Good hunting practice?

[erickrschaefer]

Well guys I have another question for you. This is the way I have been approaching my practice with the handgun. First I sight in from a bench and get it shooting about 2" high at 50yds. My next phase is to go out (in safe shooting areas)  and place orange skeet targets at various ranges from 30-70yds. I then take the shots using various positions and field expedient rests just like you would under hunting conditions. I consider every broken target a dead deer. I put out 6 targets and when I get so I can break all six I figure I will be ready for deer hunting. I also do a lot of dry firing excercise almost every day, where as the actual range practice occurs 1-2 times a week. Do you guys feel this will be worth while practice>

Thanks,
Erick

[Jerry Lester]

Absolutely with out a doubt. "Any" practice is good practice.

I'd suggest an even split between offhand(no rest), and resting from possible "field" objects like trees, or fences. I try to take a rest when hunting as often as I can, but for some reason, the majority of my shots at game have to be taken with out the aid of a rest.

You might want to pay careful attention to how you actually use a rest. If you let your revolver directly contact a hard rest, it'll sometimes bounce off on recoil, and cause a miss, or worse yet, a wounding shot. Use the rest to steady your hands, wrists, or forearms, instead of the gun it's self.

The best practice I can think of (it's what I do a lot), is to hunt varmints with your pistol before deer season. I usually put in quite a few hours of groundhog hunting during the summer, which keeps me on my toes for deer when the season rolls around here in Virginia.

[Lloyd Smale]

its a real good way to practice do like was previously said and practice alot in field positions. What i did is make a bunch of steel plates and spinners and put them at various ranges out to 100 yards. I shoot them from various posistions and angles. Its good pratice and its a ball plus you dont have to keep going and replacing the clays. My range is my own though and i dont have to worry about bullets deflecting or people stealing my targets. I have a couple  made up on a stand that i take to the town range when theres not many people around.

[Mikey]

erickrschaefer:  Way to go!  That's dang good practice, especially with handguns.  If you can bust all six at the ranges you indicated you should be well practiced and ready for hunting season.

Unbroken clay pigeons are very good targets.  At my club range, once or twice a year depending on the success (variable) of the trap and skeet shooters, handgunners and riflemen glom the unbroken clays and use them at the 50 and 100 yd lines for rapid fire targets.  We have a blast with that AND maintain our skills at the same time.  The only rules are that you must be standing, use what you normally hunt with and bring all the ammo you can shoot.  

However, judging by the volume of fire, the trap and skeet folks may wind up a bit red-faced.  But we have fun............ Good on ya.  Keep at it!  Mikey.

[Glanceblamm]

Ericrschaefer
Very good idea. I tryed a permanet setup using 1" black angle iron & (ten schedual) stainless plates.

My first outing with the Ruger in .45 Colt darn near destroyed everything.
The Clays sound like the way to go.

[SingleShotShorty]

I do almost the same thing except I use 2 liter pop bottles filled with water. My daugther goes through the woods and sets them up in various conditions then I walk through like going through an archery range. The daughter tells me what shot I can take as offhand with a tree rest or setting etc. makes for allot of fun and good practice. I do the same with my 308 Encore but at longer ranges. Sure like seeing the bottle blow up. the only draw back is having to pick all of them up for disposal but that ok to I can alway's use the work out. :wink: