Should I use my hunting rifle for target shooting?

A quick google indicates "accurate" barrel life of a 30-06 is perhaps in the neighbourhood of 5000 rounds, so just for arguments sake lets say the light profile hunting barrel, will last 4000 rounds with some hotter strings of fire when you are just having too much fun to control yourself. If you shoot 50 rounds per month, that is 600 per year, so pretend your barrel really starts degrading in accuracy in 6.5 years at that rate. You will probably be a darn good shot with that rifle. Tuck away around $200 per year in an envelope in the safe and you have your new barrel covered, give or take a couple hundred depending on what you want! Pretty cheap!

In comparison I WAS really interested in 6.5 PRC, but with a barrel life of around 1200 rounds, you are literally adding over $1.00 to every trigger pull vs. about $0.30 on the 30-06 to re-barrel. OUCH!
 
What caliber is your rifle?
If it's not a barrel burning cartridge. You will have to shoot several thousands of rounds before you wear it out enough to be no longer suitable for hunting.
 
Shoot my hunting rifles often, train from various shooting positions, bench, standing, sitting, kneeling, prone
Familiarity & Recency keeps you sharp
 
PEKS said:
Shoot my hunting rifles often, train from various shooting positions, bench, standing, sitting, kneeling, prone
Familiarity & Recency keeps you sharp
Click to expand...

Exactly! Do you want to discover bedding gone sour or scope base loose by hitting quartering towards you mule deer in ham instead of chest, (or missing completely!) or by hitting paper target 12" from aiming point? Shoot hunting rifle often enough to be sure it works fine and that you can work it fine!!
 
Just slow down, and take your time. Take a break between each group.

It's not so much the round count that hurts a barrel, it's the heat. Don't let it get past the start of feeling hot to the touch instead of just warm. Let it sit on the rack muzzle up with the action open so it will draw air through it.

This also lets you reset and lose some of the effect of cumulative recoil.

I take a .22 or another hunting rifle to the range, and shoot a group from that between each one from my main rifle.
 
I take my two hunting rifles to the range and shoot them only a few rounds at a time from the sitting and offhand positions- the positions I use most when hunting.
Otherwise, I have target rifles I shoot when I am at the range.
Once the load work up is done on a particular hunting rifle, I don't shoot it much unless it is to check zero .
Once the rifle is fouled I only dry patch it if the weather is damp, otherwise it won't have extensive cleaning until the season is over.
Cat
 
northern skies said:
Just slow down, and take your time. Take a break between each group.

It's not so much the round count that hurts a barrel, it's the heat. Don't let it get past the start of feeling hot to the touch instead of just warm. Let it sit on the rack muzzle up with the action open so it will draw air through it.

This also lets you reset and lose some of the effect of cumulative recoil.

I take a .22 or another hunting rifle to the range, and shoot a group from that between each one from my main rifle.
Click to expand...

x2,

Slow, slow shooting and let your barrel will cool down. The accelerated wear, that is mostly from shooting while the barrel is hot, will be minimized. Good shooting comes from comfortable and consistent shooting position and steady non-flinching trigger control. All shooting will help, but using your hunting rifle will aid in shooting that rifle that much better.

Shoot slow groups to find an ammo load that your rifle shoots well, and adjust the scope to be exactly where you want it. After that, just like hunting, you are likely going to walk a bit and then need to re-shoulder the gun for the next shot. Practice finding a comfortable and consistent shooting hold that you have a muscle memory to repeat from multiple possible hunting positions.
 
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