1. Rifle Marksmanship C Prone Position & Proper Sling Use INSTRUCTION:
Prone Position Model
Steps in Using the Sling
Steps in Building the Prone Position
Shot Technique in Prone
7C.1 The Prone Position and Proper Sling Use
Your marksmanship instruction should have already covered firing in the supported position as well as firing in the standing position. You are ready to begin with the prone position. Prone is the most stable position because it has the lowest center of gravity, has a large support base and uses a sling to help stabilize the rifle. This means that in order to build a good prone position, you must learn how to properly put on and adjust a sling. Using a sling may seem complicated at first, but if you follow the correct steps in putting it on and adjusting it, you will find that without exception, the sling makes prone position shooting much easier. Every shooter should use the sling in prone.
Update: 21Aug10

2. Prone Positions of 2008 Olympic Medalists
Silver Gold in 2004
Bronze
Gold
Silver
7C.2 Model Prone Positions
Model Positions. The prone positions used by the three Olympic medalists in the 2008 Olympic shooting 50 meter prone rifle event are shown here to give you models to follow in learning the prone position.
Olympic Medalists. The shooter on the top left is Warren Potent of Australia, the bronze medalist. The shooter on the top center and middle left is Matt Emmons of the USA. Emmons won the silver medal in this event in 2008, but he won the gold medal in The shooter on the bottom is Artur Aivazian of the Ukraine, the 2008 gold medalist. Look for these position features when you study their prone positions.
The angle the body lies in relation to the rifle.
The use of a sling to stabilize the left arm that supports the rifle.
The high rifle positions that produce fairly erect head positions.
Silver
Gold in 2004
Gold

3. Steps in Proper Use of the Sling
1. Hold sling with length adjustment down, arm loop buckle up
2. Insert arm in loop
Steps in Proper Use of the Sling
7C.3 How to Put the Sling On
The first thing that you must do when getting into the prone position is to put the sling on. The photos show the proper steps for doing that.
When using the Daisy sling that is issued with JROTC air rifles, hold the sling so that the arm loop buckle is up and the buckle for adjusting sling length is on the bottom of the sling. Lengthen the sling so that is it as long as possible.
Insert your left arm (right handed shooter) in the arm loop.
Place the arm loop as high as possible on your arm and tighten the arm loop so that it will stay in position on your arm.
Extend the sling, turn the sling swivel one-half turn to the right. Again, before getting into position, make sure the sling is extended to its longest possible length.
3. Place arm loop high on arm, tighten
4. Attach sling with 1/2 turn to right

4. PRONE
Step 1:
Orient the Body--Lay the mat at a degree angle to the line of fire, attach sling to rifle and lay on the mat
7C.4 Prone, Step 1, Orient the Body
Step 1--Orient the Body so It Lies at an Angle to the Target. The first step in getting into the prone position is to prepare the position foundation by orienting the body in relation to the target. To do this lay the shooting mat down at an angle of about degrees to the target. Then kneel on the mat, and with the sling already attached to your arm, attach the sling the the rifle. Remember to twist it one-half turn to the right before attaching the sling to the rifle fore-end. Next, lay down on the mat with your elbows extended.
Firing Line

5. PRONE
Step 2: Fix the location of the left elbow (elbow that supports the rifle)
Form an imaginary line from the left hand to the left foot
Place the elbow directly under that line
7C.5 Prone, Step 2, Locate the Elbow
Step 2--Place the Left Elbow under an Imaginary Line Going from the Left Hand to the Left Foot. After orienting the body in relation to the target, the next step in building a shooting position is to place the left elbow in the correct location in relation to the body. As you lie on the mat with your left arm extended out to the rifle fore-arm, try to visualize an imaginary line extending from your left hand through your left shoulder and side, down to your left food. The correct location for your left elbow is directly under this imaginary line.
If the elbow is located correctly, you can also think of an imaginary plane cutting though the bent left arm. If the elbow is located correctly, this imaginary plane will be vertical. If the elbow is located so that this plane tips either in or out, the position will be less stable.

6. PRONE
Step 3: Position the butt-plate UP in the shoulder so the head is erect
Step 4: Shift the left hand forward and backward until the sights are pointing at target level
Step 4--After finding correct left hand location, adjust hand stop back to hand
7C.6 Prone, Steps 3 and 4
The next steps involve adjusting the height of the rifle in relation to the shoulder, head and target.
Step 3--Locate the Butt-Plate Up in the Shoulder so the Head is Reasonably Erect. In the prone position, keeping the head up will enhance visual performance and allow the position to be more relaxed and less strained. In prone, the butt-plate can remain in solid contact with the shoulder, but keep it high enough to allow the head and eyes to look straight forward through the sights. With the butt of the rifle in a fixed position, you must next adjust the rifle height so that the sights are raised to the level of the targets.
Step 4--Adjust the Rifle Sights Up to Target Level by Shifting the Left Hand Forward or Rearward. The height of the rifle must be adjusted by moving the left hand on the fore-end, not by moving the butt-plate up and down. In this step, adjust the rifle height so that the sights are at target level. At this point, be concerned only with having your rifle sights at target level, not with whether the sights point at your particular target. When you find a left hand location on the fore-arm that raises the sights to target level, adjust the hand-stop on the fore-end so that it rests in the fork of the hand. Mark that location so that you can return the hand-stop to that position each time you fire that rifle.

7. PRONE
Step 5: Tighten the sling until it fully supports the weight of the rifle
Step 6: Using the left elbow as a pivot point, rotate the entire position until the sights point at your target
7C.7 Prone, Steps 5 and 6
Step 5--Tighten the Sling. With the left and and hand stop in the location on the fore-end that keeps your sights at target level, you can now tighten the sling. Tighten the sling in stages until it is tight enough to support the weight of the rifle and your upper body without any assistance from your arm muscles. All of the weight of the rifle and upper body should rest on the sling. By keeping the sling loose until this point, you were able to develop a prone position where your shoulders were in their natural position.
Step 6--Rotate Your Position Until the Sights Point at Your Target. If you built your position correctly, you should have a solid position where the sling does the work of holding up the rifle, with the rifle sights aligned at target level and pointing at somebody’s target, not necessarily your own. Your position should already be exhibiting a quality that we call “natural point of aim” or NPA. This is the point where the position points naturally when everything is relaxed. All you have to do now is rotate the entire position over your elbow until it points naturally at your target. Do this by using your feet to slightly lift your entire body and move it to the right or left while rotating over your left elbow. The left elbow is the pivot point for aligning your position on your target. When your rifle’s sights point naturally at your target, you are ready to start shooting in the prone position.

8. Shot Technique in Prone
Approach from same direction for each shot, exhale & stop breathing, take up trigger slack
Relax left arm, center the front sight movements over the bulls-eye
7C.8 Shot Technique in Prone
Since the movements of your front sight are smaller in prone, the shot technique is also simpler. If you built your position correctly and are using the sling to support the rifle and upper body properly, you should be able to hold the bull’s-eye within the front sight ring. Proper shot technique here is the same as in standing except that your hold movements will be much smaller. Center your front sight movements over the bull’s-eye as perfectly as you can and smoothly press or squeeze the trigger. Center the movement--squeeze the trigger.
Squeeze the trigger while the front sight movements are centered

9. Prone Position:
The final step in establishing a good position is to practice live and dry firing in the new position
Stability comes from relaxing your arms and letting the sling support your position
7C.11 Firing Exercises in Prone
As soon as you have worked out a prone position where the sling fully supports your rifle and upper body and with the sights naturally aligned on your target, you are ready to start firing in prone. Be sure to precede each live fire series with dry firing or aiming exercises. It is not necessary to charge air for dry firing so this allows you to get many extra repetitions of correct shot technique in prone.
Getting the highest possible scores comes from doing a good job of stabilizing the rifle so that the hold movements seen in the front sight are small. In your first prone firing, pay attention to relaxing your left arm and upper body as much as possible while you let the sling support your position.