Prone

One person's efforts at obtaining a good sitting position, use this as a sort of guide for developing yours.

  • TASK
    • Assume a prone position, and dry fire well aimed, accurate, on call shots.
  • CONDITIONS
    • Given a safe, secure and quiet location, a service rifle, (unloaded!), mat, jacket, glasses, scope, sling, glove, sufficient illumination to focus the aiming eye in minute detail on the front sight, and a distant aiming point at the correct height for the position being trained.
  • STANDARD
    • The shooter will gain maximum benefit if the standard for satisfactory performance is 22 perfectly executed prone shots in eight minutes or less. This rate of fire will allow adequate time for the target service and recording of results during live fire practice.
  • Goals for every shot dry fired.
    • Visualize in detail, while breathing very deeply and slowly.
    • Correct stock weld perfectly centers the front sight in the rear sight aperture.
    • The aiming eye must be looking through the optical center of aiming portion of any corrective lenses.
    • Natural alignment of the position on the target when as relaxed as if asleep.
    • The front sight is in crystal clear, sharp focus, in minute detail.
    • Correct sling tension gives a perfect sight picture at natural respiratory pause.
    • Trigger control causes the hammer to fall while front sight remains absolutely motionless.
    • Follow through and call for both value and clock position
    • Is compared to a perfect standard and analyzed for any errors.
    • When sucessful, note the variables in your data book.
  • PREPARATION:
    • Get your data book out and review the notes you have for successes. Prior to commencing the exercise visualize the process in detail, then gather the necessary equipment at the selected location.
    • NO LIVE AMMO should be present where dry fire is conducted. Use a backstop that will absorb a live round should the unthinkable occur. Never allow the muzzle to cover anything you are not willing to destroy! Select a place that will not result in the local police being summoned to deal with the "sniper".
    • Prepare for dry fire exactly as you would prepare during the 3-minute preparation, but leave the live ammunition someplace else. Jacket, mitt, mat, scope and stand, stool, target of the appropriate size for the distance, rifle magazines, everything should be present.
    • We are not merely practicing pulling the trigger; we are proving our complete plan for success by testing the entire system! Ear and eye protection must the exactly what you will use to fire in matches with. Bring your equipment to a "ready line" and give yourself a three-minute preparation period. Then dry fire just as if you were firing live rounds.
    • Prepare mentally to be brutally honest. If the shot breaks a little 12 say so. This will speed the acquisition of the ability to call them "in the X ring"! If you lie to yourself about what you see, you will impede your own progress. Be as honest with yourself as you can. Many truly good shooters denied themsleves greatness by not being completely honest with themselves concerning their errors.
  • VISUALIZE
    • Imagine every thing you are about to do in excruciatingly correct detail. Then execute following the "movie script" you have imagined. Prior to getting into position, prior to every shot, visualize every detail of execution while breathing very deeply and slowly, in a meditative manner, "SEE" the prefect execution.
  • MAT
    • On the ground oriented to coincide with the properly aligned position, and with plenty of room on the firing side to keep the firing elbow on it.
  • SCOPE
    • The scope should be just to the outside of the support shoulder. In this way the target can be scoped by merely turning the head to the support side from the rifle, leaving the body in position. No effort should be required to scope; you should be able to relax first on the rifle to shoot and then on the scope to read the result and the WIND.
  • JACKET
    • Adjust the jacket consistently, if you fasten more than the top strap leave enough looseness to allow full, deep breathing in position. Some will insist that the jacket should be open except for the top strap in prone and sitting. G. David Tubb fastens all the straps save the bottom one in the prone. Do what will allow you to be comfortable, stable, and have full respiratory freedom.
  • GLASSES
    • You must be able to look through the optical center of the aiming portion of the aiming eye lens while in the comfortable "relaxed to the point of falling asleep on the rifle" position. Bend, adjust, tie, or tape whatever you must do to put the optical center of the aiming lens segment in front of the aiming eye when shooting.
    • The ability to see a clearly focused front sight is paramount to good shooting. One also must be able to discern which of the targets is yours. For many of us, a bifocal or even trifocal may be necessary. In the future we will deal with lens/corrections in a separate article here on these pages.
  • GLOVE
    • Use the same glove for prone once you have made a selection and insure that you are putting it on the rifle in the same place. If you must short stock the rifle note where you are on the forearm and ensure consistency from one string or shot to the next.
  • SLING
    • The idea is to adjust your sling tension so that when you relax on the rifle (just like you were going to take a nap) it comes right on target. You should be able to do this with your trigger hand relaxed flat on the floor. You must actually check the sling for correct position and tension every day. There is no one position that will work at all locations and physical conditions. The things that reveal good sling position and tensions are: The rifle’s sights are aligned and bear on the correct hold for the shots to centered in the black when the shooter is in the "relaxed as if sound asleep" mode, at the natural respiratory pause.
    • There are no right or wrong methods of sling use, just different methods. Try to index the sling to a certain position on the jacket’s pulse pad. Perhaps an inch above the bottom edge of the pulse pad will be best, or maybe right at the top edge, what ever works. You must have in the prone position a place for the sling cuff and a certain tension adjustment. Adjust the sling so it's snug but not tight. Get in position and dry fire while watching the front sight when the hammer falls. If the sight bounces tighten the sling 1 notch. The sling is tight enough when the front sight is motionless during and after hammer fall. Any tighter is a waste and painful.
    • Pain will inhibit the ability to remain in position for the entire string. Generally it is presumed that most (according to MSGT Owens) start with the sling too tight. You check initial sling tension without worrying about alignment, just insure that the sight alignment, stock weld and elbow positions are correct. Once the rifle can be caused to fire without imparting ANY movement to the front sight, then you can align the position on the target.
    • You might want to try the sling configuration being pushed by some people called a no pulse sling.
  • ASSUMING THE POSITION
    • The goal is a relaxed repeatable position that is naturally aligned with the target and is naturally at the correct elevation of sight picture when the rifleman is at the natural respiratory pause.
    • Stand square to your target. Draw a line from the target to your firing knee. Mark a spot on your mat someplace where the line crosses it. Take 1/2 step backwards with the firing side foot. Drop straight down to your knees, break your fall.
    • Plant the support elbow just to the firing side of the line you drew. The flat of the arm, just above the elbow on the back of the upper arm just below the triceps is placed on the mat. Place the support arm as much under the gun as possible. The key to the prone position is to RELAX. Align your body as close to the line of the bore as is comfortable. Roll on your left side; bring the firing knee forward as far as is comfortable.
  • MOUNTING THE RIFLE:
    • Place butt of rifle in your shoulder with firing hand. The butt of the rifle must go into exactly the same spot every time. Then roll back down into position. Be very aware of where you place your firing elbow and be consistent. If your elbow moves, so will the shot. This will facilitate a proper and repeatable stock weld.
    • Ensure that the firing elbow is in the same position every time. If your rounds string out at 5 o'clock it's your shooting side elbow. Pull it in; wiggle it around on the ground until it doesn’t move under recoil. If necessary use some Firm Grip. Watch the front sight under recoil. If it goes up then down and back on target it is a good position. If it goes up right or left you’re muscling the gun and your shots will be in that direction.
    • The front sight must be perfectly centered in the rear sight aperture and the head and eye in the same repeatable relationship to the rear sight aperture every time. You may have a great six o'clock hold, focused on the front sight, but unless you center the front sight in the rear aperture precisely your shots will go astray. The 200-yard Standing and Sitting targets are very forgiving of this, but it will hurt your scores in both prone stages
  • STOCK WELD
    • Stock weld or Nose weld (getting the head and eye into the same relationship with the rear sight aperture each time).
    • Mounting the rifle in exactly the same location every time will go a long way in eliminating elevation stringing. Find a particular place that yields perfectly aligned sights. Index a particular spot on the charging handle with one on the nose every time. Use the same amount of cheek to stock pressure every time.
    • Ensure that you are looking through the lens at the same place, and that the front sight is centered in the aperture. When the rifle recoils, the movement of the front sight should be straight up and straight back down. As you exhale the natural respiratory pause should return the rifle to a natural sight alignment, with a natural sight picture.
    • Look through the lens in the same way every time. BE CONSISTENT. First and most importantly is a consistent sight picture, focusing on the front sight, and centering it within the rear aperture.
  • ALIGNMENT
    • Once on the gun close your eyes and count to 4, open your eyes. Where's the gun pointed? If not on target move your hips left or right and repeat until the gun is on target. It might take 4-5 try's before you get it right. This is your natural alignment of position.
  • SIGHT PICTURE.
    • I have come to the conclusion that sight pictures are an individual thing, some can see a 6 o’clock hold; others will have to use another reference point. Two things; it must be repeatable, and consistently acquired, and you must focus on the front sight with the aiming eye when you shoot the shot.
    • I am not such a good shot that I could give real guidance, but I have had good results with three sight pictures; sub-six, center or Navy Hold, and the classic 6 o’clock hold. (97+ scores from each position except offhand where the best has been a 96 and some).
    • The correct sight picture should coincide with the RELAXED position at the natural respiratory pause. Develop your technique so that when the rifle fires, you take a breath, then just relax back down on target.
  • TRIGGER CONTROL
    • Be careful of the tendency to steer the rifle with the pistol grip. On an AR it's a no-no. Some advocate a hard grasp of the pistol grip, others a very light grasp, and others yet a medium firm grasp. Whatever you chose to you, you must ensure that you can cause the hammer to fall without disturbing the sight alignment or sight picture.
    • Be very honest and dry fire using different grips, and trigger finger placements on the trigger. You will find the right technique while dry firing, refining it as you become increasingly critical. When you are sure that your position, sling tension, stock weld, sight alignment and picture, and trigger control are good, then you're ready for live fire.
  • DURING LIVE FIRE
    • Prepare as above, live fire proves technique, in several ways: The shots will be on call and within your holding area.
    • Follow through and observe the return of the rifle to "battery" after every slow-fire shot. Breath in recoil, exhale, relax and see the alignment for the next shot. Treat your zero rounds as if you were shooting rapid-fire.
    • In recoil, call the shot and inhale. Relax and exhale to the natural respiratory pause. The rifle should again bear on the target in the correct hold for a center shot. Fire every slow-fire shot as though it were one of a string of rapid-fire. Conversely, fire rapid-fire strings as 10 individual slow-fire shots, with only a short period of elapsed time between each shot.
    • Here is what one of the respondent’s to my requests had to say:
    • "Another thing for consistency in slow prone is that I never take the stock off my shoulder. The only thing that moves is my head to the scope (and not necessarily every shot) and my right hand to load. The rest of my body is stock still. Also, ensure your stock weld is repeatable."
    • Ensure that the firing elbow is in the same position every time. If your rounds string out at 5 o'clock it's your shooting side elbow. Pull it in; wiggle it around on the ground until it doesn’t move under recoil. If necessary use some Firm Grip. Watch the front sight under recoil. If it goes up then down and back on target it’s a good position. If it goes up right or left you’re muscling the gun and your shots will be in that direction.
  • RAPID FIRE
    • Assume a good position and align it correctly. Ensure that the stock weld, sling tension and trigger control are all correct and freshly rehearsed. Be sure to have the magazines loaded, and the two rounder with you, the eight rounder where you can reload it with minimum effort while remaining in position. Then tell yourself that you are ready, and await the command to rise.
  • STAND
    • When you’ve got the position DON'T MOVE YOUR FEET. Push yourself backwards, come to a kneeling position and stand straight up. DON'T MOVE THE FEET.
    • While standing awaiting commands do not crouch and anticipate the targets. This will use up a lot of oxygen while generating even more lactic acid. This IS the time to prepare to shoot, by standing relaxed and erect, breathing deeply and slowly. Watch the targets as a whole, using the first to move as your start signal.
    • Drop straight down on your knees, break the fall, get your position. You should return to the same position every time. Don't worry about the time. You've got more than enough. Concentrate on the position, you can always shoot faster if needed.
    • Once down close the bolt, mount the rifle, and roll into position. Release the safety (finger outside of the trigger gaurd) and check the positions alignment on the target. Confirm the target number and then allow your finger to find the correct location on the trigger. You should take a deep breath and casually observe the rifle's front sight front sight move vertically through the hold area. When you stop breathing at the end of a normal breath cycle, you should be relaxed and the sights should be aligned. The front sight should be in the center of the aperture, and the front on the right portion of the target in the correct sight picture.
    • Begin to apply pressure slowly to the trigger and bring the entirety of your being into focusing on the front sight. The front sight should occupy nearly all your consciousness. The sight picture will be a sort of peripheral awareness, the front sight will be clear, sharply focused in the center of the aperture. The trigger control should continue until you obtain a surprise break. If in a slow fire shot any negative thought should enter your mind, relax, breath and start the shot over from visualization on.
    • The shot should be a surprise break, that is, you should know the rifle is going fire only generally. You know you are moving the trigger, but the firing should be mildly disconcerting. Call the shot as to the location of the front sight in the aperture and the sight picture. Be able to honestly say that the sight was or was not in sharp focus. As the rifle recoils you should inhale, and exhale after the rifle returns to "battery". Exhale until the sights bear in the hold area. Stop breathing, begin the trigger and focus on the sight. When the shot breaks, call it, inhale, and reload. Breath again as you mount the rifle.
    • Roll down into position while exhaling. Stop at the natural respiratory pause. The relaxed position, at respiratory pause should be aligned with the target and the sights bearing on the hold area. If not, make adjustments, breathe and confirm. Once the position is right, stop breathing, begin the trigger and focus on the front sight. Call the shot and repeat the process for the remaining 7 shots. You should literally be able to describe ten separate sight alignments, with and impression of their relationship to the holding area. Shoot the eleventh shot. Count ten, and be on the trigger for the eleventh.
    • Make safe, and immediately say to yourself either aloud or silently how you feel about the result. "Looked good, nice cadence, plenty of time, third shot a little three o'clock." Note this and then check the group and score. Note the shape of the group first. If you see good breaks and the group is a knothole then you have done well. If you think it was "loose" and it is, then you have seen the elephant, you just haven't shot him! If you think it was good and the result is a six ring sized group then we need to get some coaching.