Indoor Range

[Mebits]

Well, I got worried that target practice was going to queer my bird shooting in the back yard, so I decided that I needed an indoor range.

I figured that I can sit 5' from the south wall of my basement and shoot into the crawlspace to the north and have a 45' range.

That's not too bad, I think. I'm simply shooting into some leftover 2" Styrofoam over Hardibacker. Even the BC isn't going to have overpentration or ricochet problems with that, at least for a while (I'll replace the foam when it deteriorates).

So, with the additional privacy, I tried some different shooting. First off the monopod, then, believe it or not, freehand. I was a little unhappy with the monopod. I've got a goodly amount of lateral movement. I'm only putting about 80% under a quarter at 15 yds, with an occasional flyer and the rest maybe 3/8 out and usually the same type of miss (e.g. down and left). I experimented with a cushion and it seems to help a little, so I'll find some donkey-d#@%, and tape it onto the V.

What I found interestingly is the offhand shooting. I was hitting BULLSEY 1 in 4, and putting another within 3/4", and then two more 2" off. This is really the only serious offhand shooting I've done in a long, long time. I also wasn't using my sling, which, back in the squirrel hunting days, was a major improvement.

I have the feeling that freehand I can adjust my hold a bit better so that I tend to actually hit where I'm aiming. My problem, of course, is to keep where I'm aiming over the target!

The results were good enough that want to see if I can get good enough control over my steadiness to get groups that will cleanly and reliably kill. Any tips or suggestions, besides practice-practice-practice?