Don"t Aim High, Hunters (Page 2)
Most modern guns - and many of us routinely depend on "modern" cartridges that have been around for many decades and sometimes more than a century - shoot pretty darn flat. As long as you properly zero your rifle, you will be able to hit a deer's kill zone out to 250 yards or more without ever adjusting your point of aim. All you really need to do is to zero your rifle so that it hits about 1.5 inches high at 100 yards; for most high powered hunting cartridges, that will do the job.
Sometimes, rifles will surprise you. Prior to my elk hunt, I zeroed my 338 Winchester Magnum rifle to hit 1.5" high at 100 yards. I then fired at 190 yards (the longest range available) and my bullet hit even higher! So I adjusted my scope down just a tad, while knowing that any elk inside 300 yards could become mine pretty easily - and without adjusting my aim. Moral: whenever possible, fire your rifle at long range to see just what it's doing out there. Ballistics charts and tables exist simply to provide a rough idea and a means of comparison, and they don't always accurately reflect reality.
Making it Count
Of course, you have to be able to accurately make a given shot, and that requires practice and skill. The farther the shot, the larger the chance that you will mess up, so the more you need to concentrate, stay calm, and be patient. This is where Dad's sage advice to "take your time but hurry up" can be very valuable.
You might want to check out these short articles on basic shooting in order to hone your skills: How to Aim a Gun and How to Shoot More Accurately.
Does Your Gun Shoot Flat Enough?
Most hunting rifles used to hunt big game today shoot plenty flat enough to zero as stated above (1.5" high at 100 yards) and still hit reliably inside of a deer or other big game animal's kill zone out to 250 yards or more. This includes cartridges such as the 30-06, 308 Winchester, 270 Winchester, etc. Most bottle-neck cartridges of sufficient power for taking big game will do this, with the exception of slower, lower-pressure rounds such as the 30-30 Winchester and others in its class.
The first fellow I know who aimed high when he shouldn't have was actually shooting a modern muzzleloading rifle, rather than a centerfire gun. Many modern muzzleloading rifles shoot a lot faster (and flatter) than many hunters realize. In his case, the bullet actually passed above his line of sight, thus missing the deer although he was holding his crosshairs at the top of the buck's back.
Conclusion
I'll wind this up by mentioning again that taking long shots at game is something that shouldn't be taken lightly, but when conditions are right, you have proven your ability to make long shots, you have a good rest, and you're able to steady up and do it properly, it's certainly reasonable to take big game out to 250 yards or more without adjusting your aim.
- Russ Chastain
Sometimes, rifles will surprise you. Prior to my elk hunt, I zeroed my 338 Winchester Magnum rifle to hit 1.5" high at 100 yards. I then fired at 190 yards (the longest range available) and my bullet hit even higher! So I adjusted my scope down just a tad, while knowing that any elk inside 300 yards could become mine pretty easily - and without adjusting my aim. Moral: whenever possible, fire your rifle at long range to see just what it's doing out there. Ballistics charts and tables exist simply to provide a rough idea and a means of comparison, and they don't always accurately reflect reality.
Making it Count
Of course, you have to be able to accurately make a given shot, and that requires practice and skill. The farther the shot, the larger the chance that you will mess up, so the more you need to concentrate, stay calm, and be patient. This is where Dad's sage advice to "take your time but hurry up" can be very valuable.
You might want to check out these short articles on basic shooting in order to hone your skills: How to Aim a Gun and How to Shoot More Accurately.
Does Your Gun Shoot Flat Enough?
Most hunting rifles used to hunt big game today shoot plenty flat enough to zero as stated above (1.5" high at 100 yards) and still hit reliably inside of a deer or other big game animal's kill zone out to 250 yards or more. This includes cartridges such as the 30-06, 308 Winchester, 270 Winchester, etc. Most bottle-neck cartridges of sufficient power for taking big game will do this, with the exception of slower, lower-pressure rounds such as the 30-30 Winchester and others in its class.
The first fellow I know who aimed high when he shouldn't have was actually shooting a modern muzzleloading rifle, rather than a centerfire gun. Many modern muzzleloading rifles shoot a lot faster (and flatter) than many hunters realize. In his case, the bullet actually passed above his line of sight, thus missing the deer although he was holding his crosshairs at the top of the buck's back.
Conclusion
I'll wind this up by mentioning again that taking long shots at game is something that shouldn't be taken lightly, but when conditions are right, you have proven your ability to make long shots, you have a good rest, and you're able to steady up and do it properly, it's certainly reasonable to take big game out to 250 yards or more without adjusting your aim.
- Russ Chastain
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