If I can be “Zen” briefly, I think you are over thinking it a little. The first problem is that you are good with a Mauser type action in the Springfield. The SMLE is not a Mauser and its cycle is different (hence “smoother”).

Front Hand under the rear sight and drop the padding. You don’t need it for Rapid and it gets in the way of feeling what the rifle is doing.

Fire. As the rifle settles into position form your firing hand into a blade shape and push the bolt open. As you reach the top of the cycle, use your first two fingers to pull the bolt sharply back (once again your rifle will tell you how fast and if you get stoppages here change your extractors).

At the end of the cycle, push forward with you thumb and you will detect a point were you use the flat hand to close the action. Return the firing hand to position and repeat.

It is muscle memory as you know.

Always single load the magazine rim over rim to avoid stoppages.

And pick three of you favourite stripper clips and clean and polish them until rounds run smoothly through them. The 5 round reload gets most people.

The coin is a game. You need a friend and a miniature target. Your friend puts the penny on the front sight flat. Fire, cycle, fire with drill rounds without it falling off.

If you could, please describe the no rifle motion, rolling hand action technique further. I’m interested in the balance, where the isometric muscle pressure is applied so as the free the bolt manipulation hand to do its job efficiently, what muscles and range of motion are ideal to gain best speed while ensuring good accuracy. Laying rounds into the 9 ring or better can be done many ways but the border of that scoring ring remains an objective arbiter throughout.

As you can see in the video, I was using a rapid fire method attuned to cock on open rifles that have higher initial bolt opening resistance. It works superbly with the 1903 Springfield and is the method I teach for CMP competition with that rifle.

But every rifle drives uniquely at the upper end of the performance range. I have read about the countless hours of a coin balanced on the front sight of the Lee-Enfield training technique but not done it in earnest. In the literature I have found the coin is mentioned in passing and that it was done studiously in the barracks by troops but the detail of the movements are not fully described. More pointers appreciated.

Cheers,
Dennis

One day I would very much like to visit Norway and learn the nuances of Stangskyting competition. Everything from the bolt manipulation to the use of the sling is different from the methods I normally use and clearly there for a purpose. I want to understand the the nature of the isometric muscle balance used for the position. The rate of accurate fire is amazing. I watch the videos of competitions with fascination wishing I could speak the language.

There are so many historical and regional sub-disciplines to the art of the rifle. I”m lucky to be able to explore them. It’s definitely worth the time to do so. One gains appreciation of people’s skills and you always make new friends in the process.

Dennis

Start in the sitting position and train with dry firing on a target without moving your head and the rifle off target.

Once you have that working, go to prone for the same. Start with a Deliberate approach then move to Rapid fire. But all the time head/foresight in position.

The Mauser action is tight and binds. The SMLE action (rear locker) is fast and smooth. If not smooth use some Breakfree on the bolt. Go for a “rolling” hand action.

And try to practise with some Drill Rounds if you can.

We did not bother to save it. It was a Memorial Day picnic and we were just enjoying ourselves. I shot on one of the other guy’s targets, checked it on the scope and thought nothing more of it. I originally posted the video on Facebook just to show I had some fun last weekend.

Dennis