Acceptable hunting accuracy ?

[kyron4]

I plan on using my Traditions Kentuckey longrifle flintlock to fill my deer tag this year. Used my Hawken style caplock last year and bagged a doe at 80 yards. With the caplock I can stack round balls at 50 yards all day, with the flintlock 3" to 4" at 50 yds. is best I can manage. The sights on the flint lock are less forgiving and the my lack of experience with flintlocks surely adds to it. Where I plan to hunt 50 to 75 yards is the longest shot with 25 to 35 yds. being the most likely. So should I stick with the caplock till I get better with the flinter or go for it with minute of deer accuracy ? -Thanks

 

[david58]

Personally, I don't trust "minute of deer". I would encourage you to keep working with the flinter, and hunt with the percussion gun this year.

 

[SDSmlf]

I plan on using my Traditions Kentuckey longrifle flintlock to fill my deer tag this year. Used my Hawken style caplock last year and bagged a doe at 80 yards. With the caplock I can stack round balls at 50 yards all day, with the flintlock 3" to 4" at 50 yds. is best I can manage. The sights on the flint lock are less forgiving and the my lack of experience with flintlocks surely adds to it. Where I plan to hunt 50 to 75 yards is the longest shot with 25 to 35 yds. being the most likely. So should I stick with the caplock till I get better with the flinter or go for it with minute of deer accuracy ? -Thanks

Honestly, I believe you are overthinking things. Figure out the max distance you can get your 3” to 4” group centered around your point of aim and you are good to go. If a 3” to 4” group is a true representation of your accuracy at a given distance, you are going to put down a lot of deer inside of that distance.

That said, I would not stop working on improving your accuracy. Improving it will only increase your confidence.

 

[kyron4]

Yes I agree, more trigger time is needed on my part. I plan to only take clear broadside shots within the given range.

 

[French Colonial]

Here is what I was always taught, if you can keep all your offhand shots on a paper plate, then you are good for hunting deer at that distance, if not practice more.

 

[Sparkitoff]

A 3 inch group that is centered means no shoot was more than 1.5 inches from point of aim. You’d have to consider consistency and group location. If you consistently get 3-4 inch group that is , you can hunt deer to the maximum range you can produce that group. If the group size is inconsistent or somewhere other than centered you need to move closer or practice more.

 

[bang]

You can cover the kill zone on deer with a 9 inch plate. 1.5 spread at 50 yards will get it done.

 

[Daveboone]

It aint the gun. I love the groups my rifle can do from the bench...and know it has the capability out to 75 with its sights and my ability. That said, no such thing as too close. I only shoot from a rest (be it sticks, tree stand rifle rest, etc. ) and no shots past 50ish. The rifle is the tool, the shooter the weapon. Pick your shots no matter the weapon.

 

[deermanok]

Back in my early hunting days, if you could keep all your shots on a paper plate at 50 yards using the old foster style deer slugs fired from the smooth bore shotgun barrel, that was considered good enough for deer and my buddies and I were very successful.

 

[Brokennock]

with the flintlock 3" to 4" at 50 yds. is best I can manage.

This is good enough.
But, I have some questions to be thought about.

I also must say that I agree with,

Personally, I don't trust "minute of deer".

And also disagree with the pie plate/paper plate comparison that is often made (it does not include a margin of error).

Your 3 to 4 inch group at 50 yards is half of that vital area analogy. But, you need to stick to that 50 yards or less limit.

The questions I would ponder here.
Are those 3 to 4 inch, "best I can do," groups off the bench, standing free-hand, or from supported field positions such as kneeling or sitting?
If freestyle standing, how often do you get shots at deer where this position must be used?
One rifle instructor you are all familiar with, or should be, said quite often, "if you can get closer, get closer, of you can get steadier, get steadier."

I doubt these 3 to 4 inch groups are the best the rifle can do. The type of lock mechanism should not effect accuracy intol shooter interaction with it becomes a factor. What is the best group off a bench? I get 3 to 4 inch groups with my smoothbores off the bench.
Can you get a more supported field position and shoot better?
Can you on a personal level, stick to that 50 yard limit and be selective in the shots you take? If so, I think you are good to go.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Wat Smif said.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

Hit the 3 inch gong at 100 yards, and the 6 inch gong at 150 yards.
Never figured on shooting past that.

 

[2 shots]

aim small ...miss small is good advice. personally i want a well placed shot , a paper plate leaves a lot of room for a lost and wounded deer in my book

 

[French Colonial]

aim small ...miss small is good advice. personally i want a well placed shot , a paper plate leaves a lot of room for a lost and wounded deer in my book

No....

No it doesn't, the kill zone on a deer is about the size of a paper plate and if you can hit that every time offhand at your chosen distance you will not have any lost deer.

Would one hole groups offhand at the same distance be better, yes, but if wishes were wings elephants would fly.

 

[Robby]

Only you can answer that question for yourself.

Robby

 

[longcruise]

Here is what I was always taught, if you can keep all your offhand shots on a paper plate, then you are good for hunting deer at that distance, if not practice more.

I agree . I also think one must consider the actual number of "all shots". I've shot some impressive groups at XX yards and also shot some poor groups at that same range.

My suggestion for the OP is to practice and sight in only from field shooting positions. If you like the 9" zone idea, then put up a target with a 9" ring and with an aiming point in the middle withadditional fresh paper surrounding it. If you have different ideas of the size of the vital zone use that. Shooting it from field positions at various distances will tell you what shots you can take. And forget the classic three shot group. Shoot that target a dozen times to see what your actual results are. This can have you shooting 60 or eighty shots just to complete this project but it's all good practice and very informative.

 

[tenngun]

I do almost all my hunting now with a smoothbore.
Same piece of advise to anyone with an ml get close, especially if using a round ball.
Better to not take a shot then miss or cripple.
I would shoot at a paper saucer sized target. Vs a plate. If you can hit that you have venison for supper.

 

[2 shots]

so if if you happen to aim a little far back on the vitals is not 10 inches [paper plate] farther back from that if your shot goes to the outside edge in that direction toward the rear is that not a gut shot?? why not be able to hit where you aim????

 

[French Colonial]

so if if you happen to aim a little far back on the vitals is not 10 inches [paper plate] farther back from that if your shot goes to the outside edge in that direction toward the rear is that not a gut shot?? why not be able to hit where you aim????

Before I give up on you for not understanding anatomy and that most people are not as good at shooting as they think they are, I will try one more time.

Take a paper plate, set it up at your expected maximum shooting distance, shoot 25 shots offhand at the paper plate. Not all of them will "hit where you aim". If you miss the plate one time you are shooting to far for a sure kill.

Try this and you will understand, there are a lot of people who can not do this at 75 yards let alone further.

Try it and then come back and show us a picture of the plate.

 

[2 shots]

i understand what you are saying, and a deers kill zone. i am just saying that 5 inches off in any direction [ from center of your plate] is not o.k. with me.not when shooting at game. why say a shotgun pattern on a plate is good enough? just my opinion ,feel free to give up on me anytime you like.