You know it's time to leave the range when....

[Muir]

I took my girl friend out for our off hand center rifle practice today and before we left, we decided to shoot 9mm pistol in case the gun club we belong to had a bowing pin match this coming month. We both shot target for a while but it was miserably hot and we were pretty well sun-beaten and talking about going home soon. While she was reloading her magazine, I dropped a single round (the odd round left at the end of a row in the box) into the chamber of my Springfield Armory XD and told her I would shoot the head off a field dandelion at about 65 yards, half way up the berm. I held the front sight just onto the 2" head and squeezed the trigger. The head shuddered and then floated off to the right and settled into the tall grass. Dear One was off in a flash to retrieve it. I looked at the cut stem and shrugged, "It's gettin' hot. You done now??" I packed up my kit and set it into the Jeep. Oh yeah. I was done for sure.

Anybody else got this kind of story to share??~Muir

 

[The Singing Stalker]

Not as good but I walked into a pub once and at the top of my voice shouted "I have slept with every woman here" and in a slightly quieter voice said; "Aren't dreams wonderful".

the landlord still gives me the occasional free beer when he remembers that. I had forgotten it, but he hadn't.

 

[JAYB]

You dandelion murdering thug you .

I of course would have done it left handed .

John

 

[Muir]

Yeah, but you're a show off.~Muir

 

[N1mr0d]

You dandelion murdering thug you .

I of course would have done it left handed .

John

- blindfold!

 

[ChrisWill184]

While out on an end of season day in January, myself, my brother and his girlfriend at the time were standing in a wide opening in some trees having not seen very much. A stream of pigeons were flying overhead at about 70yds up, returning from the fields.

''Shall we have a go at these'' says I.
"I wouldn't waste the cartridges" says my brother.
"They are too high" says the GF.

So ever one to prove a point, I put the gun up, swung I don't know how far through the first one and it came spiraling down in much satisfying style.

The ratio of these shots to successes since then has been pretty woeful though and almost never in company. Still, was smug for the rest of the day!

 

[stubear]

Not me, but I guy I've known for decades who runs one of the clay shoots I go to.

We had an old Webley underlever air rifle in .177 and challenged him to shoot a clay with it. Sure enough he hoists this old air rifle with knackered sights up to his shoulder, calls "pull" and the clay is off towards the horizon. This wasn't some lumbering standard sized crosser, it was a going-away midi with a fair lick of speed on it.

*Phut*.... TING! And the clay gave a visible wobble as the pellet hit it. At that range it didn't even have enough energy to break the clay, but it was a clear hit and we heard the ping as it hit.

He was insufferable for the rest of the day

 

[tikka_madras]

Not me, but I guy I've known for decades who runs one of the clay shoots I go to.

We had an old Webley underlever air rifle in .177 and challenged him to shoot a clay with it. Sure enough he hoists this old air rifle with knackered sights up to his shoulder, calls "pull" and the clay is off towards the horizon. This wasn't some lumbering standard sized crosser, it was a going-away midi with a fair lick of speed on it.

*Phut*.... TING! And the clay gave a visible wobble as the pellet hit it. At that range it didn't even have enough energy to break the clay, but it was a clear hit and we heard the ping as it hit.

He was insufferable for the rest of the day

And so he bloody well should have been!

 

[liongeorge]

After reading this Muir it reminds me of an episode of the Beverley Hill Billys where grandpa is sat on the veranda with a rifle shooting down the garden. The shocked local asks what he is shooting at...reply ' Shootin flies'..... "Wow isn't that very difficult" Grandpa...'Trick is to catch um on the wing'

 

[Dexter]

I don't spend much time on the ranges and am a bit conservative as I'm sure we all are when shooting deer with a rifle so cannot claim to have pulled off too many amazing shots with a rifle, however the shotgun is another matter as I appear to have a lot more appetite to take up a challenge with a shotgun.
I remember clearly shooting on an open Cocker trial a few years ago in the Swaffham area. The ground was quite young poplar trees with white grass as the main cover. I was outside gun on the right and nearly everything seemed to break my way and I was on form. I had shot 14 head from a total of 24 head shot between 4 guns when my side had finished and my shooting partner and I were asked to move over and back up the other side for the final 2 dogs. I shot a woodcock that the gun on my side had missed with both barrels and then a cock pheasant that flushed when the woodcock dropped on it. The cock pheasant went off running strongly but having retrieved the woodcock the same dog was sent for it. 2 or three minutes passed before out of nowhere the cocker appeared with it securing the win and retrieve of the day trophy for Robin Laud. However, there was still one dog left to run. Unfortunately the birds were getting scarce by this stage as it was starting to get late. Several high pigeons were however drifting over but nothing in range. I could see that the dog was starting to tire and said to the gun next to me that I was going to have a go at the next one that came anywhere near. Eventually one came our way but as the gun to my right raised his gun it flared off and with the wind catching it's wings it picked up speed rapidly. By then I was too far into the swing of my gun to not give it a parting shot. Instinctively I chucked the gun through it and fired off the top barrel. It seemed to take an age before the bird stopped flapping and dropped stone dead on the far edge of the field that we were in, hitting a poplar tree hard on it's way down and leaving a trail of feathers strewn across the cover. The dog still stood routed to the spot as the Judge turned round to ask who had shot it? The dog was sent and quickly retrieved it having marked it perfectly. As we walked back to the cart the judge asked me what cartridges I was using (30 gram Pure Gold 5's) as did one of the other handlers from the gallery. I tried to make out that it was a standard shot and nothing special but probably failed miserably to convince anyone.

We all know that usually these shots have no witnesses but on this occasion I had everyone who had attended the trial watch me pull it off. There have been one or two other good ones but they usual happen when dispatching a wounded bird that another gun has clipped. On this occasion it was a first shot at one very unlucky pigeon that would most certainly have flow by without being shot at were it not for the time of day and a tiring dog.

 

[Selous]

I knew I should head home when my 15 year old son shot this as his first group of the day. Lightweight 308 stalking rifle with hand loads off a Harris bipod..... 5 shots by the way!

View attachment 85820

 

[alberta boy]

I knew I should head home when my 15 year old son shot this as his first group of the day. Lightweight 308 stalking rifle with hand loads off a Harris bipod..... 5 shots by the way!

View attachment 85820

Your boy can shoot , well done . My daughters take turns out shooting me on a regular basis . I made the mistake of taping a quarter ( 25 cent piece ) on the 100 yard target board and telling my oldest , if you can hit it sitting , the rifles yours ........ and that's how I lost a mint Remington model 725 in 30/06 ...... she still has the quarter , and my 06 lol .

AB

 

[Selous]

Your boy can shoot , well done . My daughters take turns out shooting me on a regular basis . I made the mistake of taping a quarter ( 25 cent piece ) on the 100 yard target board and telling my oldest , if you can hit it sitting , the rifles yours ........ and that's how I lost a mint Remington model 725 in 30/06 ...... she still has the quarter , and my 06 lol .

AB

ouch!! I didn't bet the rifle as it is his own anyway. I did load the ammo so next time I may vary the powder charge from one cartridge to the other!
Great to see their skills developing, even if it is expensive!

 

[Redneck]

I sold a Ruger 223 to a good stalking friend. He phoned me just the other day saying " That rifle is b!!!!! accurate just shot 3 crows in a line one shot at about 150 yds "

 

[Muir]

ouch!! I didn't bet the rifle as it is his own anyway. I did load the ammo so next time I may vary the powder charge from one cartridge to the other!
Great to see their skills developing, even if it is expensive!

It's always great when your kids out shoot you! I remember it was my birthday a decade or so back and My Son and I were shooting handgun. I set up a playing card edgewise and gestured him to cut it in half from about 20 yards back. He drew his M-28 S&W and promptly split the Jack of Spades in half, amidships. I asked if i could have it as a birthday present and he agreed. I framed it and it hangs within sight of me now -a constant source of pride.

Great stories everyone! I've really enjoyed them. ~Muir

 

[Selous]

It's always great when your kids out shoot you! I remember it was my birthday a decade or so back and My Son and I were shooting handgun. I set up a playing card edgewise and gestured him to cut it in half from about 20 yards back. He drew his M-28 S&W and promptly split the Jack of Spades in half, amidships. I asked if i could have it as a birthday present and he agreed. I framed it and it hangs within sight of me now -a constant source of pride.

Great stories everyone! I've really enjoyed them. ~Muir

You are so right, but it helps to give him a bit of a run for their money! Keeps him on his toes. When he shoots a group like that I can't help but have a grin from ear to ear! I'm hoping that we will get a chance to shoot pistols this summer. It will be a first for him and about 12 years since I last shot pistol,It will be interesting how we both get on. I'm sure it will be memorable however large the groups are!

 

[mchughcb]

So the club has an end of year wind up shoot. 1 points, if you get the clay with the first barrel, 1 point if you get the second clay with with the second barrel. Then some smart arse says you get 10 points if you get 2 with one barrel, there is always some jammy person.

 

[liongeorge]

It's always great when your kids out shoot you! I remember it was my birthday a decade or so back and My Son and I were shooting handgun. I set up a playing card edgewise and gestured him to cut it in half from about 20 yards back. He drew his M-28 S&W and promptly split the Jack of Spades in half, amidships. I asked if i could have it as a birthday present and he agreed. I framed it and it hangs within sight of me now -a constant source of pride.

Great stories everyone! I've really enjoyed them. ~Muir

Not wishing to detract from your sons achievement but it reminded me of something you might be interested in, this guy is amazing and this shot is no fluke as you will see if you check out his other stuff.

 

[Essexsussex]

While out on an end of season day in January, myself, my brother and his girlfriend at the time were standing in a wide opening in some trees having not seen very much. A stream of pigeons were flying overhead at about 70yds up, returning from the fields.

''Shall we have a go at these'' says I.
"I wouldn't waste the cartridges" says my brother.
"They are too high" says the GF.

So ever one to prove a point, I put the gun up, swung I don't know how far through the first one and it came spiraling down in much satisfying style.

The ratio of these shots to successes since then has been pretty woeful though and almost never in company. Still, was smug for the rest of the day!

exactly this when I was fifteen and the local gamekeeper had been requested to allow me to join their Boxing Day walk about. I looked up at the stratospherically pigeons and he miserably said don't waste the cartridge. So I did waste the cartridge and down it came. He never forgave me, and his mates never let him forget!

to this day I won't pass the chance at a ridiculously high pigeon. Seldom comes off but when it does, worth every wasted cartridge that went before!

 

[Harry mac]

The luckiest shot I ever made was at pigeon. I was shooting from a hide over decoys, when a bird came floating in to land. I put the gun up and folded it in the air. About 80 yards behind that bird another group of pigeons was flying over the field and one of them fell to the same shot.