What do you do to make shooting your hunting rifles enjoyable while not hunting

Working up loads shooting paper over the chrony, then banging steel gongs out to ranges I'll be hunting, and the occasional Kaboom binary targey for S&G.
 
When there is no snow, I practice running shots by rolling tires ( with plywood screwed in the center) down the hills at various distances. The bouncing of the tires resembles running deer and is quite challenging to hit at times. Great practice, keeps things interesting and the experience can come in very handy when hunting. Do this enough and you can get quite good at it, but it does take a fair bit of practice. This must be done in a very safe location with lots of back stop.
I don't recommend running shots. But in some cases the practice does come in very handy and you will have the confidence of knowing that you can do it if need be.
 
No kidding most folks at the range are frustrating shooting paper targets. They should be shooting the side of the barn, maybe then they'll find the bullet holes.
As for ratherbe at work, by chance are you a gigolo.
heronfish said:
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And cannot think of anything worse or more frustrating than shooting paper targets. Heck, I'd rather be at work.
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marsden said:
Snow on the ground, make some ice cubes with red food coloring. no mess to clean up.
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Great idea. On ranges that insist on paper targets, you could shoot clear-moulded ones when nobody was around, and the evidence would vanish.

Also, you could use margarine and cottage cheese tubs as moulds for larger targets.

Being cheap, I do likewise for my ice chest.
 
Binary explosive targets and gongs. But I live in BC where I can shoot in the boonies and not have to worry about shootin binary at the range which isn't allowed.
 
I have no issues with shooting paper. Once sighted in to my satisfaction, then various "field" positions, and steel gongs.
Never bored....never. Dave.
 
Paper? Load testing and sighting-in only; boring as hell otherwise.

Otherwise (and depending upon the gun being used), steel gongs of appropriate size and distance...weighted spinner-type targets...seed heads on weeds...hornets, grasshoppers, and other bugs...crackers...ice...feral cats...the list is endless.

When shooting with a friend, I really enjoy using one of those bouncing orange reactive targets. We have a 100-yard mowed "shooting alley" extending out into the field from the edge of the mowed lawn. It's about 15 feet wide. Drop the orange bouncer in the center, and then two shooters compete, each trying to bounce the target off the other guy's side. You need speed, accuracy and a bit of luck, as a slightly off-center hit is required to get the gizmo to move in the desired direction.
 
Start at the back of the locker and find the most ignored closet queen and give her a full clean and oiling.

Pick one I really like but am still having accuracy issues with and swap scopes or just take to the range to detect the problem.

I don't mind shooting paper. I only do enough of it to see if a rifle is shooting where it is supposed too.

Otherwise, where I live depending on weather , wind and tides, waterfowling season is on. Big game season may be done, but ducks are fair game. But that's shotgunning
 
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heronfish said:
I love guns
Enjoy loading for them
And cannot think of anything worse or more frustrating than shooting paper targets. Heck, I'd rather be at work.

So I ask, what do you do to make off season recreational shooting more enjoyable?
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I can't think of anything more enjoyable than hunting. Just go hunting! I don't know what province you live in, however here in Alberta there is lots to hunt during off season........better than paper targets, gongs, etc.
 
Almost forgot to add: I actually enjoy dry-fire practice as well. Grab a hunting rifle, make triple-sure it is safe, and then flick on the Animal Channel on TV...or, better yet, use the real deer we often see across the fields. Fun and useful practice.
 
In South Africa it's very popular to shoot printed paper targets of animals. They have scoring rings according to vital organs which cannot be seen until you are right up close. This normally happens at shooting clubs as there is a lot of organisation, but basically the " hunt" gets set up. You are told what your animal is, what position you should shoot from and what shots to shoot. E.g The white tail target is shot at 160 meters. You must shoot 5 shots sitting and resting the gun over your knees, and so on. Various combinations of prone, seated, standing, kneeling, with shooting sticks, without, using your sling to steady the rifle.
There are even "dangerous game" stages with moving targets of Buffalo, elephant, lion and the like. It's actually a lot of fun and very good practice for hunting season as you utilize a lot of awkward positions and learn what is the most stable platform to shoot from under varying circumstances. I'm sure a bit of Google will source the targets online for those who want to explore this. An added feature, depending on the rules at your shooting range is to have a quick 200m dash to the shooting point to get your blood pumping, also leaving the rifles unloaded and you have to load all rounds into the magazine first. Or restricting the number of rounds in the magazine to force a reload. Add a stop watch for some friendly competition between buddies and I can assure you a great afternoon becoming a better hunting shot.
 
I have no problem shooting paper simply because I am continually load testing with one rifle or another.
Judging from the looks of the traffic signs and mail boxes out in the country they are still a popular target..
 
I shoot a lot of paper for load development and after that any random jug that I can fill with water at different distances using field positions.
But never and I mean never get tired of pulling a trigger.

David
 
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