Tips & Techniques: Advanced Stickology

by
posted on April 11, 2023
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
shooter with Three-legged shooting sticks

Three-legged shooting sticks are almost universally used in African hunting. They get you above low vegetation and off the ground, away from thorns and creepy-crawlies. They’re great for fast shots at closer ranges and useful in a wide variety of situations. Steadiness improves with practice; the trick is to get the height right so you can lean in and properly place your supporting hand so that you have contact with both sticks and the gun’s fore-end, tying them together.

Some wobble is unavoidable, restricting effective range. There are several tricks that can increase steadiness and thus extend shooting distances when standing with sticks. As with most shooting positions, it aids steadiness if you can stabilize or support the shooting elbow.

When hunting with a partner or guide, practice what I call the “buddy system.” Ideally, when a shot is in the offing, the buddy sets up the sticks at the correct height for the shooter. Then, the buddy stands beside the sticks on the shooting side and bends down from the waist, grasping the rear two tripod legs. The shooter can then rest his/her shooting elbow on the buddy’s shoulder. This needs to be practiced, and hearing protection is essential, but this trick can double one’s effective range off of sticks.

With two or more people hunting together, two sticks are better than one! A second set of sticks can be placed tightly under the shooter’s shooting-side armpit; we call this the “chicken wing.” The second set of sticks can also be erected under the shooting arm and used instead to directly support the rifle butt. This takes extra seconds to get the height right, but it can achieve near-benchrest stability. As with all shooting, practice is the key, so get or make a set of three-legged shooting sticks and try these techniques at your range.

Latest

Double Stack 1911 Web Main
Double Stack 1911 Web Main

A Guide To Double-Stack 1911s

The 2011 brings double-stack capacity and modular upgrades to the 1911 platform, but not every wide-body 1911 out there earns that name.

Legislators Enjoy Afternoon Of Clays With Benelli USA, Among Others

A bipartisan group of Maryland state legislators met with firearm industry manufacturers and representatives for a day of clays shooting while also attending discussions on the positive economic impacts of the shooting sports.

2025 Ammunition Product Of The Year: Winchester .21 Sharp

For continuing to innovate, particularly in a corner of the ammo world that has seen very little recently, we named the Winchester .21 Sharp as our Ammunition Product Of The Year.

Rifleman Review: Hammerli Arms Force B1

The Hammerli Arms Force B1 is one of the most versatile rimfire rifles on the market, providing room for accessories, allowing for a personal stock fit and even offering caliber-interchangeability.

New For 2025: CZ Scorpion 3+ Magpul Edition

CZ-USA has enhanced its Scorpion 3+ pistol-caliber carbine yet again with a slate of factory-installed Magpul components and accessories.

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.