When I was a sailor on liberty on Friday night in Hong Kong, I was a lot steadier than I am now trying to shoot offhand Schuetzen style.  I simply can not rest my elbow on my hip in the often quoted "hip rest position".  Maybe I'm built weird. Can anyone actually do it?

JS

Most people can not actually use there hip. Women have a better chance. But it does not matter just needs to be bone against bone ( or padded bone )

Been a while, but as I recall I usually came up about .10-.12" inch for every 100 yards as we moved back shooting long range. After 600 to 1,000 it was a bit more. That should get you in the ball park.

Offhand Shooting by Harry Pope;

Offhand Shooting by Harry Pope;

There is no way I can shoot a schuetzen match with my skill set. I shot silhouette yesterday (Sunday) to 200 yards, and couldn't hit a single ram, and it is many times larger than that little bullseye on the 25 ring target.

It is sobering to think what good shots you fellas are. I'm not giving up, but I am going to have to practice a good bit for a long while I think. I reckon if I can get 100% on 200 yard rams, I will consider then changing over to a more strict discipline to practice and get ready for schuetzen. 

And it isn't an equipment issue I don't think. It is a skills issue. Right now I am sort of rocked back on my heels, and realizing that the molehill I saw on the horizon is really a mountain.

Regards,
Stubb

Alright. I've been thinking this through a little bit. 

I've read and re-read the Pope article posted on page 2. No issues there, the technique is laid out perfectly. Thanks for posting that, though other contributors also sent me the article via PM. Thanks all of you.

I simply have to take the time to arrive at sight settings for each distance. I had only a 100 yard zero, and did ok on the pigs at that distance. I was taking a WAG at the other distances. Though truthfully at the 150 turkeys and 200 rams, it wouldn't have mattered what the sight settings were, the sights were weaving all over the place - that's a skills issue.

Then I need to do a little load development. I was shooting 14.0 grains of IMR 4227, which is a small volume charge of fine granule powder. The ammo was fixed ammo, where the bullet was a snug fit in the tapered part of the throat. The chickens were "downhill" from the firing position, and while I performed well at that distance, I am concerned that the powder migrated to the bullet base on a couple of the shots. Perhaps some 4759 or similar powder will mitigate that issue. One competitor uses trail boss in his 38-55 for the chickens, as it nearly fills the case in his 38-55. I doubt that sub MOA accuracy will matter at first, as my issue is a skills issue, but I reckon in the course of arriving at zeroes for the different distances, I will also put that time to good use arriving at a perhaps more suitable load.

Then practice initially with a scope. My reasoning for the scope is that every twitch and wobble is magnified. If I am successful in shooting well with the scope, and developing a position which mitigates the twitches and wobbles, that foundational work should transfer over to the iron sights.

I reckon what, 6 months, perhaps a year, before finding what works well offhand with a scope, and perhaps refining it to a consistent position? Perhaps then I will have average skills.

Thanks fellas for your generosity in advice and information.

As a competitive pistol shooter I was coached by an Olympic pistol shooter to make sure my bladder was empty just before going to the line. I don't know if that helped or not but I never pissed in my boots.