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> The Hand Sandwich
The Hand Sandwich
@ 05:55 pm (GMT) |
Taj ShoemakerNathan, can you shed some light on why the hand sandwich is evil? While your book mentions it, it does not explain why.I have always used the technique of resting my hand on whatever rest is available, the forend on my hand, and then clamping the forend with my hand. It seems to me that it would be the most repeatable position for field use, no matter what you have to rest on your hand is always the same consistency, shape, and position. In my experience many of my rifles seem to shoot best (most reliable POI and accuracy) with this grip. That said, most of my experience is with legacy rifles that are not optimal for precision. Ruger no. 1, Savage 99, Winchester lever rifles, military surplus rifles, etc…. I consider 1 MOA pretty fine shooting on my part. In an effort to improve my shooting I’ve read your books and they appeal to me as my interests lie in hunting and field shooting, not benchrest or matches with heavy, low-recoiling rifles. I was surprised to read that the hand sandwich is a poor position. My guess is that it is not an optimal position for repeatability but I’m hoping you could expand on the issue. |
Replies
@ 07:12 am (GMT) |
Nathan FosterRe: The Hand SandwichHi Taj, I will only partially elaborate on this here. I have tried to explain this in the books but you have raised an interesting point regarding lever actions which I will address here and go into more detail in future publications.Lever actions (and some other two piece stock rifle designs) may come under stress (harmonic) via the forend assembly should it be rested against a hard material (rocky terrain / dense sand bag), pulled down or twisted (including inconsistencies thereof. Stress at the sling stud may also upset harmonics As such, it is often best to used a well centered forehand as the rest point and to avoid using a sling. One can easily test this by comparing methods via group sizes shot at 100 yards with for example, a Marlin Lever action rifle. My insistence that the hand sandwich is however limiting, comes from many years observing clients shooting bolt action rifles at intermediate (300 yards) to long range ranges and with regards to killing from field positiions (as opposed to target shooting). I put a great deal of time into just shutting the hell up and watching, trying to pull this whole thing apart. With the hand on top, there is a potential for error, more so with newer shooters or among those who do not practice a great deal. The error consists of a small subconscious reflex (protective reaction) to recoil, the shooter pulling the rifle off target. The error may only be small (much depends on cartridge power vs recoil) but can be enough to completely ruin a shot at intermediate to long ranges. This error is minimized by having the forend locked into some form of static rest (as opposed to the modern method of removing the forehand altogether which is akin to burying ones head in the sand). Knowing cause and effect, one can of course then set about breaking all of the rules, provided one can maintain adequate discipline. Kenny Rogers fairly well summed all of this up in his song The Gambler - that's the crux of it. This is as far as I want to go with this conversation online sorry. I have given enough away freely to the public domain. I reserve the right to reserve some material for trade. If you would like further clarification, please email and or arrange for a call, though perhaps the above may help answer your question. |
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@ 04:05 pm (GMT) |
Taj ShoemakerRe: The Hand SandwichYup that explains it quite well, thanks. I assumed it was an experience-based observation but just wasn't quite sure of the mechanics and limitations of the sandwich from the books.I had started to email you but though perhaps others could benefit from this explanation. I think it should be clear that your knowledge sharing on this forum is supplemental to the book series, not in lieu of. Thanks for taking the time to explain. |
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