Last week I had a post about controlling muzzle climb when using an FRT, and a comment to that post noted the importance of keeping the arm for the support hand bent and using a sling. So with that prompt, I decided to try and find a good article discussing the standing position when shooting a rifle. And the one that I found that I liked was this from Matt Robertson at Everyday Marksman: "A Marksman’s Guide to the Standing Position." Robertson begins by observing:
The standing position is simultaneously the least useful, from a marksmanship perspective, but the most used of the rifle positions. It’s the one you see most at any tactical class, shooting range, or a day out plinking. Just because it’s the least useful, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t practice it. In fact, you should practice it a lot.
If you’re using the standing, then you didn’t have time to get to a more stable position like kneeling, sitting, or prone.
Or, as he quotes from TC 3-22.9, Rifle and Carbine Marksmanship: "This position should be used for closer targets or when time is not available to assume a steadier position such as short-range employment. The upper body should be leaned slightly forward to aid in recoil management." Discussing what he terms the "tactical" or "trapshooter" standing position, he has this to say about the support hand/arm:
For the supporting hand position, you have to options: traditional and clamping.
The “c-clamp” became a fashionable way to grip the rifle some years ago. With that variation, you drive the supporting hand out on the handguard as far possible and grabs the rifle from the side. The index finger of the support hand is sometimes laid parallel to the bore so that the support hand more or less “points” at the target.
This variation usually includes a very “squared” stance to the target.
The touted benefit of the “c-clamp” is that the shooter “drives” the rifle more quickly from target to target. But it’s not particularly new. There are pictures of the Rhodesians using the stance with FAL for close range combat during the Bush War.
For most people, in most circumstances, placing the support hand under the rifle works just fine.
Either way, the tactical standing position is the quickest way to get several shot off in a hurry.
He also goes on to describe an "erect" standing position which is often used for hunting or target shooting, and target standing position (like you might see an Olympic rifle shooter use when standing with the elbow of the support hand resting on the hip or midriff). Finally, he covers shooting from a support (e.g., a tree, edge of a window, fence post, etc.) and use of a sling.
- More: "Resource Review: US Army TC 3-22.9 Rifle and Carbine Marksmanship" by Matt Robertson, Everyday Marksman.
- More: US Army TC 3-22.9 "Rifle and Carbine Marksmanship" (PDF).
- More: "Rifle Shooting Positions"--Texas Parks & Wildlife.
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