Hunters Responsibility

[Rustystud]

I have people call all the time about using x, y, and z cartridges for hunting. Most hunters know their limitations both personal shooting skills and equipment capabilities.

One mans impossible shot is another mans chip shot.

First, I will say do your homework. There are both firearms, and ammunition designed with normal limitations. What works best for "this application".

Second, Don't cut corners on your glass, Better, higher quality scopes, and good rings and bases are a must. Some say optics are more important than the rifle.

Third, actions and stocks need to be properly fitted. I prefer aluminum pillars, and glassed in actions, over free floated barrel channels.

Fourth, triggers need to be light, crisp, no over travel and fore most safe.

Fifth, there is no replacement of trigger time, this includes load development, and distance practice. Take notes of what you have done. I keep a logbook/journal, with targets on all rifles and loads.

Sixth, don't hunt big game with bullets designed to shoot paper. I shoot brand "B1" at paper and it kills the X ring at 600 and 1000 yards. I hunt with brand "B2" it shoot sub .5 moa out to 600 yards and is a controlled expansion bullet. It make an entrance wound bullet diameter with a hydrostatic shock ring under the surface 4" in diameter, it makes a 5" (diameter) wound channel 16-20" and a exit wound the size of a quarter. Try a Texas heart shot or a frontal heart shot with brand "B1" and your off to the races with no blood trail.

For those taking long range shots 400-1800 yards. Ask is your bullet still traveling 1700-1800 fps and still maintaining 500 foot pounds (min) of energy so that the bullet can do it's job.

Nat Lambeth

 

[CJ6]

Well said....

 

[MrMajestic]

Nice write up Nat.

 

[CaptainMal]

So I take it you are not approving a WalMart special with a Chinese Bushnell "blister pack" $19.99 3-9 in loose, "one screw" mounts with sideways crosshair and "never-tightened" screws?

You would not fit in with the majority of my hunting club members. Then, couple years later after multiple woundings and misses they come to me so I can make chicken salad out of chicken poo all the while bitching about the cost of a box of shells.

Guess I won't see you.

 

[hogpatrol]

Good post Nat. One thing I would add:

If you don't have a lot of trigger time, spending a ton of money on custom guns, great triggers, crystal clear glass and million dollar rests will NOT make you a rifleman.
You must shoot your way to proficiency and accuracy, especially at longer ranges.

 

[people]

High or low quality equipment you need to use and know it. If you do not know how to use your equipment you might as well not even go out there.

If you know your stuff and practice and you use the correct match bullets they can and do perform great.

 

[Raythemanroe]

Good post Nat. One thing I would add:

If you don't have a lot of trigger time, spending a ton of money on custom guns, great triggers, crystal clear glass and million dollar rests will NOT make you a rifleman.
You must shoot your way to proficiency and accuracy, especially at longer ranges.

+1, Well said

 

[Raythemanroe]

I have sighted guns in for a couple folks that have changed to different brand bullets and weight with zero thought of re sighting! Some folks are clueless

 

[jonbearman]

I agree with Nat but a texas heart shot in my book is so unethical I wont even bear the thought of doing that to any animal,it is just so wrong.

 

[CaptainMal]

Certainly agree the "Texas heart Shot" is a PIA.

Also agree with the original comments. Only thing is the solution is education and change. For the majority of hunters that kind of change is not reasonably possible.

 

[savagedasher]

Good post Nat. One thing I would add:

If you don't have a lot of trigger time, spending a ton of money on custom guns, great triggers, crystal clear glass and million dollar rests will NOT make you a rifleman.
You must shoot your way to proficiency and accuracy, especially at longer ranges.

 

[savagedasher]

You hit it on the head. I see it all the time at the range. They have a gun that is capable of one inch at a hundred yards and they cant shoot 6''. Money can't buy shooting skills. Nothing bothers me more then taking some ones double gun and spending two days regulating the bullet speed. Then go to the range with him and he cant shoot 10'' and he tell me that is good enough.
Larry

 

[d.id]

Good read, Good generalization but there are many ways to skin a cat.
The classic controlled expansion mushroom and weight retention model is a safe bet but not the only way.
A nosler partition ripping out the backside of a prized bobcat is not likely to be ideal.

Anyone that thinks the .338 300 grain smk (big paper bullet) is not a great elk round is clearly not experienced.

There are some bullets performing well under 1700 fps and some that require significantly more velocity to initiate reliable expansion.

I actually prefer a little over-travel on a bolt gun.

It is my opinion and experience that more importantly than any one of these individual points or preferences, is the hunters responsibility to have safe, reliable equipment.
To know it's strengths, it's weaknesses and his own. Then to operate within those limitations.

 

[FeMan]

Also practice at all shooting positions and know your limitations for each; standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone with and without rests. There aren't too many concrete tables in the woods.

 

[hogpatrol]

Also practice at all shooting positions and know your limitations for each; standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone with and without rests. There aren't too many concrete tables in the woods.

Good info. I'm not the greatest offhand shooter so I use a bipod high enough to shoot comfortably in the sitting position .

 

[L.Sherm]

Great post Nat, Hog I think you hit the nail on the head to Practice,practice. d.i.d. I also agree with you on the 338 calibers for elk. I've shot bulls with 280 Rem. 6.5 WSM, and 338 win mag. and that 338 sure puts the smack down on an elk. Although I love my 6.5WSM if I had all my hunting rifles taken away (God forbid) and could only keep one it would have to be my 338 win. mag. because here in Montana we can hunt deer and elk at the same time. In the spring I love to shoot gophers (groundsquirrels)not only is it a blast, it's great trigger time which i think is key to becoming a good shot, not that I'm a benchrest shooter.

 

[langenc]

Wont make much difference at 400-1200 yards. No one should shoot at game at those differences unless they shoot weekly in matches and practice at those ranges, ie many hundred rounds/year at those ranges.

Actually most places that is an impossibility cause the animal cant even be seen at 1200 yards.

 

[people]

Granted there are many places in the US where 1,200yds is easy as pie to get. One has to practice and practice. That does not mean just blasting a tone of ammo at 1k on paper or at one chunk of steel. You have to move around and shoot just one or a couple rounds at each setup.

The hard truth is who cares if you can shoot a three inch 10shot group at 1k after two sighters. You need first round hits. The longer you want to play the longer you need to shoot. I am not bragging at all but a 400yd shot is just gravy. Even in ND wind. Provided wind is not really bad I am confident on a 400yd head shot.

In my practicing I remember when I found out the 308 was not the end all be all of long range shooting.

Texas heart shot? That is a new one to me. I guess when you use point and bang rifles it is easy to miss the head shot.

 

[wmdron]

I wish more people would read this post. There is no substitute for practice and for that matter good equipment. A neighbor of mine decided he wanted to hunt deer so he bought one of those pkg deer rifles that comes with a cheap scope and rings that I wouldn't have put on a .22 let alone a 30-06. No amount of persuading on my part could get him to upgrade the scope/rings because it was "good enough" and after all he had just laid out $300. Not to pick on him but he never seems to have time for practice, a couple of shots before the season and that's it, the kicker is I have a private range he could use. To the best of my knowledge he hasn't killed a deer yet, but I know he has wounded a couple and missed some outright. The coyotes are eating good, and I am amazed at this otherwise great guy.

 

[d.id]

Seen that myself many times and it flat out drives me nuts. Do it right or do not do it. Those otherwise great guys end up giveing the rest of us a bad name.