Rifle Shooting Tips At-A-Glance
- Accuracy starts with consistency, not tight groups; repeat the same fundamentals every shot.
- Rifle weight, trigger control, and cheek weld matter more than new shooters expect.
- Relax and let the rifle recoil; fighting the gun causes more misses than recoil itself.
- Proper breathing, eye relief, and dry-fire practice dramatically improve accuracy without buying new gear.
- Master the basics first; advanced techniques only work once fundamentals are automatic.
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In this article:
- Improve Your Skill with the Rifle
- Rifles 101 – Range Gear
- Rifles 101 – Accuracy vs. Familiarity vs. Competence
- Rifles 101 – Rifle Weight
- Rifles 101 – Barrel Floating
- Rifle 101 – The Flinch
- Rifle 101 – Shooting Position
- Trigger Finger Placement
- Rifles 101 – Cheek Weld
- Rifles 101 – Eye Relief
- Rifles 101 – Bolt Working
- Rifles 101 – Move the Shooter or the Rifle
Rifle Shooting Tips Every Shooter Must Know
If you’re new to rifle shooting, chances are you’re overthinking it.
That’s normal. Most beginners assume accuracy comes from expensive gear, raw strength, or some secret technique nobody tells you about. In reality, good rifle shooting is built on a handful of fundamentals that are easy to learn, and even easier to mess up if no one explains them clearly.
These rifle shooting tips are based on real range experience, not theory. If you’re just getting started (or struggling to tighten your groups), these 11 things will save you time, ammo, and frustration.
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Rifle Safety Comes First (Always)
Before we get into technique, one quick reminder: no amount of accuracy matters if safety is ignored.
At the range or in the field, always:
- Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction
- Treat every firearm as if it’s loaded
- Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re ready to shoot
- Wear proper eye and ear protection
Once those basics are second nature, everything else gets easier.
1. Rifles 101 – Range Gear
When it comes to range gear, there are plenty of articles that talk about the latest and greatest new gear, so I will not do it here. The range conditions that surprise a shooter can be managed to make it more enjoyable and safe with range gear.
First, protection from the elements, like the need for bug spray, cannot be overstated. Always have bug spray, and lots of it. Nothing will upset a shooter faster than calling it quits due to bugs.
Second, environmental protection from the sun, such as hats, long-sleeved shirts, long-tailed shirts, and sunscreen. Make sure the sunscreen is the type that, if it gets in your eyes, it will not send you home. Look for ones designed for kids.
Third, environmental protection from the bench the rifle sits on and the bench the shooter sits on. Most ranges are open to the environment, either directly or under a simple cover, and usually maintained by a volunteer staff working with about 1/10th the needed money.
Protect yourself from the splinters that may come. Simple blankets thrown into the range kit are a simple fix.
Finally, there is seldom running water for either drinking or cleaning up after you use the facilities. Make sure you have plenty of water and a clean towel.
Even when it is cold outside, you need water and a waterless hand cleaner to take care of hygiene after facility use and after handling lead from ammunition.
2. Rifles 101 – Accuracy vs. Familiarity vs. Competence
On this subject, we are going to cover the example of crawl-walk-run as it applies to beginner rifle shooters.
When reading about rifles, the first and most memorable stories are about an expert shooter making a 1000-meter sniper shot, usually in the rain with no food for six days, and so on. That is extreme. However, most need to be introduced to rifles and shooting at 25 meters to start with.
If a new shooter starts putting rounds through a target at the 25-meter line, he can see how well he is shooting. Eliminate just shooting until the range master clears the firing line to travel downrange and check on the progress after 20 shots.
The focus of the first timer or very new rifle shooter must be to get to know the gun. Don’t worry about tight groups or “hold over and drop compensations” that the long-range authors write about.
Just put the sights in the middle of the target and pull the trigger. Start to get the feel of the gun, get to know the weight and balance. Get comfortable with the cheek weld, and learn to make the recoil just a thing of the past.
After the shooter becomes familiar with their rifle, it is time to work on competency. This is the “walk” part of rifle shooting, so this is operating all of the rifle parts like a champ.
Work on flawless or near-flawless loading of the magazine, whatever style the gun has. Work on reaching and activating the safety both on and off without breaking away from the gun.
Smooth and safe operation of the bolt, if it is a bolt action; smooth and flawless operation of the semi-auto bolt, or whichever style they own. All these operations need practice without taking the cheek from the stock, the eye from the sights, and the sights from the target.
Now, start working on learning very precise breath control and smoothing out the trigger pull to become a near effortless action. Trigger control and all other very specific actions need to be practiced to become the very best rifle marksman.
3. Rifles 101 – Rifle Weight
Chambered in .308 Win. and equipped with a 16-inch barrel, the @christensenarms Modern Precision Rifle is built on a revolutionary chassis system that brings the weight of the gun down to less than 7 pounds.
— Shooting Illustrated (@ShootingIllustr) August 24, 2018
What new precision #rifles are you most interested in picking up? pic.twitter.com/NJ2UHFYBSQ
Weight in a rifle does a few things; some good and some bad, like everything else in the world. On the good side, the weight will help absorb much of the recoil.
In most cases, the energy it takes to start a heavyweight moving and keep it moving will be dispersed pretty well.
Another good advantage is that the weight will help the gun aim and stay on target quite a bit easier. The same principle applies; it takes more energy to start it moving.
The downside of this point is that once the weight starts moving, it keeps moving, so muzzle sway may become a factor.
Now for the downside or bad side of rifle weight, carrying a heavy rifle for long distances can be difficult. Depending on the person’s age and weather conditions, the weight can make it more difficult.
So this will bring on shooter fatigue faster, and it will set in deeper and stay longer on the average shooter.
Fatigue will always have its first impact on accuracy. This can lead to frustration, making fatigue more prevalent, which impacts accuracy even more, and becomes a self-feeding issue.
4. Rifles 101 – Barrel Floating
One of the most important factors in having consistent and accurate shots is having the barrel floated. What that means is the barrel attached to the action is not touching anything, including the stock.
The handgrip portion of the stock is there for exactly that: to hold with the other hand.
The barrel is located in what is called the barrel channel, and you can place a dollar at the very front of the barrel and pull it to the action. If the floating is done correctly, the dollar will not be stopped by the stock.
If the barrel is being touched, the barrel will not consistently give the same performance, and the shot groupings will be erratic.
When the powder burns, a.k.a. explodes, the bullet moves down the barrel where it exits the muzzle. The barrel makes many vibrations, in every direction.
If these vibrations are not allowed to resonate, the rhythm is upset. The bullet impact will always be in a different location of the target.
There are times a gunsmith will use pressure to adjust “overactive vibrating,” for lack of a better term, to address that issue, but that is for a different article.
5. Rifle 101 – The Flinch
Most instances of flinching are caused by a combination of three factors:
- Report or noise from the end of the barrel
- Blast or fire from the end of the barrel
- Recoil from the butt of the gun
So, a quick way to lessen two of these factors is to purchase a rifle with a longer barrel. This keeps the effector further away from the shooter’s face.
Another temporary method to get used to these effects is to wrap a bandana around the shooter’s face, like an old-time cowboy movie bandit. It will place a barrier between the blast and even the noise from the shooter’s face. This will help the new shooter overcome these two effects.
One of the easiest ways to help a new shooter overcome recoil, and this is counterintuitive, is to lean into the gun, not away from it. The gun and the recoil will be directed where the shooter decides and not where the energy from the gun goes to travel.
A new shooter can overcome the initial exposure to these factors. In just about 10 minutes, the shooter can master them. The shooter can either keep using these simple tricks or just learn to accept these forces as part of the joy of shooting rifles.
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6. Rifle 101 – Shooting Position
When we talk about shooting positions (standing, sitting, prone, bench), what I recommend to most new shooters is bench shooting if possible.
All the gear that comes with rifle shooting must sit next to the shooter. This is the most comfortable shooting position, similar to how we position ourselves at the dinner table.
So to make sure the shooter is not working against themselves, the rifle needs to come to the shooter. Avoid getting into an uncomfortable position by hunching forward and rounding the shoulders.
If the shooter can easily lean forward in a familiar and comfortable position, he will remain relaxed. Fatigue is less of a factor for a relaxed shooter, and recoil will be easier to deal with.
This makes a much more enjoyable experience. More often, the shooter will visit the range and become more capable of exploring bigger and better things in the rifle world.
7. Trigger Finger Placement
When we were all in our Hunter Safety class, we were told to use the tip of the trigger finger. So I have spent years perfecting the use of 1/8th-inch of my finger right on the very edge of the trigger.
The more you insert your finger into the trigger guard, the less your shot accuracy will be.
Here is what I have learned since then. The tip of the trigger finger on the edge of the trigger pushes the gun to the left.
I have piles of the target to prove it. If the finger is too far from the trigger to the first joint, it pulls the gun to the right.
The proper placement of the trigger finger is to use the pad or the middle of the fingerprint pattern to pull the trigger. It gives the best performance of trigger pulls and greater control.
It will also pull the entire gun back in a straight line with your shoulder. This helps in recoil recovery for the follow-up shot.
The best part of this finger position is it is the most natural. Nearly everyone’s hands will line up without thinking about it.
This simple fix and a bit of training will improve shot groupings almost right away. There will be a tendency to return to incorrect finger placement, so just keep practicing.
8. Rifles 101 – Cheek Weld
Good cheek weld is key for accuracy. Precision adjustments on the LRR stock will keep you where you need to be. #tcarms #performancecenter #tclrr #lrr pic.twitter.com/IAQjG8hIKT
— Thompson/Center Arms (@TCArmsCo) September 6, 2018
When we speak of cheek weld or comb, it is the area at the top of the stock where the shooter’s cheek rests to look through the scope.
If the rifle has open iron sights, the top of the stock or comb must be flat. Also, do not fashion the stock in a Monte Carlo style if possible.
Flat-top stocks will make acquiring the open iron sights much easier, so the cheek can press right to the comb. If the rifle has a scope, then the shooter has to raise the comb.
The scope mounts will raise the sights from the top of the gun, which elevates above the natural sight line. If the gunstock is a flat top or comb material, an easy way to experience the difference is to use a shooting rest.
The shooter must place the supporting hand on top of the stock to raise the cheek weld and acquire the crosshairs. This easy shortcut is more comfortable to shoot and takes less time to get all the fundamentals in place before the trigger is squeezed.
Gunstock Definition: The part of a rifle that is attached to the barrel and extends opposite the muzzle. It can be made of wood or metal and rests near the shooter’s shoulder when in a shooting stance.
If the rifle doesn’t have the raised comb, there is no need for a new gunstock. This is true unless the shooter just wants one.
To adapt to this cheek weld the shooter can purchase a padded piece that will lace or Velcro onto the stock. This works very well.
Though at times, it may surpass the carved stock’s ability to place the shooter’s eye directly on the crosshairs.
9. Rifles 101 – Eye Relief
https://twitter.com/Steiner_eOptics/status/1068038354342686721
When we talk about eye relief, it is nearly always in reference to the rifle scope. Eye relief is also a factor when shooting with open iron sights as well.
Most people automatically compensate for this by a simple rearward adjustment of the head. The natural tendency is very effective for eye focus and very subtle, but the head and neck are under tension.
The tension in the muscles means fatigue may set in sooner. However, the recoil recovery will be slower due to a constant reacquisition of the rear sight picture.
If the shooter practices repeated placement of the cheek weld, finding the proper placement rapidly and without tension in the muscles, it will make shooting much more productive. The shooter will also have much quicker follow-up shots.
10. Rifles 101 – Bolt Working
The new mantra in shooting is “slow is smooth and smooth is fast.” This is a standard way of thinking for holster draw and fire among handgun shooters.
For rifle shooters, it is the same for shooting positioning, but more importantly, for bolt manipulation. When we work the bolt on the bolt-action gun, it binds to the chamber at the locking lugs.
This causes the bolt handle itself to bind to the action. All this makes for “herky and jerky” bolt manipulations.
This can lead to a failure to feed, or worse, jam up the whole action with double feeds. In many guns, there may not be a magazine release or a floor plate to open to fix this easily.
This is not a fatal issue. However, if you are hunting dangerous game, then yes, it can be fatal.
It is more of a frustration. I have watched the qualification for the ARMY snipers, and the one issue many of the shooters have – top-of-the-game shooters – is bolt manipulation.
They will work the bolt too quickly and run the bolt home on an empty chamber. They take their time getting the perfect firing solution.
The shooter will apply rear pressure to the trigger and hear the loudest sound on the gun range. This sound is the click of the pin in an empty chamber.
This causes many to run out of time for qualification. Ideally, run the bolt action slowly and smoothly.
11. Rifles 101 – Move the Shooter or the Rifle
When we talk about the position of the shooter, prone and sitting come first to our mind. However, there’s another type of position we need to talk about with new rifle shooters.
It’s the relation between the gun and the shooter, and the gun and the target. This subject can probably (and should) take about ten articles to cover to do it justice.
For the beginner, we need to talk about the simplest methods to help new shooters. They have to enjoy the time spent on practice and encourage them to continue to improve their shooting techniques.
The easiest way to manage and make a very significant improvement in the shooting is to move the rifle to the target. What we don’t want is to use muscle tension to move the muzzle.
In this case, move the gun towards the target and let it naturally lie on the target. If the gun can’t move, then move the shooter so the gun can lie naturally in line with the target.
If we have muscle tension built up in the body, several things will occur. Because recoil affects fatigue and micro spasms in the body, the muscles under tension make it difficult to relax. The entire gun will also move to cause a miss on the target.
When I teach Judo students who are having a hard time blending with their opponents, I ask them to look at their feet. Then, I ask them, “Are your feet nailed to the floor?”
The reply so far has been “NO,” it is then that I tell them, move your feet, not just the upper body. The same is true for shooting a rifle: move the shooter to line the barrel with the target, make the fine-tuned aiming adjustments, and pull the trigger.
Want to see how a proper rifle is actually done? Watch this video by NSSF about a rifle’s long-range shooting technique:
Master the Basics, Then Let Time Do the Rest
Rifle shooting isn’t about shortcuts or secret techniques. It’s about doing a few simple things correctly and doing them the same way every time.
If you take anything away from this guide, let it be this: comfort, consistency, and control beat raw strength and fancy gear every time. Focus on your fundamentals, slow things down, and don’t rush improvement. Accuracy has a way of showing up once your process is solid.
Every good shooter started exactly where you are now. The difference is that they stuck with the basics long enough to let muscle memory and confidence take over.
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The range rewards patience. Build your fundamentals, trust the process, and enjoy every round along the way.
Do you find these rifle shooting tips useful for new shooters? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
FAQs: Rifle Shooting Tips
What is the most important rifle shooting tip for beginners?
The most important tip is to focus on consistency over accuracy. Repeating the same stance, grip, breathing, and trigger press every shot builds reliable muscle memory, which leads to better accuracy over time.
How should a beginner hold a rifle?
A beginner should hold a rifle with a firm but relaxed grip, keeping the rifle supported by the body rather than muscle tension. The stock should sit comfortably in the shoulder pocket, with the head resting naturally on the stock for a consistent cheek weld.
Where should my finger rest on the trigger?
Your trigger finger should rest on the pad of your index finger, not the joint or fingertip. This allows a straight-back trigger press without pulling the rifle off target.
Does rifle weight affect accuracy?
Yes. Heavier rifles are often easier to shoot accurately, especially for beginners, because they reduce felt recoil and muzzle movement. Lightweight rifles are easier to carry but harder to keep steady while learning.
How should I breathe when shooting a rifle?
Take a breath, exhale about halfway, pause naturally, and then press the trigger. This pause is when your body is most relaxed and stable, improving shot consistency.
Why do new shooters flinch when firing a rifle?
Flinching is a natural response to noise and recoil. It’s learned over time and can be reduced through dry-fire practice, proper trigger control, and confidence, not by forcing yourself to “tough it out.”
What is a free-floating barrel and why does it matter?
A free-floating barrel does not touch the rifle stock, allowing it to vibrate consistently when fired. This consistency helps improve accuracy, especially during longer shooting sessions when the barrel heats up.
How important is eye relief on a rifle scope?
Proper eye relief is critical. It ensures a clear sight picture, keeps your head in a natural position, and prevents scope shadow. Poor eye relief can reduce accuracy even with a high-quality scope.
Can I improve rifle accuracy without live ammo?
Yes. Dry-fire practice is one of the best ways to improve trigger control, eliminate flinching, and build muscle memory, all without using ammunition.
How long does it take to get good at rifle shooting?
Improvement depends on practice quality, not speed. With consistent fundamentals and regular practice, most beginners see noticeable improvement within a few range sessions.
