Rifle skills: the four principles

Bradley Bourner explains the four fundamentalsteps towards becoming an excellent Shot There are four marksmanship principles: aim, hold, sight and shot. These can be seen as the fundamentals of accurate shooting — and they must be utilised every time. They are easy to practise at home — dry-firing a centrefire is not going to damage it (though it will damage a rimfire). The more these steps become part of your routine when you get into position to take a shot, whatever the target, the more you’ll find you can achieve consistently accurate results. PRACTISE AT HOME for best results Place your rifle correctly and get into position behind it. Take a firm hold of the rifle, so that you are controlling it. Put your cheek to the cheekpiece and ensure that you have the correct sight alignment. Make the rifle ready to fire and squeeze the trigger. Don’t move your head but work the bolt and, maintaining your point of aim, squeeze the trigger again.