How to Hold Rifle, Intermediate Distances

[IVC]

As the title says, what's your grip for off-hand intermediate distances? By "intermediate" I mean anything between hosing and having to carefully set up, where you use slight magnification, your wobble is about the size of the target or slightly more, but not to the point where you have to deal with the hold-over or really settling down. 

 

Here's a bit of background. When I shoot PCC or close rifle targets with AR, I hold my support elbow high and the support thumb is over the barrel shroud. This provides me good control for transitions and I can drive the rifle both efficiently and accurately. But as the distance increases, there is a point where targets at about 75 yards (depending on their size) this hold tends to provide "too much input" into the rifle. With the change of difficulty, it's no longer about how quickly I can get to the target, but how well I can "work" with the wobble. And the "elbow high thumb over" grip seems to be suboptimal for this. 

 

Do you change your grip for these targets or do you just tough it out? 

 

My thought is that bringing elbow down and using support hand more in the way precision shooters do, with holding the bottom of the handguard or even the magazine, is the way to go. It certainly helps with stabilizing the wobble and it doesn't affect transitions as much because transition speed is borderline irrelevant here. But I don't have enough experience with these types of targets as I only shoot some local matches from time to time. Any input is appreciated. 

[kurtm]

I don't use the "hold" you describe. I never change how I hold the rifle whether it is close or far. This is how I hold it. I detest the "C Clamp" type grip you describe, because as you noted, it way over controls the front of the rifle.

Edited August 21 by kurtm

[Darqusoull13]

Same as the Legend Mr. Weakhand above. Same grip regardless of distance when shooting offhand. 

[kurtm]

Hey, we look like twins, except I am a lot heavier and you have an optic!

[IVC]

Thanks guys, this is quite valuable.

 

I'll try modifying my grip to what both of you show in the photos, at least for rifle in rifle games. I'll probably keep the C-clamp (forgot it had a name, thanks Kurt) grip for PCC and pistol games. If there is no detriment to transition speed, I might completely change to this grip. 

[Darqusoull13]

1 hour ago, kurtm said:

Hey, we look like twins, except I am a lot heavier and you have an optic!

I'm trying to gain bro . I also might have picked a shot from rifle world shoot to match 

 

 

53 minutes ago, IVC said:

Thanks guys, this is quite valuable.

 

I'll try modifying my grip to what both of you show in the photos, at least for rifle in rifle games. I'll probably keep the C-clamp (forgot it had a name, thanks Kurt) grip for PCC and pistol games. If there is no detriment to transition speed, I might completely change to this grip. 

I would seriously consider just using 1 grip. The less you spend time thinking about what you're supposed to be doing the better. I use the same grip for SCSA, USPSA, 2 Gun, 3 gun, Rifle Only, even shotgun. Technically I use a similar grip on the left hand for positional shooting off a bag for PRS, just with the bag added in the finger side. 

Any time I want to give something a legitimate shot at changing what I have been doing I usually take a few months to build that technique and compare to what I had done previously as a baseline. 

[kurtm]

Why yes you did. Nice finish in Finland btw! Great job!!!!

[Darqusoull13]

Appreciate it amigo. The whole US group did very well.