If you have ever spent any serious time training with your rifle, you have undoubtedly run into a barricade or corner on your offside. These can be challenging because our ultimate goal is to minimize our exposure at any edge. Leaning out and making the shot is an option, but it comes at the cost of major body exposure. Today, we will look at a shoulder transition technique that will allow you to switch hands and maintain better cover while shooting.
Shoulder Transition with Rifle – Shooting Around Corners
There are countless ways to switch shoulders. Each one has its own merits. The reason I use the specific technique is that it allows me a great deal of control over the rifle. More than likely, you’ll be executing this transition under some sort of stress. Be it a timer, an instructor urging you along, or potentially rounds flying in your direction. With that being the case, we need to make sure that we have as much control of the rifle as possible.
For the sake of this piece, we’ll talk about the right side being our primary shooting position. The first thing I want to do is put the weapon on safe. I realize there’s a lot of discussion about this. We will be moving the gun around quite a bit, and I want to ensure that we are as safe as possible. It’s your ultimate decision, but with as much motion as we are going to be having, I would encourage you to put the weapon on safe.
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Step One
My first step will be to push the rifle forward from my strong-side shoulder. Now I move and drive the buttstock into my support side shoulder. At the same time, I will be switching my feet. While not critical, it does give us a slight advantage, as we’ll now be shooting on the opposite side of our bodies. Now I want to begin the hand switch. I’ll release my hand from the pistol grip and now move forward to the handguard. Once I have a firm grip there, I’ll release my left hand and begin to move it back.
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Step Two
Now my left hand will move back to the pistol grip and get a good firing grip. At this point, once you are back on target, you can move the safety back into the fire position. We have now successfully transitioned from right shoulder to left shoulder and are now more easily able to shoot around the left barricade or corner.
To return to our strong side position, we simply reverse the motion. This is a very simple and controlled technique that allows you to easily move from one shoulder to the next while maintaining positive control of the rifle the entire time.
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Practice
Like any technique, be it shooting or manipulation, practice is key. Do not try to do this quickly when you first begin. We are learning a technique, and it will take time for it to become comfortable and smooth. Dry practice on this is critical. While I may sound like I’m lecturing, I encourage you to focus on safety in this drill as well. Completely clear the weapon and lock the bolt to the rear. Remove any magazines or ammunition from the room that you’re practicing in, and make sure that you have a safe backstop to work against.
As I said, there are multiple ways to execute a technique like this, but make sure that you have good control of the rifle while you’re doing it. If you go too fast without having a lot of repetitions on your technique, you run the risk of fumbling your gun and potentially having a negligent discharge or actually dropping your rifle.
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Shoulder Transition with Rifle
While quick shots around the left barricade or corner from your strong side can be an option, I encourage you to get into the habit of minimizing body exposure. Take your time and master your technique, and it will allow you to get good shots from a safer position.
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