silhouette for hunting practice

[daveb]

Maybe everyone else knows this, but I have been so happy with how my iron sight shooting has improved after I've shot silhouette some this summer. I use an 8" ruger governmeent model for the 3/8 size silhouettes in the scheduled matches here and a ruger 454 for hunting. Although I've yet to break 25 in silhouette, it's a real hoot. I was using the 454 offhand last Saturday and really noticed how much bigger the targets seemed, and how everything was easier. Silhouette is definitely in my future plans. Anybody else have the same experience?

[Mikey]

daveb:  yep, that is my experience.  I thought I was a pretty good shot with a handgun years ago but after shooting sillywets with open sights all I did was improve my hit capability and have a lot of fun doing it.

We used to have sillywet games in my locale during the dead of winter, which always makes the targets easier to see unless the snow is blowing and it's tough to get a sight picture 'cause your eyeballs are frozen over, but it was always a lot of fun.  The only real problem was trying to figure out the bullet drop when the temperatures dipped down below zero.  

When some of the big bore shooters would clean the field, the real challenge was to have them shoot the smaller targets with their big bores.  That was a hoot and really helped improve our handgunning skills.

It worked.  To this day I can make a standing shot on a still animal, if they hold still long enough, and some of my friends just ask 'how did he do that'.  It's still a lot of fun, especially when the weather is better.  HTH.  Mikey.

[Sixgun]

I had one of my sons shoot silhouettes with me for a summer before taking him deer hunting the first time.  He shot NRA Field Pistol with a Ruger 22/45 with a 4 power rifle scope on it.  He never got over about 25 either but he learned how to shoot.

I took him on a rifle hunt on an anterless hunt in central Idaho.  We were walking up a ridge and another hunter, who was at the top of the mountain, kicked 3 does down to us.  They were bouncing down the ridge to us and when they saw us they hit the bottom of the draw and really turned on the gas.  When they passed us they were going full speed at about 150 yards and down hill at about a 35 degree angle.  

My son asked if he should try a shot and I told him if he wanted to, to go ahead.  I added to lead the one he wanted about a body length and aim low to allow for the downhill shot.  

He did what I said and when he shot the lead deer did 3 sumersalts and laid still.  She wasn't dead but he had clipped her back bone right in the small of her back.

He has other things to do most of the time but always makes it a habit to go to silhouette practice with me the last few months before hunting season.  He always gets his meat in the freezer and I figure when he matures a little he will be a regular silhouette shooter.

Sixgun

[Jay HHI6818]

So have you rung and targets? HeHe. I shoot Big Bore with a FA in 44 Mag. Glad to see your hooked.