How Far Can You Make Successful Kill Shots ?.

[Reno]

It depends on the shooter. There are shooters who ‘s age and skill will allow very long shots. The same age’d shooter who does not shoot much and does not know their piece is better off at short distances.

I saw my father shoot his 54 caliber TC with a round ball at a doe at 235 yards slightly up grade shot to. one shot kill. We went back some weeks after and measured the distance.
My father though was an accomplished shot. He knew his gun and he knew where to hold. Also it was late in the day when the sun was all but down but a few moments of legal shooting time left.

 

[dylan84]

Sorry man, but I have been fighting this attitude of, "minute of bad guy," or in these cases, "minute of deer vitals," since I started teaching practical pistol shooting 25 or so years ago. This attitude irritates the heck out of me. It can be dangerous in the practical shooting arena or unethical in the hunting arena.
If minute of bad guy is the best one cab do with their pistol or carbine under controlled range conditions (and controlled emotional conditions), that person is in for a very rude awakening if ever really put to the test. At best, they will lose, at worst, they will shoot and kill the wrong person (we had an actual case of that here some years back). With hunters, if the best they can do at the range is keep all their shots in an area (can't even call it a group) the full size of the vitals, at known distances, under controlled conditions and with no emotional stress, it leaves them wide open to a variety of factors causing them to at best miss completely, and at worse wound an animal leaving it to suffer. The animal suffers because some human settled for, "good enough."

Sorry.
Like I said, the subject gets me fired up, so off I went again.

I know what you mean. There are people out there hunting with scoped unmentionables that can't shoot a group at 100 and then try to kill at 200 in the wind gut shooting or totally missing. I honestly thing the op is trying to get people to think and test what they are even capable of doing in a more real world shooting scenario. Beats shooting off a bench!

 

[Rifleman1776]

My limit and recommendation is no more than about 100 yards. A round ball is an obsolete, inferior projectile. With practice, a good 100 yard shot is feasible. But, just about that 100 yard mark the ball yells out "I'm done" and falls rapidly. Practice shots from a rest on the range are possible because you can overhold and account for trajectory. But, in the field you don't have that luxury. Want to hunt long range? Get a 'no-no' rifle. As for minie style bullets, they may retain energy longer but their trajectory is very rainbow like.

 

[Jedidiah]

In all my years of looking at dead animals on the internet, I have never seen a dead bobcat.

Color me impressed.

Having a bobcat in your sights is definitely the time to relax and focus. More so than killing deer. Cuzz Bambi won't wrap its legs around you and eat your face.

If you do not eat it, why kill it? I am not a fan of killing predators, all the "wild" terrorist Coyote stories not withstanding. They have a tough enough time getting by in todays world. Just one man's opinion.

 

[Jedidiah]

I understand that a paper plate is about the size of your deers vitals.
I'm saying that if the maximum size you need to hit is your best accuracy standard, whether it is deer or dirt-bags, it is a set up for failure at some point.


It was a comparison, an analogy. Maybe you can't understand this.
That you get bothered by the reality that we live in an increasingly violent world, and someone might be trained to deal with it and teach others to do so also, then use those real world shooting experiences to make a comparison, makes me wonder about you too. There is evil in the world,,,, sounds like you better have good running shoes.

If I have the opportunity to run and be safe, rather than shoot someone, I will take that opportunity every time.

 

[dylan84]

If you do not eat it, why kill it? I am not a fan of killing predators, all the "wild" terrorist Coyote stories not withstanding. They have a tough enough time getting by in todays world. Just one man's opinion.

Sometimes I have to remove a problem predator. I know what you are referring to. The guys that call in and massacre yotes with their custom AR 15 rifles on tripods. Those guys are queers....

Predators do have nice fur and can be used to make cool stuff!

 

[Jedidiah]

There are always stories & examples of the "long" shot that was miraculously perfect in every way. But I firmly believe for every one of those shots that is actually made and works, there are a hundred that do not and miss or wound game. My brother used to shot BP cartridge (sharps) at 1000yds in competition. Could he hit something at that range if he had too? Probably. Would he ever attempt to do it. Not in your life.! When using a traditional ML, close is good. IMHO

 

[Brokennock]

If I have the opportunity to run and be safe, rather than shoot someone, I will take that opportunity every time.

Agreed.
"Faster-than-U-Fu" is one of the best martial arts. But isn't always an option.

 

[Jedidiah]

Agreed.
"Faster-than-U-Fu" is one of the best martial arts. But isn't always an option.

very true, like I said, "if I could be safe". Sometimes you get dealt a sh7%$ hand and have to play it out.

 

[oldwood]

Nowadays , I tell folks , especially new be's , Put up a 6 " bull at 25 , 50 , and 75 Yds. , and if you can hit the 6" bull consistently at any of the given distances , that's your max. distance. If you can't , practice.

 

[Art Caputo]

The majority of my deer have been shot at less then 70 yards(furthest, 110 yards), I establish a “Maximum Effective Range” for each of my muzzleloaders. The MER is determined by a testing the combination of the specific rifle/loads energy and accuracy under perfect/conditions, fully supported, and accounting for my personal shooting abilities. IMO, establishing an MER is a good confidence builder. Off-hand shot accuracy in hunting conditions for me is typically about half the distance of my MER using a supported position. For most all my muzzleloaders, my MER is 90-125 yards. As has been proven to be the case over the past decades, conditions and terrain rarely allow me to take take the shot at distances beyond 50-70 yards.

 

[1BadDart]

I learned early on when shooting a bow that to shoot small you have to aim small. That transferred to anything I shoot. I shoot 10M indoor air rifle fun matches with vintage target rifles in the winter, the bullseye is the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

Tom Knapp was known for his skills with a shotgun, but he was also an excellent rifle shot. He once made a comment that has stuck with me, "the center of an elephant is the same size as the center of an aspirin".

Aim small, shoot small!

 

[64Springer]

So many great accuracy sayings floating around.

 

[Jedidiah]

I learned early on when shooting a bow that to shoot small you have to aim small. That transferred to anything I shoot. I shoot 10M indoor air rifle fun matches with vintage target rifles in the winter, the bullseye is the size of the period at the end of this sentence.

Tom Knapp was known for his skills with a shotgun, but he was also an excellent rifle shot. He once made a comment that has stuck with me, "the center of an elephant is the same size as the center of an aspirin".

Aim small, shoot small!

I have never understood what that is supposed to mean? Nor the other version, "Aim small ,miss small?" I guess I'm just not to bright, but plain English works better for me.

 

[64Springer]

It means focus your shot as closely as possible to the center of what you're aiming at. Not even the center. The center of the center. It means really concentrate. It almost means becoming the bullet. It almost means willing that bullet to go where you want it to go.

The smaller you aim, the less of a chance that bullet will move from where you aimed.

Put some lazy person inside a barn and they'll hit the inside of the barn. Because that's what they were given as the target. It's why I really hate the 9" paper plate method of sighting in. Someone will nick the plate at 12 o'clock, then nick the plate at 6 o'clock, then go hunting. Gluing a frozen pea to the center of the plate is a better way to dial in a rifle.

Put a good shooter inside a barn and they'll put a bullet through a knot hole in one of the boards. Or try their best to do so.

 

[Jedidiah]

It means focus your shot as closely as possible to the center of what you're aiming at. Not even the center. The center of the center. It means really concentrate. It almost means becoming the bullet. It almost means willing that bullet to go where you want it to go.

The smaller you aim, the less of a chance that bullet will move from where you aimed.

Put some lazy person inside a barn and they'll hit the inside of the barn.

Put a good shooter inside a barn and they'll put a bullet through a knot hole in one of the boards.

Thank you "master". I assume when I can take the pebble from your hand , it will be time to go? : ) appreciate the explanation.

 

[64Springer]

Not a Master at all, Grasshopper.

I just want to kill what I'm shooting at as quickly and as humanly as possible.

The animal deserves that.

 

[Jedidiah]

Not a Master at all, Grasshopper.

I just want to kill what I'm shooting at as quickly and as humanly as possible.

The animal deserves that.

I agree 100%. I am not a "meat" hunter. Every deer i have taken i donated to the local Sr Center or Orphanage that is in the town (Bradford, PA.) where i hunted. They were more than happy to have the free meat! I want as clean a "kill" as possible. I take only shots I know 110% will result in that humane quick kill.

 

[64Springer]

I agree 100%. I am not a "meat" hunter. Every deer i have taken i donated to the local Sr Center or Orphanage that is in the town (Bradford, PA.) where i hunted. They were more than happy to have the free meat! I want as clean a "kill" as possible. I take only shots I know 110% will result in that humane quick kill.

Good on you for using your hunting skills to help feed others.

These are great programs. It's nice that states will reimburse butchers who take the time to process the meat.

It's all a part of giving back and helping when you can.

 

[Brokennock]

I have never understood what that is supposed to mean? Nor the other version, "Aim small ,miss small?" I guess I'm just not to bright, but plain English works better for me.

Unfortunately it can't be explained to someone who refuses to listen to anyone else. And gets offended when someone tries to explain something, then makes smart-@__ remarks.