On Offhand shooting I have my support hand (left)turned so that the heel of my palm is supporting the rifle with my fingers pointed out to the left toward the 10 o'clock position. My left elbow is tucked in as tight as possible to my body. I used a heavy barreled Sharps in 45-70 with the holy black & a 405 gr. bullet to shoot that small offhand group. It was witnessed by Lone Yankee,who is a NRA Training Counselor. I was using his rifle at the time. :grin:
With sticks,I like a bit of padding on them & allow the rifle to recoil freely. On paper targets like the SR-1,I use a 6 o'clock hold. I shoot a lot & I load all the ammo that I shoot.
I've been shooting for 40 years. To get really good with a rifle takes quality practice. Not blasting away like you are repelling boarders. You need a rifle with a nice trigger. And it needs to be a good accurate rifle to start with.All my rifles are very accurate,but it takes time & money to build a nice collection.
If you need clarification on anything I've written here,feel free to ask.