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Author Topic: How well do you shoot offhand?  (Read 832 times)

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Offline timothy

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How well do you shoot offhand?
« on: October 25, 2006, 11:56:11 PM »
I have a G2 Contender 14'' 223 that I'd like to use for hunting small game but I'm just not that good with it without a rest. Does anyone hunt offhand with a Contender and what kind off groups can you get at 25yards? Thanks
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Offline jpsmith1

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2006, 12:13:13 AM »
Well I just shot last night Offhand for the first time.  At 75 yards, I managed to keep all my shots on paper, which I felt was quite an accomplishment.  I did it mostly as a personal test and to fireform a batch of brass.

My advice, get a shooting stick.  It will help your shooting tremendously.
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Offline Redhawk1

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2006, 01:05:18 AM »
I second the shooting sticks.
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Offline Sixgun

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2006, 04:14:47 AM »
If you want to shoot off hand with that 14 inch 223, try using a taco hold.  Silhouette shooters do it all the time and consistently make hits out to 100 meters. 

For a taco hold, first you need to use a rifle scope.  Get a good 3X9 rifle scope and mount it on your contender.  Use one with a smaller bell on the front.  With the weak hand hold the barrel and the front bell of the scope and sight through the scope, just like you would if it were mounted on a rifle.  Unless you are really tough, only do this with light recoiling loads.  I use a Hornet for NRA Hunters pistol and it works great.  A 223 with a 14 inch barrel should work fine too. 

Another method that I use with my 14 inch 30-30 is a sling.  I put the sling around my neck and one shoulder and adjust it so it is tight when my arms are locked.  So I am pushing against the sling with my arms locked.  I can consistantly hit a 6 inch bull at 150 yards with this setup using hot loads.  I have a 2 power scope on my 30-30 barrel. 

Sixgun
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Offline Heavy C

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2006, 11:16:02 AM »
Not if I'm hunting.  It's too much weight to try and stabilize with a traditional two-hand hold.  Even though competitors do it on a regular basis in silhouette shooting I believe the pressure to hit is different when you consider trying to take an animal humanely.

Go with the shooting sticks and practice a lot.
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Offline Steve P

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #5 on: October 30, 2006, 03:45:54 PM »
Go do some silhouette shooting and see how good you get.  I have humanely taken many animals with my silhouette guns.  Furthest out to 275 yards was blacktail doe with scoped 7x30 waters contender.

Steve   8)
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Offline maineturkeyman

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2006, 09:17:04 AM »
i'm deer hunting with a "super 14"  30-30 with a tasco red dot sight.  i shoot it like a rifle and i have no problem with 6" groups at 125yds.(never shot it further out)
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Offline Heavy C

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2006, 12:38:55 PM »
Quote from: Steve P on October 30, 2006, 03:45:54 PM
Go do some silhouette shooting and see how good you get.  I have humanely taken many animals with my silhouette guns.  Furthest out to 275 yards was blacktail doe with scoped 7x30 waters contender.

Steve   8)

Steve, you sound like an experienced silhouette shooter.  I'm not saying it can't be done.  However, the original post sounded like they were just starting to expirement with shooting off-hand with a TC.  In which case it will take some time to get to where one can regularly take animals humanely. 
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Offline liv2shoot

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2006, 03:08:26 PM »
timothy

Most of the guys at the silhouette range we shoot at shoot there Contenders off hand.  It takes practice but you can get very good.  If you have a contender try to find a club the shoots silhouette.  Look on the IHMSA site to find a range close to you and try it.  Go to http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=388847&NoCaches=Yes

we have been shooting contenders for 6 years now and have dear and small game for that long with hand guns only.  Most of this is done off hand.  we shoot calibers 22 LR, 22 hornet, 223AI, 30-30, 7-30 waters, 308  all off hand.  Most of the bigger calibers have muzzel brakes on them and rifle scopes.  The 223 does not have a muzzel brake but has a rifle scope on it and we do not have problems shooting it out to 200 meters at our range.  Look at this site and find some of the pictures of people shooting off hand.  http://picasaweb.google.com/Ramringer40  Using a sling will give more stabillity. I feel I can shoot a hand gun with the sling better then I can a rifle because of the practice we put in. 

Anopther thing that will help is to get a triger job done on your contender.  But you have to be carfull with a light trigger if you are not use to them.  In silhouette shooting most guys have a trigger pull of about 1 pound or less.  For hunting this would be to light but a 2-3 pound trigger pull for hunting would improve you shooting.  Most contenders will come with as much as a 6 pound pull, very hard to shoot with.

Remember practice and you will get good

Good luck
Randy
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Offline Sixgun

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Re: How well do you shoot offhand?
« Reply #9 on: November 01, 2006, 04:41:03 AM »
I got him an Idaho Youth Hunt tag that entitled him to shoot any sex mule deer.  We went to one of my favorite areas and started up a draw.  I usually don't see any other hunters in this particular draw but this morning there were other hunters about a mile ahead of us, up the same draw.  I was watching them as we made our way up and saw three does sneak around them and start running down the bottom of the draw.  We were about 150 yards up on the right side of the draw and the does didn't see us but they were going full tilt down the draw.  I asked my son if he felt good about taking the shot.  He said he would give it a try and I told him to lead the front doe about a body length.  He did, and she did three summersaults when he shot.  He shot her dead center in the chest area and broke both front legs.  He was using a Remington 788 carbine in 308.  Was it luck.  That is always a possability but he has mads lots of difficult shots since then and he keeps practicing at the silhouette range. 

I say it was lots of practice that killed that first deer and I was one proud papa when that kid killed his first deer.

Sixgun
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