Well, I have since laid off my rifles and taken up pistol
shooting. Air pistol.
For me, I take in a deep breath (2/3 max lung capacity) while I
raise my arm and align my weapon to the target. During the last 10%
of my inhaling stage, I put my sight right where it should be,
exactly. Then I will begin a slow exhaling process. The flow of air
from my lungs is regulated not by the diaphram(how the XXX do you
spell it?) but rather by constricting my air passage or osophegus
(how the XX do you....nvm). Much like how some divers will exhale
while resurfacing. I find this method particularly effective.
1)Retains a certain amount of oxygen rich air in the lungs to aid
concentration. This part is usually overlooked.
2)Stabilizes the body and "cushions" the effects of minute
"twitching" on the weapon's aim.
3)Feels more natural squeezing off on the exhale rather than
inhale.
4)"Times" the shot. If you are out of breath, you have been aiming
too long.
The above method was developed (by moi, if not, then it must have
been a coincidence of some sort) for the purpose of 10m .177 air
pistol events. However part of it is derived from years of shooting
semi-auto rifles in various positions, useful in particular for
standing positions.
For prone position, I recommend the constant light breathing method
as an alternative to the other methods mentioned here. The constant
light breathing method does away with thinking about how to breath
and when to squeeze off. It is assumed that the firer has an ample
amount of time to engage a static target. By breathing lightly and
constantly, the firer is supplied with a near constant flow of air.
My experience with prone position suggests that heartbeat overtakes
breathing as the main culprit of sight movement. With consistent
slow breathing, the rate and magnitude of the heartbeat is reduced.
Thus allowing the shot to be taken in between beats.
