Q&A With CMP Training Director Bob Foth Offset sights, Natural Point of Aim Q: I would like to ask a couple of questions about the use of offset risers in air riflery. I shot at the CMP Camps this summer and usually fired 95 to 96 in standing. However, my sights are always on the right side of the target every time I relax myself onto the bull. I have a long neck and I always have to lean down and forward to my sights because I can't get them all the way to my head. I have one full riser block on my rifle but it really does no good. Someone mentioned me to use offset risers. I have no clue what they are or what they do. That's why I was hoping that maybe you could shed some light on the subject and possibly give me some advice on what to do about this. Thanks for you time. TM, MI

Thanks for the question about riser blocks. They do make a very useful accessory when used properly. The rules for air rifle standing and precision three-position air rifle allow for the front sight to be up to 40mm from the bore, measured center-to-center (With one exception sporter air rifles cannot have riser blocks or offset sights). The sights may be straight up or offset to one side (typically toward the shooter). Traditional riser blocks raise the sights. This allows you to lower the rifle or to keep your head more upright or both. This can relax your neck and lower the center of gravity of the rifle for increased stability. With the limited depth on the fore end of the air rifles this can also help you have a relaxed position instead of fighting to raise the rifle to the target.

Offset risers raise the sights a bit, but primarily move them to the left for a right-handed shooter. This allows you to keep the rifle more upright instead of canting it toward your face, which is not a problem, or tilting your head to the side to get behind the sight, which is a big problem for balance. Whether your cant is vertical or at a different angle it is just as critical that it always be the same for a position. It is likely that it will be somewhat different for different positions if you shoot three-position events as well. Offset and vertical riser blocks may even be combined as long as the 40mm rule is obeyed. Some of the best shooters in the world use offset risers now.

You also mention that you are always pointing to the right when you relax on the bull. This is actually a question about natural point of aim (NPA). NPA is defined as the spot the rifle points to when you are completely relaxed and settled into your position. The best way to achieve this is to close your eyes, check your balance, take a deep breath, relaxing as you exhale and let the rifle settle. When you open your eyes you should see your NPA through the sights. You should check your NPA for every shot.

When shooting on multiple bull targets, you will need to adjust your position slightly before every single shot to center your NPA as precisely as possible on the new bull. The most common mistake is to use muscles to force the rifle over onto the target instead of realigning the position to let the rifle settle naturally on the target. Not only will those muscles fatigue over time, making your hold shaky, but they will also fail during recoil, making it inconsistent and sending your shots off call. NPA is a very critical performance factor and should never be ignored. To respond specifically to your first question, readjust your position so that you are pointed more to the left. Rotate the whole position as though you were standing on a large turntable and it rotated until you were perfectly on target. Do not move just one foot or your forward arm, move the whole position.

You said that with your long neck you have to lean your head down and forward to your sights. Down and forward is OK as long as you are not looking through your eyebrow and you are comfortable enough to shoot, but do not tilt your head to the side. Based on this, I doubt that your riser blocks are doing you "no good". To check that, take them off and try shooting without them. It is likely that you will be even more uncomfortable. Use the scientific method to make your own decision. You probably benefit more from the height rather than the offset and you can't maximize both because of the 40mm rule. I would start by getting the maximum possible height for the front sight. AHG (Anschutz) makes some simple risers about half of the normal height. Add those, or get a custom riser to get close to the legal limit. You can try the offset risers as well, but I would try to borrow some rather than buying new ones as I think it is less likely to solve your particular problem. Josef Gonci from Slovakia is one of the best shooters in the world. He lets his position settle and does most of his shot preparation before he lowers his head to the rifle. He often shoots very quickly after this unusual preparation. Josef also has a fairly long neck and may be doing this to compensate and keep from getting a sore neck. Try this as well to see if it works for you. Bob