Shooting practice

[NHSHOOTER]

Just wondering how often you shoot, especially before hunting season? I try to get out once a week, shoot off hand, off the bench and resting against a post, mostly at 100 yds, limited because of the range I shoot at.

[cptjack]

2-3 x's a week load development

[kraigwy]

I'm different. I like to shoot, hunting is secondary.

I would like to shoot daily, but sometimes that's not possible. So at least 4 times a week.

I have a 400 yard range in the back yard, but I like to shoot early. I get up a lot earlier then my wife so I go to an abandoned gravel pit on BLM land about two miles from the house. I like to take a couple rifles out each morning when it gets shooting light and shoot for a hour or so. The next day I take a couple of different rifles out

My hunting rifles get mixed in with my military surplus rifles so they do get a fair amount of use (except for sleeping wife). Passing the hearing protection act will change that.

I do load development at the house, where I can load a couple rounds, step out of the shop to see how they work. If the weather is bad I have a window in the shop I can shoot from.

This was my goal upon retiring. Being able to shoot all I want, and having a place with no zoning or covenants to restrict my shooting.

I dont shoot during hunting season except to hunt. The last two days of the month before opening day, I work our clubs "sight in days" where we open the range to out of state hunters (or any one else) to check their zeros before going afield. There is a lot of dead time so I do take a rifle or two to play with making sure I dont shoot up all my hunting ammo (I've done that before). Then I have to stay up late loading so I can hit opening day.

[T. O'Heir]

"...load development..." That's not practice. Once you have the load worked up you must practice with it, off hand, at 100 yards, on a 9" pie plate until you can hit the pie plate every time.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Target practice? Seldom with any rifle. I've set limits on my distance shooting long ago. Those limits are pretty easy for me to shoot too without the need to sharpen my shooting skills every year. Besides I pretty much know what will take place in and around my deer stand as I've hunted the same spot every year since 58. (all years but those I spent in the Corp (4)

Can still shoot as far as I can see at my age~~70s. But limit my head shot ability's to 100 yards or less. There after 100 -300. White throat patch puts brown on the ground for me just as fast as a quick mover to the back of the head will.

Cartridge & Rifle of preference.
270 win 130 gr home reload fired thru a Remington 700 Mountain model. {a light-weight wood stocked dangerous weapon in the right hands. Having a long-skinny accurate barrel.} Glass & its hardware preference: QRW {high} rings w/ 2-piece (leupold) mounts holding tightly to a > Vari X-3.

When I have a need for a chip shot rifle. I have a second rifle identical to the (above) almost in every way. Only its stock color differs. Caliber >25-06 Remington. (my poor mans Weatherby.)

[Art Eatman]

I've always tried to do some shooting on a year-around basis, for eye/trigger-control coordination and effectiveness in field conditions. Commonly a double-check for sight-in before deer season, but nothing extra.

[Wyosmith]

As a gunsmith I shoot probably 5 times a week, but for dedicated practice I only get to shoot about 3 times a month. I understand shooting from a bench is of no real value to marksmanship. So when I shoot for fun I NEVER use a rest. I work on my skills. I shoot handguns and rifles both for the fun of shooting. Handguns usually from 10 yards to 100 yards, and rifles from 100 to 350.
If I want to shoot longer ranges (out to 880) I have go go about 8 miles for a safe place to do it. I have a range on my place that goes to 350 yards and I can go to the neighbors land (with his blessing) and get to 550, but beyond that I have to get away a bit for a safe shot.

I no longer shoot groups for practice. I shoot individual targets. I will place 20 targets on my hill (8" paper plates) and fire 20 rounds, one per target. I try to do this from different ranges and from different positions, offhand, sitting, kneeling and prone. I score myself by first giving myself a point for each hit anywhere on the 8" plate, and I make a 2.5" ring for the "bullseye" which I count as 2 points. Not anything official about my way, but it does help me to see how I am doing. I use the same target at 10 yards for pistol and out to 880 in the desert for my longest rifle practice. (I don't make all that many point anymore at 880, but I do have fun)

[DPI7800]

I am typically an archery hunter but will also do an accassional rifle hunt. However, I am lucky and have received lots of professional long range training with a long gun. So I have lots of knowledge and some skill, but because of those two things I strive to get at least 500 rounds of practice in prior to a rifle hunt. My last rifle hunt I was slacking a bit and only got about 300-400 rounds of practice in, which still paid off for a first round hit at 400 yards.

[Rcinit]

I'd like to get some practice in but almost all of my time is taken up working, reloading, cleaning my weapons or hunting. I'd say I shoot anywhere from 1-50 rounds a week. Almost all of them are standing using a tripod for support. I'd say I put my first round on a pig most of the time. Ranges are anywhere from 30-200 yards from the first shot. After that it's game on. I shoot almost exclusively at night using a 3x power thermal scope mounted on AR-15 in 6.9 spc II.

[DPI7800]

Also I should add that my practice session starts out doing a cold shot followed by four more shots at 100 yards past my expected shooting distance for a hunt on a 10" steel target. When I am able to put all five on target from a field expedient position, i.e. Sitting position from top of my backpack I feel I am adequately prepared.

Also, nothing I do prior to actually getting the tag in hand is considered practice for the hunt in my book. So I may shoot another 500 rounds the 6 months prior to the tag but I feel it is not practice and it was just target shooting because I was not doing any real work up/ targeted training for anything in particular.

[pgdion]

1 to 2 times a week. But I work at a range and get free range time. 50yds indoor :-)

I'd say maybe twice a month outside at the longer range up north.

[Don Fischer]

Any more once or twice a week is all I do. I don't practice off hand shooting other than with a handgun. At the same time I rarely ever shoot off hand at game animals. For practice I shoot sitting, kneeling and prone. I limit off hand shooting to about 50 yds of less and then only if I don't think I have much time. The other three position's I'll shoot generally to 250 +/- yards with but I used to practice falling into position and most used was sitting then kneeling and last was prone. Prone is a great position, the best, but, Terrain generally put's me to low to see well from prone. Or if shooting down hill, sitting works better for me. Prone, cover permitting shooting up hill is a gimme.

[Mobuck]

I shoot anytime I feel the urge but about a month before deer season, I start a regimen of 25-50 rounds of 22lr per day from hunting positions.
This year I have an elk hunt in NM in December so probably will continue target practice through deer season. I doubt they'll let me do much shooting on the deer stand.

[Husqvarna]

organized practise 3x a week, (,olympic 25meters bullseye, trap and running moose), sometimes I have time for none, sometimes time for one and sometimes all

the occasional range trip and we do a range day with my hunting-team where we make up drills and scenarios

I go every other week to field target comps both for pistol and rifle and the occasional semi-long range comp

[doofus47]

I definitely go to an outdoor range to confirm scope zero at 200, but most of my rifle trigger time is short range at an indoor range that is more acccessible.

[Zen Archery]

Does hog hunting count as shooting practice? If so I go 1 or 2x a week!

[bamaranger]

Big believer in .22 practice, especially in the off season. Plus, I just plain like to shoot. I'm fortunate in that I can shoot here at our place, though I do not shoot much centerfire rifle or handgun here at the house so as to limit noise with dogs/family.

There was a point in time when I was shooting .22 rifle nearly daily. I'd read somewhere that ol'Finn Aagard said he shot a 77/22 10 rds daily or tried to, and I thought that was pretty good advice. Then the ammo crunch hit and I limited my .22 shooting. Now that things seem back on track, I'm shooting more .22 again. But not daily, more like once a week lately.

We've got a cowbell target out at 100 yds. We also set out a flipper type target at 50yd, where the scoped rifle is zeroed "on". I've got a 44US zeroed on at 100 with the peeps, and the cowbell was a demanding target, but my creeky hips/knees don't let me get into a good seated position anymore, nor do I see the front sight as well as I used too. The scoped .22 is a 77/22 stainless, which has been a real workhorse and a delight to shoot and own. We've worked out how to hit the cowbell with the top of the picket post in the duplex scope, by adjusting the power to where we can hold the tip of the post "on". We shoot from a leaning rest on an old oak, offhand, and seated, depending on the mood and motivation. Bamaboy is consistently out shooting me these days.

Regards that cowbell target, it's the commercial one you see in the stores, and its a hoot. If you like to shoot .22, you need to get one.