Jerry Miculek's rifle speedshooting techniques - RIFLEMAN

Guns Magazine, Jan 1, 2002 by Dave Anderson

Jerry Miculek is renowned for his phenomenal prowess with revolvers. He is also an excellent rifle shooter. A testament to this are his many victories in rifle speed events, which require hitting small steel plates at various ranges against the clock, usually from unsupported positions. Miculek recently talked about some of his winning techniques. It should be noted that these are match techniques that may not be appropriate for hunting situations.

For example, Miculek doesn't have to worry if he's a bit wobbly and misses a shot since the steel targets aren't going to run away and an edge hit is as good as a center one. In the field, a hunter shouldn't shoot from the standing or offhand position unless there is no other option -- and then only if the range of movement of the sights is within the vital area.

Miculek Likes To Use High-Power Scopes For Competition Shooting

"A lot of shooters don't like powerful scopes because they say they wobble too much," Miculek commented. "I want to know how much the gun is moving. I know I can't hold perfectly still, but the high-power scope lets me see the movement pattern of the gun. When I bring the gun up I watch how the reticle is moving -- if it is oscillating back and forth across the target or making figure eights."

From long practice, Miculek's evaluation of the motion of the gun can be done very quickly. He then coordinates the gun movement with the trigger release. As he begins the trigger press, he steers the reticle toward the target. The objective is to have the shot break just as the reticle settles on target.

"Some shooters like to 'stage' the trigger release, pressing only when the sights are on target. I don't use that method; I think it leads to flinching and yanking the trigger. Instead, I release the trigger with one smooth press, continually increasing pressure until the sear releases." Miculek explained. (This is the same method of trigger control recommended by pistol champion Bill Blankenship, as covered in a previous column.)

Operating The Bolt Quickly

Miculek's speed in operating the bolt is amazing. He demonstrated his technique with an unloaded rifle. He keeps his righthand shooting thumb along the right side of the rifle's grip. "It takes time to cross the thumb across the grip, and there's no need to anyway," he pointed out.

After firing the shot, his hand moves straight up and grasps the ball of the bolt handle between the thumb and the first two fingers. He applies strong pressure both up and back so that the instant the locking lugs clear their recesses, the bolt begins moving back. Mechanically, the bolt has to move in a 90-degree pattern. But observing from the side, it seems that Jerry's hand moves diagonally -- up and back simultaneously, then forward and down.

As the bolt is being closed, the bolt handle is pressed into its final locked position by the thumb, while the trigger finger is already moving to the trigger and the other fingers are closing around the grip. Using a short-action rifle, his face never moves from the stock and his eye remains focused on the scope reticle. With a standard-length action, most shooters have to move their head slightly to provide clearance for the bolt.

Miculek is a physically fit, powerful individual; even for his size he has exceptionally strong hands and wrists. Believe me, he does not pussyfoot around when operating the action. He works the bolt hard and fast.

Jerry Miculek's Match Rifle

Miculek's bolt-action match rifle is a standard Savage in .223 Rem, with the regular, factory heavy barrel and factory synthetic stock. He installed a moderately-priced aftermarket trigger tuned to two pounds. With PMC 52-grain match ammunition, it easily shoots group averages of 0.5 inch or better at 100 yards. Savage rifles have always been noted for their accuracy, but this is still remarkable.

Conventional wisdom indicates that to achieve consistent, half-minute accuracy, we have to square and true the action, lap the locking lugs, fit a match barrel, carefully bed the action, and work up accurate handloads. It's exciting to realize the same accuracy is available right off the rack for a lot less money. Jerry also commented on the smooth feeding of cartridges from the magazine and overall reliability of his Savage -- critical features in a competition rifle.

The scope is a Bausch & Lomb 6-24X variable mounted in Weaver rings and bases. In competition, he turns the power up as high as conditions permit, often all the way to 24X. Miculek fitted his rifle with a muzzle brake of his own design. The objective is to eliminate muzzle jump entirely so he can observe the bullet strike through the scope and evaluate the shot.