3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

[:o]

that is the requirement ofa shotgunshooter proficiency to "qualify" for certain hunts on state land in my state.

The muzzleloader is 2 out of 3.

Yikes! Is that the only way they can "qualify" enough hunters to thin the herd?

This must be off-hand...........

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

and maybe upside down?

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

So on a large white paper pie plate which is 9 inches they must put 3 out of 5 on the paper... I bet it is off hand, but still I will guess there are some that fail.

I was shooting off hand the other day at a 3x5 inch index card at only 25 yards, aiming for dead center. I was shocked when out of three shots, I missed one of the hits. Granted it was right next to the card on the 3" side, but I really did not think I would have missed the card at that distance. Try it some time... :D

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Funny thing about off hand shooting - I'm better with iron sights than with a scope. Now give me just a little bit of a rest and I'll take a scope any day.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

COULD DO THAT WITH A SLING SHOT ON A GOOD DAY. Lee

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Or my good ol' Daisy BB Gun.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Think thats bad. Boy have I got a few stories I could tell about some people I have trained on M16s.....

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

I sit on the state deer comittee. The fellow who runs the managed hunt was at the meeting last night. There is no requirement on how the shooter supports the gun. Shooting sticks are ok etc.. Bottom line is, they need more hunters. They do have a couple who fail each year. He says they are usually the ones whopull a new gun they've never fired out of a box and let fly.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Let's see if the log in, posting issues are fixed. I'm on Firefox and just logged in with the Remember Me thing checked.

Just want to say those requirements don't make me feel any safer in the woods. But I guess you can be a lousy shot and still be safe. :)


yeee hawww - it worked! :D I also noticed the log in process did NOT take me away from the page I was viewing before. It always had prior to this fix.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

"The muzzleloader is 2 out of 3."

Sounds like they are testing to Brown Bess standards. :D:D

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Before all of you start claiming how easy it is.. take a white 9" paper plate. Tape it to a cardboard box. Draw a little black dot in the center or one of them sticky dots. Then march that out to 40 yards and shoot off hand at that center dot. It is a lot of fun, and a real eye opener for some. Be sure and shoot five times, and see how close to the center you really are. No cheating now. :D

We did something like this last year only at 50 yards with a friend and his two sons. The boyshad just gotten new hawkins style rifles, and thought they were pretty hot. Believe me, that paper plate was a challenge for them off hand. Now with shooting sticks, that would be a different story.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Dave, in my younger days - before total brain rot attacked me - I did a lot of offhand shooting and could do very well. Like anything else requiring skill, it also takes practice. My attempt at a 50 yard target for the last DWB shoot was so embarrassing I don't want to talk about it. [:o]

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

I agree with offhand shooting being difficult. I practice a lot offhand and I agree with an earlier post - shooting offhand with open sights (at least for me) is easier. That made it tough for me to put a scope on my ML. I had tried it on my 30-30 for a while, and determined a scope was a hindrancce.

I challenged some guys at the range a while back to shoot offhand. These guys were great shooters from the bench - but shooting offhand gave some downright funny results. A lot of downright bad misses.

I often wonder why more people don't practice offhand? So many folks shoot offhand while hunting yet I whenever I go to the range people are sitting at the benches?

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Even I could do that----easily[8D]

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Never had a problem shooting off hand.Most ofmy deer and hogs have beenkilled from off hand at ranges from about 20-130 yards. Some were running. Have been told that i have a strange off hand shooting style. iquickly pullon target and immediately shoot unless the animal is running.It probably comes from bird hunting or shooting at thrown cans with a BB gun or slingshot.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Falcon - that's probably a good way to shoot off-hand. I find the length and weight of a muzzleloader makes it very difficult to settle in on a target offhand. It's very much like shooting a recurve bow. It isn't hard to hold 50-60# at full draw for 30 seconds. But it is very hard to hold like that and then relax the back muscles for a smooth release. I think I'll try your technique. Thanks.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

I think if ALL gun hunters were somehow tested for shooting proficiency, the vast majority would fail. I don't know of a state that requires a test in order to get a hunting license, but if there was most would flunk in my opinion. Most shooters learn to shoot from their fathers, or uncles or older siblings who probably don't know much more than the newbie they are trying to teach. Few really get any proper training.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

My offhand shot is not the greatest. I've also been shooting a crossbow, which is very unforgivingwhen it comes tomovement. So it's starting to get a little better. But the ML is a different story. I think I'm going to try that DRAW & SHOOT method to see how I do. My best is sitting with my elbow/knee for a rest. Thanks for the post.

chris

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Git yer feet up, dis iz a no-sh***r.... :D 30 years ago I shot in the one and only black powder competition I've ever been in. Shooting a .45 caliber TC Hawken using home-cast Maxi-balls and Pyrodex P. The shoot was held by the Black Creek Gun Club out of Darlington, SC. There were about a dozen of us competing, firing from the line at 50 yards at a standard NRA target (don't recall which one but the x-ring was about an inch). We all shot as we were ready so the timing of shots was pretty random and that doesn't help nerves much.

After all shots were completedwe all walked out to the targets. With each step the flow of people sort of drifted toward my target. I had put two in the X touching and the third was a bit more than half the hole out of the X into the 10 ring. Those guys didn't know me well and it was suggested that I had somehow cheated as nobody else had results even close to mine. I got a little heated and told them they were full of it... that I would go back to the line and shoot again if they wanted. Someone piped up they wanted another fellow (the guy that placed a very distant second) to shoot my rifle. I agreed on condition that I load the rifle while they all watched, then he could do the shooting. I think no one there had more doubt than the fellow that did the shooting. The first time I loaded up and handed him the rifle, he had a grim look on his face. The second time he took the rifle his expression had changed dramatically and after the third shot, he looked a little bit in awe. He hadn't duplicated my results but he did have all three in the 10 ring. And he pronounced that I had actually fired that first target without any doubt at all.

Looking back at what transpired, I was always glad they suggested someone else shoot. I would have been hard-pressed to even come close to my first results - given that I was more than a little heated and the pressure would have been strong. Only won a trophy, which turned out to be a conversation piece due to the engraver leaving the "D" out of Black Powder Competition. I still have the base of that trophy with the little fake gold shooter from the top - the rest of the trophy somehow mangled during a move. The shooter's rifle barrel is even broken off... but it's still worth a laugh on occasion. :D

That .45 TC Hawken was the most accurate offour I had owned. Serial number was 11111. In those days I could fire groups at 100 yards using those too thick factory sites and, more often than not,keep three shots under an inch and a half. I only parted with it about 15 years ago - it was still accurate but my eyes had already degenerated to the point that I didn't trust myself using those irons.And they are far worse now.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Great story UC! Love the engraving error.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Don't know if you'll be able to make out the text... :D

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

You a definitely a man of the people, UC - with an award to prove it.

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

Sight alignment,

Sight picture,

Breath control,

Squeeeze the trigger,

Dead critter.

One shot, one kill! Semper Fi!

RE: 3 out of 5 on 9" circle at 40 yds
 

40 yards? Shoooo! Someone hold up a mirror for me so i can shoot over my shoulder.
:D:D