"There is no substitute for practice, and a lot of it should be in real situations: standing, rifle rested against a tree, shooting sticks. You can shoot off the bench all day and feel good but miss a close shot because you don't practice that way."
Boy did that statement ring a bell!!! And I'm glad that I had around 20 years of Army experience to be able to fall back on. Young buck come out of the treeline just as I am walking away from my hunting spot. Have a Remington Model 81 in .300 Savage. It has a scope, but due to the Model 81's action, the scope is offset to the left. Okay for a righty, but I'm a leftie and it's a bit awkward to use the scope. He's only about 30-40 yards away. Dropped to one knee as I pulled up the rifle. Too close (and the aforementioned too awkward) for the scope, so I used the old fixed iron sights and using the good old fashioned kneeling unsupported position, put one round cleanly through both lungs.
Practice the way you're going shoot is all I can say. What I learned in uniform just came natural when putting it into practice over a decade after retiring.
And who said that us grunts (Infantrymen) don't learn anything when at the range . . . . . <grin>
RR
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