Position for firing lying down.

Shooting lying down makes the shooter a small-sized target and allows you to ensure the greatest stability of the weapon.

Gun

When shooting a gun lying on his stomach, the shooter can hold the weapon with both hands, or one (left, right) hand. When you hold the two hands of the shooter rests his elbows on the surface, aligning the sighting device with the eyes and target on the same line (Fig. 1).

When holding the weapon with one hand, the free hand with the forearm rests on the surface, and the hand with the weapon can rest with the elbow on the surface, or maybe not, depending on the conditions (Fig. 2 A, Б).

It is important to note that when grasping with two hands or one with the support of the elbow on the surface, it is significantly difficult to transfer the fire to large angles, and it is impossible to produce it quickly at all. Shooting with an emphasis on the hands in such cases, shooting with one hand is applicable. The fire can be moved much faster, but the position itself is very uncomfortable because of the tension of the muscles of the arm and shoulder girdle. To perform the transfer of fire and avoid an uncomfortable position of the body, it is advisable to roll to the appropriate side (Fig. 3 A, Б).

For lying on the side with the gun, the horizontal position of the aiming devices is typical. They also get additional tension in the neck muscles.

Lying on your back allows you to fire towards the legs. In this position, the legs are slightly spread and bent. The torso and head are raised by an amount that allows you to visually control the weapon and the target. The weapon is easier to hold with a grip with both hands. When shooting from this position, it is necessary to monitor the legs, so that when transferring fire they do not fall under the trajectory of the bullet (Fig. 4).

Lying on your back, you can also fire towards the head. This should be possible to tip the head back, hands holding the weapons to transfer over your head so that the eye - sights - target appeared on the same line (Fig. 5).

Machine gun

With a long-barrelled weapon, you can fire lying on your stomach, on your side, and on your back. Taking into account the features of the weapon and its grip, the shooting positions differ from those of a pistol (Fig. 6).

The most common position is when the shooter is lying on his stomach (Fig. 7). The weapon rests with the butt in the shoulder fossa (in the absence of protective equipment on the arrow), while it is turned to the left at a small angle relative to the axis of the spine. The left leg is slightly off to the side. Both feet touch the ground with their heels (the latter is not necessary). The shoulders are slightly raised and are at the same level. The left hand holds the weapon by the forearm, which rests on its palm, or by a special handle. The elbow rests on the surface, creating a stop for holding the weapon and is under the weapon, or as close as possible to this place. The right hand also rests the elbow on the surface. Its fulcrum depends on the length of the shooter's arms. The right hand fully covers the pistol grip. This is the most common position in the Army.

This position is applicable both for long-range shooting and for close combat. In this position, as for short-barreled weapons, there is a problem of rapid transfer of fire to large angles, the need for which may arise in close combat. A long-barrelled weapon can't be intercepted like a pistol from one hand to the other. It involves the use of two hands. The only possible way to transfer fire is to change the position of the shooter on the stomach to the position on the side.

When shooting lying on the left side, the weapon also rests on the butt in the shoulder. The left hand rests from the shoulder to the elbow on the surface, the hand holds the forearm or a special handle, slightly shifting the point of support, which is located on the palm and the side of the forearm or handle. Sighting devices are rotated 90 degrees, relative to the normal position. When shooting at long ranges, a special correction is necessary, which can be ignored in close combat. The legs remain as in the lying position on the stomach, only turn in the appropriate direction and touch the surface of the upper – the inner edge of the foot, and the lower-the outer. In this position, the transfer of fire is good. To transfer the fire to small angles, it is enough to change the position of the forearm of the hand holding the forearm (Fig. 8 A, Б, B).

If you need to transfer at a large angle, the shooter moves the entire arm, changing the angle of the surface of the support of the hand (Fig. 9 A, Б, B).

It is also possible to position the shooter on the side, when the weapon rests on the lower shoulder. When resting on the right shoulder, this position is on the right side. In this case, the shooter with the left hand holds the weapon by the forearm or a special handle, adjusting the position of the hand and the bend of the elbow in the direction of the target. The right hand holds the pistol grip and touches the surface with the outside side, creating additional support (Fig. 10 A). In this position, it is also easy to carry out the transfer of fire (Fig. 10 Б), except for the position when the weapon is directed towards the legs at an acute angle. In this case, the right hand is inconvenient to hold the pistol grip (Fig. 10 B).

This position is used for shooting through low-placed holes or shelters that have an acute angle to the surface (tank tracks, etc.) (Fig. 11)

The prone shooting position is as follows: the shooter lies on his back, shifting the main weight to the right side of the glute and back. The shoulders are raised, the butt of the weapon rests against the armpit. The head is tilted to the right shoulder so that the eye, aiming devices and the target are on the same line.   The right arm from the shoulder to the elbow serves as an additional support. The hand holds the pistol grip. The palm of the left hand supports the forearm, and the hand rests on the inner thigh of the right leg. The legs are spread apart so that the feet do not fall into the possible trajectory of the bullet. The right foot touches the surface with the outside of the foot, and the left with the inside (Fig. 12 A). The transfer of fire in this position is possible only at small angles. But the shooting can be conducted with a sufficient degree of accuracy. Rapid transfer of fire lying on the back is possible when the weapon does not rest on the shoulder and is rotated along the axis 90 counterclockwise (Fig. 12 Б, B).

The described shooting positions can be changed and modified by the shooter to suit their anatomical and physiological characteristics. With the growth of professional skills and increased practice, the requirements for the certainty of the shooter's pose will decrease. The body on an unconscious level will assume a rational position.