I was just wondering what level of accuracy and at what range most of you are satisfied with when getting ready for deer hunting? I know some people live in open country and some in dense cover but I guess what I'm getting at is, does it make sense to spend the time getting a 1.375" group down to a 1/2" group shooting off a bench when you could be working on snap shooting and follow up shots at moving targets? I don't think that 7/8" difference is enough to worry about at practical ranges when you take the sandbags away. What do you all think?
For deer, I would have to say you have reached your limit when you can't keep three shots in six inches, from a "field position". Groups from the bench are meaningless. Try sitting, offhand, et al, and you know your yardage limit when you can't group six inches.
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"A hunter should not select a caliber and bullet that will kill when everything goes right, rather,
should choose ones that will kill when everything goes wrong."
"Recoil lasts a second, but gravity lasts forever."
Personally...............I LOVE to see those holes touching each other.
However, for all practical purposes, when hunting an animal as big as deer...................as long as you can put all of your shots on a 9" paper plate at your intended hunting distance and from you hunting "hold" - you stand at least a 95% chance of making a good clean kill.
Drop that to a consistent 6" circle and you're gonna be known as "killer" back at camp
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"Every moving thing that liveth, I give unto you as meat" (Gen 9:3)
Since I hunt from ambush spots, all of my shots are off the bench type shots. That is I have a good rest ready before the deer even come out on the wheat fields. Many times I am laying down where I can get both elbows on the ground. The worst rest I would have would be a log or post to rest on. 90 percent of my shots are lying down. There for if my rifle will hit within 2 inches of the point of aim at 200 yards then I am all set. I try to have everything shooting 1 1/2 inches or better at 100 yards
Ya I hunt with my rifles/handguns for about 4-5 weekends a year, the rest of the year I use them at the range, they don't get much rest.
I will practice off hand/field positions for month or two prior to the season and if I can get them in 3-6" I'm 'good enough' to go.
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I concur completely, Hardhitn06.... just how much accuracy is enough ? As for me, I consider that if my rifles will do 1" at 100 yds (1 MOA).... that is good enough for benchrest practice. Obviously, I try to shoot better than that... and it happens that my current rifles will both do better than that. My adopted "standard" for hunting practice (which I do as much as possible) is: all shots within a 6" ring at 100 yds....8" ring at 200 yds.... while allowing myself 10 seconds per shot, maximum. I don't hunt anywhere (as of yet, anyway) where shots of more than 150 yds are possible. I have achieved 80-90 % success on this, rather consistently. (I'm working to raise that standard to near 100%... if my old eyes will allow it.) I do my "field practice" from a variety of positions, mostly off-hand (standing)... and kneeling or sitting, with elbow on knee. Like most people, I have the greatest difficulty being consistent from the standing, off-hand position. I prefer
to rapidly go into a crouch, with one knee down. (I practice this regularly.) I also enjoy "snap-shooting" at higher rates of fire than 10 sec. per shot, but I am not 80-90% yet on that (I'm not at all sure that I'll ever achieve this.) Practice, practice, practice. Since I enjoy shooting so much, practice for me is a pleasure.
Unfortunately, I have not had the opportunity to practice on moving targets - though I would very much like to.....
I reload for my BAR 30-06 and first I like to find the right load combo that gives me real tight groups from the bench. I want to know that if the shot is off, it's my fault. Got this .35" CTC from bench using Nosler 180 grn Ballistic Tips on top of IMR 4350.
Once I get the rifle shooting tight groups from the bench, I practice shooting off-hand, and from a sitting position. Also practice follow up shots. For this type of practice I use the same 5 1/2" shoot-n-see targets as pictured above with the objective of keeping all shots in the black.
When I can consistently keep them all in the black......I'm ready to go hunting!
Thanks for the replies and by all means keep 'em coming!
I was just noticing how obsessed I was becoming with trying to get "the best group possible consistently". Meanwhile I need to work on such skills like field shooting, judging yardage and actually tracking deer. After all, you can't lug that bench along with you!
Well for me accuracy is part of this hobbie we have. I am alway trying to get better groups. I have many hunting rifles grouping near 1/2" but will accept 1". I have a rem 597 set up with the same trigger pull and scope as most of my hunting rifles so I can practice shooting. A thousand rounds through it a few hundred through the hunting rifles and I fell quite confident I'm more than ready. Have you ever gone rabbit hunting with a .300 wim mag? After a few dozen rabbit a deer looks like a barn door.
When is it "good enough?"
