If the test of a rifle is paramount. Then just shoot them in a mechanical rest and take out the human factor all together.
The inverse of what you say is also true. There are things that you learn shooting standing that you will be hard pressed to learn off a rest.
I was quoting a comment from the PAST and its still valid today. The “chunk” matches were the common form of recreation on the frontier and elsewhere well into the mid-19th C. And many were still happening in the 20th c. OF COURSE shooting requires skill on the part of the shooter regardless of the position. But standing IS a poor test of a rifle and this is easily proven with a couple of 10 shot strings, one standing and one prone or from a rest at 60 yards, a historical distance for rifle matches. You might want to ask yourself why my stating a simple historical fact (if you read “The Frontier Rifleman” by LaCrosse you should find the quote) pushed your buttons to the point you were apparently “offended” and thought I needed to be corrected. All the ML matches I shoot are standing. I shoot a LOT of standing in a different discipline. I shot a 50 or 70 shot match at 50 feet indoor with an air rifle upper on my “black rifle” this summer at Camp Perry. I understand standing very well. I know that most ML matches today are shot standing, but this does not change the HISTORY of RIFLE SHOOTING in America. Which some people seem to either ignore or do not understand. I was simply trying to give a history lesson. This was my point in this months match and in the post you did not seem to like. I could not care less how someone wants to shoot. I shot an all offhand ML match yesterday, rifle and pistol and drove over 100 miles one way to get to it and the last 7-8 miles take 30 minutes or more to traverse to get the ranch where it is being held, which is at the end of a “rough” road even by Montana standards. I like to shoot. I like to compete. I don’t care if its shot standing or sitting or prone or rest of what era the rifle is from. Most the matches I shoot are all three and are not shot with MLs.
I have been shooting and hunting with MLs for about 55 years now. I spent a lot of time when working for Shiloh Rifle shooting things besides MLs. At this time I was shooting 50 ft indoor STANDING with a SS 22 as training for the next year. I shoot a lot with “black rifles”. A lot compared to what I can with MLs and a put on a lot of miles to do it I suspect I put near 5000 miles on my pickup last year going to ML and other matches. Because I like the sport of rifle shooting and I don’t care what the rifle looks like or its design.
One other thing when hunting I never shoot standing if I have a choice. I always shoot sitting, prone or use some support like a tree or rock.
However, it is very difficult to find out what position people shot from. In the past on page 20 of “Colonial Riflemen in The American Revolution” we find an account of an shooting exhibition put on by Captain. Cresap’s riflemen August 1, 1775. Its too long to quote here but here is an excerpt.
While they state without a rest they don’t give the position the shooter may have used.
On page 21 we find a quote from Col. George Hanger who at the time was a captain in Tarelton’s Legion.
“The Frontier Rifleman” has various quotes period descriptions of Cresap’s men shooting standing, laying on their backs and on their bellys.
This was painted in the 1870s IIRC and is a “plank” rest used in winter when the ground was snow covered etc. Of if the ground was wet.
The man with the cigar seems to have a tube sight or possible a scope.
