How good a shot are the stalkers in the UK?

[Jimbo 30 06]

Good for you, but I never said anything about the range YOU shot rabbits at.

I approve of good shooting. However, "good shooting" is not solely a question of good marksmanship. For instance, I strongly dissaprove of shooting live quarry at any range further than actually necessary, or beyond one's abilities ... regardless of how accomplished a target shooter anyone is.

So, is a deer's heart at 150m shot with a suitable stalking rifle a bigger or smaller target than a rabbit head at 70 yards shot with a rimfire?

And... I won't even ask if any of your rabbits ever ran off minus a bottom jaw or with their ear(s) pierced. That would be un-gentlemanly.

Tamus
Why can you not accept that there are good and bad in everything there are good Doctors there are bad there are good Builders there are bad there good Plicemen and women there also bad ther are good marksmen and there are bad i could go on quoting. EVEN THE BEST DO NOT PERFORM THE SAME EVERY DAY. Yes the Heart shot you posted at 150yds was good but i also know that if you are zeroed 1" high at 100yds then it is bingo Bullseye at 150yds and a Deers heart even the tiny Munty's is bigger than a Rabbit's head and if it's a Red Deer Heart then you have a target almost as big as a brick.

Jimbo

 

[Tamus]

Perhaps you have missed something, the poster of the link you provided is not the author, and the whole thing is actually a review of a rifle the original author had commissioned, as such I can only view it as helpful, well helpful if you can afford to be in the market for an accurate custom rifle.


Neil.

Who wrote it is actually irrelevant. The author is evidently a talented marksman who is highly delighted to be shooting rabbits 962yards away and seems would be even more pleased if that range were extended beyond the 1000yard mark.

Good marksmanship is not necessarily "good shooting" in the context of taking live quarry. Perhaps I am aloe in thinking this/

Perhaps I am also alone in thinking that shooting within one's abilities (whatever they may be) is the sign of a fine shot, whether he can "one hole" at 100 yards ... or not.

 

[Tamus]

Tamus
Why can you not accept that there are good and bad in everything there are good Doctors there are bad there are good Builders there are bad there good Plicemen and women there also bad ther are good marksmen and there are bad i could go on quoting. EVEN THE BEST DO NOT PERFORM THE SAME EVERY DAY. Yes the Heart shot you posted at 150yds was good but i also know that if you are zeroed 1" high at 100yds then it is bingo Bullseye at 150yds and a Deers heart even the tiny Munty's is bigger than a Rabbit's head and if it's a Red Deer Heart then you have a target almost as big as a brick.

Jimbo

On average, I find people are usually uniquely average.

Most of them can do what they do perfectly well though, because the operate within their abilities... most of the time. They don't need to be chastised or criticised for not being excellent so long as they know and act within their limits. S'all am sayin.

And thank you for confirming how big a deer's heart is and how little skill might be required to hit a target that size.

 

[ELMER FUDD]

Going back to Monkey Spankers post, I had a problem shooting at paper targets after my Ruger M77 in .308 blew up in my face after only six rounds through it. The seventh one blew it up. After that I found it very difficult to squeeze the trigger without flinching but one day with one of the f.c rangers he suggested putting a small stone on top of the target and see if I could hit that. This stone was about the size of an average thumb nail and it was turned to dust. I have a Brno in .243 with an old tasco world class 6x40 scope which I used to use only for foxing but now use it all the time for the deer. I always neck shoot and never go chest as I have had deer walk off and clear the fence and disappear into the forest in my early day's but would make sure I am within my comfort zone. I have a rest on my rifle but find if you are stalking you don't get much chance to use it as the shot isn't going to wait around for you so a fair amount is done freehand. I have a good friend on this site who reloads my ammo for me and this ammo has given me more confidence to shoot at paper targets, probably because I know they are not stoked up like factory ammo. The shot middle far right was first shot. 2nd was way over to the left. 3rd was just below bull with 4th 5th and 6th moving out to the left and last 4 all in the group just above bull which were all shot after leaving the rifle to cool down between shots. I was aiming to get 1 inch high at 100 yds and was more than pleased with the results. I don't think I could have done any better using the most expensive rifle and scope as it is all down to confidence with your equipment and knowing YOUR limits.

 

[nell]

Like Kenny C would you like me to post a card shot by me 10 rounds in the Bull yesterday at Leek Shooting Centre and witnessed. Zeroing my friends rifle for him.

Jimbo

Why would you have to zero a friends rifle for him.....

 

[Virbius]

So it appears that the answer to the original post of 'How good a shot are the stalkers in the UK?' is 'Excellent'.

Rather like Morgan Freeman stating in the Shawshank Redemption, 'We all know that everyone in Shawshank is innocent'

 

[roedeerred]

ouch some of you do get hot under the coller fact is as has been said many times on this forum everyone should know their limitations and shoot within them.

 

[Virbius]

ouch some of you do get hot under the coller fact is as has been said many times on this forum everyone should know their limitations and shoot within them.

+1

 

[Jimbo 30 06]

On average, I find people are usually uniquely average.

Most of them can do what they do perfectly well though, because the operate within their abilities... most of the time. They don't need to be chastised or criticised for not being excellent so long as they know and act within their limits. S'all am sayin.

And thank you for confirming how big a deer's heart is and how little skill might be required to hit a target that size.

I hope you never have an accident and need a Doctor and you tel him you think he is average as the doctor may just do an average job instead of a good one !!!. From you post of the deers heart you shot as i said it was a good shot and right on the money, what confuses me you seem to be saying you can poi a deers heart every shot but not able to cloverleaf a bullseye if you are as good as you say you should do both no problem. Or was that shot a lucky one and at other times like some i know squeeze the trigger and hope for the best.

Jimbo

 

[Jimbo 30 06]

Why would you have to zero a friends rifle for him.....

How is this statement relative to this post.

Jimbo

 

[Tamus]

I hope you never have an accident and need a Doctor and you tel him you think he is average as the doctor may just do an average job instead of a good one !!!. From you post of the deers heart you shot as i said it was a good shot and right on the money, what confuses me you seem to be saying you can poi a deers heart every shot but not able to cloverleaf a bullseye if you are as good as you say you should do both no problem. Or was that shot a lucky one and at other times like some i know squeeze the trigger and hope for the best.

Jimbo

I defend people who are not olympic class because I know that's not necessary to make a decent stalker and somehow that means I'm a rubbish shot.... Nice!

I'm sure I posted a sub .5 MOA .223, 10 shot, group... that was spot on the dot... on here a few months back too. Geez!

And.. You just would not want to know how many Doctors are seriously inept... (or how FUBAR our NHS is at the moment) and I promise you that really good Doctors are scarily rare creatures. I only say this because my wife is a nurse and I have had contact with many doctors in my time... very seldom for my own needs... thank god, but I am of an age where many friends and family have now passed on and I've lived through the experiences they've had to endure. Frankly, I'll settle for an average Doctor ... so long as I can dodge an inept one.

 

[LuckyEddie]

No it would not but it would prove that you were incapable of a humane head or neck shot under some circumstances.

HWH.

HWH - I hadn't realised there was a new additional requirement to pass either the DSC1 or 2

 

[Milligan]

How is this statement relative to this post.

Jimbo

Cause if he doesn't know how to zero a rifle maybe he shouldn't be in possession of one?
It's not like it's a complex task, is it.

 

[Paul at Fechan]

Why would you have to zero a friends rifle for him.....

I'm a better shot and waste less ammo than some mates doing the job maybe? I do if for people not because they're incapable but because they like the confidence of a 'set' rifle.

 

[Drag1]

i was once on a rifle test for the forestry commission there was also another syndicate on test one chap missed a piece of A4 at 100yds twice out of 4 shots and still the ranger passed his test and said " make sure you check that rifle before you soot a deer won't you" Oh yes the chap replies and off he went . So it does make you wonder how bad a shot you have to be doesn't it

 

[stalkinginengland]

I have not read the whole thread as I have some shot days between now and christmas that I need to fit in but just thinking about the bits about european guns there seems to be a problem with a great may of these guns who zero the rifle and then say "that will do" there seems to be little interest in tight groups and I put it down to many of them shooting running animals where groups are not important Just a thought.

 

[Taff]

Paul would it not be better for your mates to waste the ammo and improve there own shooting, surely they have to rezero after you. As to how good a shot am I , if I do my bit my rifle can shoot the wings of a fly at 1000mtrs, trouble is I don,t do my bit, reading some of the posts I think I should give up stalking as I am no where near as good as some of the computer stalkers.

 

[eggy s]

The biggest issue with paper punchers is when they come to shooting a deer they think of it as a 2D target rather than a 3D one.

In my opinion this results in more mistakes than a bad shot.

 

[bewsher500]

I am sorry but shooting 10 shot sub MOA groups off a bipod and bench at 100yds is not a test of the shooter.
That is why "LedSleds" and BR chaps can touch nothing but the trigger.
that is a test of rifle and ammunition

that is not "shooting" IMO.


and another thing, what kind of deer and rabbits are you chaps shooting?
last roe deer heart I had in my hands was smaller than the last rabbit head I had in my hands..

 

[kennyc]

I am sorry but shooting 10 shot sub MOA groups off a bipod and bench at 100yds is not a test of the shooter.
That is why "LedSleds" and BR chaps can touch nothing but the trigger.
that is a test of rifle and ammunition

that is not "shooting" IMO.

.

for the record, my pic was posted in answer to the assertion that,
"On the other hand I doubt many rifles are capable of shooting under an inch at 100yds, a three shot group is one thing, how many posts on here do you see with 10 shot groups inside an inch? Not many".