Shots Past 100 Yards

Royal27 · Mar 7, 2016

Red Leg said:
Most of us have limited practice range space. However, a way to "extend" that range is to shoot at smaller targets from the same 100 meter line. Truthfully, on most African game, a shot into a paper plate at 100 yards is good enough. Consistently do the same thing with a salad plate at 100 and you are now hitting that original paper plate at 200.

Red Leg said:
One other point - and this is the old soldier in me speaking. Dry firing is almost as good as actual range work. If you don't already do so, practice calling the shot. With time you will know within an inch where a bullet struck before looking through the spotting scope. When you can do that, then calling the shot dry firing is a great way to develop trigger control from the sticks.

Redleg's two points are incredibly good advice and advice that I've followed with great success in the past. I'm personally comfortable shooting at a deer sized or bigger animal out to 250 yards or so and I almost never get to shoot past 100 yards here at home, but I do practice with smaller targets.

And as I don't get to shoot as often as I'd like I also put the sticks and my rifle in my bathroom (big open area) and "shoot" out the window. I've even used snap caps and done reloading and firing drills this way. Don't do the snap cap drills with the wife in the bedroom just feet away as you're ejecting snap caps across the room. Don't ask me how I know this! :A Banana Sad:

The other thing for me personally is scope magnification. I leave it low and practice that way. The cross hairs obviously wiggle around more at a higher magnification and personally I'm much more likely to jerk the trigger when the magnification is high. The target doesn't become bigger with magnification even if it seems that way. 3x at 200 yards isn't a big deal once you are used to it.

edward · Mar 7, 2016

Red Leg said:
I think we would all agree that keeping things within ones' personal comfort zone is critical. However, isn't a limit of 100 meters sort of defeating the purpose of using a rifle and telescopic sight? It is also an unrealistic and unnecessary burden to put upon yourself and your PH. Most of us have limited practice range space. However, a way to "extend" that range is to shoot at smaller targets from the same 100 meter line. Truthfully, on most African game, a shot into a paper plate at 100 yards is good enough. Consistently do the same thing with a salad plate at 100 and you are now hitting that original paper plate at 200. I have taken game to 250 yards from shooting sticks (three weeks ago it was a West Texas Aoudad at around 225). I practice off of them a lot and 90 % of that practice has to be from the 100 meter line. I actually now find the sticks a bit steadier than sitting in spite of the "floating" right elbow. My only point being, there are ways to extend one's comfort zone while doing that work at a 100 meter range.

One other point - and this is the old soldier in me speaking. Dry firing is almost as good as actual range work. If you don't already do so, practice calling the shot. With time you will know within an inch where a bullet struck before looking through the spotting scope. When you can do that, then calling the shot dry firing is a great way to develop trigger control from the sticks. And depending upon your neighborhood (and neighbors) a great way to practice on targets way out there a bit - or pick teeny tiny targets across the basement. You won't hurt a bolt action dry firing, but don't do it with a double.

snap caps.

tarbe · Mar 7, 2016

The great African hunter Dirty Harry said it best. "A man's got to know his limitations".

flyfishaz · Mar 7, 2016

I like shooting off of these sticks. My dad got this idea from his PH in Africa. I can hit deer size rocks at 850yds shooting off these. I'll be using sticks like this in May.

Buckdog · Mar 7, 2016

Sir you have been given excellent advice! Practice as much as you can and not from the bench us stick, bipods, and offhand all the positions you could run into in the field.
know you and your guns limits and be happy to take the shots you can make no questions asked.
dont worry that 100 yds is good for you and someone else says 600 is good. I can kill lots of metal plates and paper at 600 but wont shoot at an animal much over 300 becuase at 300 I know its dead done deal 100% confident thats my limit on live targets and i am happy, if yours is 100 be happy have fun stalking closer.
and sticks are better than offhand but a harris bipod is the way to go all day long.
i wish i could find more sand bags and bench rests in the brush when the big ones poke their nose out i just never am able to find a set of sand bags in the bush when I need them

CAustin · Mar 7, 2016

Art you simple don't take a shot that you do not feel good about!

BWH · Mar 7, 2016

Amen @CAustin!!!

Art Lambart II · Mar 7, 2016

Great advice everyone, shooting at reduced targets and dry firing are techniques I used many many times during my years as a competitive pistol shooter and still use in my rifle practice.

JimP · Mar 7, 2016

One other suggestion that I would give you is to find a ballistic chart or make one for the ammo that you are shooting out to 400 yards in 50 yard increments and then tape it to the stock. Then if you do get a chance at a trophy and can't get any closer you will have a quick reference to look at if you decide to pull the trigger.

If you can't find one let me know or post what ammo you are using and it's known velocity and bullet type and we should be able to make one up for you.
If you don't know the velocity just let us know the ammo type and manufacture and we should be able to get one real close.

wesheltonj · Mar 7, 2016

Red Leg said:
Relook that chart! The .375 tends to be an accurate round from most rifles so that you can take full advantage of its range and incredible BC. For instance, your .308 with a 165gr bullet firing +2.5 inches at 100 meters will be -9 inches at 300. The big 300 gr bullet from the .375 with the same +2.5 inch group will be -10.5 inches at the same 300 meters. That is minute of field mouse difference. Even the "fast" .243 with a 100 gr bullet and the same +2.5 inch sight-in will be -8 inches at 300 yards. ) Only 2.5" flatter than the 300gr .375. It is one of the things which makes the .375 the most versatile caliber in Africa. Stick a buff at forty feet or clobber a kudu on the next ridgeline, and do it all with the same 300gr bullet.

I am looking at the Norma Calculator, and it looks like a much bigger drop off to me. I've also looked at my Leica Geovid Calculator and again a much bigger drop off. What am I entering wrong?

Red Leg · Mar 7, 2016

Don't know. These are ballistic tables using average commercial velocities for a given bullet weight. Believe they are the same ones used by Gun Digest.

PHOENIX PHIL · Mar 8, 2016

MarkCZ said:
Great advise from Bruce. never take a shot you are not happy with. now here is a weird thing. When ever we get to Africa and go to check zero I always shoot like a prat off the bench I hate shooting off a bench. Once I get in the dirt off my bipod different case. I don't mind shooting off sticks and for what it is worth this is what I do. Get on the sticks then sight the animal cross hair on its knees travel up smoothly and bang! I don't hold on the target. It works for me and I know we are all different. Try it you might surprise your self.
Markcz

I would second the comments of taking the shots you're comfortable with. If you try to make a shot you're unsettled about, you're likely going to miss or worse wound non-fatally.

But I like Mark's advice here and is somewhat similar to what I do.

When the shot is 150-250 yards, the animal may be aware of your presence and can get skittish so you don't have time to setup that perfectly steady, hit the strand of hair you're trying to put the bullet on type shot. When shooting off the sticks at those ranges, my crosshairs are usually not just rock solid steady. They're floating around a bit, in and out of the kill zone. So I try to get a feel for way I can most control this floating around and slow it down as much as possible. From there guide the rifle into the kill zone and try to time the trigger pull with the cross hairs crossing the middle of that zone so as to minimize the error.

The time to practice this is well before you go on your hunt. I've taught this to myself and to my sons. Once my boys had enough trigger time on the bench and were shooting accurately, I moved them to the sticks. At first 50 yards and then out too 100 yards. I like to use a Shoot-N-C target when doing this. Goal being to time the trigger pull with the crossing through the red center dot. Do I hit it? Sometimes, but so long as the shots are within that 6" circle, I'm good.

The more you practice this, the better you get and the more confident you become.

TokkieM · Mar 8, 2016

All good advice here. One point no one is considering is the abillity of the hunter to stalk. Taking a shot at 300 yards is good shooting, not good hunting. I often find clients make a 200 yard shot easier than they make a 50 yard shot, pressure just doubles every time you half the distance. Great advice on dry fireing and range time, but spend the same amount of time on sharpening your stalking skills. If you can pick a Impala ram off while you are surrounded by his harem, you are doing it right. That being said anytime you get a shot under 200 yards on a Vaal Rhebuck you are doing something right too! Often we focus so much on shooting abillity we neglect the finer arts of hunting.

Art Lambart II · Mar 8, 2016

hunthardsafaris said:
All good advice here. One point no one is considering is the abillity of the hunter to stalk. Taking a shot at 300 yards is good shooting, not good hunting. I often find clients make a 200 yard shot easier than they make a 50 yard shot, pressure just doubles every time you half the distance. Great advice on dry fireing and range time, but spend the same amount of time on sharpening your stalking skills. If you can pick a Impala ram off while you are surrounded by his harem, you are doing it right. That being said anytime you get a shot under 200 yards on a Vaal Rhebuck you are doing something right too! Often we focus so much on shooting abillity we neglect the finer arts of hunting.

Really great advice, this is what I was looking for when I started this thread. I feel hunting and shooting are two different skills but skill that complement each other, my father is 72 and has health issues which limit his ability to walk more than a 1/4 mile but he still shoots really well, he uses his shooting skill to off set his lack of mobility. I also shoot really well but I like to stalk as close as I can before I make my shot, does this make me a better hunter than my father, no, we just have different hunting styles. Let me ask my question a different way, if I said I was going on a classic PG hunt in the Limpopo Provence using a 375 H&H double rifle you would all say things like "what a great hunt", "wish I could do the same", "I'm jealous" but you would also tell me to keep my shots under 100 yards, no one would tell me to change rifles because I would have a hard time stalking to within 100 yard of a trophy Kudu. So with that in mind why would you increase your shooting range just because you switched to a scoped 300 or 338WM? The closer you are the more accurate you are, so why take shots longer that 100 yards?

TokkieM · Mar 8, 2016

Would not advise you to change your rifle, would ask if you mind that I join you with my 470 Double

If you know your limits ( physically, mentally and know the limit or limitations of your or your rifles abillity) then it's all fine. You will just have to understand that you won't be bagging a trophy a day, it will take more time and effort to hunt every single trophy animal on your list, so you can either decrease the number of animals you wish to take or increase the number of days you hunt ( I am all for the later option). I have been lucky enough to take several animals under 10 meters and no they were not just dropped of the game truck or tied to the fence post, they are probably the trophies I appreciate most. Certainly more than the Kudu I shot at over 500 meters.
Your safaris, your wishes....

Red Leg · Mar 8, 2016

Art Lambart II said:
Really great advice, this is what I was looking for when I started this thread. I feel hunting and shooting are two different skills but skill that complement each other, my father is 72 and has health issues which limit his ability to walk more than a 1/4 mile but he still shoots really well, he uses his shooting skill to off set his lack of mobility. I also shoot really well but I like to stalk as close as I can before I make my shot, does this make me a better hunter than my father, no, we just have different hunting styles. Let me ask my question a different way, if I said I was going on a classic PG hunt in the Limpopo Provence using a 375 H&H double rifle you would all say things like "what a great hunt", "wish I could do the same", "I'm jealous" but you would also tell me to keep my shots under 100 yards, no one would tell me to change rifles because I would have a hard time stalking to within 100 yard of a trophy Kudu. So with that in mind why would you increase your shooting range just because you switched to a scoped 300 or 338WM? The closer you are the more accurate you are, so why take shots longer that 100 yards?

Because you can't stalk inside 100 meters of every opportunity? I assume you are not being deliberately argumentative, but to answer your question directly - of course I extend my shooting range "just because I switched to a scoped .300 or .338WM". That is why we have such rifles. The double rifle you propose is a very fine weapon - own and hunt with them - but not always. If I may make a suggestion, before you conclude what would constitute the perfect plains game experience and equipment, go do one and use a rifle capable of a wide range of opportunities. Your deer rifle with a quality scope is a good starting place. You will, on a typical PG hunt, be able to get quite close to many of the animals you hunt. Heck, your PH will want you to do so. But a Hartman zebra, oryx, or wise old kudu may demand more reach; not because one wants to shoot farther, but that is the only opportunity you will have. On my last true PG hunt, I shot a 30 inch waterbuck at nearly 250 yards - it was the only option, and I was absolutely confident with the shot. You will find the same challenges on any western hunt in this country for mule deer or elk. Practice, extend the practical range to 200/250 meters, and I think you will have a much better and far less frustrating African or western experience.

flyfishaz · Mar 8, 2016

Personally I like it when the animal does not even know I'm there. You read reports and watch videos all the time where people are being spotted or winded by an animal, and then the person says "will have to go with plan B because they are on to us." Some reports you read guys are chasing game from hill to hill. Why do that when you don't have to? I think it is awesome when a hunter can get within 400-500yards and shoot an animal that is just grazing or stood up out of his bed.

MarkCZ · Mar 8, 2016

my longest shot or shots were 280 yrds in the Scottish hills on Red hind and calf. No chance of getting closer as there was no cover, like wise a Blue Wildebeest in eastern cape a few years ago he was about 200 yards. I do prefer to stalk in as close as I can get as this is the part of the hunt that really gets me going. I have a mate who gets excited about taking long shots (he is a bloody good shot0 but I tease him that his stalking skills a crap.
happy hunting folks. MarkCZ

BRICKBURN · Mar 8, 2016

flyfishaz said:
............... I think it is awesome when a hunter can get within 400-500yards and shoot an animal that is just grazing or stood up out of his bed.

I'd change this sentence to:
I think it is amazing when a hunter can get within 4 or 5 yards and shoot an animal that is just grazing or stood up out of his bed.

Royal27 · Mar 8, 2016

BRICKBURN said:
I'd change this sentence to:
I think it is amazing when a hunter can get within 4 or 5 yards and shoot an animal that is just grazing or stood up out of his bed.

I'm even more impressed when someone can do something like, I dunno, get within feet of a sleeping Aardwolf, take a picture, then sneak off without waking it up.

Now thay would be impressive. ...

Shots Past 100 Yards

Royal27

edward

tarbe

flyfishaz

Buckdog

CAustin

BWH

Art Lambart II

JimP

wesheltonj

Red Leg

PHOENIX PHIL

TokkieM

Art Lambart II

TokkieM

Red Leg

flyfishaz

MarkCZ

BRICKBURN

Royal27

Members online

Forum statistics

Proudly sponsored by

Latest posts

Latest profile posts

Buffalo Hunt with Henry Griffiths Safaris $10000

Share this page