Shooting off cross sticks

[hydraulic]

"when your back is killing you it is hard to concentrate on the trigger and sights"

Last year at the Quigley my back hurt so bad I was only interested in getting my 8 rds off so I could stand up. For the last year I have been getting out to the ranch at least twice a week for practice, and my back has gradually improved to the point I can sit for a total of 40 rds pain free. Moving around, trying different postions with my feet, and just generally getting used to doing the same thing every time has been the secret. Uh, I guess the secret is trigger time. I'm 72 and I'm leaving for Montana tuesday.

[John F.]

Guys, those pictures of that wonderful, wide-open country are just killin' me. I can only imagine the opportunities y'all have for long range shooting. VERY VERY nice!!

John

[wiersy111]

I don't want to hijack the thread but how do I make a good set of shooting sticks? Pic's are greatly appreciated.

[FAsmus]

Wiersy;

I've been shooting off the sticks for some years now .. attending Quigley -style matches and so on.

You see everyone's idea about making/selling cross sticks on the firing line in the course of time; many, many different ideas on display.

My particular answer was to buy two 1 1/4" wooden dowels, then I measured how high up I wanted the rifle to rest as I sat in place. Then I filed off 1/2 the diameter of each dowel at that point, held them together with a clamp and drilled a 1/4" hole at that place, bolted them together with a 1/4 bolt and lock-nut. ~ Now, my sticks will not fold up nicely like some will for storage and traveling ease but they support the rifle evenly .. in my view much better than the sticks that simply bolt two sticks together, leaving the rifle sitting between OK but kind of bound up because of the uneven way the sticks press against it.

For padding I just hose-clamped an old nylon web belt to the risers of both sticks. This sits nicely in the crotch formed by the dowels .. leather would work fine too ~ I just didn't have any on hand when I made the sticks.

I cut the heads off two large nails, drilled semi-undersize holes in the ends of the dowels, pressed the nails-come-spikes into them for driving into the ground on the firing line and I was done.

No doubt lots of members will give you lots of input. Just keep it simple and durable ~ leaving it outside all winter to develop the proper aged look for the sake of Tradition.

Good evening,
Forrest

[EDK]

Do some reading over at shilohrifle.com/forums on cross sticks. Mike Venturino made some comments about shooting off the sticks is an art in itself. Look over what various suppliers like SHILOH or BUFFALO ARMS offer. There are threads on how to find "the sweet spot" on the barrel for shooting off the sticks.

I'm leaving St Louis Saturday morning and my reservations at Rails End in Forsyth are for Monday night on. Sixth year going to Quigley...don't do worth a d*** but NOBODY has a better time than I do! I think I'll be buying the MVA scope pretty soon. Getting old ain't for sissies!