4 long time hunters, approx how many rounds have you used per year

philhut

philhut

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
34   0   0
Location
GTA, Ontario
I am just getting into the sport. 2yrs now. I am trying to figure out a realistic commune of SP rounds I will actually use over the next (hoping) 35+yrs I am 37 now. I will be hunting moose and then deer a week each per year for as long as I can. How many rounds have you used typically to sight in and while away on the hunt over the years?

I have in 2 yrs used about 30 rounds sighting (2 rifles) and fired 9 rounds total in the woods. Would this be typical acting about 20rds per yr of use?

This is just your hunting SP rounds, not counting anything else you shoot for fun/target practise at the range between hunts.
 
Last edited:
You should be shooting more than a box a year just to shoot your gun, you may not have to sight it in but to consider the amount of rounds needed in a hunt I guess I can break it down.

I have hunted for 18 years, I have shot 7 rounds of high power rifle in a big game hunting situation, I have shot 6 rounds of shotgun ammo in a big game hunting situation.

I recently counted my empty brass and I would say I have shot over 1000rds of hunting ammo in different big game rifles over that same time frame.
 
You are doing yourself and the animals you hunt a dis-service if you only shoot a bare minimum amount of rounds per year. If you are going to enter into this "sport" and attempt to become proficient on a box a year, well, maybe pick a new pass-time. It might sound harsh but ...

Typically I'll shoot 300-400 rounds, of the same ammo I use to hunt with, a year over 3 rifles, a 308, 7-08 and 375 H&H, add a couple hundred more if I use my '06 as well. Hunting I seem to use 1, rarely 2 rounds. This amount allows me to stay very familiar with that rifle and I know my POA's over various distances.

YMMV

RC
 
Tuffcity said:
You are doing yourself and the animals you hunt a dis-service if you only shoot a bare minimum amount of rounds per year. If you are going to enter into this "sport" and attempt to become proficient on a box a year, well, maybe pick a new pass-time. It might sound harsh but ...

Typically I'll shoot 300-400 rounds, of the same ammo I use to hunt with, a year over 3 rifles, a 308, 7-08 and 375 H&H, add a couple hundred more if I use my '06 as well. Hunting I seem to use 1, rarely 2 rounds. This amount allows me to stay very familiar with that rifle and I know my POA's over various distances.

YMMV

RC
Click to expand...

You can sight in with one, maybe a costly premium, and then shoot the cheaper generic stuff to learn your gun and get better at shooting but I agree 100%, you need to shoot to get good at shooting.

300-400 per gun, nice, I take it you reload for those.
 
Tuffcity said:
You are doing yourself and the animals you hunt a dis-service if you only shoot a bare minimum amount of rounds per year. If you are going to enter into this "sport" and attempt to become proficient on a box a year, well, maybe pick a new pass-time. It might sound harsh but ...

Typically I'll shoot 300-400 rounds, of the same ammo I use to hunt with, a year over 3 rifles, a 308, 7-08 and 375 H&H, add a couple hundred more if I use my '06 as well. Hunting I seem to use 1, rarely 2 rounds. This amount allows me to stay very familiar with that rifle and I know my POA's over various distances.

YMMV

RC
Click to expand...
This is good advice. I might shoot 2-3 rnds a yr at an animal. Sometimes close to 10. For practice more like 500-700 full power centerfire, most from a standing unsupported position. Yes, reloading is good investment. You owe it to your prey to a practice.
 
I'm a hunter, but perhaps more of a shooter than a hunter.. I put 400-500 rounds a year through my hunting rifles, both at the range and out in the bush during the summer for long range practice. I shoot a few thousand pistol rounds and shotgun would be in the hundreds yearly. I enjoy shooting and because of that have gained some skill and the confidence to hunt a bit further out. I get grumpy if I havn't gone shooting for more than a couple weeks. lol
 
How long is a ball of string?

Hard question to answer.

On many years, while big game hunting, i have fired but one single round (last year included). That's actually hunting. I know many hunters, who rarely shoot more than 5 rds a year. That includes verifying zero.

This year, during deer season, i shot a total of 16 rounds from 2 different guns.

Practice, however, is an entirely different thing. I try to shoot AT LEAST 100 rounds out of each hunting rifle per year. This year, it was well over 800. 300/500 respectively.
 
Last edited:
I have lots of ammo to shoot everything, im in full.agreement that practise is impprtant. I don't plan on shooting the best stuff all year long though. I'm not talking about practise rounds. My hunting rounds group awesome and the cheaper stuff groups slightly wider. I just make sure the guns are clean and sight in a week or so before hunting. I have rifles set up in 8mm, 7.62x54 and 7.62x39. I have found factory SP loads that group/shoot well out of the guns that would be used to hunt (cz527,mauser,mosin PU, m38) carbines for pushes lol.

I am happy with the guns/calibers I have currently.
Some yrs I know I may shoot nothing at the camp other years the deer may come in force and you'll need a whole box... I'm just curious what people have actually used numbers-wise. I'd rather buy what I need instead of small lots here and there of a few boxes at a time.
 
I think its unrealistic for some people to shoot that much. When youre retired maybe... lol. So if you want a cheaper more viable option...

Shoot a 22lr from sitting, standing, kneeling, at least 500 rounds per year. get a good idea of how to shoot and what kind of shot you are. Then I would say 1 box per year for your hunting rifle. 15 to check your zero and practice. Bring 5 on your hunt. Never know if you will lose 1 or maybe have 2 fail to fires. Always good to have extra. Whatever you dont use one your hunt can be added to your next range trip pre hunting season. Yes, if its the only centerfire you shoot you might not be used to recoil, so shoot something else or your hunting rifle more.

Also just a tip. LEARN TO USE A SLING. Makes non or slightly supported shots way easier. Practice using a sling to shoot. Or how to lean on a tree or tree branches. Also.... if you have the cash you should reload, its really fun and gives you more confidence in your ammo.

Good Hunting!
 
It would depend on how many rifle I may hunt with over the year, but 500 rounds is not an unrealistic figure.
Most often, the practice leads up to 1 shot, 1 animal. 2 shots, 2 animals, etc. But the time spent shooting
and getting comfortable with the rifle, building confidence in the load plus one's ability is time well spent. EE.
 
In 4 years of hunting, I've shot once at a big game animal. Meanwhile I've shot about 400rds through my hunting rifle, and thousands through other rifles.
 
The OP only asked about hunting ammunition and I believe he implied he practices with cheaper ammunition which makes sense to me. I don't practice with premium bullets so I shoot about 20 of them a year for sighting in and hunting per rifle. I do shoot about 2k total per year in all my rifles and about 500 for my shotgun and 2k for pistol shooting. Hunting is fun but too short so I shoot at paper from field positions for practice or from the bench when trying a new load. I've hunted with people who don't practice and its frustrating when they miss an easy shot or worse yet wound a game animal. This year I used one shot from my muzzleloader and my season was done so my rifles didn't get any exercise.
 
Shoot whatever you think is sufficient for maintaining proficiency. My grandfather never worried about practice or sighting in and took 17 animals with one box of 20.
 
I shoot a lot in the off season, but mostly .22. Probably shoot 60 to 80 rounds of center fire. As far as hunting I have killed 68 animals with one shot, another 47 required more rounds (but usually only two). Six more animals required extensive tracking before recovery. Sad to say, I lost five animals that were not recovered, this was mostly when I first started hunting, back in the 70's and lacked both experience and self discipline. The self discipline would be knowing when to take the shot and knowing when to pass. Probably one of the hardest aspects of hunting.
 
Using hunting rifles, I use one or two rounds a year to check sight-in every spring before bear hunting, and again before hunting in the fall. Usually fire one or two shots for actual harvest of each animal.

Other firearms, its several hundred per year in load development, and another couple hundred to stay proficient and just having fun.

Ted
 
Last edited:
philhut said:
I am just getting into the sport. 2yrs now. I am trying to figure out a realistic commune of SP rounds I will actually use over the next (hoping) 35+yrs I am 37 now. I will be hunting moose and then deer a week each per year for as long as I can. How many rounds have you used typically to sight in and while away on the hunt over the years?

I have in 2 yrs used about 30 rounds sighting (2 rifles) and fired 9 rounds total in the woods. Would this be typical acting about 20rds per yr of use?

This is just your hunting SP rounds, not counting anything else you shoot for fun/target practise at the range between hunts.
Click to expand...

I know some others think you need to put 300-400 rounds through your rifle each year, but i'm pretty close to what you've said. My hunting rifles and hunting ammo i usually shoot 5-10 rounds to make sure it's still hitting where i want it to, and occasionally adjust my scope a bit if needed before the season starts. So your assumption of a box a year is reasonable depending on how much hunting you do. if it is a new rifle that you're not familiar with, you might want more than that just to get used to it, but if it's your "old reliable" than you're not going to forget where the safety is.

That being said, i do agree with them saying you need to shoot more than 1 or 2 times a year to keep your skills up, but i have no problems shooting other rifles and cheaper ammo all summer for practice and just making sure i am confident with the shots i am taking.
 
I shoot a box or two out of my hunting rifle each season leading up to the season opener (sighting in included), this year it's been one round a deer while hunting. I shoot regularly all year though and approach it all as practice or training, as in trigger control, sight alignment and follow through. It's all practice regardless of the firearm or calibre.
 
I know ammo can be pricey but you need to know your gun. For me I determine the number of shots for a hunting gun with a 12 inch plate. If I want to be able to shoot at 300 yards I need to be able to put three shots into that plate if not more practice or load development or what ever is needed and so on with whatever ranges you want to be proficient at. If you want to shoot at 3 or 4 hundred yards you can't just shoot one group at 100 yards that is 1 or two inches high and say good to go you need to actually shoot at that range.

To hone your overall shooting skills that good old 22 is still cheap practice. IMHO a day at the range burning powder is always a good thing and never a waste of time or ammo. If your ammo is pricey just one thing to say. Get into reloading.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom