What do you consider good enough when your sighted in?
 

When you sight in your MLer when are you Satisfied that your group size is as good as it can be for you to Hunt with? Now I realize that some of us as we get Older just cant see as we did when we were young, but there still has to be a Group that we say, Yep that's good, Im Pleased. And I know some Cant Hunt with a Scope so this may differ from Hunter to Hunter. I use a Scope.
For me I Practice more Shooting than Hunting by far, but I will find the best Bullet Load Possible that porduces the Best Possible Groups befor I even consider pulling the trigger on Game.
For Me I have to get a 1"+- Group at 100yds and at least a 2"-3" group at 200 befor Im Satisfied. Now Most of My shots are at say 30-70 yds, but I do take them out to 150++ so I just want to be as tight with My Groups as I can or Im just not going to have that feeling of Confidence. And if your not Confident it's going to make a difference in your mind when the moment arrives. This after all is a MLer Forum, and the questions are mostly about shooting a MLer and what works the Best, and we all should be as good as we can be when the moment arrives.
(BP)

Breechplug

I disagree some what... wouldn't you know...

I know I am not shooting the most accurate hunting bullet I have, what I do know is, I beleive I shooting the bullet with the best terminal performance that i have.

Performance on the target is for me ahead of pinpoint accuracy. After all when we are hunting how often are we in a bench situation. If I can shoot 2 - 2 1/2" all day at a 100 with a scope and my hunting bullet, I really think that will suffice for hunting.

At the beginning of the month we went out to check our POI for the upcomming hunting season. Placed some clay pigeons out from 75 to 150 yards - One shot one bird - that accuracy will work. Now if I had chosen to shoot some SST's or FTX's I am sure I could have gotten closer to the senter of each bird.

Iron sights, I can live with 3 to 3.5" 100 yard groups for hunting. I try for better, but can live with that knowing that I will only take a shot that far with irons under perfect conditions.

With a scope, I want 2" or less, but will live with 2.5". Like Sabotloader, I don't mind giving up a little in group size to shoot the bullets I have total confidence in (i.e. Gold Dots/Deep Curls).

There's only one stand in my hunting area where I can see out to 175 yards. A few offer 150 yard shots, but most are right around 100 yards.

I like my groups to be as small as possible, but on the other hand, I consider groups in the 2 - 2.5" range at 100 yards to be acceptable hunting accuracy.

When I first got into muzzleloading about 5 or 6 years ago, I was using pellets and prepackaged bullets. Accuracy was horrible by my current standards - 6" groups at 100 yards, but I didn't know any better, and plus it was better than my smoothbore shotgun I had used for many years before that. So without knowing any better, I went out there that first year and took a buck at about 100 yards. Shows that you don't need pinpoint accuracy for deer hunting.

I've shot some 100 yard groups that are about 1", but side with sabotloader in that I would rather shoot a bullet that does 2.5" groups but has superior terminal performance.

For my hunting guns, I believe in minute of deer is good enough. I have a 200 yard range in my back yard, 2 benches and 3 backstops.

I initially sight in on my 27 yard front yard range then go to 100 yards and verify with rest from bench. I may fine tune the sights at the bench but then I stop shooting from the benches. When hunting we don't have a bench in our stands. I start shooting from a seated position, and standing leaning using tree just like I would do in the field hunting. How many of you also shoot/practice from your week side, I am right handed but also can shoot very well from the other side because of practice. I just walk up to one of the trees in the yard and shoot from it, some times at targets but most of the time at steel plates/gongs at assorted distances from all trees. Might be a card board box with a dot on it. This type of shooting / practice I feel is far better than just burning powder at the bench. I have total faith in all loads I might have in the bore of my guns because of frequent shooting at variouse distances from differen positions.

I also do woods walks and shoot at dead stumps, limbs on the ground, any target at unknown ranges.

Shoot safe and shoot often!

Once my gun is sighted in (1-2" groups @100 yards) then that is the last time before season (unless I drop my gun) that I will shoot from the bench. All my practice is from the standing position at 50, 75, 100 yards. If I can hit a pie plate at 100 yards, I am happy. If I can hit a smaller plate at 75, again happy. And a clay pigeon at 50 yards or less.

I think it's important to practice free standing or kneeling because that is real world.

It is my opinion that bow hunting also helps with muzzy hunting. I slow way down on my one shot. Some years I have tagged out during bow, so that's why I like the challenge of muzzy hunting. One shot, One kill.


D

I guess I am never really satisfied with the accuracy of a rifle. If I was I would not be tinkering with them all the time.

With an open sight or 1x scope, if I can shoot 3-1/2 inches or under at 100 yards I will take that rifle hunting. At 50 yards, I want much better out of that rifle. And since all my shots are close, I get better.

With my scoped rifles I like to see at least a 2-1/2 or better group at 100 yards, but I strive for under an inch. Why I want to shoot these tight groups is just a sickness with me. But if the rifle will shoot under 2-1/2 inches, it can go hunting with me.

For me there is a big difference on how I think on the range VS in the woods. Also I want the best bullet for the job. One reason I like conical bullets. Even though I know and understand why some people love the sabot loads.. I just have a lot of faith with conical bullets.

Sub 2" at 50 yards with open sites and limit shots to 100 yards.

Clover leafs at 50 yards with a scope and sub 2" at 100 yards.

Then verify first shot POI on a primer only fouled barrel.

I am looking for consistent 1.5" groups at 100, once I find it then I know it is all up to me to make the shot. I use a bench when looking for the best setup for my gun in order to eliminate human error. Once you find that best setup then I believe you should practice how you will be hunting whether it is free hand, on the sill of a window in your shooting house, off of a tree limb or shooting sticks.

Its hard to say to be honest. Once you keep getting shots that touch and then end up shooting a 2" group another day out, you beat yourself up " at least i do lol"

As long as your accuracy is hunt worthy, it will do.

Under 2 inches at 100 yards makes me happy. All my rifles have scopes, no iron sights. My White is the shootingest dude I own, it will shoot under an inch if I do my part.

Right now the rifle is shooting better than 1" @ 100 yards off a bench with sandbags.
This is my 1st year shooting a muzzleloader, and that type of shooting makes me confident and ready to take my V1 Acurra hunting.

I've shot enough now, that on a good day I can shoot sub 1" @ 100yds, off the bench. After that for HUNTING PURPOSES, shooting from different positions is more practical!

I guess I look at it a bit differently than most guys. Personally I could care less what size group a rifle shoots. All I care about is where that first cold bore shot goes. I could care less where the second or third shot goes in an MZ.

Depending on what rifle I am shooting I want my rifle to hit where I aim. On my open sighted MZ's I want the projectile to hit about 1-1/2" to 2" high at 100 yards. And I want that first shot to touch the vertical line of the target. As long as that first shot cold bore bullet cuts that line then I am fully satisfied and ready to go hunting. I do not shot second dirty shots from a barrel at deer-so why do I care where it goes??

Most rifles will hit a bit different with a dirty barrel than it will a clean cold bore shot. Especially an MZ.

I completely clean my barrel between shots when preparing my rifle for hunting.

And when I practice shooting I don't waste my time shooting it off a bench. I take it in the woods, or I go to my rock chunkin spot and I practice in hunting condition environments.

IMO guys put too much emphasis on groups from a bench. I don't hunt from a bench. And I don't shoot groups at deer, I shoot a single shot. So just make sure you know exactly where that first clean cold bore shot is going to hit, then go practice in hunting conditions and I hope you kill a biggun this year. Tom.

I am the total opposite of you, I Hunt with a Fouled Barrel. As you stated you like to know where your first shot goes out of a Clean Barrel, but what of you need a follow up shot or get a chance at another Animal that same day? Your next shots wont be the same as the one from the Clean Barrel.
For me I found that My MLers will shoot better groups after the barrel is fouled, sure I may run a patch down it after I shoot it but it's still a fouled barrel. For me I'd rather know where most of my shots are going to hit insted of just the first.
Now you may say you only need one shot and the first one matters the most, that's true to an extent, but my first, second and third shots will all be the same, that's the way I like it.
And out of a clean Barrel you (may) get a Flyer, Im not going to chance that, I'd rather know that my first shot it's going to be right where I aimed.
Befor I go Hunting I will shoot a few times, patch after each shot and check my groups so I know there in there where I want them to be. Then after Im satisfied, I'll patch and run a slightly Oiled patch through and be ready. Sometimes I even check how it shoots after the patch and Oiled Patch just to be sure it still shoots where Im aiming, and it's still in there, so I redo the steps again and Im ready.
I found that each shot out of a Completely Clean Barrel does'nt always go in the exact same spot, it varies a-lot from shot to shot.
And then if you did it your way you'd have to completely clean the barrel after each shot, seems like too much work.
But if it works for you than that's all that matters.
Happy Hunting.
(BP)

Breechplug

With you on this one - my barrel is also fouled, well I should say semi fouled.

For me all of my ML's are far more consistent shooting of my fouled or semi fouled barrel than they are of a clean barrel.

I think I getting away this as I am shooting T7 not real BP or one of the Pyros.

after applying bore coat and walking away from oil, all 3 shots are dead on, including the first on a clean non fouled bore.

Im not a big fan of oiling my barrels to start off with but normally did while hunting to help prevent rusting.