Rear Bags: One old USMC trick is a sock 1/2 to 2/3 full of sand. Place it under the grip and squeeze with the left hand. My second son was in the Marines from 99-03 and used that trick for long range targets, and reports the trick still works.
A second type of bag I use is an emptied 25 pound shot bag. Filled about 3/4 full of old tumbling media. Sewn shut and a carry strap installed. Also placed under the grip and squeezed to bring the crosshair up to the point of aim.
Targets: Just a suggestion, use a black 1" or 2" dot in the center of you red 8" circle. The old saying "Aim small, miss small!"
Group size and shape: The overall group is very encouraging! I notice small clusters. If those are from controlled consecutive shots great! If they are from a large pattern of shots that repeatedly land every 4th shot on top of each other, they indicate a problem or two. MY PSP would do the later and was corrected with pillar bedding and measured torque on the Action Screws. There may also be some trigger weight or control issues.
One of my friends was a Marine Sniper in 67 & 68. He prefers a ultra light trigger 3 or 4 ounces! Another friend was an US Army sniper trained by the West Germans in 1957 and prefers a good repeatable 2 pound (32 ounces) trigger. My preferred weight of trigger is 19 ounces (1 1/4 LB.) That is actually what my 308 Savage 10BAS came from the factory with, and the 338 110-BA came with 12 ounces (Even though Savage swears they set them for 3 to 3.5 pounds!)
I say this just to say there are all manor of weight preferences, but everybody agrees that their triggers need to be crisp and repeating!
One other thing I notice. Your photo shows a Harris Bi-pod or a clone. There is often a bounce when shot prone and from a concrete pad! (or concrete bench) A shooting mat or even a piece of carpet between the concrete and the Bi-pod helps a great deal. (Wooden benches don't seem to have this happen)
Keep up the good work and let us know how you are shooting.
Ivan
