Anyone ever missed because the animal was too close?

[FrontSight]

I went on a boar "hunt" (a game farm, LOTS of fun, please no bashing of it), was using an ar-15 with an eotech and the piggies came right to me like I had them on a string. Maybe 10 feet away. Two shots (two piggies, one shot each), both missed, pretty sure I shot too low, rifle was sighted in for 100 yards...

I've got video of it (i-kam extreme sunglasses, they rock!) that I am putting together onto you-tube, but it's a little hard to tell for sure...

I never shot at paper to see where it hits at 10 feet...but I htink I'm right about it hitting low, since the barrel is way below the sight, right?

Anyway, I did manage to get 2 others that came around literally 2 minutes later, this time at about 25 yards (of course I didn't get THAT on video; didn't have time to turn it on)...but I did get video of fiishing them off with my handgun.

I should have just shot the first two with the handgun at that range, but it's hard to think of that when you're in the moment, and it all happened so fast.

What say you guys?

UPDATE: Here's part of the video; the shots I missed (for you guys to please analyze), as well as a finishing off shot on one of the boars I did bag a couple of minutes later (for your viewing enjoyment)...

You can see me clearly flinch the first shot, and then have a laugh when I forget to take the safety off later...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWUsU_ynXno

[.284]

He has Crimson Trace laser grips on his Ruger 45 cal Old Armry.......I know it's blackpowder......I know it is a strange revolver to have laser grips on ...but hey his gun, right? Anyway, he went to finish off a doe with a head shot and missed twice from 6 feet. Why because he was too close for the alignment of the laser to the barrel.

[Double Naught Spy]

was using an ar-15 with an eotech and the piggies came right to me like I had them on a string. Maybe 10 feet away. Two shots (two piggies, one shot each), both missed, pretty sure I shot too low, rifle was sighted in for 100 yards...

How small were these piggies and where were you aiming?

Given that your Aimpoint should not have been more than ~2" over the bore and that you were sighted in at 100 yards, at 10 feet your POI would have been about 1.3-1.5" below POA. So if you were trying to shoot off the tip of his nose, you would have missed if you put the dot on its nose. If you aimed at a point on his shoulder, neck, or tried a brain shot between the eye and ear, you should have hit both pigs just fine.

If you were trying to shoot the bottom of the rib cage to hit only the heart and some ribs, then you could have missed by being too low. Otherwise, if your shot was too low, it was likely because you flinched, not because of your sighting.

Here is this video where the claim is that the bullets are bouncing off the pig's head when in fact most are totally missing. One hits and the jacket sheds off, but no bullets bounced off the pig's head. What is so amazing is that the guy is single action firing from about 6-10 feet.
The first two shots miss or appear to miss, though there is a stripped jacket on the ground. That may have been stripped when the first shot hit the tree first. The third shot at even closer range and is aimed at the eyeball, but the shooter both clearly hits the pig that time but also clearly and completely misses the eyeball. Notice the diffference in reaction of impact of the rounds on the pig between the first two and third shots. Neither of the first two shots hit the pig in the head and may have gone in the ground.

The third shot hits about 5-6" below the point of aim in the pig's mouth.

Can you say flinch?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI0l29YGA-c

[Old Grump]

Have to agree, it wasn't being to close but the fact that they were close and you hurried your shots, You probably yanked on that trigger and pulled the gun down low and right. At 25 yards you had more time for a sight picture and trigger discipline.

Time for a little Fartlek exercise. Fill up a large number of half liter bottles or smaller with water and set them on the ground from 3 yards to 15 yards and try hitting as many as you can as fast as you can. It's a blast and good practice.

Then tie a number of balloons to a overhead bar with a 24" to 30" string with just a wee tiny bit of water in the bottom. They should be at least a couple of feet off the ground so they don't drag. Light enough to sway a little in the breeze but heavy enough to hang down. Wait for a nice breezy day and do this drill at 9-15 yards. Easy when you take your time so make this a timed drill, like 15 seconds for 10 shots.

If you still have bullets left over your score is zero. If you miss all of them your score is zero. Objective is to get at least half a dozen hits, you will be surprised at how fast you can get a sight picture.

I do this with my pistol and revolver shooters. They have lots of names for me, some I can repeat to my sister, the rest are best left on the range. Had my neighbor boy over shooting my old Marlin 60 do that drill and he left them talking to themselves. Some bit their tongues and congratulated him. I didn't tell them he learned to shoot in my back yard.

[FrontSight]

Double Naught Spy, Old Grump: One was 100 pounds (management pig), and the other was about 175 or so.

From watching the video in slow motion, I think I flinched on the first one, dropping it low (just like you said, O.G.), and it may have been late as well (it was walking fast).

The second one was spot on, though, although it was running. I remember the sight picture vividly, and the video confirms it (well, it doesn't show it through the optic but you can see the barrel is well aligned). Even though it was running it was close enough that I don't think I needed to lead it (was aiming at the shoulder).

[Brian Pfleuger]

I personally haven't on big game. I've missed a few woodchucks because they were so close that the scope was blurry and I had to sight down the barrel. Hit a few doing that, missed a few.

I've heard MANY stories from people about missing at ridiculously close ranges, including just today a story about a guy that missed a bull elk at "10 feet", his words, with a muzzle loader.

I also know of many instances of people in tree stands missing dear where the shots were almost vertical.

[markj]

Yep, a buck, had so many points I couldnt count them all. He was 20 yards or so just looking at me. I looked thru the scope, pulled the trigger and shot right over his back. Last I saw of him was a small little white ball bouncing away fast. I use open sights now cause there isnt any bean field shots made here. Furthest one I shot was 50 yards at best. Never sight in the scope at 300 yards advise from my friend, but he got his deer.......... I was 18 too.

[Double Naught Spy]

Double Naught Spy, Old Grump: One was 100 pounds (management pig), and the other was about 175 or so.

From watching the video in slow motion, I think I flinched on the first one, dropping it low (just like you said, O.G.), and it may have been late as well (it was walking fast).

The second one was spot on, though, although it was running. I remember the sight picture vividly, and the video confirms it (well, it doesn't show it through the optic but you can see the barrel is well aligned). Even though it was running it was close enough that I don't think I needed to lead it (was aiming at the shoulder).

Well if you aren't going to give us all the relevant data up front, then how can we help you?

Post your video on YouTube or such.

With hogs that big, you can rest assured that it wasn't due to a 100 yard zero missing a shoulder shot at 10 feet.

A running hog at 10 feet should be hit quite easily and without leading it if you are aiming at the shoulder. If you shot at the hog at 10 feet with a bullet with a muzzle velocity of 3000 fps, you have about 2980 fps at 10' and so the travel time is 0.003 seconds or so. Assuming the boar was running 25 mph (which is 36.67 fps and is about max speed for a hog), then in that 0.003 seconds, the hog moved only about an inch. Your shot, with the Eotech, should have been about 1.5" low and about an inch off in the opposite direction the hog was traveling. You probably would not have even realized you didn't hit exactly where you were aiming.

If your aim was spot on as you so vividly remember, there is no way you missed your hog at 10 feet, even if it was running, unless you flinched or pulled the trigger entirely too late. If you think you were late on a hog that was walking, then you were likely very late on a hog that was running.

I-Kam glasses are cool, but give a distorted orientation with long gun images, often because the shooter does not orient his face down the length of the rifle, just his eye, and so it is hard to tell exactly where he is aiming.

What technique were you using, tracking or ambushing with your shot?

[FrontSight]

Hi, here's part of the video; the shots I missed (for you guys to please analyze), as well as a finishing off shot on one of the boars I did bag a couple of minutes later (for your viewing enjoyment)...

You can see me clearly flinch the first shot, and then have a laugh when I forget to take the safety off later...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWUsU_ynXno

[bamaranger]

I missed a good gobbler this spring w/ a SHOTGUN at about 30 yds. Not to close, more like, ......ideal range.

Over confident, rushed the shot, failure to focus, failure to pick a lane, shot at a walking bird, didn't get him to stick his head up.

Overall goof up.

Further, for deer, my bow does not shoot to point of aim, under 10 yds the arrows come in low. Combine that w/ a poor or no follow through, and tree stand angles, and you have the ingredients for a miss as well.

[hagar]

Yes, called coyote at 2 yards coming in at full run from the side. Shot under him with a Mini 14, the scope was mounted probably 2 inches above the bore. At least it stopped him from coming, he beat a hasty retreat and I did a Texas heartshot on him at 40 yards. I had another one almost run me over at full speed, I literally shot it off my lap with a 12 gauge and 2 ounces of copper plated bb's...

[Double Naught Spy]

Nifty video. In your defense, I think they were more than 10 feet away. It looks like you yanked down before each shot, however, but it was much more pronounced with the first than the second. Neither hog was moving that fast, but the second was definitely faster than the first.

The pistol flinch was fairly pronounced as well when the gun didn't fire.

Because of the head position relative to the guns, it is much easier to see where the pistol is aimed than the rifle. Still, very nifty video.

[FrontSight]

Double Naught Spy: The video makes them look further than they were; I'd say 15 feet, max. It's funny how differently you behave when your heart's pounding and the adrenaline is flowing...I didn't even notice until I watched the video that I fired the pistol with one hand; I always practice two handed! And never flinch that bad when it's paper, lol...

[kaylorinhi]

What particular Eotech do you have?

Failing to account for Barrel/Sight relationship combined with a pronounced anticipation can lead to alot of low shots.

You should actually go shoot you r weapon system at 25, 15, 10, 7, 5, 3, and zero(paper only) to get a good idea of your needed compensation. More trigger time will account for the anti!

Your sight over bore should be about 2.5 inches, so be ready for your zero distance shooting to equal that distance.

[FrontSight]

kaylorinhi: It's either a 512 or a 522 (got it so long ago that I forget now)...

Everything you said was true, I've never practiced at that close, nor at moving targets when I only have a few seconds to react.

A few other things increased the axiety as well:

1) The guide was doing a push from the left, not the right, so I was expecting them to come from the opposite direction

2) Had also been execting them to come out much further up ahead on the road, instead of right in my face

3) The only safe shooting lane was on the dirt road, as the guide was to the left and other people were in the woods to the right, so having such a small space in which to swing and shoot made it tougher...

[jimbob86]

... when i was 15, I jumped a buck and he stopped on the other side of a creek, maybe 20-25 yards away. I settled the crosshairs of my 6X Weaver on his chest, squeezed the trigger, and killed the hell out of 4" diameter branch about 10' in front of me.... I did not see it in the scope, but I sure saw it fall as I watched the deer run off through the trees.

[Double Naught Spy]

...I didn't even notice until I watched the video that I fired the pistol with one hand; I always practice two handed! And never flinch that bad when it's paper, lol...

LOL is right! We have actually video'd folks who are 100% certain they are not doing something that they are doing and don't/won't believe it until they see themselves on video.

Video doesn't lie, but it doesn't tell the truth either. It just presents information from a given perspective and focal plane. So its a perspective thing.

I was trying to figure out the approximate distance by noting how big the hogs were in your Eotech, but is it all guesswork, assuming you (the I-kam) are about 3-5" from it and that the hogs are about 3-3.5 feet long, then how big the hogs are relative to the aperature of the Eotech, I think you are right. They really aren't far and 10-15 feet seems about right.

I think I would have been breathing a lot harder than you if I saw that many hogs running toward me, getting that close, or did you just stop breathing all together?

[James R. Burke]

One time then I learned a lesson I wont forget. Nice buck not huge but nice. It was a down hill shot at about 20 yards. Tryed for the perfect heart shot, and clipped the hair from underneath him. I figure being that close plus down hill with a scope I just flat out shot to low. One time with a Ruger No 1 I shot at a nice buck biggest I got at about 150 yards. Hit the tree right before him. He did not know were the shot came from, and started running at me, I reloaded fast, and when I shut the action he stopped at about 50 yards, and looked back. Shot him in the base of the neck, and dropped on the spot.

[FrontSight]

Double Naught Spy:

I think I would have been breathing a lot harder than you if I saw that many hogs running toward me, getting that close, or did you just stop breathing all together?

I wasn't nervous at all when they started coming, I guess because it happenned all too fast. I was a bit upset about them coming so fast, though, and so close, and from a different direction than expected.

I didn't really think about them charging me...I did get charged a couple of years ago, from about 60 yards and had to keep shooting with a lever action to drop it (got to about 30 yards from me), and that will wake you up in the morning! That's why I brought the handgun too as a backup, just in case...I think I was more nervous going after the wounded one, as you can hear from my breathing in that clip...