How often do you all practice?

How often do you practice with your or any rifle?
At least once a month and I usually take a few out with me. Either on my bit of ground or at Bisley usually.

Would you like the opportunity to shoot more often?
Yes, always.

If so, what are the barriers that prevent the intention to practice from actually occurring?
Busy home life and a busy work life. I can generally get a half day on the weekend but if I go practice I cant always go stalking so I have to pick and choose.

Are you aware of sporting rifle practice events in your area?
Not really. Bisley publicise some events but I'd always be interested to hear of others.

What factors would put you off attending them if there were happening in your region?
Just time really, and to an extent what the event it. My main passion is the stalking so if I'm not doing that then I want whatever it is to be an interesting experience. I dont think I'd pass on a mornings stalking to go lie prone on a mat and shoot at a known distance very often, but if it was a simulated stalk shooting at steel reactive or driven targets or something then sure I would make time for it.

For me the thing thats really missing for sporting rifle shooters is simulated stalks, the ability to practice standing with sticks, kneeling, sat down or whatever, shooting at unknown distances and shooting at moving targets. If there was a club that provided all of that then I'd be all over it.
 
Personally I don't tend to practice as I feel that I have achieved the standard required to shoot confidently at the ranges that I shoot at. If I ever have a shot that doesn't land where intended I will always recheck my equipment and my ability if my equipment is ok but it is generally equipment failure, poi changed. This is rare though but does happen.
 
All the feedback from shooting instructors, coaches and competent, consistent shooters I have engaged with over the years would most likely agree that shooting is a perishable skill.
Exactly this.

I used to practice weekly, at least 40 rounds plus stalking a minimum of twice a week. Now I'm lucky to go once a week and practice fortnightly. It's an important part of shooting for me and I thoroughly enjoy it.
 
I think the less you shoot for real( number of shot prey) the more you need to practice.

I stalk probably on average 5 days a week. I find as such I seldom need to practice. However if I have had a break from shooting(holidays, injury etc) then I will go to the target. I find after a break I am just not so fine tuned with the rifle both in terms of precision and speed.
 
The verb is 'practise', the noun is 'practice', just as if you advise someone you give them advice. Bloody teachers!
 
I think the less you shoot for real( number of shot prey) the more you need to practice.

Interesting that you make a value distinction between target and prey as real or otherwise. I see it and enjoy it all as shooting and don’t value one over the other.

I do agree that the more practice you get at targets the better you will become at shooting targets, and the more you shoot at prey the better you will become at hunting.

But I think both shooting disciplines are mutually advantageous to one another.

But I think the important thing, as with developing and maintaining any other skill, is to do it as frequently and regularly as possible.

Alan
 
All the feedback from shooting instructors, coaches and competent, consistent shooters I have engaged with over the years would most likely agree that shooting is a perishable skill.
Agreed if your a precision target shooter. but not for shooting a few deer/vermin a year. If you are that reliant on precision shooting for animals then your doing something wrong. It means you didnt find a good shooting position before you need to take the shot. My philosophy is 5% shooting skill, 95% stalking skill :-| .
 
Ive got plenty of townie pals that can get a reasonable group on a range but are virgins to hunting/stalking. One thing for sure is that if I sent them out to hunt a deer it would take them weeks to get one if at all.:lol:
 
How often do you practice with your or any rifle?
At least once a week

Would you like the opportunity to shoot more often?
In a certain type of facility, yes. a 200m-300m tunnel, running targets / cinema.

If so, what are the barriers that prevent the intention to practice from actually occurring?
Noise complaints limit how frequently and intensively I can train on the land. Lack of shooting cinemas, running targets and long tunnels

Are you aware of sporting rifle practice events in your area?
There's very little

What factors would put you off attending them if there were happening in your region?
Very little, providing they were affordable at went out to 200m minimum, preferably 300m

The highest quality practice takes a coach IMO. Practicing with a .22lr training rifle close or identical to your stalking rifle is a huge boon BUT the body and mind knows that it wont recoil and knows that a CF will. With students & clients I commonly load dummy cartridges without their knowledge, the surprise misfire is a very useful training exercise.

I also ask students to consider their ethical efficacy (mouthful I know) Simulated conditions will never quite replicate the field so I recommend a 4" target be considered the kill zone for roe in practice. At given range with their equipment & ammo from whatever position how many times can they hit it out of 10, 20, 30, 100?

A small amount of high quality practice with a coach is often worth many times more practice without one. Said practice is also a good opportunity to be taught / given tailor made drills & training goals to continue with unsupervised
 
I usually shoot with my .22lr once a week, not long had my first centre fire and have only zeroed it in and had an extra few shots the same day (Thanks to a chap on here). I really would like to practice more often but with my club it’s a nightmare trying to book a full bore range day. I have a local farm where hopefully I will be able to set up a 100yrd practice area with a safe back stop soon. 🤞🤞
If I was hunting regularly and was confident in my rifle and myself I doubt I’d practice a great deal with the full bore to be honest.
 
Agreed if your a precision target shooter. but not for shooting a few deer/vermin a year. If you are that reliant on precision shooting for animals then your doing something wrong. It means you didnt find a good shooting position before you need to take the shot. My philosophy is 5% shooting skill, 95% stalking skill :-| .
After an enforced break in stalking in Spring 2020 due to the lock down, I noted a personal skill fade in both stalking and shooting.
Regards
JCS
 
I check zero every couple of months, once you get to a standard of shooting you are happy with zeroing off bags or a bipod I think it’s diminishing returns in terms our rounds downrange and linking that to shooting deer. Most of the challenge with taking the shot in stalking is judging what the animal is doing and about to do, picking out the right place to put the round based on the angle of the animal etc. In the last year I have been shooting lots of rabbits using NV off my quad/vipers and the challenge of hitting them out to 100 yards has definitely improved my performance off the Vipers when stalking. The practice has to replicate the actual shooting you are going to do for it to be beneficial IMHO
 
I practice as often as possible - have shot competitively for longer than I would like to remember at reasonable level - but there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to rest on laurels and think they do not need to continually develop skill set

I’m out at least once a week when killing deer (I tend to have a break end of May through to end July - bracken too high ) on the areas I look after but once it’s down it will likely be twice a week through to the end of the female season

Cant emphasise enough how important it is to practice

Those who believe they don’t need to are kidding themselves
 
Not enough unfortunately.
I agree about "bad practise" - each session must have at least one goal and if it becomes obvious the goal is not being achieved, then stop shooting, don't waste ammo and go away and try to figure out what was going wrong.

Cheers

Bruce
I agree totally you can train bad habits into yourself without even realising it, I done it with the catty last Yr and had to leave it for 6 months so the muscle memory forgot about it and reset its self
 
I am amazed at how many people don't practice or practice very little.

In my humble opinion we owe it to the welfare of deer to practice as much as we can to ensure clean kills.

I practice as much as I can, sometimes it can frustrate you but I'd rather find out how to judge windage and hold off, the drop off my round at longer ranges, my weakest shooting position etc. on a target than on an animal.
 
I would like to do more practice off sticks but my understanding is that Bisley don't like it or at least not on Short Siberia, is there any ranges that tolerate this style of rest?
 
Back
Top