Barnes_270
Regular
- Location
- Langley, BC
Exactly. There's a place for both. The latter is far, far more important for hunting, of course.
Do hunters overthink accuracy
- Thread starter heronfish
- Start date
Exactly. There's a place for both. The latter is far, far more important for hunting, of course.
I think this is it. I've long said that accuracy is important in a hunting rifle, but it's not THE most important thing.
SO many times I've read on here about how a 3 MOA rifle wasn't good enough for hunting, ignoring the fact that for decades hunters used 30/30's or old .303's with factory iron sights which were basically 3MOA rifles, and Jack O'Connor proclaimed 2MOA rifles to be "extremely accurate" and was killing deer at over 350 yards with them.
Like most hand loaders, I like to work with a rifle to get the most out of it, get the groups as tight as possible, but that is more because I fin it interesting. And as I've never killed anything over 400 yards, I doubt if it mattered if my rifle shot 3" or 6" groups at 400.
This is me to a tee.
Hunting is a few weeks of the year. Chasing accuracy is all year.
They are related, but at the same time different pursuits.
Modern rifles, that are relatively inexpensive, are capable of accuracy that would have made our parents'/grandparents' generations drop their jaws. Why not take advantage?
BTW, I only brag to my friends
It boils down to confidence.I know when I pull the trigger on an animal that my rifle will do it's part.That is because I have spent the time on the range finding out what works at all practical distances. It just gives me the confidence before pulling the trigger. That's just me. Whatever gets the meat in the freezer for you is fine with me
If you've gone as far as handloading, accuracy is now a hobby or passion. And just like all other hobbies, good enough just doesn't exist. You're always striving for just that little extra bit. To be that extra little bit better. Racing and golf are two others that it's very easy to get carried away with and beyond practical. I golf rarely, when I do it's more to get out in the sun, have a beer and some fun with friends. Then there's that guy who seems to be trying out for the PGA tour and spends the whole day pissed off about a bad drive or something, but it's still just recreation. He's so invested he's missed the point.
This is me to a tee.
Hunting is a few weeks of the year. Chasing accuracy is all year.
They are related, but at the same time different pursuits.
Modern rifles, that are relatively inexpensive, are capable of accuracy that would have made our parents'/grandparents' generations drop their jaws. Why not take advantage?
BTW, I only brag to my friends
Even old rifles with modern day reloading tools would make grand pappy roll over in his grave with the accuracy achievable. Some of my most accurate rifles were made between 1910's and 1940's.
This is true, good example.... Several weeks ago I bought a very nice Winchester Mo. 55 TD in 30-30.
Curiosity got the better of me so I made up some loads out of my Ken Waters book and off to the range.
First load with a 150 gr. Winchester FP over 748 powder was scattered but the second load using the same bullet over H322 powder made a 1.87" horizontal group, not bad for a rifle made in 1925..
VanIsleCam
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I'm new to the game but practice offhand, kneeling etc. in part because shooting off a bench rest gets a little old after awhile. Brobee's Hunter Marksman challenge is a good way to make sure you are covering a bunch of common shooting positions. Test target for the challenge is a 20cm circle which is pretty much a pie plate.
I still stick with the old 25 yard sight in rule
if I im getting under 1 MOA at 25 yard I know my Point of aim should be good out to at lease 150 yards and that's good enough for most of BC hunting
I don't reload yet but I have all the equipment to get started so my thinking may change wen I start reloading lol
if I im getting under 1 MOA at 25 yard I know my Point of aim should be good out to at lease 150 yards and that's good enough for most of BC hunting
I don't reload yet but I have all the equipment to get started so my thinking may change wen I start reloading lol
When I moved to Ottawa, I started shooting at one of the local clubs. We weren't allowed to shoot standing, and only at their prescribed ranges. So I started bench shooting. Got pretty good at it too. Consistently getting 1 to 1.5 MOA, sometimes much better than that. But I hardly ever shot offhand. When I started hunting again, I had become a rotten shot. Where I could almost always pop a grouse's head off out to 30 yards, I would now miss a deer at 40 yards. I moved to a different range, and we are allowed to shoot standing. I picked up a few lever rifles, started shooting offhand, sitting and kneeling, and now I'm back to a point where I am halfway comfortable with my shooting.
Paper and critters are 2 completely different worlds. Minute of deer is just fine in the field. Being able to wipe a mosquito's butt with a bullet at 2 miles is for target shooters.
Im more scared of the Obsession You know sum off us Indians have a addictive personalities
I already get my salf into my share of trouble collecting guns and hunting
If accuracy was everything we'd all be hunting with benchrest guns with designer bullets, or F-Class guns or at the very least a 14 pound LR killing machine. If you're not, and you're probably not, you've already compromised accuracy for portability. Do you use target bullets or carefully chosen hunting bullets? Darn, more compromises. While we're on bullets do you use the one you believe has the best terminal performance for your application or the one that shoots the best? Either way you're compromising. How about wind drift? Do you pick the one the drifts the least and helps you hit, or the one that puts all the near misses closer together?
Even the no compromise crowd makes quite a few compromises, good enough decisions and less is more choices before they even start.
Even the no compromise crowd makes quite a few compromises, good enough decisions and less is more choices before they even start.
Do hunters "over think accuracy"?? ......yes, accuracy off the bench only means the rifle is capable, but it does not mean the hunter is capable of achieving it's full potential off the bench!!!!
It's hunting, and there's no bench in the field so practice shooting in field positions gives the hunter the confidence required to hit his game under field positions.
I've been hunting for 50 years, shoot competively, and was an outfitter/guide for 35. Most of my clients were not bench rest shooters and were happy with 2" groups, but in the field their game went down!
A super accurate rifle only should give the hunter confidence in his rifle, not his ability!
It's hunting, and there's no bench in the field so practice shooting in field positions gives the hunter the confidence required to hit his game under field positions.
I've been hunting for 50 years, shoot competively, and was an outfitter/guide for 35. Most of my clients were not bench rest shooters and were happy with 2" groups, but in the field their game went down!
A super accurate rifle only should give the hunter confidence in his rifle, not his ability!
Some hunters overthink accuracy for sure, but I have seen a quite a few over the years hunting with rifles not sighted in or sighted in with a different ammo...
I would hear a conversation like this:"Did you sight in your rifle? I hit a rock...How far was this rock? Far enough..."
I would hear a conversation like this:"Did you sight in your rifle? I hit a rock...How far was this rock? Far enough..."
- Location
- Ft. Mac. Alberta
Rifle Accuracy is so over rated and Hunter accuracy is so under rated these days and that the majority of hunters have forgotten how to actually hunt and shoot using field positions .
endless hours are spent fussing over crap light a powder charge difference of 1/2 grain or 3 feet of velocity when all the shooter is doing is shooting off a bench with a rifle set up that sometimes costs thousands of dollars for the sake of accuracy for that " long range shot" if 1/2 MOA group .
Then , when the hunter goes afield and misses or wounds an animal at 150 yards offhand because he didn't practise that way, the rifle is blamed, the bullet/ cartridge combination is blamed , the scope is blamed , everything everything is blamed
EXCEPT the nut behind the bolt !
If many people spent less time worrying about stuff and actually shooting from field positions and learning about animal behaviour more, they would become better hunters and killers , but I have been told many times I have been wrong on this - mostly by guys who flinch like a dog with a tick because they are over gunned and over scoped !
Cat
endless hours are spent fussing over crap light a powder charge difference of 1/2 grain or 3 feet of velocity when all the shooter is doing is shooting off a bench with a rifle set up that sometimes costs thousands of dollars for the sake of accuracy for that " long range shot" if 1/2 MOA group .
Then , when the hunter goes afield and misses or wounds an animal at 150 yards offhand because he didn't practise that way, the rifle is blamed, the bullet/ cartridge combination is blamed , the scope is blamed , everything everything is blamed
EXCEPT the nut behind the bolt !
If many people spent less time worrying about stuff and actually shooting from field positions and learning about animal behaviour more, they would become better hunters and killers , but I have been told many times I have been wrong on this - mostly by guys who flinch like a dog with a tick because they are over gunned and over scoped !
Cat
Enough is enough when you decide it's enough....... Inch and a half groups are perfectly fine for the majority of hunting situations.....
Every rifle is different..... Every hunt is different.... Personally I like to use the one inch at 100 rule, but if I had a nice rifle that I enjoyed carrying and somehow couldn't get it to bench shoot better than an inch and a half it wouldn't stop me from taking it out whitetail hunting where almost all of my shots are under 100 yards..... But it wouldn't be good enough for me for a yote hunt where my shots could exceed 300 yards......
Yes, for short range hunts. Definately no for long range hunts, practice from variuos positions is key. Various ranges too.
Printing cloverleafs at 100 yds means diddely squat when adrenaline kicks in and there is a trophy at 400.
Printing cloverleafs at 100 yds means diddely squat when adrenaline kicks in and there is a trophy at 400.
