TO CANT OR NOT TO CANT

What is “canting?”

Canting is about shooting while the rifle is not perfectly level.  The rifle can be canted inward (brought in towards the shooter) or outwards (away from the shooter).  The diagrams above give you a view of the sights when the rifle is level (Figure 1), canted in towards the shooter (Figure 2) or canted outwards (Figure 3)

In order to attain great scores, Position Shooters (and even Prone shooters) often do something that flies in the face of what was thought to be wrong – that is, canting the rifle.

Many think that canting will cause poor shooting, and it may well do, if the cant is inconsistent, but with standing position especially, inward canting can help give better scores.

How can this be?

 In order to shoot well, a shooter must be relaxed and stable. A shooter is more relaxed if the head is held upright. More importantly the shooter must have good balance.

As an experiment, try standing upright with your heels together and close your eyes. Feel your body moving – this normal and natural. Now do the same thing and tilt your head to the side. You should feel much more movement. So, when shooting standing, the best idea is to stand erect and bring the rifle to you.

In order to see through the sights you will need to cant the rifle, rolling it towards you. This same canting often applies to prone and kneeling.

The outward cant is not used, as it destroys the stability of your position, and you tend to feel as if you are going to fall over, whether standing, kneeling or prone.  Check your position soon and see if you have the tendency to “roll-over” or outward cant.

If you find that this is happening,

then for PRONE

check your forward arm – is it too far to the left
perhaps your trigger arm is a bit wide
perhaps your body needs to move over a bit to counter to roll

then for STANDING

check your trigger arm – is it too close to your ribs
does the hand grip fit you well – perhaps you are dragging the stock
does the cheek piece need adjusting
is your neck bent towards the rifle – this will affect the ears and balance

then for KNEELING

check your elbow on the knee area
is the bent leg too close, or too far away from the supporting leg
is the rifle resting correctly on the palm

 

Is there a set or perfect cant?

 Not at all.  As stated above, all the shooting positions, and standing in particular is all about balance and stability.  Your coach will advise you, and no doubt emphasise these few simple rules for canting:

• Reliable canting is a learned skill to ensure your body comfort and stability. Train for it.
• Remember to maintain a consistent cant – do the same for every shot, not just when you remember!!! A spirit level on the barrel is worth the money here.  Watch it!
• Learn sight alignment while canting (your normal N, S, E, W becomes more NW, SE, EN, WS) or purchase one of the adaptable sights
• Adjust the rifle (especially the butt plate) to accommodate the cant
• Write the settings in your diary

 

Now its up to you – have fun.

Tags: CANTING, competition, habits, TRAINING