Summertime is Range Time

All too many times I have talked to hunters who have lamented that their hunting season was just not what they expected it to be and if you press them a little many times it is because they have missed an animal.

Did you go to the range over the summer? Well no, but heck the rifle was sighted in dead on four years ago and what’s the use with messing with good accuracy? Did you use the same ammo that you sighted in with? Well, uh no, but it is a good premium bullet and it just came out and I have read a lot of good things about it. I scratched my head trying to figure out a kind way to tell him that he was doing everything wrong and then some.

I had one fellow that insisted his rifle was dead on and never needed to be checked before deer season to make sure it was still on zero. With much prodding I convinced him to go to the rifle range with me and just for fun we would see how well his rifle would group. I had him do the shooting while I looked through my spotting scope to call the shots. We were shooting the hundred yard range. First shot, not on the paper, second shot, not on the paper, third shot, not on the paper. My buddy kept saying he didn’t understand it, this rifle was always dead on and he took it hunting every year this way. Further conversation revealed he had missed a few deer here and there. He surmised that the rifle having been loaned to a friend must have been dropped and that was the problem. In no short order we put a zero two inches high at a hundred yards for maximum point of aim range and it was a real tack driver. Consider though that this fellow was about to go on a weeklong hunt with this rifle before we checked it. More big bucks are still alive because of situations like this.

Utilizing a rifle range is the best thing you can do for your target shooting as well as hunting preparation. Time spent on the range gets you in touch with your firearm. You learn ease of use and become familiar with every aspect of your firearm. Shooting from a bench rest removes a great deal of human error and gives you a good idea just what your rifle will do. I like sandbags and rest the front of the rifle on a notched out piece of wood with a sand bag in it and then two sandbags under the stock of the rifle. I position the bags until my scope shows that I am centered on the target’s crosshairs. I use a stick on blaze orange center dot for the center of the target making for an easier time lining the cross hairs of the scope onto the center of the target.

Now it is time to get down to business. I usually have picked out a particular type of ammo though now is the time to try others as well. After loading the rifle I center the crosshairs and when they are lined up I gently squeeze the trigger. You will know you are doing it right when the rifle fires almost as a surprise. Now is not the time to pull or jerk the trigger, just gently squeeze applying more pressure as you go.

The great thing about a rifle range is that you can talk to other shooters who have the same interest as you and they for the most part are only too glad to help you out. There are some real experts on rifle ranges and they can teach you more in one afternoon than you will learn on your own in years.

In the summer and fall the weather is pleasant for the most part making a day at the range very enjoyable. I like to pack a bag with targets, my spotting scope, a stapler to staple targets up a small screwdriver. Of course all firearms are properly cased. Earmuffs or plugs are a must as well as shooting glasses. If you are shooting magnums a good recoil shield to wear on your shoulder will help greatly.

I have literally saved many hunts by utilizing a rifle range before hunting season. On several occasions I had one rifle that would not hold zero. I found this out on the range and decided to free float the barrel and give it a trigger job and now it is my favorite deer rifle. Had I not spent time at the range with it I could not have properly diagnosed the problem.

Summer or fall is a good time to plan a day at the range. Take a few of your firearms so that you can use another while another’s barrel cools down between shots. Don’t wait for hunting season to find out that old Betsy isn’t shooting where she did last year. By utilizing a rifle range you are going to do nothing but get better and better with your rifle and that spells big dividends in the deer or elk woods this hunting season, besides it is down right relaxing and fun. If you have a youngster take them along and get them interested in the shooting sports or a spouse because they are our legacy and future of the shooting sports. Have a great day at the range.

This article courtesy of http://huntingg.com.
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