Separate Training Rifle a NECESSITY?

[JG26Irish_2]

I hunt a little and shoot a lot including BR competitions. While I have worn out a couple of rifle bbls over a decades long hunting career, those are the exceptions. One, my long time go-to deer rifle is a WWII era Mauser custom in 270. It was built long ago and was on its 2nd owner when I acquired it. Over 30yrs of hunting with it, I would fire 3rds thru it at the range before season and usually only one rd during deer season to bag my buck. Still after many years the bore has become fire cracked and well worn. It still shoots good enough to hunt with but is not a tack driver. The 2nd is a Remington 700 in 223 that was shot a lot at the range and two trips of 1000+ rds of Prairie Dogging which is hard on a rifle. It is well and truly worn out.

One answer is to own many rifles and alternate between them. Makes it hard to wear any of them out. I practice that approach these days. It makes me smile. Another is to practice with a 22lr off of sticks to gain the skills necessary to hunt with them. I do this as well. I choose a 22 that physically resembles the size and weight of my planned hunting rifle to enhance the practice aspect. I set up a range in my yard that is 35y long to an earth berm where I shoot 1/2" diam DumDum suckers with the 22lr off of my shooting sticks. Hitting a 1/2" tgt at 35y is equivalent to shooting a 3" vital zone on a deer at 200y. To be sure the vitals zone is larger than this but I try to make practice shots that are harder than field hunting so when I get a shot in the field, it is not that difficult. Lord knows, there are plenty of other variables that are out of our control, so we work to manage the ones we can.

The 22lr as good as it is, is not a prefect plan for practice since it has little to no recoil. One can get in the habit of holding it loosely, which if translated to the larger magnums will not end well, lol. So, it helps to pretend you are shooting your hunting rifle during all practice sessions and as the hunt draws near, perhaps limit your time at the benchrest range with the rimfires.

I think it unlikely that many of us will wear out a magnum DG rifle shooting it for practice. Those calibers are not that hard on bbls. My 375's are both over 60yrs old and the bores look like new. I rarely shoot more than 10rds thru them ever. Went thru about 15rds on the last Safari but half of that was at the range.

 

[Frostbite]

People who shoot a LOT talk about barrel life and barrels as consumables.
But a barrel on a Rigby Highland Stalker is not a high volume, consumable barrel UNLESS you are prepared to remove and replace the iron sights and barrel band sling attachment and re-blue a new barrel which might also need to be machined to identically replace the original=major bucks! It is not a consumable, it is practically a sacred cow!

This does not apply to big bores like the 470, 450, or any lower pressure cartridge. According to the chart on Hornady's Ep. 160, Pt. 3 such cartridges can supply a barrel life of almost 9,000 rounds--probably more than your lifetime of hunting with them. BUT, when you enter the Plains Game higher velocity/higher pressure cartridges from say a Rigby Highlander, etc. you are talking about 3000 or so rounds from a 30'06, or as few as 1400 rounds for 7mm Rem. mag/any PRC. You could fool around and wear a barrel out, and it won't be cheap.

Enter the designated trainer--a rifle made for practice and cheap (relatively speaking) barrel replacement. You can match calibers, format, sights, everything in the kind of rifle that won't break the bank if you burn out a barrel. And some, like the SAUM, or 28 Nosler can have a barrel life of under 1000 rounds until worn out. You are probably going to do one of two things--not train as much, or have a "trainer' rifle, so that you don't trash that beauty in the safe before you get to PG activity. And we're not even talking prairie dogs which can wipe out a barrel in two days shooting.
How do you plan to handle your situation?

You should take this a step farther.

Not many can afford to shoot enough large bore rifle to become higher level experts.

Shooting thousands of rounds of .22 rimfire from a designated trainer is a focus that can bring excellent results.

 

[Red Leg]

I am 73 and have put a lot of rounds down range over the years. Two of my current rifles which I still use date to the late seventies. I have never shot out the barrel of a hunting rifle of any chambering and I have never had a designated "training" firearm.

 

[steve white]

I am 73 and have put a lot of rounds down range over the years. Two of my current rifles which I still use date to the late seventies. I have never shot out the barrel of a hunting rifle of any chambering and I have never had a designated "training" firearm.

Yeah, but you were born a Cajun, taking out hunters for ducks, and all the years since "keeping your eye in." lol. I pity the critters that would come up against you.

 

[steve white]

I hunt a little and shoot a lot including BR competitions. While I have worn out a couple of rifle bbls over a decades long hunting career, those are the exceptions. One, my long time go-to deer rifle is a WWII era Mauser custom in 270. It was built long ago and was on its 2nd owner when I acquired it. Over 30yrs of hunting with it, I would fire 3rds thru it at the range before season and usually only one rd during deer season to bag my buck. Still after many years the bore has become fire cracked and well worn. It still shoots good enough to hunt with but is not a tack driver. The 2nd is a Remington 700 in 223 that was shot a lot at the range and two trips of 1000+ rds of Prairie Dogging which is hard on a rifle. It is well and truly worn out.

One answer is to own many rifles and alternate between them. Makes it hard to wear any of them out. I practice that approach these days. It makes me smile. Another is to practice with a 22lr off of sticks to gain the skills necessary to hunt with them. I do this as well. I choose a 22 that physically resembles the size and weight of my planned hunting rifle to enhance the practice aspect. I set up a range in my yard that is 35y long to an earth berm where I shoot 1/2" diam DumDum suckers with the 22lr off of my shooting sticks. Hitting a 1/2" tgt at 35y is equivalent to shooting a 3" vital zone on a deer at 200y. To be sure the vitals zone is larger than this but I try to make practice shots that are harder than field hunting so when I get a shot in the field, it is not that difficult. Lord knows, there are plenty of other variables that are out of our control, so we work to manage the ones we can.

The 22lr as good as it is, is not a prefect plan for practice since it has little to no recoil. One can get in the habit of holding it loosely, which if translated to the larger magnums will not end well, lol. So, it helps to pretend you are shooting your hunting rifle during all practice sessions and as the hunt draws near, perhaps limit your time at the benchrest range with the rimfires.

I think it unlikely that many of us will wear out a magnum DG rifle shooting it for practice. Those calibers are not that hard on bbls. My 375's are both over 60yrs old and the bores look like new. I rarely shoot more than 10rds thru them ever. Went thru about 15rds on the last Safari but half of that was at the range.

Well, prairie dog hunting is a whole new category--lots of rounds in short time! Old Speedy Gonzales used to say they could burn out a barrel in one trip? Of course what they considered burnt out is not my definition.

 

[1972RedNeck]

Well, prairie dog hunting is a whole new category--lots of rounds in short time! Old Speedy Gonzales used to say they could burn out a barrel in one trip? Of course what they considered burnt out is not my definition.

Not sure how long a trip is but if 1k rounds from a 220 Swift can completely destroy the throat that is easily doable in a few days.

I keep my 22-250s under 3500 fps in hopes of getting 2k rounds out of them.

 

[mdwest]

Taught a couple of ex GF to shoot never discussed recoil had then before long shooting 375h&h comfortably.....yes they felt it but was a so what not an ohh my god

Recoil (within reason) can be overcome by almost anyone.. my wife shoots a 375 H&H… her 308 at less than 5 lbs (kimber Adirondack) has a very stiff and snappy recoil, that’s honestly more punishing than her 375 to me…

It just takes practice and a little bit of training…

She’s a mere 5’3”… and while she has been around firearms her entire life, she only really started shooting and hunting hard maybe 11-12 years ago…

I agree… no oh my God moments at all… she definitely gets pushed pretty good by her bigger guns.. but she’s able to handle everything/anything I’ve ever put in her hands with little to no problem…