Service Rifle: Advanced Offhand Technique With Dan Lowe

by
posted on May 5, 2020

It’s not every day that you get to spend range time with a champion shooter, much less an Olympian. There I was hanging out at the 2020 SHOT Show meandering the booths, where sitting on a chair nonchalantly at the SCATT booth I find Dan Lowe.

Dan Lowe, with ShotMarker Service Rifle offhand plot
One of Dan Lowe’s ShotMarker plots from the offhand videos.


Lowe’s a legend in the International shooting community. He shot air rifle for Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He’s that guy that the other competitors watch looking warily over their shoulders as the tournament moves to the offhand stage because he’s going to hammer; and that keeps the pressure on until the very last shot. The U.S. Army Reserve SP4 is also a professional coach who is passing that knowledge on to junior air gun and smallbore rifle shooters via programs conducted throughout the country.

My personal introduction to Lowe was at the 2019 Service Rifle matches at Camp Perry where he won the National Trophy Individual (NTI) match, blasting a 497-15X. His hard holding was held in high regard at nightly get-togethers, where competitors and match officials gather to shoot the breeze.

After meeting him at Camp Perry, naturally I was excited to follow up with Lowe during SHOT Show. Our conversation noted the dearth of up-to-date material on advanced technique in the press, particularly when it comes to shooting the latest generation of scoped Service Rifle AR-15s. Regarding articles we’d both read, there was a lot of “Do you shoot like that?” and “No, I don’t shoot like that.” So, we decided to make a service rifle video series. (You can watch Part 1 at the top of this article.)

Rifle and Gear

Scoped service rifle for highpower
The author’s rifle and gear.


We used a typical scoped service rifle you will find on the line at a high power match today. Its core is a 1:7 inch-twist Krieger barrel set up by White Oak Precision. The gun has a Geissele service rifle trigger group, a Nightforce Comp SR-1 scope sitting on a Keystone Armory cantilever mount. The handguard is a Geissele Mark 7 with 1/2 rod lead weights in each side and rubber coverings. The rear is a Magpul Gen1 with a Stealth Ballistics weight in the pocket. The sling is a Doc Jones service rifle sling, similar ones are available from Eric Hollis. Finally, the ammunition is 77-grain Sierra MatchKings over a moderate charge of Varget, seated to magazine length. 

Offhand Videos

These three videos will take you about an hour to watch. You’ll want to watch them again with a notebook in your hands. Collectively, these videos are a candid brain dump on how a bona fide champion goes about making 10s and Xs.

In Part 1, Lowe and I discuss the details of setting up his offhand position, including the nuances of balance, muscle and the process of getting into the rifle for each shot. We also talk about the shooting gear and how it influences what you pay attention to. Rifle configuration, ergonomics, distribution of the weight of the rifle are also covered. Additionally, there is a review of aligning yourself on the target, approaching the target and the most holy of voodoo—pondering the wind. 

Part 2 is all about execution, beginning with enhanced trigger technique. Lowe talks about what he is paying attention to in that one second prior to the trigger breaking. Transferring learning curve from his International training, he discusses his use of the SCATT electronic trainer for trigger control practice and analysis. Notice in his narrative that Lowe has a very disciplined checklist of steps burned into his brain. His emphasis on consistency and repeatability are profound.

Part 3 is a nine-minute segment that is one of the best on building natural point of aim (NPA). It’s literally Olympic. You will learn how important the details of the feet are to the game. Note how many times Lowe checks and re-checks the NPA. This is where he puts hours of practice to be able to compress the entire process into a three-minute preparation period. I incorporated this methodology into my offhand setup and can attest to the fact that it does vastly improve the ease of making a good shot.


See more: What You Need To Know About High Power Rifle Competition

Latest

Lakecity8 8Mm Feb2025 1
Lakecity8 8Mm Feb2025 1

Winchester Celebrates Groundbreaking For 6.8 mm Ammo Facility At Lake City Army Ammunition Plant

The groundbreaking ceremony was for the state-of-the-art 6.8 mm ammunition facility at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri.

Beretta USA Adds Junior Skeet World Champion Ben Keller To Shooting Team

At only 20 years old, skeet shooter Benjamin Keller has already made a significant impact in the competitive shooting world.

Team Federal Shotgun Shooters Named To 2025 U.S. National Skeet, Trap Teams

Four Federal Ammunition sponsored shooters earned spots on the USA Shooting National Shotgun Teams for 2025.

The Long Gun Road To World Shoot

The 2026 IPSC Shotgun World Shoot will take place in Corinth, Greece, in September 2026, and the 2027 IPSC Rifle World Shoot will be in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in August 2027.

Ace Virtual Shooting VR Handgun Shooting Simulator Adds Staccato HD P4 Handset To Lineup

Ace Virtual Shooting unveils new licensed Staccato HD P4 pistol handset for its virtual reality handgun shooting simulator.

Suman Sanghera On Camp Perry Open Victory: ‘Sometimes Getting Lost In The Process Is The Best Strategy’

Suman Sanghera wins Junior, Open Air Pistol titles at 2025 Camp Perry Open in January.

Interests



Get the best of Shooting Sports USA delivered to your inbox.