Breath control as mentioned.
An off set bubble level on the scope will show if one is tilting or canting the crossbow. The line thickness on a bubble will make a difference, the farther one is shooting.
A good, steady rest.
No wind.
Looking dead center through the scope. This is where parallax comes into play. A scope with the side parallax knob which can be quickly set for various yardages.

All the best.
Take care.

 

For the bows I am shooting, off a solid rest is the quickest way to watch accuracy fall apart. I find that shooting off a rest requires a soft and very smooth base which allows the bow to move. Perhaps its due to the heavy recoil my bows are producing but whatever the reason, this is what works best for a solid rest.
Better yet is to use the sling in a military hold and brace that bow arm. Allows the same movement with stability. I have fewer errors (it seems) free handing than I do when shooting off the tripod.
I dont do anything as suggested (never have) in prepping the shot. I take in a breath and hold a second or two before slapping the trigger. I shoot one eye closed and never watch the flight through the scope.
I am the chi chi Rodriguez of shooting. Doing it all wrong and always in the top of the pack

 

Follow through, don't move until the arrow gets there .

 

Ready aim fire bullseye!

 

Snipers use the MRP technique at the moment of trigger pull. I try to use it when I can remember.

 

What is the MRP technique?

 

Breathing, trigger control, level to prevent cant, soft rest, follow through.

 

Aim small, miss small!

 

Establish a best practice and stick to it.

I don't focus breathing so much aside from shallow breathing.

Focus on the crosshair and how stable it is to the target then squeeze the trigger pulling straight back with the pad of the index to following thru.

Most important to me is the stability of the rest. That is why I use a rigid designed bench that I made to minimize any wiggle while shooting. The bench is portable so I can take it with me.

Your contact/grip/support with the weapon should be repeatable. Find one that allows your to get the best groups.

Your cheek rest should be such that when you bring the scope to your eyes they are aligned with scope/lense/crosshairs without requiring repositioning.

The slight amount of pressure you apply to the forearm should be repeated.

The best distance to practice or zero check is the one at which your scope has zero parallax.

Avoid winds while shooting unless you are learning from it.

Don't overlook the importance of quality arrows. Shoot the same arrow
repeatedly until you establish the crossbow is performing as expected. Expect same hole shots while doing this.

Expect to have flyers.

 

For me, I've found I need to mix up practice sessions and shoot some days from a bench and other days from a snap-on long bipod while sitting on the ground or a blind seat. It's amazing how much better I can shoot from a bench after practicing sitting down with a long bipod. My best advice when shooting a crossbow is to grip the pistol grip very lightly and if you have a trigger guard, place your index finger on the trigger at the first crease with your middle finger placed beside the index finger. The friction of the middle finger pinned to the trigger guard helps to keep me from punching the trigger if the crosshair has some movement. Just make sure to always check your bubble level before squeezing the trigger. Also, with a light hold on the pistol grip, it's easier for me to pull straight back on the trigger which is so important for repeatable accuracy.

When shooting with a long bipod while sitting down, I try to firmly pull the crossbow to my shoulder to hold the crosshair steady on the target. As others have said, you need to aim small to hit small so my stick on targets have a 1/2" center dot. If I can hit the 1/2" dot at 30 yards while sitting on my front porch step while using my long bipod as a rest, I quit for the day. That gives me extra incentive to make the first shot count. Of course, I don't bother to practice on windy days because you'll just be chasing your tail (so to speak).

Have fun- crossbows are so cool to shoot when you can hit what you're aiming at.

 

Thanks for sharing!

I didn't mention the bubble level use. It's a very good addition to a crossbow. I am glad I have one. I placed mine on the riser so I can see it with left eye while looking thru the scope with the right.

 

Consistency across the board is what will give you consistent accuracy results. I use the same arrow and try and draw the bow as centred as possible. Have the same wind condition (no wind) hold the bow with the same pressure in your shoulder. Forward hand same position. Cheek on stock in same position. just eliminate all variables.

Only other thing other than consistent equipment and form is make sure the crosshair is actually on your exact intended point of impact before firing the shot! This one sounds silly but if all the above is sorted the bow will only fire the arrow where the crosshair was when you pulled the trigger. I find my self having to question myself as I squeeze the trigger. Is that cross hair dead on the hole I want to shoot into or just close?

 

Hip Pod, Bipod for in field use is my approach. Steady CH in FOV is not easy and requires practice. The one thing I need to work on is controlling anxiousness. Somedays are better then others. The better days sub 1" groupings bad days 3-4" flyer at 40 yards.

 

A good trigger is important.
Most of my shooting is either standing and offhand, or sitting in a chair with my elbow on my knee for support. This more closely represents my style since I don't shoot from elevation any more.
You'll all laugh, but I found visualization helps me most. I can visualize a successful shot any time, anywhere; even without the bow in my hands, though having it in shooting position, making things (seeing the deer, picking the spot, hearing the sounds, controlling breathing, seeing the arrow hit, following through, etc.) as detailed as possible. Professional athletes use this technique and it works, at least for me.

 

Whether shooting a gun, shooting a vertical bow with a release or your crossbow... A good trigger makes average shooters' a whole lot better.. And good shooters, even better too.

 

Here’s a screen print of my last heart rate check this morning with my iPhone app (and this is after I saw we had gotten our stimulus checks).

Whenever it drops below 50 bpm I get up and do a couple jumping jumps to raise it up a little.

With my new Lead Sled DRT I should be able to shoot the wings off of fleas.

 

Practice shooting off-hand out as far out as you can. And then try to make your hunting set ups so you can shoot from a rest. Another way of saying - plan for the worst and hope for the best.

All of my practice is off-hand & I mix up the ranges mostly between 30-60 yards. Honestly for me, when I get comfortable shooting off-hand at 60 yards, everything else seems (& is) easier. So putting that arrow right where you want it at 30 yards from the shooting rail of a tree stand is very repeatable, even with a little buck fever.

 

Hi guys, Long time gun hunter, fairly new to crossbow. I have a Raven R26. I shot two deer and a turkey last season, all within 40 yards. Due to my gun history, I wasn't even thinking about the wind at those distances. I don't even recall how windy it was. I only paid attention to wind direction. How much does the wind effect point of hit at 40 yards?

 

Per the Hawke Ballistic chart, if you’re around 400 fps, a 5 mph crosswind should move the poi 1.4” at 40 yards. If it’s a 10 mph wind just double it. (A 10 mph wind is a lot imo). Good luck.

 

Good morning, I think the subject of shooting technique is extremely important since precision in this discipline is everything.
I learned what I do by trial and error on the one hand and watching videos of people from Italy who are precision shooters not hunting.
What I do is use a non-slip surface under my bipod.
Find a firm bipod.
I try to push the bipod forward on the shot and the crossbow back to limit the flex of the bipod.
Use level to control the cant of the shot.
I have a mark on the butt of the crossbow to hatch or face always in the same place.
I inhale and exhale and when I pull the trigger I do it gently until the shot surprises me.
I hope it works!!!
Link vídeo
https://mega.nz/file/txshjQqb#DR3cguj1iDfWoqVwEigUiU732_3fUngQUms8bykCxhM

 

Good morning, I think the subject of shooting technique is extremely important since precision in this discipline is everything.
I learned what I do by trial and error on the one hand and watching videos of people from Italy who are precision shooters not hunting.
What I do is use a non-slip surface under my bipod.
Find a firm bipod.
I try to push the bipod forward on the shot and the crossbow back to limit the flex of the bipod.
Use level to control the cant of the shot.
I have a mark on the butt of the crossbow to hatch or face always in the same place.
I inhale and exhale and when I pull the trigger I do it gently until the shot surprises me.
I hope it works!!!
Link vídeo
https://mega.nz/file/txshjQqb#DR3cguj1iDfWoqVwEigUiU732_3fUngQUms8bykCxhM

Nice shot Mario. You might want to get you a set of these to stop that target swinging.
https://www.crossbownation.com/community/threads/hanging-target-swing-dampener.106182/

 

Nice shooting.
Thanks for sharing.
Take care.

 

Thank you very much, in that video he shot a Spanish letter 7 times at 50 meters and 6 shots hit the bottom half of the letter. There are two shots that hit the same hole.

 

Preloading … the bipod is good solid shooting technique. Yet, I've found that becomes an issue when using a bench to kill your quarry. When you try to slide a "sticky" bipod to account for either deer movement or multiple kills, it drags and makes noise. Hence, I'll put a cloth under the bipod and forgo preloading.

 

And above all have patience and get close to the target. Count kills, not points! One bolt, one kill.

 

Sure!
My philosophy is practical at 60 meters so as not to err at 30 meters.

 

I took a shot at 60 meters and it turned 3 cm to the right with 35 km / h of wind.
I leave the Link of the video:
Tiro a 60 mts.

https://mega.nz/file/Y5UyxIKB#EtPIZql7JnynRlXTKu3EqJvhYI0cg-xfguDB03NqeB4

 

As a result of the times I’ve had a ton of time recently to practice with my crossbow and try out some different techniques so I figured I’d start a thread to see what are some techniques you do that you believe help you shoot better?

Whether it’s breathing techniques, how you hold the bow, pressure etc let’s hear it!

I’ve been trying out a new breathing technique where you take a breath and exhale about 50% of what you have in your lungs then hold your breath while you squeeze the trigger. Could be complete nonsense but I like it

I only use the B.R.A.S.S. system USMC ---breathe-- relax-- aim --stop breathing-- and-- squeeeezzzze ! even on a calm wind I keep it at my 6

 

As a result of the times I’ve had a ton of time recently to practice with my crossbow and try out some different techniques so I figured I’d start a thread to see what are some techniques you do that you believe help you shoot better?

Whether it’s breathing techniques, how you hold the bow, pressure etc let’s hear it!

I’ve been trying out a new breathing technique where you take a breath and exhale about 50% of what you have in your lungs then hold your breath while you squeeze the trigger. Could be complete nonsense but I like it

Great thread, thx for posting! Guess I should have a level... what size? How & where to attach?
Thx!

 

I like mine just under the scope if possible. No head movement to see it. I've bought the kind that attach to the scope or scope rail and dont care for them. Their hard to see without moving imo or at least the ones I have tried. I picked up a bunch of these off of ebay dirt cheap. I attach them using silicone. Its works well for getting them set and leveled and will come off easy if need be.

 

Lots of great suggestions from folks who have great results. I don't think I saw this yet, so I will add it. Focus on what you want to hit, and not as much on crosshairs, dot, or whatever your aiming device is. Reduces the worry over some probably trivial movement, unless you are a pro level and can keep the bow absolutely still. Made a big difference for me with a compound bow and pin sights, seems to work just the same with a scoped crossbow. When I'm having a less than stellar shooting session, it's often because I'm too focused on the crosshair instead of the target. JME

 

Funny … I have a label on my scope that says: "See the crosshair … squeeze the trigger." When I miss my POA on an animal it's largely been because I get so intent on animal posture & behavior to sense my perfect moment to send the shot that I lose focus on the crosshair. 99% of the time I'm okay because I have my quarry centered in the scope, but I've lost that 1% of precision a few times. My last 300 or so kills on invasive species have been crosshair focus and it's SLOWLY becoming my default behavior on deer. I nearly had a GF last project because I lost crosshair focus on 3 deer at night with the red weapon light. They were lined up like horses in a starting gate. Their heads were bobbing up and down randomly like Methuselah with 3 heads and one body. They were alert since it was late in the project and a lot of their friends had already taken that boat ride to Valhalla. Glowing red eyes, not much time to start shooting since they were locked on to my light and getting ready to get outta Dodge. With heads switching every other second, eerie spooky redeyes and time running out; it was right at the ragged edge of chaos and mayhem. I forgot my crosshair and holdover. Squeezed off the round, the deer fell like a ton of bricks, but fell a little funny. Almost like a cartoon with it's legs sticking up in the air. I swung on the other two heading for the woods to my right and glanced back at the dead one to be sure. Still dead. No shot on the other two perpetrators. So I grab a plastic bag & zip tie to contain any head bleeding, my drag, and I bring a knife just in case. Get next to the deer and it groans, rolls onto it's belly, gets up and heads for the woods. Took a half hour to trail it and finish it. Hardly slept that night trying to figure out what I did wrong. Figured out what I did … and what I didn't do. Didn't focus on crosshair & holdover because of the Ghostbuster circus the 3 deer were putting on. And didn't put a second round into it when it fell a little funny. (Although I had honestly considered it at the time. But the deer had fallen facing straight away from my ground blind and I had no head shot available) Plus it hadn't moved a muscle in 5 minutes. It LOOKED dead...lol

So it seems like we had the opposite problem ...lol Too much focus on crosshair, and not enough focus on crosshair. "It ain't easy getting better" … is it?...lol