Remington M1903a3--Rebuild or Original

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Originally Posted by Eaglelord17

All I can say is who taught you to hold a rifle like that? Seems like all the recoil was directly on the collar bone.

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That is for sure not US Army "in the pocket".
FWIW - I learned the technique with an M14, I'm an old geezer.

What a drag, he put a vid up and he was fired upon. Vid's gone now and he may not come back...

Sorry for the late reply y'all--I have been extremely busy the past 7 months with work. I appreciate all of your contributions to this post. With regards to my shooting form I would love to improve. Some questions/comments I have in particular:

--I have tried getting the rifle butt into the shoulder more but I feel more tension in my body with the new posture.
--What defines a great shooting form?
--Do you use the left arm to put pressure of the butt into the shoulder?

Obviously shooting air rifles and airsoft guns over the years has lead to my improper form :D

Any suggestions welcome,

Thank you!

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Originally Posted by FireBirdGuy

Do you use the left arm to put pressure of the butt into the shoulder?

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The left arm supports and draws the rifle back into the shoulder. Don't over exaggerate the rear pull with the left and an equal with the right. Practice dray firing in a quiet private area when off range. If you have someone close that shoots regularly, perhaps they can coach you...best to use someone that knows coaching though, if possible.

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

No Offence but you need to get into the rifle it appears you are hanging off the end of the butt no wonder your shoulder was knackered, you are pretty much point loading your shoulder with the heel of the butt. There are plenty of books and vids out there for you to learn about correct technique in all aspects of shooting. Like most things it takes practice to let it become second nature, every time the trigger breaks it should be a surprise, rather than anticipating the sear to drop and fire the weapon you know your getting better when the groups start shrinking.

Now just some other advice if you are going to reload like most of us do study the books and develop loads that work in YOUR rifle not a recipe someone else's 03 likes. Avoid the types that expound knowledge but are quick to blame their gear unless it is a glaring failure like the mag dropping out etc. As that type to me just frustrates the heck begeezers outa me as when you watch them shoot their technique is just crap and when you try to assist they say they know how to shoot, fair call but you are still at the bottom of the ladder every week......! Above all treat the weapon with the respect it deserves most of the gear we shoot is 100 years old (My MkIII is a Lithgow 1916 I shoot once a year) keep loads reasonable but not heavy and clean it properly. Enjoy your fun as you seem like a pretty open person that has the same values as all of us here "Appreciation for the rifles we collect and respectful of each other."

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Welcome back FB guy! I think cinders earlier first portion post describes what needs to happen with your form. Also search for service rifle course of fire for different positions to become proficient. Dry firing is very useful too. Plenty of old army training films out there to learn this.
I still play golf terribly because I didn't learn fundamentals properly in the beginning. Same principal here. Good to see a young man collecting and shooting milsurps!

Thank you for the help. I have a real gun weighted air rifle that should mimic shooting the '03. I will give that a try. I guess the best way to go about it is to become a student of the form. Funny enough I play golf a lot more than I shoot!

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Originally Posted by FireBirdGuy

I am self taught but I do not have much meat for the gun to sit in given my "stick-figure" frame. I had a dead shoulder after 120 rounds!

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120 rounds!! Impressive. Anyone would have a dead shoulder after that many! Ha! I think I usually call it quits with my 1903A3 after half that and always have a nice bruise.

FBguy if you make it to middle Tenn. I think I can help on the shooting form and possibly the golf game as well :thup:

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Originally Posted by TDH

if you make it to middle Tenn. I think I can help on the shooting form

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The way to go, a coach always helps more than guesswork.

Awesome gents! Maybe I will see you all at the range one day. Wouldn't it be nice to see 4 '03s lined up firing squad style? I may have the golf part covered TDH, I am a PGA Professional disguised as a milsurp collector :) . How's your game?