Hoosier_Hunter1963

I think I have discovered I stink at shooting much farther than 75 yards. At 50 yards i can stack them right in there NO PROBLEM. Move it to 100 or more and I think the gun is much more capable than this shooter.

I now dial it about an inch high at 50, then let my son test it at 75, 100 & 150 yards. He was dead on at 75 and 100 and about 2 inches low at 150 yards. My shooting at those ranges was NOT GOOD!

What things do you do to keep from getting the shakes or moving all around. i really think if I WAS aiming at a deer it wouldn't be a problem. They have a much larger target area than the small one I use and you wouldn't be trying to hold it on a bullseye.

Semisane

Well HH, that depends on what you call NOT GOOD. What kind of groups are you getting at 100/125?

I was never able to shoot anywhere near decent groups until I trained myself to go through a mental checklist for each shot - feet flat on ground, body in same position at the bench, front rest under same spot on forend, left hand grip in same spot, right hand pulling butt into shoulder with same pressure, cheek weld the same for each shot, ball of trigger finger on trigger, etc.

cayugad

I have kind of the same problem. I have with open sights basically now limited myself to 75 yards. I was shooting at a 5 inch target the other day with my 58 caliber and open sights, and lets say... good thing the bull was that big.

As for with a scope, its weird. One day I will shoot awesome, and the next time out I wonder if I am shooting the same rifle. I have to try what Semisane was talking about. Also I want to get a new shooting table. Something sturdy but portable. So this winter I can move it in and out of the garage.

Semisane

Cayugad, if I were in your situation (which I envy greatly), I would build myself a little 3' x 4' deck with treated 2x4s with wheels like a kid's wagon. Then build a shooting table and stool permanently mounted to the deck.

cayugad

Well that would be easy and fine for non snow months. We get over six months of snow here. And wheels in deep snow don't roll too good. I even thought of putting some cross country skis on the legs of that shooting bench. Because once it snows, it is there til spring. And then I have to shovel around it. A portable could be taken down, shoveled, put back up, and then we'd have different distances I could shoot without too much walking in the snow. But I have my snow shoes and poles out, just waiting for the snow to come. So we will see. I might do some on line shopping tonight and look at portable shooting stands, or plans to build one. I have just such a plan around here someplace.

Semisane

Well heckeedarn, build the dang deck and put a full width sled base on it instead of wheels. You could cut the ends off of a 55 gallon plastic drum, rip it open from top to bottom, flatten it out, and nail the nice slick plastic to the bottom of the deck.

cayugad

Sportsman's Guide has a nice one for under $90.00 and I don't even have to break a sweat.

txhunter58

Are we talking open sights or with a scope? What is the brand of rifle and how is the trigger pull?

Hoosier_Hunter1963

I am shooting a CVA Optima, actually I am shooting 2 CVA Optima's both with a Nikon Prostaff 3x9 scope on them. The one I was shooting last night is a MAG(longer barrel) and heavier than the other which is NOT a MAG. The mag is blued and the other is a SS barrel.

I did notice that the MAG's trigger pull seems to be alot heavier than the other one.

I am shooting the exact same load in both. Both should be about 1" high at 50 yards and about dead on at 100. Son shot the mag at 150 last night and was dead center(R-L) and about 2 inches low. At 75 and 100 he was dead on up and down.

What seems odd to me is that I would have assumed the load to go something like .5 high at 50, 1.5 high at 100 and 2.0 low at 150. This seems to be flat to declining from 50 on out but it seems consistant between the 2 guns which is good.

oldsmellhound

Are you talking about shooting off-hand, or with a rest? I don't have any trouble keeping groups tight with a rest, but off-hand is another story.

When shooting off-hand, I use a shooting sling that basically creates a 3rd anchor point to hold the rifle steady. I've practiced for many years with this method, and while I would prefer having a rest any day of the week, I feel comfortable taking, and have hit shots out to 100 yards like this.

It sounds like trigger pull might be an issue. A very heavy trigger can ruin anyone's day when it comes to marksmanship. I would see if you can get the trigger lightened up at all. I know that with at least some of the older models, if you send it back to CVA they will lighten the trigger for you.