Sighting In A Muzzleloader?
09-15-2012, 02:00 PM
#22
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 2,037
The guy is new to muzzleloading and asked a question in a respectful manner. There is no need to be rude to him about it. It is better for people to feel free to ask question when they are learning to shoot smokepoles.
Welcome to the forum BPbowhunter92. Be careful, shooting these rifles is addicting.
Welcome to the forum BPbowhunter92. Be careful, shooting these rifles is addicting.
09-15-2012, 02:12 PM
#23
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
I didn't get the feeling he was new to shooting. CF, ML, handgun, or bow. It's all the same when sighting in.
Since when have hunters become so sensitive? Cripes!
I'm not the type to sit around the campfire singing and roasting marshmallows.
Since when have hunters become so sensitive? Cripes!
I'm not the type to sit around the campfire singing and roasting marshmallows.
09-15-2012, 02:12 PM
#24
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,382
I think Ron makes a valid point about people learning the sport being able to ask questions of others with more experience. That helps a person learn a little quicker and also can help you learn a much better way of doing something. That's a large part of why we have the different forums--so hunters with more experience can share with those who have less experience and/or are just trying to learn more.
I edited several posts between BP and Muley above that violate the rules and don't reflect well on themselves, HNI or all of us as hunters. Gentlemen, you're free to continue the discussion and topic--just don't argue or flame each other cause that makes a lot more work for moderators.
I have not got into muzzle loading yet but am curious about the range issue. I know if centerfire (and especially in rimfire) rifles, most rifle purists recommend shooting the actual range you plan on shooting. But then there's a guy named Jack O'Connor who always recommended sighting in about 3 inches high at 100 yards so you be dead on at approximately 275-300 yards. Jack shot a lot of animals and he obviously got lots of chances to see where his rifle(s) shot at 300 yards.
My question is this--Is there a similar formula for muzzle loaders using range data like that or are muzzle loaders too inconsistent or load specific to use a general formula like that?
I edited several posts between BP and Muley above that violate the rules and don't reflect well on themselves, HNI or all of us as hunters. Gentlemen, you're free to continue the discussion and topic--just don't argue or flame each other cause that makes a lot more work for moderators.
I have not got into muzzle loading yet but am curious about the range issue. I know if centerfire (and especially in rimfire) rifles, most rifle purists recommend shooting the actual range you plan on shooting. But then there's a guy named Jack O'Connor who always recommended sighting in about 3 inches high at 100 yards so you be dead on at approximately 275-300 yards. Jack shot a lot of animals and he obviously got lots of chances to see where his rifle(s) shot at 300 yards.
My question is this--Is there a similar formula for muzzle loaders using range data like that or are muzzle loaders too inconsistent or load specific to use a general formula like that?
09-15-2012, 02:16 PM
#25
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 9,557
Cal........I agree that someone new to the sport should feel free to ask questions. However, we should also be free to say..No! Don't do that! when we feel it's a bad idea.
From his reaction to me. He doesn't seem like the type who's sensitive, and will run away. He spoke his mind, and I let him. No harm done.
From his reaction to me. He doesn't seem like the type who's sensitive, and will run away. He spoke his mind, and I let him. No harm done.
09-15-2012, 03:38 PM
#26
Super Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern California
Posts: 18,382
I completely agree that you and other more experienced hunters should offer advice. Often such advice was learned the hard way and is invaluable in saving a fellow hunter from learning the hard way also. However, if you remember back to when you were a new hunter and/or BP's age (whatever his age may be), exactly how well would you have honestly accepted or considered the same advice you gave which admittedly made a less than flattering assumption not necessarily corroborated by text? I'm guessing you might have got your dander up also.
When we're young, we think we know it all and often don't want to listen to advice, especially if we think it is given with a false assumption in mind. As we get older, we (and I fit squarely in this generalization) tend to forget how we sometimes struggled and learned things the hard way when giving advice to a younger person. We know why it works the way it does (not always the obvious option) but tend to just tell them do this without "explaining" why it works that way and, perhaps more usefully and importantly, how we learned the same lesson the hard way when we perhaps made the same incorrect assumption about an issue or formula.
You could say nothing and BP would probably get along fine without shooting at 100 yards until he got to that one time when an inch or less miscalculation in trajectory means a wounded animal getting away or a flat out miss. At that point, he would probably ask a more detailed and technical question about the same topic.
You could use sarcasm and/or make assumptions which might not be true and BP would simply get his dander up and no way would he even bother to think about your answer (the one without the explanation).
Or, you could give him the answer WITH the explanation and then him run off with it to do as he sees fit. If he's smart, he will apply it, test it and confirm it as it's pretty dumb to ignore honest advice from an experienced hunter--stuff like that can dramatically increase your hunting skills. Or he can simply ignore the good advice and eventually learn the hard way or just spend the rest of his hunting career wondering (or not) why he misses on critical shots where he didn't have an inch of trajectory to spare.
I'll admit that it's extremely frustrating when somebody asks for your advice, you give them good advice and they ignore it. It's almost like you're talking to a politician who doesn't care because you're not big money.
At some point in that person's life, however, they will eventually learn or at least suspect that you did give them good advice. They may never use it or may never tell you or get the chance to tell you that they finally used it and, surprise, surprise, it really did work and you were right. That's often how life works.
I can almost guarantee you that at least one more person and likely several more people have read this topic and are trying to apply what you shared. They just don't know why it was important to do it that way yet because you haven't shared. that is also how life works. People you never talk directly to can and do learn from you.
Regardless of which way you decide to share advice or not in the future, I at least would appreciate the route with more information supplied because I happen to read these topics and learn from them. I would also appreciate both of you guys not carrying the argument to a semi-flaming level which violates rules because then I have to write a big post like this and try to remember those English writing skills I learned in college as a wee young lad fresh out of the Marine Corps. Now play ball and no more fouls or violations.
When we're young, we think we know it all and often don't want to listen to advice, especially if we think it is given with a false assumption in mind. As we get older, we (and I fit squarely in this generalization) tend to forget how we sometimes struggled and learned things the hard way when giving advice to a younger person. We know why it works the way it does (not always the obvious option) but tend to just tell them do this without "explaining" why it works that way and, perhaps more usefully and importantly, how we learned the same lesson the hard way when we perhaps made the same incorrect assumption about an issue or formula.
You could say nothing and BP would probably get along fine without shooting at 100 yards until he got to that one time when an inch or less miscalculation in trajectory means a wounded animal getting away or a flat out miss. At that point, he would probably ask a more detailed and technical question about the same topic.
You could use sarcasm and/or make assumptions which might not be true and BP would simply get his dander up and no way would he even bother to think about your answer (the one without the explanation).
Or, you could give him the answer WITH the explanation and then him run off with it to do as he sees fit. If he's smart, he will apply it, test it and confirm it as it's pretty dumb to ignore honest advice from an experienced hunter--stuff like that can dramatically increase your hunting skills. Or he can simply ignore the good advice and eventually learn the hard way or just spend the rest of his hunting career wondering (or not) why he misses on critical shots where he didn't have an inch of trajectory to spare.
I'll admit that it's extremely frustrating when somebody asks for your advice, you give them good advice and they ignore it. It's almost like you're talking to a politician who doesn't care because you're not big money.
At some point in that person's life, however, they will eventually learn or at least suspect that you did give them good advice. They may never use it or may never tell you or get the chance to tell you that they finally used it and, surprise, surprise, it really did work and you were right. That's often how life works.
I can almost guarantee you that at least one more person and likely several more people have read this topic and are trying to apply what you shared. They just don't know why it was important to do it that way yet because you haven't shared. that is also how life works. People you never talk directly to can and do learn from you.
Regardless of which way you decide to share advice or not in the future, I at least would appreciate the route with more information supplied because I happen to read these topics and learn from them. I would also appreciate both of you guys not carrying the argument to a semi-flaming level which violates rules because then I have to write a big post like this and try to remember those English writing skills I learned in college as a wee young lad fresh out of the Marine Corps. Now play ball and no more fouls or violations.
09-15-2012, 06:50 PM
#30
Spike
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Dallas, Ga (land of the cull bucks)
Posts: 44
Thanks to the guys who actually gave helpful advice (...Deleted by CalHunter...). I am definitely not new to hunting, just new to muzzleloaders. I have taken SEVERAL P&Y bucks over the years as a bowhunter. I just didn't want to start out shooting at 100 and not even be close to the target. I figured a ML would be a lot different from sighting in a rifle since they do not shoot as far. I'll be headed to the range in the next few days!
Last edited by CalHunter; 09-16-2012 at 12:20 AM.