Hunter Sight In Day --- A Story And A Question

We arrive a week early each year for elk season. Once the camp is set up, we get down to scouting for the upcoming season and plotting strategy. Usually there is one trip into town (35 miles 25 dirt/10 pavement). The local rifle range is wonderfully equipped and puts on a “hunter sight in days” function each year just before the various big game seasons. At five dollars per rifle, they provide covered bench rest, lots of sand bags (my favorite), and a personal spotter who will lay coins on a duplicate target right on the bench, so you can see where you just hit and he’ll also watch you for flinch and offer advise. I’ve made it a point to check the rifles and the back up/camp rifle my boys and I use each year regardless how well sighted in they were before we left Denver. A rifle that you KNOW is right on target instills confidence!

“So you’re checking five of them ‘eh, do you want some help carrying them over?” No, I tell you what, I’ll just do them one at a time and then carry each one back to the car and get another.” “Okay.” John here will be your spotter and you can have the end station – great. "So what are you got there?" I figured we’d just start with the small stuff and work our way up, so this one’s a 30-06.

You boys don't look too busy, do you mind if I borrow some more sand bags? "How many?" Hmm, how about 10? "You’re kidding what for?" Well, I just use a little different style, I shoot sitting upright with my stomach touching the bench and my back straight and the sand bags holding the gun, both front and back. "Why?" Well, lets say it is just more comfortable that way. There was some laughing and talking, but the sand bags showed up. Thank you gentlemen! I noticed folks kind of hung around to check out the "different" guy. Hmm, pressure is on, folks were kind of laughing as I built up my mountain of sand which I knew would probably stand for the 30-06, but would fall part way down after each shot on the bigger stuff.

Bang, one shot and hits right where it is supposed to. Well. that does it for that one. “It’s off by a quarter inch do you want to adjust it?" Nope, I’ve honed this one earlier, no need to go further, I just need to know she is staying right there in the neighborhood. I’ll put it away and get another.” Things got a little more quiet.

“So what do you have there,” he asked upon my return. 338 Win Mag. “Watch out boys, we’ve got a 338 mag going off over here! I was a bit surprised, back at the range in Denver a 338 doesn’t even raise an eyebrow! Typically the most “punishing” rifles at the range are the hyper speed magnums with muzzlebrakes. About this time, I heard in the back ground talk about so and so’s “375”, I smiled to myself. "Later", I thought.” Bang, one shot right where it is supposed to be. “You’re done with that one right?" Right.

“So what is this one?” Another 338. “Watch out boys, here come another one!” (Now I am starting to feel like the guy in the Hemi Dodge Ram commercial with the sidekick bragging on the pickup with the bullhorn.) This rifle had had stock and action work done right before the season and was a candidate for trouble and sure enough. Multiple shots, no pattern, no logic, just chasing our tail. “You need to adjust it more left.” Nope, what I need is a new scope (old Bausch and Lomb with no turrets) or different mounts – something has happened to this one, looks like my son will have to use the “back up” rifle this year. Let’s move on to another one.

This time when I got back he didn’t even ask. He just looked at me. “375 H&H”, I said. Murmur, murmur, now a small crowd (8-10 people) was starting to gather just to see what would happen upon firing. Sure does put on the pressure not to flinch, but with the sand bags and the erect posture I wasn’t worried. One shot at 100 yards, bang, right on, well that does it for that one. Now I hear someone talking about an article in a magazine about 416’s. I gathered up the ammo and the rifle. I’ll be right back.

"Okay, so what do you got?" 416 Rigby, I've just got it put together in the last three weeks and it’s shooting a bit low so I thought I would give it a go just on the odd chance that it may have changed during the trip. Now the range master stepped forward, “I’ve heard of those but never seen one, if you don’t mind I’d love to shoot a round before you leave” Well, this one isn’t quite tuned up yet so why don’t you give the 25 yard target there a go. Now, you know what you’re latching onto right? Oh yeah, I know it is stout.

You might want to build up your pile of sand bags so you aren’t hunched down on it so much and sit a little more up right, or if you like you’re welcome to take a shot off hand…. “I can handle it.” He looked through the scope, fidgeted, re-gripped, shuffled and then did the whole thing over again. “He’s as nervous as I was the first time I shot it, but the way he is leaning down and into it, it is sure going to give him the full handshake”, I thought to myself. Bang, he sat frozen for a moment and then reached his hand up to his eyebrow – no blood, he looked relieved. “I felt her reach for me – thought maybe she got me. Good shooting I said, want to do another? No thanks, now I can say I’ve shot one and that's enough for a day.

John had been sitting across from the range master at the bench rest and I slid into the empty seat. “Well, lets try one more at 25 yards to confirm his shot and then lets move out to 100 yards and see what we’ve got.” Bang, almost right on top of the range master’s shot. Hey, I’ve got to give him credit, he didn’t flinch. Good shooting! Now in the background I'm hearing about articles on the 458 Lott. Three more shots at 100 yards and some tweaking still left me low at 100 yards – - I'm gonna have to give up on this one for now until I can redo the mounts. Looks like I’m going to just stick with the 375 H&H. John shook his head, “You must not be very recoil sensitive”, he said. “I don’t believe in it!", I replied. I’m just like the next guy, I don’t like pain so I just “work around it” so that the discomfort just doesn’t happen. There is no sense in setting it up from the "get go" to get hurt, remember how funny everyone thought all the sand bags were? That combined with good posture, a good recoil pad on the rifle and a firm grip pretty well takes care of it. It don’t pay to try to shoot these puppies the same way you would a small bore.

[I felt kinda bad that I couldn't oblige the fellas talking about the 458 Lott in the background, ran out of rifles - - - maybe next year. Hmmm, 458 Lott, 450 Rigby, 458 3" Express, 460 Weatherby, or a 500A2.... decisions, decisions.[>:]]

Brought five rifles and left with three tack drivers. Those were the three that were unchanged from last year. I shook my head, I gotta get all these rifles set and tweaked by early summer instead of letting things get so close to the finish line. With that said, I knew which three could be absolutely relied upon. All three took elk this year. Consistent with my tagline ---

Never go undergunned, Always check the sight in, Perform at showtime....

HOW ABOUT IT? Do you have any "fun" stories from the rifle range/hunter sight in days?

EKM

Humility is a learned skill...

Just after I got married my wife brought home a browning semi-auto in 300 win mag that had belonged to her father before he passed away many years earlier. At that time my big game adventures were focused on whitetails and most of my hunting was in close so I used a nice Savage model 99 in 30-30 that was my grandfathers gun. I went to the club that I belonged to for the sight in days just to check the zero on the 30-30 and I took that 300 mag along - it did not have a clip so breach loading was a necessity (but without the clip the bolt does not lock back on that model). I shot the 30-30 and it was right where I left it the year prior. Since I was rather young looking at the time a couple of the old timers that manned the range for the sight in days (which were open to the public so they never knew who would show up with what skills) were giving me the eye pretty thoroughly. They did a quick inspection of the BAR since I had not qualified with it at that range and found it to be acceptable. So I load a round after some fooling around and balancing so the bolt didn't slam the round prematurely or deform the bullet. I got settled in to my sandbags and got the rifle in position. Of course I was breathing too hard and my heart was beating too much since I had a crowd of about 5 "inspectors" wanting to see how this thing shot. the rifle had an older redfield wide angle scope on it so the rectangular view was a different one for me. Breathing controlled, center the crosshairs...off safe...recenter the crossharis...light touch on the trigger...half breath out and BANG. That BAR jumped (heavy though it was) back in my hands and made a half moon crease above my right eye that started to bleed immediately. Trying to be cool I held my shooting position for a minute wondering how I was going to handle this - but it was hurting pretty good and it was cold that day so it seemed to make it worse. I did not fool the old timers though...I think they saw my head recoil when I got touched and they started to laugh quitely until I turned around and had an eyebrow full of blood that was trailing into the corner of my eye...when they saw I was functional, the laughs really started...I must say that they were pretty good about it and each told me that it had happened to them a time or two "when they were young"...needless to say I learned a lesson that afternoon.

A few years back in the small town in South Dakota where I lived I used to take care of the shooting range which was installed by the FFA class at the high school. I also had the only chrongraph around. One day at the local coffee shop a fello ask if I would meet him at the range on saturday and chrony some loads for him. I said I would and met him there that morning. He looked at the chronograhp and said you better shoot through there I don't want to hit you machine. He then told me he was getting ready to go to Africa hunting and drags out a Winchester Model 70 in 375 H&H mag and ten rounds of ammo five of two different loads. I shot the ten shells and the shoulder was getting a little tender. (shooting off the bench). He went back to the truck and came back with a Dakota rifle in 416 Reminton Mag. This time he had 20 rounds of ammo. Two different bullet weight with four different powder charges. He wondered if I could also try them for groups while we were at it. I sat there and fired 18 of the 20. I was now hurting. I shoved number 19 into the chamber, aimed and... I could not pull the trigger. I tried as hard as I could but try as I might that trigger would not pull. When I tried I would start trembling clear down to my toes. My little brain had told my big finger that that was enough. I told the guy, You will have to shoot the other two, I can't do it. He laughed and said I have never been able to shoot it more that 12 times in a day. He told me that he had one more rifle to test. I told him that if it was bigger than the last two it was up to him. The other gun was just a 270 that he intended to use for antelope over there. If someone had told me that I would get to the point where I could not pull a trigger I would have thought they were crazy. That Dakota rifle was one of the lightes rifles I ever saw and I felt every once of it.