handloader1

Sounds like fun Otis!!

Nomercy

I practice at ALL ranges, I own a 1200yrd range, and have used every inch of it on MANY occasions. With my hunting rifles, the accuracy is usually poor enough that I can' t shoot well enough at the full length, usually only out to 800yrds with my ' hunting' rifles. Some of these rifles I have data collected for ranges in 10yrd increments for the entire length of the range (plus several 5yrd increments such as those at 20-25-30yrds, 70-75-80yrds etc). You only know where your bullet is AFTER you' ve actually seen where it hits at varying ranges. When I just started seriously shooting, my family taught me to shoot at at least every 50yrds for the length of what you would hunt, plus at least another 100yrds, that way you' re surely covered, now, I know that that is the MINIMUM you should practice...at least every 25yrds, every 10yrds is better in my book, in just a hunting rifle, target or varmint rifles are another story.

Quilly

i practice from 25yds 50yds 100yds 150yds and 200yds. won' t take a shoot at an animal unless i feel comfortable in doing so. i have shot out to 250yds with my old rem 7600 in 280rem. but i find i cannot shoot like i did with any other caliber lately. maybe the caliber did it for me.

loner

i have been shooting the same 30-06s and 150gr psp corlokts for 30 years so i don' t have to shoot much.where i hunt,i have used a rangefinder to verify distances and the longest shot that i could take is 300yds.if you have ballistic charts,you can pretty much boresight and go to the range to sight in when you change guns or scopes.i found a great tool this year that really helps with new sightins when you don' t have a 300yd range handy.i downloaded " remington shoot" software which is free,and simply plug in the cal,type bullet and weight and pull up the graph trajectory to see the the two points that the bullet crosses.i sight in for 200yds so i can shoot dead on at about 30yds for a 200yd zero.when i get the chance to go to a range i shoot at 200yds and have found it to be very close to what i expect.

stubblejumper

Loner-I have seen those close range sight in charts way out in many cases.It varies with height of rings(which varies) and actual velocity that your gun produces with a given load which can be very different from what the manufacturer publishes.The only truly accurate way to sight in at 200 yards is to shoot at 200 yards.

Nomercy

Your post makes me cringe more and more every time I read it Loner, I can' t find anything to agree with in the length of it! You' re getting away with it because it' s only hunting, where exacting inches aren' t always important with a .30-06, put some holes in paper sometime and you' ll see the fallacy with published data sheets/programs. The remington and similar software are great starting points, to give you an idea, but should NOT be taken to the field as gospel. 30yrs of poor practices doesn' t make it a good idea, people have been cutting holes in their skulls for thousands of years to vent bad spirits, longevity doesn' t mean it' s a proven method. I' m sure you' ve done well as a hunter, but a dedicated trip to the range would show you a lot of things you might not be expecting. Those charts are good enough to get you ' more or less' sighted in, just enough to guarantee you' ll be on the page, with a .30-06, you' re flat shooting and straight flying enough that I' m sure it' s close, but measuring variant MOA at 30yrds is a joke, at 200yrds it' s quite noticeable. I don' t mean to tell a man his business, but I wouldn' t shoot/hunt with you if I knew that' s all the ' practicing' you did.

skeeter 7MM

My range is only good to 200 yards, so I practice faithfully 100 and 200 yards groups with my hunting rifles. I do however have a buddy who has a range on his farm that allows us 500yards. Although I do shoot at the max range, I spend most my time when at his place between 225-350...as that is about far as a shot I would take on game in my parts. I have found shooting longer distance (albeit not super long) it makes me a better shot in my norm hunting situation which is 100-200 yards.

I agree whole hearted if your going to attempt a 200, 300 yarder or what have shot than you better practice it so you know what to expect!!!!! Range finders are great tools, but they don' t tell you how high to hold or how that bullet will perform in your gun at that distance. It makes my bottom lip quiver, when I hear guys who haven' t shot since last year and it is opening morning[:' (]. I guess I have seen to many wounded or dead game from botched shots, that I figure some of this could have been prevented with a little of range time. Not only does it tell you bullet/equipment info, it will more than likely give you a realistic limit to exactly how far you can perform accurately. In all the preperation a person goes through to not even hit the range for a few session, doesn' t make sense. Your leaving a very impotant part to chance and since I live to hunt, that is something I am not prepared to do or advocate!

loner

sorry to cause concern for my shooting skills!i only posted suggestions to get the rifle ready to shoot at longer distances when a longer range was not available.i do not shoot benchrest competetion or thousands of rounds each year like some because i use the same guns, scopes and loads each year.i ve never lost any game due to my shooting skills.

diyj98

I only practice comparable to the shots I normally take. 1000 yards for varmints, 2000 yards for deer, and only out to 500 yards or so for squirrels, and other small game. Of course all shots are fired offhanded or sometimes from a running horse. This is for handgun hunting. Most shots are point shot as well. I never did see the need for sights.

I tend to double those yardges for rifles![&:]

Chubber

More importantly than the ranges at which you sight in your rifle is the practicing of the skills or range estimation that you will use in the field. Here are a couple of drills that I use to help get my eyes ready for hunting:

1) Target aquisition: Shooting offhand lower the rifle and close your eyes. Take a step back and a step forward. Open your eyes. Keeping your eyes on your target, bring the rifle up and shoot. You are not going for raw speed, just consistency. With most game, once you see it, you can' t take your eyes off it until after you fire. Don' t get in the habit of checking your safety, scope power, etc. with your eyes while in the process of shooting.

2) Range estimation: If you can, have someone place targets on your range for you at the distances you expect to encouter them in the wild. It is best if you have lifesize targets, but even an outline on flip chart paper is good enough. Engage each target attempting to estimate range and drop.

3) Leading the shot: Deer rarely stand still, and many other game are just as frisky. Someones baloon idea was good, especially if you are shooting squirrels, but most deer move in a straight line. Some way to make the target move slightly is a good idea. For rabbit training we used to use baloons as well, but just released them on the ground. With the wind at your back they will wander along the ground, getting pregressively harder to hit. I don' t know how to simulate this with deer other than by using expensive moving targets or some kind of zip wire. I do it the cheap way by doing a slow swing with the muzzle and trying to time my trigger release. Safety first!

4) If you hunt from a treestand, practice from a treestand. Enough said.

5) If you can, try practicing with the clothes you wear hunting. I ran into a problem with a flap pocket on a jacket I used catching on the butpad of the rifle. Now I tuck the flap into the pocket and everything is OK. Likewise, that warm jacket might bind up inside the elbow or your hat brim may hit the scope eye every time. Get a feel for the trigger with the gloves you will be wearing.

6) Get your sight with the first shot on a cold rifle. That is the shot that will count when you are in the field. It takes time to get the rifle cold after each shot, but a cold, clean rifle will shoot different than one that has warmed up and fouled slightly.

Think back on all the times you went hunting and all of the conditions that you encountered. If you had to take a shot at one of those times, you should. If you don' t practice the shot, you can' t take it.

Chubber