STUCK IN A RUT
I've been kind of keeping mental track of shooting at various distances over the years. A lot of years. About 60 or so.
When hunters came back from a trip, they would eventually get to the details of that single most important shot taken. Back in the 1950s and '60s, I think most of them tended to tell it like it was. Maybe the truth continued on even well into the 1980s. I has been in the more recent years that widespread truth has been thrown out the window. I primarily blame Bill Clinton and his wife for this.
Now, I think only a few of my friends still tell the truth about how long a shot that was, and even admit to missing from time to time. Craig Boddington seems to be a truthful guy, as well. That's good, because he is the prominent voice of the hunting world today. Maybe he should be the President.
Some persistent liars are the guys with semi-automatic rifles of one type or another, who claim their outfit shoots as well or better than a good bolt action. Anyone with even a slight brush of actual rifle experience knows better. The semi-auto guys are hoping that, if told enough times, their "exaggeration" will eventually become the truth.
The other major group of liars are the super-long-range fans. You know, elk at 700 yards and beyond, and videos to back them up. The elk look as if they have been struck by lightning, even though that 7mm bullet shot from a magnum round has slowed down to approximately equal the same bullet shot from a 7mm Mauser at 400 yards. Would you shoot an elk at 400 yards with a 7mm Mauser? If so, stop reading now, because we will never be friends. I do not have friends that I do not respect.
This is not the direction I want to go with these comments; I just wanted readers to know that I understand the difference between a lie and the truth. Lies are the reason I have thrown out so many claims of great shots over the years, while mentally averaging actual distances at which big game is taken. One fairly recent claim can serve as an example:
The hunter claimed 540 yards for an excellent 6x6 bull elk in Idaho. In describing the details, I realized it was taken in an area of which I'm quite familiar. There's absolutely no possibility of a shot anywhere near that distance. Sparing all the details of pressing for more specifics, it was ultimately determined that the shot was taken at about 225 yards. Great elk, and fine hunt. I simply don't understand why he felt compelled to exaggerate the distance.
Some varmint hunters do this as well. If they're able to skip a bullet from a 300 magnum into a field of prairie dogs 1300 yards out, and accidentally hit one, they proudly claim the shot and are honored by a free beer later that day. The 1300-yard prairie dog killer! What a guy. A three-quarter-mile shot! He's our hero!
I'm a conservative. Conservative people tend to conserve things. I conserve ammunition and rifle barrels by taking deliberate shots, one at a time. With heavy-barreled rifles intended for competition or varmint shooting, I shoot five-shot groups. With sporter-type rifles having relatively skinny barrels, I shoot three-shot groups. With hunting rifles specifically destined to go on a hunt, I want to know exactly where that first shot from a cold barrel goes. Consequently, I have shot three-shot groups with them spread over three days; one shot each morning. It can be amazing how much you can learn about your rifle by doing that, compared to going to the range and shooting group after group as you search for the right bullet and powder combination; seating depth included.
Here's the point... we're stuck in a rut. The average actual distance at which big game is taken with a bolt action rifle is just over 150 yards. If you throw in lever action rifles, the average distance is pulled down considerably. So let's not include lever actions in these comments.
Most rifle ranges are set up with benches for 100, 200, and perhaps 300 yards. At 100 yards, I can take a bench rest rifle and -- after instructing a total novice on how to use it -- prove that almost anyone in decent weather conditions can shoot five shots into a group that can be completely covered by a shirt button. So why do it? The 100-yard range has been made obsolete by the quality of rifles and ammunition components available today. I believe that we need to move the target frames out to 150 yards for at least a portion of the shooting points at ranges where it is possible to do so. Guaranteed, you'll learn a lot more at 150 yards that you will at 100. It's also not a bad distance to sight in your rifle dead on. I sight in most of mine to shoot just a wee bit high at 150; about a half inch. Then I check the impact point at 300 yards, which is about as far as I care to shoot at most any big game animal.
Get out of the rut. Visit with the officials at your range, and see if they're willing to consider a plan that would move at least a portion of the shooting points to the more effective and telling distance of 150 yards.
JDC