disappointing because I couldn't come close to getting the potential out of them. I knew it was there, but couldn't use it.

Conversely, some rifles that were mediocre from the bench have been like sure things when in real-deal use.

A typical issue-grade Garand with the original barrel is lucky to make 3 MOA, but will "hang" so nicely in offhand for most people that they can get most of that 3 MOA out of it. Then I've had bolt action varmint rifles that were so poorly stocked I never could a good position with them, even in prone, and it felt like the accuracy was wasted. I'd be struggling so hard getting the rifle into position that I couldn't concentrate on the basics of shooting the thing.

And from looking at them, I would bet at least half of the scopes out there are mounted so they won't work from sitting or prone. They might be fine at the bench, but the fore and aft placement in the rings will have the eye relief so close that the shooter might bump their brow on the scope just getting into position, let alone what would happen if they actually fired a shot.

We have to get away from the bench to find these things out.

Of course, most of us don't do as well away from the bench, and human nature is to avoid things we don't like or feel we aren't good at. We don't get as much satisfaction from it. These guys need to forget about doing it for the satisfaction and do it for what they might find out.

I've watched guys shoot the same exact ammunition into group after group from the bench. How much can they learn from that? Dropping onto their belly and firing five rounds, or even three, into a shadowed spot on the berm would tell them a lot more.

One day last year as deer season approached, people were waiting for a bench (we only have four). Yet the open space by the benches was wide open, freshly mowed, and dry. You could walk right up, throw your gear down, and start shooting from the position of your choice. No. Not these guys.

Maybe I should tie some strings to each bench and tag them "shooter's umbilical cord".

So...

You guys who belong to clubs or go to public ranges:

Do you see this there too? How often do you see people shooting from any position but the bench? Looking back over the years, it's been about the same everywhere I've been, although this club might be worse than average.

Has the "nation of riflemen" become a nation of people tied to the bench?

[Pablo]

I only shoot standing at my indoor range. I've never shot a handgun sitting in my life. Am I missing something?

I will say sitting, I am much more accurate with a rifle, but I will only do it outdoors. In fact I was just excited about doing some seated shooting outdoors. Now I'll feel like a wuss!

[RebinPA]

I've never shot my handguns from bench or rest. I do fire a couple with the rifles from the bench, but only for determining my point of aim for the weather conditions, or if I'm working up a new charge. The rest are standing fire, just like my rifles were fired 150 years ago.

The only times I see others shooting freehand is if they're firing handguns. I did 20 .50 cal pistol rounds and 22 .58 cal rounds in my Enfield. Only first 2 were bench shots.

[BarryinIN]

I was mostly thinking of rifles, but thinking back, the handgun shooters can't resist the bench either. It's not as bad as with rifles, but it's pretty bad. I would guess I've only seen one out of 20 pistol shooters shoot from any position besides the bench, and I'm probably being generous there.

Most shoot handguns by laying all over sandbags arranged in a pile on the bench, but some will do it half way by still sitting at the bench but sit upright without supporting their upper body.

Again, I see the purpose of the bench and will shoot from a rest or somewhat supported position if testing various handloads, which I do often. But once I've settled on a load or loads for a given gun, I'm done with doing that.

I'd like to swipe or hide all the sandbags or bench stools sometime. I bet the screams would be heard for miles.

[BarryinIN]

Since posting this, I have seen five shooters besides myself shooting without using the bench. That's more than I've seen over the last three years all together.

Three were people I had seen doing it before, who were silhouette or NRA Highpower shooters who were practicing for a match, and one was about to shoot his first silhouette match. That left one who was doing it in order to practice a realistic field position.

But I have to give credit- The percentage has climbed. Maybe there is hope.

[RebinPA]

My only competitive shooting requires me to be freestanding and load/fire using only 19th century equipment and gear that can be kept on your person. That always attracts attention when I do a full-practice.

That said, we get a lot of "zombie hunters" up the range and some well-meaning self/home defense shooters. I've pointed out to a few that no intruder, robber, or enemy is going to give them the time to set up their equipment, sight in, and stay at the proper range. Open sight, point shooting should also be practiced. Perhaps even more.

[BarryinIN]

Yeah, it seldom matters what the area of interest is. Deer hunter, home defender, small gamer, plinker- it doesn't matter. They back the car or truck up to the bench, pile everything on the bench, shoot from it, gather up the target and point to it and smile, saying "That'll get a deer (or intruder/squirrel/tin can)".

Maybe it will.

If they have a bench handy when they need to do that.

The black powder guys are an exception. Usually, at least. I've seen some of those that are glued to the bench, but the coal burners have a smaller percentage than the other shooters, that's for sure.

[Pablo]

Yesterday I sat and fired my Mark III Trooper while seated, using rest. It was mucho fun.

But then again I was shooting 50 yards outdoors!

And while not drilling the eye, I was hitting the target pretty well. It was a challenge that wouldn't have lasted long standing. And when I went back to standing at 15 yards, my aim actually improved.