Where do you support your rifle barrel on the sticks?

[Trigger1212]

Gents,

I guess the better question is "How do you determine where to rest your barrel on the sticks?"

Got my first Shiloh and getting ready to get it up and running. I've seen various YT vids that show holding a rifle by the buttstock and lightly tapping the barrel with a rawhide or rubber mallet to make it "ring" and then listening for the "dead" spot.

How do you all do it? I know you can do it just by shooting a chit load of shots, but don't have the time for all that as will also be working up loads and trying to eliminate some variables. I imagine there is some process or do you just say, 4 " back from the muzzle is where I always hold 'em!?

1877 40-65 32" barrel if that makes any difference.

I'm assuming nobody hold with the forearm on the sticks? Have not been to a match yet, plan to this summer come hell or high water!

Thanks for the info.

Rifle will be introduced soon, want to do some shooting first so I don't have to listen to everyone harping, looks good, but how does it shoot?!

Cheers!

Wade

[Glen Ring]

I push my 1885's fore stock up against the sticks with the sticks supporting the barrel in the same place every time. I don't do the tuning thing. I think everyone is different. Jeanne holds her rifle different than I do. One thing I did learn from watching Brian Chilson is trying to measure to make sure the placement of the sticks are about the same each time.
I really didn't think this mattered much..until Jeanne started doing it and shooting higher scores than I was.

[Woody]

Glenn,

Stand by for in-coming. LOL. You are in the minority, but so am I. I've played with the "Null" point and finally decided that "Free" vibrating was the easiest and most accurate for me. Using the forearm end as the rest point is the minority method, but what I prefer.

Woody

[Glen Ring]

Woody
My list of things to do before I take a shot...
Make sure the match is ran by nice folks
Make sure I'm good carrying a handgun there
Get a nice hotel with a ground floor
Know alternate routes in and out and away from that town
Know alternate routes to and from the range
Make sure Jeanne is happy
Make sure Jeanne has loaded ammo
Make sure I have a great lunch packed that has been approved by Jeanne
Make sure there is a nice Woman's bathroom at the range
Pack Jeanne's private , pop up potty
Get to the range well before the match and help set up targets..advise Jeanne I'll set her targets
Help Jeanne set up everything
Make sure Jeanne's mat is comfortable and her sticks are perfect.
Make sure I don't need to pee ...again
Spot for Jeanne
Find my rifle and ammo
Rush to the line and wonder if I have time to pee before the relay, only to see some older, slower fellow take a magazine into the ONLY restroom
Shoot, while wondering if I packed a good lunch , when I can set up the picnic table and chairs and I REALLY NEED TO PEE.
I shoot
I run to the bathroom after my last shot to find older man still camping out reading EVERY article
I get lunch ready and then we shoot the rest of the match.
I find the bathroom unoccupied !!!
We pack everything and on the way to the hotel Jeanne advises me of the reasons her score was higher than mine and that I need to MAKE SURE I GET PERFECT PLACEMENT OF MY RIFLE ON THE STICKS next time........she's right you know.

[Trigger1212]

One would think, assuming your rifle didn't mind from a "tuning" perspective, that the closer to the end of the barrel you could get your sticks the better off you would be from a mechanical movement point of view. One end of the rifle is anchored in your shoulder, the other end in the sticks, the farther you can get those points apart the less mechanical movement you will have (theoretically). No?

Wade

[Don McDowell]

Where to rest the barrel will be determined by you , the rifle and the target. I have several rifles that shoot just as well with the forearm just barely touching the sticks as out towards the muzzle. I also have one with a slender half round barrel, that won't shoot worth crap from the sticks if the sticks aren't hard into the tip of the forearm.
If your sticks are set at the correct height there should be no mechanical movement up and down when shooting targets at a static level such as in bptr or silhouette. Silhouette requires horizontal movement of the rifle from the start of the bank to the last target.
You'll likely find that your 77 will shoot best from a wrist rest, but those are verboten in silhouette.

[Trigger1212]

Don
Wrist rest, meaning non shooting had under the toe of the stock?

Wade

[Don McDowell]

No, the non trigger hand is gloved, holding the forearm and wresting on a rest similar to a benchrest forearm rest.

[beltfed]

Wade,
Yes, as you have noted I do feel that it is the way to go to rest the rifle out as far as possible on the barrel
for the maximum "mechanical" /angle for minimum variance of your holde

I use a hammer Handle to tap on the barrel while holding on the wrist of the rifle and with the muzzle down.
The Null point will sound "dead" while other points along the barrel will "ring"
I use the Null point nearest the muzzle. All my rifles have a null point anywhere from 2-3 inches from muzzly to maybe
6-8" from muzzle.
Works for me for the most part "to the extent" of my waning shooting ability with age-in my 80th year
Just try it. You could also give the "front of forearm" rest a good try and then compare. I do have one rifle that, from the
bench seems to shoot better rested ON the forearm.
beltfed/arnie
PS, I still need to send you the info on the bore critters... Have not forgotten.

[mdeland]

I still have more confidence in the stix at the end of the forearm even though the purchase axis ( distance between shoulder and stix) is shorter (more muzzle movement) than out on the barrel farther.

[Trigger1212]

Mike

What do you mean by confidence?

Wade

[mdeland]

I think my rifle is more consistently accurate on the stix when they are on the forearm rather than on the barrel steel. I've never had much faith in node positioning at least on my guns. Try it all and use what best works for you is my mantra !

[Coltsmoke]

I've tried the process with hammer handles rubber hammers holding the rifle by the wrist and by the stock. The best procedure I've found is hold the rifle toward the end of the stock. Place the side of the stock against your check and your ear and use a rubber hammer. You really don't need to hear the wood smacking the barrel you need to listen to the rifle. Tap on the bottom of the barrel repeatedly, similar to a wood pecker but not hardly that fast and move the hammer slowly from the end of the forearm down to the muzzle and back up. It is not just the dead sound, it is also the vibration of the rifle. When you get to the right spot it will sound dead and you will feel the vibration in the rifle disappear, you will probably find about a 2" spot on the barrel where the vibration stops.

My spotter and I was teamed up with another shooter at a match and he had not found the null spot on his barrel and was not doing that good. So we suggested that it might help if we did that. We found the spot and he changed to it and it didn't help, it shot worse. I've played around with holding the rifle on different spots, and loads that I worked up shooting on the null spot when moved to a different spot did not shoot as good. I always work up my offhand loads shooting off the forearm not the barrel, you don't touch the barrel when shooting offhand. I've found that I can take the load and shoot it off the barrel and the accuracy will change some. I've also took loads that were worked up shooting off the null spot and shoot them off the forearm, that didn't work as well either. So I think the spot you're going to use needs to be decided at the beginning of your load development. Anyway it's whatever works for you that counts.

[Gussy]

Always found the best place to put the barrel on the sticks is right in the V where the sticks cross and are tied together. Never had any luck placing up one side or the other, barrel just slid right back down into the V...... Sorry, couldn't resist.

Actually, stop and think about muzzle movement.

Take a 4 foot stick, nail it to a board about 3" from the end. When you move the long end, the short end past the nail moves a little. Take the nail out and nail the stick 20" from the end. When you move the back now the other end also moves a lot.

Now when you move your butt stock, think about that stick and where the nail is. Cross sticks way out, your movement has much less effect. Put the sticks at or under the forearm and a little movement causes a lot more muzzle movement.

I've never checked for a sweet spot. I think keeping the muzzle correctly directed helps keep the bullet directed.

Up to you to find out what works for you and your rifle. This is my "works for me" thing.