Video: Natural Point of Aim

Transcript for Natural Point of Aim

Jim Gilliland, Federal^® Ambassador and Professional Shooter: Natural point of aim is one of those critical concepts that is really simple when it's broken down. So, when you're talking about natural point of aim, you're really talking about naturally pointing at your target. Mechanically speaking, natural point of aim essentially is where your gun and your target is on line. It's your gun-target line.

It's when you build your position behind that, you're not moving that gun. So, you're not having to muscle it over one way or the other, but you're naturally behind the rifle, and it is naturally pointing toward the target.

Jim fires a shot at a target.

What that allows you is a more comfortable, more stable, and easier-to-hold position for longer periods of time, be it in a stabilized position or one of the traditional positions where you're slung up trying to shoot.

So, to build a good proper natural point of aim, you're going to lay your gun down on the gun-target line, pointing at your target.

And you're going to build your position behind it, keeping a good, squared-up shoulders and neutral spine.

Jim fires another shot at the target.

During the shot process and follow-through, everything is going to move in a straight, linear line away from and back to the target, and it's always going to go back to the same position as you started in. Done properly, you'll be right back on target where you started.

Jim fires three more shots.

Once you got the concept of a good natural point of aim, you can use this concept in any shooting position from prone, to standing, to kneeling, to sitting, or any other position. Be it a hunting situation or a competition-shooting situation—all of those processes work the same way. It keeps you on gun-target line, it helps you follow through recoil, and it helps you stay on target.