Firearms Food for Thought: Positioning Shooting Prone
In order to be a successful long-range shooter you must take a number of factors into consideration. From windage to optics to understanding the capabilities and limitations of your caliber of choice and everything in between, you’d better have it all covered. Of course, certain techniques seem to be a matter of preference. One I’ve noticed at a number of long-range events as well as on hunts has to do with positioning: shooting prone with the shooter’s body in a straight line or angled. Which one is right?
Shooters going prone at an angle tend to have differences when it comes to sharpness of angle as well as different parts of their bodies being angled. The variation in sharpness of the shooter’s body angle can actually be significant; different people angle their bodies anywhere from 10 degrees to 45 degrees. Others position their body straight behind the rifle but bend one leg – typically on the same side of their body as their dominant hand – at approximately a 45 degree angle. Sometimes it’s the shoulder cradling the rifle that’s being angled. There could easily be a discussion regarding the importance of specific degrees for various body parts, but for the time being let’s focus on angling as a whole.
Those who go prone and position their bodies straight behind the rifle also try to physically touch as much ground as possible. Toes are usually pointed outwards with the shooter’s inner ankles touching the dirt. The exception is for those whose knees or other joints simply cannot allow for it, and in those cases the shooter often points their toes behind themselves – or slightly inward – pressing their boot laces into the dirt. Digging in is often done as well, pushing the edges of the boots into the ground in an attempt to create a secure, stable position.
So is there a right or wrong answer to body position while shooting prone? Is it simply a matter of doing what proves most accurate for you, personally? Some shooting styles seem to be generational while others appear to be a matter of who taught you – and where that instruction took place.
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There are certainly advantages and disadvantages to both prone body positions, whether in target shooting, or full-on battlefield combat, and everything else in between. As LegMeat has pointed out, use the right tool for the right job. What I have found from hard experience is that the more comfortable position is what matters most in terms of accuracy and dialing oneself into the immediate battlefield situation. With regard to the straight-bodied position supposedly being better for full-auto or higher recoil weaponry, I will share this : In all my years in the service, I personally found that there was little difference between the two positions in terms of comfort regardless of whether I was firing an M16A1, M16A1HB, L1A1 SLR or FN FAL in either semi-auto or full auto modes ( the SLR being, of course, a semi-auto only rifle ). However, I did find that my long-range single-shot accuracy was better in the angled-body position, inclusive of the heavier-recoiling 7.62mm SLR and FAL. The same applies, for me at least, to the AK-74, AK-47, RPK variants, MOLOT VEPR 7.62mm x 54R rifle, etc., as well as the venerable RPD. When it comes to full-sized 7.62mm GPMG's firing full-auto off the bipod, such as the MAG58, PKM and MG42/59, I find the straight-line position to work better.
I learned rifle as a LEO. Not really much training given and I adopted a slight angle but feet pointed outward & legs straight. Now I've attended a Project Appleseed and they insisted on right leg bent. Very uncomfortable with lower left rib in the dirt, feeling like I had broken it. They kept telling me I'd get used to it. Nope. I understand the bent leg lifts the diaphragm off the grade and thus reduces pulse effects on the sights but really uncomfortable for me. I shot my best score using straight leg, belly down. So all this to say I think a lot of it is what you are comfortable with.