When it comes to dry firing with a rifle, the practice should be as much about learning to acclimate to field conditions as it’s learning about a rifle’s idiosyncrasies.
Anymore, it seems a lot of the discussion on dry firing revolves around handguns. But the exercise definitely has its place in the world of rifle shooting.
Famed hunter and gun writer Jack O’Connor, for instance, was avid about dry firing, finding time every day to pull the trigger on his rifle. But there is more to it than just getting behind the business end of your favorite long gun and firing away on an empty chamber.
In many cases, the practice should be as much about learning to acclimate to field conditions as it’s learning about a rifle’s idiosyncrasies. This is where the above video from Wyoming custom gun maker GunWerks hits the nail on the head.
The instructional quickly covers the basics of the practice, such as working on breath control and keeping the crosshair steady. But perhaps its most salient point is to practice these skills in the positions they’ll likely be utilized.
It’s faulty logic to believe knocking the eye out of the bull from a bench rest equates to bagging a trophy buck from the kneeling position or confidently wielding a personal defense carbine in modified offhand.
Deftly shooting in the field, in many respects, is a matter of understanding and adapting to variables. A sled or bench rest, in most respects, sterilizes the practical challenges out of shooting.
