Huskemaw optics and the Best of the west clowns

Status
Not open for further replies.
Full disclosure - I am not a long range shooter.

I practice (quite a bit) to 400 yards. I am proficient enough that given the right conditions, I can make dependable kill shots to that distance.

I have shot a bit of bench though - and the same guys that extolled the virtues of their rifles and 1/2 inch groups etc were very hard pressed to shoot MOA. And when the wind picked up the results were worse. It opened my eyes as well.

I realize a bench is not hunting, but my point echoes a previous poster - the man makes the rifle (mostly lol). Inexperience can make a person believe the equipment gives them a ability they don't possess.
 
skypilot said:
Wind is the great equalizer regardless of experience levels.
Click to expand...

I'd say the greatest thing that comes with experience and wind is knowing when it can be reliably compensated for and when it can't. Basically when to take the shot and when to walk away.
 
skypilot said:
Wind is the great equalizer regardless of experience levels.
Click to expand...


I'd say its the opposite, wind is what separates the shooters. Go to a match and everyone there can lay on the ground and squeeze. Nearly every one has rifles and loads good enough to win or place. Most of them don't have a prayer because a few good wind dopers are going to mop the floor with them.
 
True about a certified rifle range. I probably should have worded it along the lines of...no matter the equipment, doping the wind is the difference.

The difference in hunting and a rifle range shoot is that often a hunter can pick a wind friendly spot in advance, pass on the current shot or move to a more wind friendly position, not really possible on a standard rifle range in a timed event.
 
I'd agree with dogleg.....even in a hunting situation it's experience that let's you read that wind. Compensating for wind is a no brainer with today's technology if you know direction and speed. It's knowing the direction and speed on the way to and at the target that takes experience. And knowing whether you can accurately compensate for it.
 
A lot of people complain about programs on Wild TV that they don't like. And one of the stock answers to that is "don't watch it if you don't like it!".

Best of the west is one I don't care for so I just turn the channel to watch something else.
 
You can spend $15000 on a gun/scope/caliber combo and never be proficiant with it if you don't practice. Trigger time is whats required. The worse day I ever shot @ 1000 yards with my .308 was almost dead calm just enough going on to blow you 10-18" off for windage with nothing to read. Add a heavy kicking gun and an inexperienced shooter and you have just started to play bingo....Not a very nice thing to do to some poor critter in another time zone.

A
 
Dogleg said:
I'd say its the opposite, wind is what separates the shooters. Go to a match and everyone there can lay on the ground and squeeze. Nearly every one has rifles and loads good enough to win or place. Most of them don't have a prayer because a few good wind dopers are going to mop the floor with them.
Click to expand...

this^^^
 
I grew up being a firm believer in the " Kentucky Windage " ways of shooting. I never had any of that fancy stuff when I learned. Wind meters, Hash marked reticles, laser range finders, etc etc. These things are pure and simple a crutch to most people that buy them. My "wind meters, range finders, and the like" were patience, time, and observation and field wind markers like grass, trees, low cloud speed, etc. Often there is more than one wind direction to contend with during a longer shot. (say 400 or more). Plus as the speed of the bullet slows, the effect of the wind is greater. (in actual deflected travel of the bullet in inches) So with an initial speed of say 3000 f/s the bullet is not going to actually move as far left or right in a set amount of distance (0-200m) , as it would as it slowed to 2000 f/s. (200-400m) . It will move much farther left or right during the last half of the flight, as it sits in that "window" of distance for a longer period of time, than it did during the first 200m , giving the wind more time to drift it.
I'd like to see one of those fancy "wind meters" tell you how to compensate for that..................... My old man showed me the ways of "the wind ninja"
 
The thing that worries me about wind is that I have a hard time seeing how it is possible to consistantly and accurate guage wind speed with the extreme accuracy to make consistant shots under hunting conditions. I have seen quite a few cross canyon shots on youtube. An error with respect to wind speed of 2mph will easily equal missing your point of aim by 12" or more at 1000 yards.
 
The thing that worries me about wind is that I have a hard time seeing how it is possible to consistantly and accurate guage wind speed with the extreme accuracy to make consistant shots under hunting conditions. I have seen quite a few cross canyon shots on youtube. An error with respect to wind speed of 2mph will easily equal missing your point of aim by 12" or more at 1000 yards.
Click to expand...

And the simple fact is that there are likely a fair number of missed shots at those distances, but shows like Best Of The West, only show the successful shots. Given that the show is pretty much an infomercial, showing misses, or wounded game, would be poor advertising.
 
Duffy said:
A lot of people complain about programs on Wild TV that they don't like. And one of the stock answers to that is "don't watch it if you don't like it!".

Best of the west is one I don't care for so I just turn the channel to watch something else.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I did but a step further. I cancelled WildTV all together after an agonizing 3 months of viewing.
 
I know it's not going to happen, but I'd sure like to see a truly unedited version of any of the so called long range hunting shows. I can picture it now: the group of 4 or 5 people (the shooter, a couple camermen, and a guide or two) hunt a private ranch with artificially high numbers of trophy class game. They jump an animal at 100 yards that they could probably kill cleanly with a 30/30 with open sights. Instead, they use all of their combined hunting experience to carefully and stealthily sneak back to about 750 yards. Once at this much more acceptable range, they talk about everything for a few minutes, set up a make-shift field version of a bench rest, talk about it a bit more, chamber a round, and finally take the shot. They then review the film to see if they can figure out what happened and where the animal went (assuming it was actually hit). They spend the rest of the day tracking it and then end up putting a finisher into it at 70 yards. Then they set up the hero pics in the last of the available filming light. What a hunt!

This is tongue-in-cheek of course, so don't roast me alive here. I just enjoy a good chuckle when I see those shows.
 
stubblejumper said:
And the simple fact is that there are likely a fair number of missed shots at those distances, but shows like Best Of The West, only show the successful shots. Given that the show is pretty much an infomercial, showing misses, or wounded game, would be poor advertising.
Click to expand...

Strange, I saw an unsuccessful one the other day.
 
Strange, I saw an unsuccessful one the other day.
Click to expand...

So out of all of the shots taken, in as long as they have been on television, they actually showed one miss? Do you think that they have only had one miss in all of the filming for their shows? How many shots do you suppose ended up with wounded animals? How many of those wounding shots have you seen on Best Of The West? On the other hand, the shows on Wild TV that don't promote their products so much, and that don't specifically choose long range shots, tend to show a fair number of misses, especially the archery shots. Those programs come across, as being much more realistic, as to what happens in the field, so those are the ones that I choose to watch. Then again,the purpose of many programs on Wild TV, is to showcase the actual hunting of the animals,unlike Best Of the West, whose purpose in being, seems to be, to promote a specific line of products.
 
Last edited:
stubblejumper said:
So out of all of the shots taken, in as long as they have been on television, they actually showed one miss? Do you think that they have only had one miss in all of the filming for their shows? How many shots do you suppose ended up with wounded animals? How many have you seen on Best Of The West?
Click to expand...

You said they only showed successful shots...I was just pointing out that your statement was false...I've seen others too. I guess we could speculate all we want about their other shots but it's nothing more than speculation and it often ends up making people look foolish. I'll stick to what I actually know :) Sounds like you are a regular viewer...surprised you missed it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom