LARRY338

Now that our deer season is over, me and my buddies "play" rifle games. The cooler months is the best time for centerfire practice, and here's some of the games we play: offhand at the standard 100yard smallbore target, steel woodchuck silhouettes(12"tallx5"wide) shot offhand at 200 yards, and cardboard deer targets(like you get at the archery shop) set up at unknown ranges out to about 700 yds, also offhand. What are some games you all play? We do some load testing from a bench too, but Im not talking about that.

270BBR

It is now coyote season; I load my 270 with Speer 90-gr. TNT bullets so they leave the muzzle at 3250 ft/sec. Later on when it gets warmer I will use them on gophers. I also use my 22 and 22 mag on gophers.

halcon

Mostly we just do some load testing and maybe sighting someone's new rifle in . Been working on a new reloading room that we can do all our gunwork in.That will keep us busy for awhile this winter.

Steelshooter

I try to shoot as much Trap as I can, not something all that easy here in Northern Michigan in the winter. I try to do most of my reloading this time of the year. I do a lot of shooting throughout the rest of the year Trap, IDPA, IHMSA so I try to get enough ammo loaded to carry me through the year. Then I need to get some flies tied for them pesky trout in the spring.

Rick Teal

This past deer hunt, I was very disappointed with my "game shooting" when I had deer chased to me on drives. I guess I've spent too much time at the bench, and not enough on my "hind legs" in recent years.

Years ago (during the '60's) I realized that I would have to develop the ability to shoot quickly and accurately - and make accurate follow-up shots - if I was going to have any degree of success when hunting the thick stuff in Ontario. Because of this, I developed a series of drills that I used to best prepare myself for the hunting situations I was facing each fall.

Myself and a buddy did some of the tires rolled down a bank drill, but I found that it wasn't the right place to start, so I followed this routine:

Once my rifle was sighted in at a bench, I abandoned the bench, and targets with concentric circles all together. I selected targets that were if a uniform colour and the size of the boiler works of a deer (I often used 8 1/2 by 11 sheets), and mounted them at about 80 yds - which is twice my normal shooting range.

In this set of drills, any hit on the paper was a dead deer.

I started with my rifle at rest facing the target, and then took the safety off, and shot off-hand at the target. I took time with this drill, not rushing my shots, with quite a bit of time between repetitions. Eventually I got so I had absolute confidence that I could hit the target - one shot at a time - at this range, and my speed of target acquisition increased quite rapidly.

Next, I put up a second target, and snap shot the first, and then shot at the second. I "poke" shoot rather than swing, but a modification of this method may work for swing shooters.

After I mastered 2 targets, I gradually increased the numbers until I could take multiple shots with absolute confidence.

The final test of this method was to set up a number of targets (a couple greater than the number of rounds in the mag.). I mounted them at different heights in a more or less random arrangement. I worked with a buddy, and we decided a numbering sequence for the targets. We then took turns calling out the numbers for the other in a mixed order (eg. 7-2-5-4-1). This was to simulate the unexpectedness (if thats a word) of what a deer may do next - especially when it's being shot at. I eventually developed speed with this drill, but it wasn't the primary goal - precision was. The idea was to be able to take several accurate shots at a moving game animal.

Once I could score 100% regularly on this drill, I thought I was ready to go hunting.

Since I've decided I need some remedial shooting practice after my dismal performance this past fall, I plan to start my regimen by going all the way back to a .22, working my way through the routine, then progressing to my light recoiling 6mm, to my .358 and then my new Whelen.

tschaef

Rick, thanks for the routine, I think I'll try it.
One thing that I haven't tried but have all the gear for is a fast clothes-line. We plan to put one pulley behind a giant rock so that the puller will be safe and can move a target through the bush simulating a pushed deer.
Most of our swing practice comes before deer season at waterfowl, but we do shoot trap and pop cans.
Like Rick I'm in the thick stuff in Ontario, when I sighted my new .308 in at 100yrds I was surprised at how far away that was, I doubt I've ever shot at game further away than 40 yrds before. I'm truly amazed when I read posts about 400yrd shots, I'd have to shoot across a lake to have that kind of line of sight where I hunt.

LARRY338

That sounds like a good drill Rick, its hard to practice for hunting situations isnt it? No matter what you do , it never quite simulates a real hunting situation. I do think that what you are doing will benefit any hunter though. Making your response more reflexive, and not having to think about the basics of shooting will make anyone a better game shot. When my boys were just starting to deer hunt, I made a running deer target by stretching a tight wire between trees, and suspending a cardboard deer target on it with a fishing line attached and run through a screw-eye so I could stand behind the shooter and still reel the target across. We had some fun with that, and it did sort of simulate live targets. I would stop it behind trees, and move it at different speeds without telling them what I was about to do. After awhile it got to the point where I couldnt make them miss or produce a bad shot, so we moved on to something else. Im sure there are some that will brand us "unethical" and stupid for even thinking of shooting at a moving deer, but I do think that overfamiliarization with our guns may be the best practice short of actually shooting game. You can only do that a few times a year though and its not realisitic to call that practice, its more like experience. It all adds up, and the more we shoot the better we get, right?

1SHOT_1KILL

Year around, about 3 times a week, I get some range time in to do some offhand, kneeling, sitting, and prone shooting out to 300yds. I only shoot off the bench to zero, confirm zero, or when working up loads. Twice a month I slip off to Camp Butner for some shooting out to 1,000yds. Same offhand, kneeling, sitting, and prone positions. I shoot a combination of High Power/National Match bullseye targets, EIC Ivans, and iron-maidens at unknown distance. I mainly try to shoot some portion of a competition course of fire, like EIC, High Power, Long range, and unknown distance sniper.

Danr55

Try a nickel/dime/quarter shoot or a rock breaking contest.

We tape a nickel a dime and a quarter to a new cardboard backing, then take turns starting with the quarter and working down to the dime. It's shot from 100 yards, any position except from the bench. Using a bipod and shooting prone is acceptable. Sometimes we wager on the outcome, sometimes we just shoot to improve our skills. The shot up coins make great presents for grand kids. They think the holes are neat and it peaks their interest in shooting. My grandsons each have a jar full of coins by the end of the year. Grandpa trades the shot up coins for un-shot up coins just in time for Christmas. They love it.

The rock breaking contests are a little easier on the collection side. These is none. The spotter will select a rock on the range at some distance beyond the 300 yard berme. He used a spotting scope and a range finder to select and describe the rock. He tells the other two guys how far out the rock is and generally where the rock is. We then try to find the rock he has selected based on his description of range and location. It helps in learning how to range objects and how to describe where things are to your partners. That second part helps a bunch when you are shooting Prairrie Poodles and the practice at ranging and then shooting long range objects can serve well with the Pdogs or with other game such as antelope and Elk. <img src=icon_smile_cool.gif border=0 align=middle>

Dan in Arizona

LARRY338

sounds like fun Dan, I think sometimes I would like to live in the west where its easier to find a place to shoot. I have access to two ranges that allow more than 200 yd shooting. I would love to start playing black powder rifle silhouette, but there is only one club that I know of in the state where its done, and thats 200 miles from here.