How accurate does a hunting rifle need to be?
- Thread starter Buckmastr
- Start date
When I'm out at the range, especially prior to hunting season, I'm convinced most hunters with the long range rigs must hunt with an instantly deployable shooting bench in their back pocket. Seeing guys shooting off their hind legs, sitting, kneeling, etc with what look like hunting rifles is a pretty rare occurrence.
Getting used to shooting my 358 Norma Magnum from field shooting positions after I got it was a bit of an eye opener when the biggest thing I'd fired before was the ubiquitious 30/06s around the house.
I agree with the observation that many "hunters" bench their rifles at 100 M and do not
practice any field positions, nor do they check their rifles at 200 and 300 M
I shoot prone, sitting, leaning on a tree trunk and kneeling. My effective range varies
in relation to which position I am shooting from. Offhand is the worst for me. Dave.
practice any field positions, nor do they check their rifles at 200 and 300 M
I shoot prone, sitting, leaning on a tree trunk and kneeling. My effective range varies
in relation to which position I am shooting from. Offhand is the worst for me. Dave.
The "write up" is from Jack O'Connor if I'm not mistaken.
nowarningshot
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Someone already said it. Hit a paper plate at the maximum distance you expect to shoot a.animal. I would add, from field shooting conditions, and with a caliber and projectile capable of good terminal performance.
Great you can hit a moose at 600 yards. Your 308, 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, doesn't have enough speed left to open the projectile, or energy to ethically take the.animal. The concrete bench at the club, cannot be carried.
Great you can hit a moose at 600 yards. Your 308, 243, 6.5 Creedmoor, doesn't have enough speed left to open the projectile, or energy to ethically take the.animal. The concrete bench at the club, cannot be carried.
The importance of precision measured in fractions of an inch isn’t as much as we’d wish out where drop and wind drift are measured in feet.
Its a bit like hoping that measuring with a micrometer will aid cutting with a chainsaw.
Its a bit like hoping that measuring with a micrometer will aid cutting with a chainsaw.
Pragmatically, the hunters who only get out their hunting rifles in the days, weeks before hunting season begins are starting behind the 8 ball. At busy ranges at that time of the year, with the benches full, everybody is waiting for that one guy who is walking back and forth to the 300 yard butts, while everybody else is back and forth to the 100, because 99% aren't going past 100?
I've always been curious why guys who pile cash into high end hunting rifles that look set up to shoot at distance apparently don't like taking them out at different times of the year to simply shoot them for fun if not for practice. And why not under challenging conditions i.e. like silhouette shooting, rather than plonking down to shoot off the bench.
Different strokes for different folks, obviously.
This is absolutely true.
One must shoot their rifle at targets equal to the range they plan to shoot the game at. I have had rifles that shot under MOA at 100 but grouped 6' or more at 300, so I change the load. Funny thing can happen when you only shoot at 100 yards then all of a sudden double or triple the range.
Require 1 MOA or better to be confident at extended ranges on big game. This rifle should be fine out to ~250 yds. https://i.imgur.com/62V7zTg.jpg / https://i.imgur.com/zRESY89.jpg / https://i.imgur.com/JmmDIl7.jpg / https://i.imgur.com/clBhoyM.jpg
1 MOA translates to ABOUT 5 inches at 500 yards, the problem however is twofold.
The first being the shooter must be capable of that kind of accuracy, and many are not when in the field.
The second is the bullet must have sufficient energy to kill at that range.
Both of these requirements have already been mentioned here however.
I firmly believe that the vast majority of rifles these days are not the weak link in the chain when it comes to killing animals at any distance.
Cat
The first being the shooter must be capable of that kind of accuracy, and many are not when in the field.
The second is the bullet must have sufficient energy to kill at that range.
Both of these requirements have already been mentioned here however.
I firmly believe that the vast majority of rifles these days are not the weak link in the chain when it comes to killing animals at any distance.
Cat
It’s easy to spend big on rifles, optics etc. and then choke on ammunition or component cost. The shooting, especially from un-ideal positions is what actually makes a hunting rifle accurate. Like a race car with street tires isn’t very impressive.
This 1 preferred meets my accuracy & energy requirements for general purpose use out to extended ranges. https://i.imgur.com/VTXDpgO.jpg
Accurate enough to hit what I shoot at, under field conditions, at the distance that I decide to hunt/shoot at. It is nice to know that your equipment is up to the task, and it is up to you to make the shot.
OTOH, we all try to achieve more accuracy than we really need.
OTOH, we all try to achieve more accuracy than we really need.
Out of respect for the game we hunt accuracy is important and nothing can spoil a good hunting trip than wounding an animal and loosing it.
Sighting in with a clean cool barrel, using a good scope and using the same batch of ammo the gun is sighted in with together with enough practice to be dependable. . I prefer to use ammo I've reloaded because I take the time to reload each cartridge as accurately as possible by sorting and weighing each component. My thought is to try and eliminate as much mechanical inaccuracy as possible. This combined with practice at the range I feel confident when hunting and an opportunity arises.
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Sighting in with a clean cool barrel, using a good scope and using the same batch of ammo the gun is sighted in with together with enough practice to be dependable. . I prefer to use ammo I've reloaded because I take the time to reload each cartridge as accurately as possible by sorting and weighing each component. My thought is to try and eliminate as much mechanical inaccuracy as possible. This combined with practice at the range I feel confident when hunting and an opportunity arises.
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