Practical Hunting Rifle Accuracy

[Fred M]

Krochus wrote

None of the above. I get a rifle well sighted in off the bench then I "practice" by shooting 100yd clay pigeons offhanded. I pass on shots over 300yds so for me extended range shooting practice isn't neccacary. I think offhanded shooting practice is much more important than a lot of people realize.

Good philosophy. With all the rain this year the grass and brush is so high a bipod is not much use in flat country where I hunt. I do a lot of gopher shooting mostly off hand or off the top of fence pole. Bench shooting is relegated to load testing and benchrest matches. Yes 300 yards is are my long shots and that is mostly on Antelope.

[aulrich]

Haywire

That's an very valid point it's fine to be able to shoot  400+ yards (right gear and right training) but if all you hunt is 50 yards, you can safely say you both shoot and hunt as distinct hobbies.

Montanan

That shoot was the perfect hunting practice variable field ranges hard to see targets in failing light and no bullseyes.

[Cottonwood]

Haywire

That's an very valid point it's fine to be able to shoot  400+ yards (right gear and right training) but if all you hunt is 50 yards, you can safely say you both shoot and hunt as distinct hobbies.

Montanan

That shoot was the perfect hunting practice variable field ranges hard to see targets in failing light and no bullseyes.

Thanks aulrich

We try and do this like a 3-D course that bow hunters go thru, only at rifle shooting distances out to 200 yards.  I'm in the process of making a standing whitetail, black bear, russian boar, mt lion, caribou and bull elk.  The animals that are 5' and 6' at the shoulder will take some extra large size cardboard to make.  After I get the templets made, I may make some nice 1/2" steel swingers for my own range in the upper pasture.

On the Steel Swingers - Only bullets that are JSP round nose core lock design or a cast lead round flat point with fat meplat under 2400 fps.   We found that the other type of calibers using spire point, spitzer and the like designs would punch holes in 1/2 steel at 100 yards or damage the steel real good. The nice thing is you can hear your hits on the steel swingers

Cardboard Cut-Outs - Any caliber or bullets can be used.  Tan brown packaging tape covers the holes, and the cost of my cardboard is free ta boot from the Auto Body Shops. Drawback is having to walk up and check your hits.[/i]
 
One shot per target is all that is required on the run thru of the course.

[quickdtoo]

Jon,

I've shot at a lot of permanent life size animal targets that were made of ext plywood with a metal swinger in the appropriate spot for a target, but the swinger wasn't painted any different so there's no aimpoint. The swinger is attached to linkage that would wave a flag if the swinger was hit, signaling a hit to the scorekeeper. These were on blackpowder trailwalks and were the most fun of all targets, much more so than just a metal "clanger" even though they're fun too!

One of the most fun targets was a life size pig hung on a cable that ran from up in a tree down to the ground on the opposite side of the canyon. It was all steel with a "heart" swinger in the appropriate spot, it clanged and swung if hit properly for a kill and score. It had a retreival system so each shooter could shoot "at" it on it's run from one side of the canyon to the other....what a blast!!!

Another was a life size griz on the attack, it started from a point about 40yds up a hill. The first shot was at a bear cub with the adult, when the cub was hit, the adult bear started it's trip down the cable directly at the shooter, who had to reload, prime and shoot the bear in the kill zone for score before it got to the end of the cable just in front of the shooter!! Not many could do it in time, to say the least.....it weeded out the men from the boys, for sure!!! Reload time until a kill shot only took about 12 seconds....then ya got et :eek:

[NONYA]

sounds like a great shooting range,we used to mount targets inside old tires and roll them down a slight hil to provide low to the ground moving targets.