How much do you practice?

[AckleyHunter]

Hi All,

How often do you guys shoot your hunting rifles? Especially the big bores. Do you have a smaller rifle you practice with, or just shoot you dedicated hunting rifles?

 

[ftrovato]

I try to shoot every few weeks. When I'm planning a hunt I try and go weekly for the months leading up to the hunt.

I also keep a few guns accessible without having to go into my safe and practice pointing, swinging and dry firing for the month leading up to a hunt.

 

[HuntingGold]

I've been shooting all year. I just walked in from the range and shooting my 280AI.

 

[roklok]

I shoot several times a week. I have a 200 yard (soon to be 300) range behind the house and a small gong that is 50 yards off my front porch for rimfires and handguns.

 

[Rare Breed]

Hi All,

How often do you guys shoot your hunting rifles? Especially the big bores. Do you have a smaller rifle you practice with, or just shoot you dedicated hunting rifles?

Once per month every month. Big bore 450 NE 10 shots, 275 Rigby 10-15

 

[chashardy]

Currently just practicing at sporting clays with my 12 gauge. When I have an upcoming hunt, I go to the rifle range near me every week to shoot the rifles I plan to take on my safari. Last two African safaris I took 416 Rigby and 375 H&H double, so those were the practice rifles. I book my hunts at least a year in advance. With the Rigby, I would typically shoot 6 or 8 rounds a week. Any more on a rifle range bench and I tend to start flinching. Same with the 375. So, by the time I leave for Africa, I've probably shot more than 200 rounds through each rifle. It gets expensive at $300 a box of 20 for the Rigby and over $200 for the 375! But it's worth the investment because I feel very comfortable handling either rifle when hunting.

 

[NoStepOnSnek]

Depends on the gun. Turkey guns and my less used deer rifles I sight in/pattern before the season. More commonly used guns I shoot whenever I get the chance, especially after 4th of July/Halloween when there are watermelons or pumpkins to shoot with the 458. 458 I shoot as stated above, or when I find ammo for cheap I will finish off the previous box

 

[Bill J H]

I’m retired, handload, and like shooting. The main rifles I shoot are 308, 270, 30-06, 6.5CM, 222, and recently, 7-08.
Base on my Large Rifle, Small Rifle, and Small Rifle Magnum primer count, I ran thru just under 1000 rounds in the last year.
Probably 50% off a bench for load development, etc., and the rest shooting in hunting-like positions or actually hunting.

 

[SStomcat]

Try to do it once a month, but sometimes it's every other.
470 NE, 8-10 shots over 25 to 50 yards depending on my mood , 9.3X62 another 5-10 shots mainly over 100 yards or beyond OR 10-20 shots from my 30.06.

 

[PARA45]

In preparation to a safari I shoot weekly from the sticks I take. I’ll shoot my 375 H&H, followed by a 22 LR. But I practice at least once a month otherwise.

 

[Sideshow]

Not enough or as much as I’d like to there’s that god dam awful thing called work that keeps getting in the way

 

[MS 9x56]

I hunt my rifles in a rotation. I use the rifles up this season to hunt woodchucks and in in the off season. My 9.3 is a bit of overkill but it encourages aim small miss small.

 

[USMA84DAB]

In training for the safari I would go through 50 rounds per range session on the .375 Ruger. I wore a sissy pad so I didn't develop a flinch. After zeroing it was all off of sticks, seated, kneeling, standing. The nine months before I went, I probably shot every other month for the first 6 months, then every month for the last 3 months, and twice the last month.

I shot other rifles (.308WIN, .30-06, .35WAI), but did not do it as a substitute/down-bore practice rifle for the .375 Ruger.

 

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Very seldom do any real practicing with my hunting rifles, other than making sure they are sighted.
Before a safari maybe 5-10 rounds thru what I am taking. Main reason is what I do about every weekend or other weekend for job. Which is sighting in rifles and trouble shooting them for customers.
I fire on an average 60-70 rounds every session when I go to range.

 

[Flipper Dude]

I shoot my big bores a couple of times prior to a safari. ( Not 2 shots, but 2 sessions). Make sure all is working good and that I’m working good. I used to shoot more before a safari back when I was hunting plains game with my ‘06. I do a lot of bird hunting, and that helps more than anything with swing and pull and foot position. And I’ll say that 10,000 shots with a BB gun and a 22 before the age of 8 help more than any practice I could do now.

Now, for the rest of you mere mortals, you better practice your ass off.