Sight In Days

kraigwy · September 20, 2013, 07:03 AM

Our local club opens our range the last two days before hunting season to out of state (or anyone else) hunters, to confirm their zeros after a cross country trip to hunt Wyoming.

Two of my favorite days of the year. I volunteer to work both days.

I've met some great people and had some fun times.

I couple years ago, two guys show up from PA. One says he just picked up his new rifle at the Rapid City Cabala's on the way through (about an hour and a half from here). He said he bought the rifle and the Staff at Cabala's mounted and bore sighted the scope, so he needed to site in.

As he starts shooting, I mentioned to his buddy that I don't think I would go hunting with a rifle I've never shot before. The Buddy laughs and says he does this every year. He gets close to his hunting area then calls his wife, tells her he forgot his rifle and will have to buy another so he can hunt.

Only took him a few rounds to get on, he seemed to know what he was doing.

Last year I was spotting for a lady hunter. She couldn't get on at 100 yards so I recommended she move to 25 yards to see what was wrong. She got indignant, saying she knows how to shoot, she's used the gun many times and doesn't need to move closer. After a few shots she accepts my suggestion and moves to 25 yards. Her bullets key hole. I started looking at her brass and notices she is using 270 Win in her 30-06.

I think I found the problem I says. She checks and sure enough, she turns her rath from me to her hubby. He doesn't hunt, he just comes along to help his wife. Got two boxes of Federal ammo, didn't notice one was 270. Lots of good natured harassment and we went away friends.

A group of GA hunters show up (they come every year) One has problems sighting in much to the delite of his buddies. One of his companions pulls the truck up behind his firing line. Digs out a spot light sets it up and tells his buddy to get in the truck and shoot out the window like he does in GA. Plenty of laughs, but sure enough he can get sighted in now.

Looking forward to the 29-30th of the month. Its always fun. I really haven't had to many safety problems.

BJE80 · September 20, 2013, 11:57 AM

Good thing the .270 and 30.06 wasn't the other way around.

Picher · September 20, 2013, 01:25 PM

I don't think a 30-06 will chamber in a .270...fortunately.

BJE80 · September 20, 2013, 02:50 PM

Quote:

I don't think a 30-06 will chamber in a .270...fortunately.

Yes, that is a good thing.

allaroundhunter · September 20, 2013, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BJE80

Good thing the .270 and 30.06 wasn't the other way around.

I had a family member try to load .30-06 into his Browning BAR (.270) and we were confused as to what was going on with it when it wouldn't chamber. Finally he let me look at the gun and I found the problem.

The .30-06 was close to chambering, but it held the bolt about 1/8" out of battery.

603Country · September 20, 2013, 05:30 PM

Reading these notes reminds me of my late father. He hunted with a 270 and he killed hundreds of deer over a long hunting career. The thing that always interested me was that he just shot whatever 270 factory rounds he had - Remington, Winchester, Federal, or whatever. He'd mix and match them and I swear he wasn't picky about bullet weight either. Had an old Bushnell scope on the Ruger Ultralight and it was almost impossible to turn the ring to change magnification. I guess you don't have to be a nutso reloader to harvest a nice buck. I'm always prepping cases and weighing powder charges and just maybe too OCD. I'd sight it in for him, and a year or two or three later he'd ask me to check his sights. That old Bushnell always seemed to be still correct.

cdmckane · September 21, 2013, 06:35 PM

Just did a sight in day here at my farm for my regular crew. We started with our small game guns then broke out the big iron.

All was going well and we were having a great time til my sister in law showed up. She shot my BIL's .17 HMR and .22 Hornet for a while, then wanted to shoot what we had. After a couple shots on my Savage 220, I handed her my TC Pro Hunter FX. My BIL and I were chuckling behind the line, waiting for it to kick her good, when she pulled the hammer back, then turned around to ask if it were ok to shoot.

After she picked herself up off the ground, she's still not all that happy with me for running her over. Hey, my first priority was getting that rifle out of her hands. Needless to say, she's no longer welcome at my range.

HiBC · September 29, 2013, 02:50 AM

Well,more than one way to look at it,I suppose.It is spooky when the muzzle points the wrong way.

For myself,I think an "Air Traffic Controller" grade approach ,a clear,"Suzy,I need for you to stop,don't move,just freeze where you are.Don't touch the trigger.Just hold still....."

Drama can turn a bad situation worse.

Another tip,give a beginner the basics of range safety,every time.

When a newbie screws up,generally the experienced folks did not do their job.

Somebody really ought to be RSO,even informally,"Range is Hot" Range is Cold",etc are a good idea.

I'm not real clear from the read,was the intent to set the woman up with a hard kicking handgun?IMO,those sort of you-tube stunts result in an out of control handgun,and a discouraging experience for a beginner.

Mobuck · September 29, 2013, 07:23 AM

You're a BRAVE man. I wouldn't be within 5 miles of any public range on "sight in day". I've only been on a public range 3 times in the last 25 years and each time, I found myself wishing I was somewhere else.

Mobuck · September 29, 2013, 07:33 AM

603 country,
I used to coyote hunt with an older guy who hit a coyote now and then. One day, he asked me to check his scope zero which I found to be off about 8" high and left at 100 yards and corrected to 2" high(an appropriate zero for a 243). To my knowledge, the guy never hit another coyote as long as we hunted together.
Another guy brought me a Remington 760 in 270 to sight in. I found it's smallest group was around 5-6" even after I cleaned the rust and crud from the bore. I got it close as possible to zeroed and returned it. The guy consistently killed deer out to 200+ yards with that terribly inaccurate rifle-wobbles and wibbles cancel each other out occasionally.

Bultaco · September 29, 2013, 10:26 AM

We have sight in days at our club also. I have seen guys with all kinds of issues. One who needed me to sight in the .300 Wby because he flinched too much. Another had a Browning Boss system that was hanging loose on the last couple threads & the bullet was glancing off the inside on the way out. Guys with a ziplock bag with a mixture of brands & bullet weights. At least they were all the same caliber! All this on a many thousand $ hunt to W. Co.

SPEMack618 · September 30, 2013, 01:32 PM

I think I hunt with the GA guys Kraig mentioned...or maybe thier cousins.

RodTheWrench · September 30, 2013, 02:11 PM

I say if it helps move our sport along, great! Personally, I love to help out others when I'm at the range and there's no end to nice people you get to know.

Jbotto · September 30, 2013, 05:22 PM

I had the big shot gun club president sternly tell me that I should warn everyone before I shoot to have their ear pro in... I thought it was common knowledge at a gun range that their is going to gun shots. I put mine on before exiting the vehicle and take them off once I'm back in it after the range session... He told me this while he was at the bench next to me adjusting his sights, after I had just shot off a round from my Savage .223. I didn't understand that reasoning.

cdmckane · October 1, 2013, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiBC

I'm not real clear from the read,was the intent to set the woman up with a hard kicking handgun?IMO,those sort of you-tube stunts result in an out of control handgun,and a discouraging experience for a beginner.

It was a muzzle loader not a handgun. She wanted to shoot it even after we told her it kicked pretty good.

As far as your air traffic controller approach, I had a .50 cal muzzle swinging towards my head. I grabbed the barrel with one hand and the stock with the other and just kept moving forward until I had complete control of it.

ZeroJunk · October 1, 2013, 10:20 AM

A friend of mine bought a rifle and scope at one of the national stores and it was supposedly bore sighted.
We went to the range the outfitter uses the day before the hunt and it turns out they had used the wrong base and you could not get the rifle on target.
Luckily we had a spare rifle he could use.

kraigwy · October 1, 2013, 07:32 PM

The sighting days are over, as normal I met some great people from all over the country, and one even from France.

We had no incidents and no problems.

Took off after the range closed for my antelope spot. Camped on the prairie, lots of stars.

Wife and I had three tags, (two buck and one antelope). We had them all down and gutted by 11 AM.

Not much of an antelope hunt time wise.

alex0535 · October 1, 2013, 11:39 PM

Need to get some sighting in done, deer season is quickly approaching. Going to take a deer deer off our property this season. I just learned that a friend is having his blueberries wrecked by them and have been invited to take part in as much depredation hunting as I want to be involved with. Get to help a friend maintain his livelihood, and a freezer full of deer by the time I'm done.

It's not the most sporting of hunts, but I am still excited about it. It's an opportunity to harvest a years worth of venison in a matter of days. That amount of deer would harm our herd, but the deer population my friend is dealing with is apparently something massive.

September 20, 2013, 07:03 AM	#1
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	Sight In Days Our local club opens our range the last two days before hunting season to out of state (or anyone else) hunters, to confirm their zeros after a cross country trip to hunt Wyoming. Two of my favorite days of the year. I volunteer to work both days. I've met some great people and had some fun times. I couple years ago, two guys show up from PA. One says he just picked up his new rifle at the Rapid City Cabala's on the way through (about an hour and a half from here). He said he bought the rifle and the Staff at Cabala's mounted and bore sighted the scope, so he needed to site in. As he starts shooting, I mentioned to his buddy that I don't think I would go hunting with a rifle I've never shot before. The Buddy laughs and says he does this every year. He gets close to his hunting area then calls his wife, tells her he forgot his rifle and will have to buy another so he can hunt. Only took him a few rounds to get on, he seemed to know what he was doing. Last year I was spotting for a lady hunter. She couldn't get on at 100 yards so I recommended she move to 25 yards to see what was wrong. She got indignant, saying she knows how to shoot, she's used the gun many times and doesn't need to move closer. After a few shots she accepts my suggestion and moves to 25 yards. Her bullets key hole. I started looking at her brass and notices she is using 270 Win in her 30-06. I think I found the problem I says. She checks and sure enough, she turns her rath from me to her hubby. He doesn't hunt, he just comes along to help his wife. Got two boxes of Federal ammo, didn't notice one was 270. Lots of good natured harassment and we went away friends. A group of GA hunters show up (they come every year) One has problems sighting in much to the delite of his buddies. One of his companions pulls the truck up behind his firing line. Digs out a spot light sets it up and tells his buddy to get in the truck and shoot out the window like he does in GA. Plenty of laughs, but sure enough he can get sighted in now. Looking forward to the 29-30th of the month. Its always fun. I really haven't had to many safety problems. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

September 30, 2013, 01:32 PM	#12
SPEMack618 Senior Member Join Date: June 21, 2010 Location: Central Georgia Posts: 1,863	I think I hunt with the GA guys Kraig mentioned...or maybe thier cousins. __________________ NRA Life Member Read my blog! "The answer to any caliber debate is going to be .38 Super, 10mm, .357 Sig or .41 Magnum!"

September 30, 2013, 02:11 PM	#13
RodTheWrench Senior Member Join Date: April 24, 2013 Location: Utah Posts: 365	I say if it helps move our sport along, great! Personally, I love to help out others when I'm at the range and there's no end to nice people you get to know. __________________ "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid." - Han Solo

October 1, 2013, 07:32 PM	#17
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	The sighting days are over, as normal I met some great people from all over the country, and one even from France. We had no incidents and no problems. Took off after the range closed for my antelope spot. Camped on the prairie, lots of stars. Wife and I had three tags, (two buck and one antelope). We had them all down and gutted by 11 AM. Not much of an antelope hunt time wise. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071

September 20, 2013, 11:57 AM	#2
BJE80 Member Join Date: February 5, 2013 Posts: 43	Good thing the .270 and 30.06 wasn't the other way around.

September 20, 2013, 01:25 PM	#3
Picher Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 3,694	I don't think a 30-06 will chamber in a .270...fortunately.

September 20, 2013, 05:30 PM	#6
603Country Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2011 Location: Thornton, Texas Posts: 3,998	Reading these notes reminds me of my late father. He hunted with a 270 and he killed hundreds of deer over a long hunting career. The thing that always interested me was that he just shot whatever 270 factory rounds he had - Remington, Winchester, Federal, or whatever. He'd mix and match them and I swear he wasn't picky about bullet weight either. Had an old Bushnell scope on the Ruger Ultralight and it was almost impossible to turn the ring to change magnification. I guess you don't have to be a nutso reloader to harvest a nice buck. I'm always prepping cases and weighing powder charges and just maybe too OCD. I'd sight it in for him, and a year or two or three later he'd ask me to check his sights. That old Bushnell always seemed to be still correct.

September 21, 2013, 06:35 PM	#7
cdmckane Member Join Date: April 8, 2012 Location: Locke, NY Posts: 76	Just did a sight in day here at my farm for my regular crew. We started with our small game guns then broke out the big iron. All was going well and we were having a great time til my sister in law showed up. She shot my BIL's .17 HMR and .22 Hornet for a while, then wanted to shoot what we had. After a couple shots on my Savage 220, I handed her my TC Pro Hunter FX. My BIL and I were chuckling behind the line, waiting for it to kick her good, when she pulled the hammer back, then turned around to ask if it were ok to shoot. After she picked herself up off the ground, she's still not all that happy with me for running her over. Hey, my first priority was getting that rifle out of her hands. Needless to say, she's no longer welcome at my range.

September 29, 2013, 02:50 AM	#8
HiBC Senior Member Join Date: November 13, 2006 Posts: 8,288	Well,more than one way to look at it,I suppose.It is spooky when the muzzle points the wrong way. For myself,I think an "Air Traffic Controller" grade approach ,a clear,"Suzy,I need for you to stop,don't move,just freeze where you are.Don't touch the trigger.Just hold still....." Drama can turn a bad situation worse. Another tip,give a beginner the basics of range safety,every time. When a newbie screws up,generally the experienced folks did not do their job. Somebody really ought to be RSO,even informally,"Range is Hot" Range is Cold",etc are a good idea. I'm not real clear from the read,was the intent to set the woman up with a hard kicking handgun?IMO,those sort of you-tube stunts result in an out of control handgun,and a discouraging experience for a beginner.

September 29, 2013, 07:23 AM	#9
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	You're a BRAVE man. I wouldn't be within 5 miles of any public range on "sight in day". I've only been on a public range 3 times in the last 25 years and each time, I found myself wishing I was somewhere else.

September 29, 2013, 07:33 AM	#10
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	603 country, I used to coyote hunt with an older guy who hit a coyote now and then. One day, he asked me to check his scope zero which I found to be off about 8" high and left at 100 yards and corrected to 2" high(an appropriate zero for a 243). To my knowledge, the guy never hit another coyote as long as we hunted together. Another guy brought me a Remington 760 in 270 to sight in. I found it's smallest group was around 5-6" even after I cleaned the rust and crud from the bore. I got it close as possible to zeroed and returned it. The guy consistently killed deer out to 200+ yards with that terribly inaccurate rifle-wobbles and wibbles cancel each other out occasionally.

September 29, 2013, 10:26 AM	#11
Bultaco Senior Member Join Date: September 25, 2013 Location: Western Co. Posts: 156	We have sight in days at our club also. I have seen guys with all kinds of issues. One who needed me to sight in the .300 Wby because he flinched too much. Another had a Browning Boss system that was hanging loose on the last couple threads & the bullet was glancing off the inside on the way out. Guys with a ziplock bag with a mixture of brands & bullet weights. At least they were all the same caliber! All this on a many thousand $ hunt to W. Co.

September 30, 2013, 05:22 PM	#14
Jbotto Senior Member Join Date: February 8, 2010 Location: MN Posts: 437	I had the big shot gun club president sternly tell me that I should warn everyone before I shoot to have their ear pro in... I thought it was common knowledge at a gun range that their is going to gun shots. I put mine on before exiting the vehicle and take them off once I'm back in it after the range session... He told me this while he was at the bench next to me adjusting his sights, after I had just shot off a round from my Savage .223. I didn't understand that reasoning.

October 1, 2013, 10:20 AM	#16
ZeroJunk Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2006 Location: Browns Summit NC Posts: 2,589	A friend of mine bought a rifle and scope at one of the national stores and it was supposedly bore sighted. We went to the range the outfitter uses the day before the hunt and it turns out they had used the wrong base and you could not get the rifle on target. Luckily we had a spare rifle he could use.

October 1, 2013, 11:39 PM	#18
alex0535 Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2012 Location: Georgia Posts: 908	Need to get some sighting in done, deer season is quickly approaching. Going to take a deer deer off our property this season. I just learned that a friend is having his blueberries wrecked by them and have been invited to take part in as much depredation hunting as I want to be involved with. Get to help a friend maintain his livelihood, and a freezer full of deer by the time I'm done. It's not the most sporting of hunts, but I am still excited about it. It's an opportunity to harvest a years worth of venison in a matter of days. That amount of deer would harm our herd, but the deer population my friend is dealing with is apparently something massive.