Offhand shots. What would you use ?

somebody mentioned once the distinct revelation of rolling a tire (from a hilltop) with a target inside, and said it was humiliating......'
I'd say give it a try....
 
damadama said:
The practice of taking off hand shots has NO place in true sportsmanship because the risks of injury to the animal target are unacceptably high. The same applies to taking any kind of shot at a moving animal, the risk of injury is too great. In my book of hunting ethics un supported shots and shots at moving targets are totally unacceptable. If you cannot find a rest and/or the animal does not momentarly stand still, DON'T take the shot!!
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Mmmm, where do you hunt, damadama?
At the rifle range perhaps?
If you hunt from a blind or a tower or the time it's easy to rely on that but sadly not everyone can depend on that sort of luxury.
And the myriad of rabbits shot out beyond 70 yds offhand with a .22LR have never complained about my inhumane methods.
Tell us, is shooting ducks on the wing unethical too?
They're moving after all and you might wound 'em?!
I also challenge you to shoot a buffalo at 75yds sitting or lying rested.
People who sit or lie down on dangerous game hunts tend not to get up......ever.
In terms of a good offhand deer rifle I think the aim is moderate recoil & good balance.
On that basis a 257 Roberts, 6.5x55, 260 Rem, 7mm-08 or 7x57 in a nice balanced rifle would be perfect for this with accuracy and power out to 275yds.
 
A rifle that fits you is a given.Practice is a must.
I am usually the dogger so its pretty hard for me to run and find a rest near by when my window of opportunty may only be seconds.
I would limit my off hand shooting on deer size game to 100yrs on the run.Up to 200 maybe a touch further standing.But hay thats just me.You might be more confident in your stand up game than I am.

I loved your comment Kombi1967 on shooting ducks on the fly.Same would be true for pheasant.Might just get some dirty looks if you shot them on the ground.
 
I would look for a light rifle with a reasonnable overall lenght (+/- 40 in.) that offers a rapid action. In this case, I would take a good look at all lever rifles. I love the balance of the Win. '94, Marlin is also interesting with the new leverlution ammo and the BLR is offered with a detacheble mag. Remington also as an interesting alternative in the pump-action 7600. As for optics, I would consider iron sights (preferably ghost rings), Red Dots and low mag. scopes. For the chambering, there is always the venerable 30-30, but I would rather use the 7mm08 or the 308. You don't want to get to big of a cartridge for a faster follow-up shot, if needed. I use a Rem. 7600 synth. in 308win. topped with a Bushnell Trophy Red Dot for my CQ deer hunting. Have fun shopping! :D
 
Foxer said:
Guys - I"m getting damned sick of seeing every bloody thread turn into a mudslingling match.

A LOT of guys don't believe in taking running shots on deer. Fine. You can point out why they're wrong but if all you got is badmouthing the guy who said it - SHUT THE F UP.
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Sorry but what do you expect when some-one jumps in & insults a large portion of hunters on this board with such a completely narrow minded opinion ?
"The practice of taking off hand shots has NO place in true sportsmanship" :rolleyes:
 
Offhand shoots at a stationary target can easily be practiced. Offhand shots at targets in motion is alot harder to practice and get good at. Without dought the closer the target is to the shooter the better the chances of making a good shot and that goes for stationary or moving. I have killed animals on the run but they have all been well within 50 yds. I have shot at animals on the run,the total I could count on my one hand, at better than 100 yds and there was not dought in my mind that I was guessing and the room for error was huge. This , in my opinion, is unfair to the animals I am hunting so I now let them go.

Using a rest to make every shot is a noble idea and if the hunter practices this and adopts it as part of his/her hunting strategy and ethics, all the more power to them. I know in my hunting situations to try to find a rest is unrealistic as, most of the time, I am in close proximity to my target and to try for a rest is unrealistic as the animal will see me and run. My very first encounter with a whitetail buck was for not. I had just got my hunting license and was hunting with my father when we rounded the corner and on the side of the road stood a buck. I got out to shoot it and lacked the confidence to shoot it free had so I was in the process of trying for a rest. Needless to say the buck took off. Shortly there after I purchased a reloading set and was bound and determined to become a good offhand shot. It took alot of practice but I finally got to where I could hold my own.
 
Sorry but what do you expect when some-one jumps in & insults a large portion of hunters on this board with such a completely narrow minded opinion ?
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I expect you to attack the idea - not the person.

For example - i might point out that virtually all hunters can practice up to hit the vitals of a deer at reasonable ranges shooting offhand - therefore it cannot be considered unethical.

I might point out the 'pie plate' theory - and tell him any hunter that can put 3 consecutive rounds inside a pie plate offhand is ethically able to shoot offhand to whatever range the pie plate is. An ethical hunter might put plates at 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 etc. Whatever the last plate he can easily put 3 rounds into is, that's the distance he can shoot offhand ethically to. It's pretty hard to argue that.

I might further remind him that while some areas of the country tend to offer lots of impromptu rests (bc does) some areas don't. (manitoba comes to mind).

I might even offer to take him to a range and show him some offhand skills - perhaps no one has ever taught him the art of offhand shooting. There's lots of tricks that make it easier, like introducing a little motion to control the motion (do a small circle, let the crosshair fall on the target... etc)

I might question WHY he thinks it's unethical... perhaps he's under a misconception.. or maybe he's even using the word wrong. Maybe by 'offhand' he means something slightly different than we think.

I might even discuss the concept of what IS ethical. I personally feel that we owe it to the animals to take only shots that have a high likelyhood of inflicting a quickly-fatal injury .. would he agree that if it can be demonstrated that offhand shooting indeed does represent a very high likelyhood of inflicting such an injury that it must therefore be ethical?



What I WOULDN"T do is call him names.

I might say i think he's mistaken. Or that his reasoning is flawed. Or that my experience is different. Yadda yadda. But i wouldn't call him names.

See the difference? There were DOZENS of possible responses - each which attacked the concept the poster put forward.

And some newbie reading the board would actually LEARN something from your response. Instead of just reading yet another fight. Hell - I might learn something, maybe you've got some offhand trick that'll improve MY game... I'm happy with my offhand for the most part, but it's never a bad idea to get BETTER at it.

Attack the idea. Not the person.
 
Offhand for me doesn't work unless it's a huge target.

I tried with my 243 at 50 yards and got a four-inch spread.
 
Offhand for me doesn't work unless it's a huge target.

I tried with my 243 at 50 yards and got a four-inch spread.
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Then ethically, you PERSONALLY probably shoulnd't be shooting much farther than about 60 yards at animals :)

But - i bet with a few tips and a little practice you could keep it to 4 inches at 100. and eventually 150.
 
Foxer said:
I expect you to attack the idea - not the person.

For example - i might point out that virtually all hunters can practice up to hit the vitals of a deer at reasonable ranges shooting offhand - therefore it cannot be considered unethical.

I might point out the 'pie plate' theory - and tell him any hunter that can put 3 consecutive rounds inside a pie plate offhand is ethically able to shoot offhand to whatever range the pie plate is. An ethical hunter might put plates at 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 etc. Whatever the last plate he can easily put 3 rounds into is, that's the distance he can shoot offhand ethically to. It's pretty hard to argue that.

I might further remind him that while some areas of the country tend to offer lots of impromptu rests (bc does) some areas don't. (manitoba comes to mind).

I might even offer to take him to a range and show him some offhand skills - perhaps no one has ever taught him the art of offhand shooting. There's lots of tricks that make it easier, like introducing a little motion to control the motion (do a small circle, let the crosshair fall on the target... etc)

I might question WHY he thinks it's unethical... perhaps he's under a misconception.. or maybe he's even using the word wrong. Maybe by 'offhand' he means something slightly different than we think.

I might even discuss the concept of what IS ethical. I personally feel that we owe it to the animals to take only shots that have a high likelyhood of inflicting a quickly-fatal injury .. would he agree that if it can be demonstrated that offhand shooting indeed does represent a very high likelyhood of inflicting such an injury that it must therefore be ethical?



What I WOULDN"T do is call him names.

I might say i think he's mistaken. Or that his reasoning is flawed. Or that my experience is different. Yadda yadda. But i wouldn't call him names.

See the difference? There were DOZENS of possible responses - each which attacked the concept the poster put forward.

And some newbie reading the board would actually LEARN something from your response. Instead of just reading yet another fight. Hell - I might learn something, maybe you've got some offhand trick that'll improve MY game... I'm happy with my offhand for the most part, but it's never a bad idea to get BETTER at it.

Attack the idea. Not the person.
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Well said Foxer, and I say that being as guilty as the rest.
 
Foxer said:
Then ethically, you PERSONALLY probably shoulnd't be shooting much farther than about 60 yards at animals :)

But - i bet with a few tips and a little practice you could keep it to 4 inches at 100. and eventually 150.
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You know, 4" at 50 yards is not so bad. If you have a 4 inch spread then no shot is more than 2 inches from your intended point of aim. If you can maintain that consistancy you are grouping 8" at 100 or within 4" of your point of aim. This is certainly accurate enough for deer.
 
its speaches like that I love, especialy from foxer cause he always has some reasoning to give the deer while I am buisy poking a hole in the back of its head to put it out of its MISERY ;) :D :D :D
 
I find a heavier rifle doesn't wobble around as much as a featherweight and a sling really helps. Will be trying a Latigo this year, the design seems sound.
 
its speaches like that I love, especialy from foxer cause he always has some reasoning to give the deer while I am buisy poking a hole in the back of its head to put it out of its MISERY
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It helps to pass the time while we're waiting for it's brains to land. It's best not to approach until that's happened as a rule. :)
 
Off hand shootiong is snap shooting and when practiced is a perfectly fine method. A quartering shot however almost always causes me to reconsider and I usually do.

However I practice snap shooting quite a bit using moving targets.

What ever rifle you end up using make sure you have a quick follow up shot
 
damadama said:
The practice of taking off hand shots has NO place in true sportsmanship because the risks of injury to the animal target are unacceptably high. The same applies to taking any kind of shot at a moving animal, the risk of injury is too great. In my book of hunting ethics un supported shots and shots at moving targets are totally unacceptable. If you cannot find a rest and/or the animal does not momentarly stand still, DON'T take the shot!!
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Read the attitude Foxer!
Your not going to teach this guy anything :rolleyes:
He already knows it all :D
 
Foxer said:
It helps to pass the time while we're waiting for it's brains to land. It's best not to approach until that's happened as a rule. :)
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if brains fly in a forest does anyone hear it? NO cause the deers dead Im laughing my azz off and your in shock so there :p :D
 
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