Shooting a rifle

While shooting at the range or in the field, remember these fundamentals of shooting:

• always follow firearm safety rules
• always wear adequate eye and ear protection shooting a firearm can cause immediate and permanent hearing loss and can damage your vision
• use a steady rest to increase the accuracy of the shot; when in the field, a steady rest could be a stump, log or even your coat
• obtain the sight picture, and hold it
• control your breathing; take a deep breath, and exhale about halfway
• squeeze the trigger with a steady pressure; jerking the trigger will change the sight picture, which will cause the bullet to miss the centre of the target
• after the shot is fired, continue to squeeze the trigger; if you lift your head or jerk the rifle, the shot may be thrown off-target by the movement of the rifle; This waiting period is called the ‘follow through’.