Longest shot you'll take offhand without a rest?

[roundball]

What's the longest distance you'll shoot at a standing broadside deer...if shooting offhand / standing up without any external rest? (assumes an appropriate caliber)

 

[Slamfire]

I'm pretty confident out to 12 1/2 yards, but won't shoot much beyond twice that. :v

 

[Rebel]

Depends on the rifle. With a caplock around 50 yds max. With a flinter about half that because i still flinch with them. Need to get more practice time in with them.

 

[Stumpkiller]

With a percussion I'd say just over 100 yards. Maybe 80 with a flintlock. They may be equal in some folk's hands, but not mine. Sometimes I pass at 30 yard shots, so there is much more to the equation than just distance.

If the angels are smiling and the shot feels right I take it. I also practice offhand more often than with rests.

 

With conventional open sights I'm compelled to limit offhand ranges on game to 75 yards regardless of ignition.

Vic

 

[Rocky Johnson]

Like sharps said with open sights 75 yrds. or less. :winking: Rocky

 

[Roy]

I would have to agree with Sharps and Rocky. :thumbsup:

 

[Halftail]

If the situation was right,75 to 80 yards tops for offhand and thats with percussion.Flintlock I'm thinking 50 yards would be max at this time.Good thing there's plenty of trees in the woods to rest on!

 

[bigbore442001]

I'll state a good 75 yards .Beyond that I need a rest.

 

[roundball]

I've taken a couple of deer at 100yds with a .30-30 shooting offhand but have never taken a shot at any deer with a muzzleloader, shooting offhand.
Have always been seated in a tree stand or on the ground...and would take a 100yd shot that way without hesitation, it's nearly as rock solid as bench shooting, I've practice it at 100yds, know I can do it easily, etc.

But offhand standing I'm not that good...I'm still learning / developing offhand standing shooting skills...intend it to be my primary weekend practice this year. Last weekend I put 50 shots in a 3" circle but it was only a mere 25yds away.....yesterday, I put 50 shots in a 5" circle at 40yds...but that would be 10" at 80yds which is no good.

At typical 40-50yd woods distances, I'd shoot a deer offhand with confidence that I'd take him but I'm not good enough yet to try anything beyond that...so the next step is to shoot at 50yds until I hit 100%, then move it out 60yds until I can hit it 100%, etc...may take all year to get 100% at 60yds, but it'll be a good reason to practice. :grin:

 

[Walks Alone]

Standing broadside deer shooting offhand?

Hmmmm. Well, with my 36 capper I'd probably say 150 yards, maybe 175 on a good day. :blah:

Actually, I don't hunt deer anymore so can't give a "real" answer. But I certainly agree with you that only lots of pratice and knowing exactly what you can do with a particular ML is the starting place.

But then, I've seen some hunter's that may need to take their "non-flushed" target shooting ability and divided by 2 before going hunting. :winking:

 

Without a rest would be about 50 yards. With a rest it would be 100 yards.

Garryowen

 

[Keppy]

I say 30 to 40 yds but after that there has to be some kind of rest. I took a 70 yd shot this year resting off the side of a tree. I would have got the deer that was broadside, if it weren't for the tree that jumped out in front of the deer. :rotf:

 

[marwat06]

.50 T/C Hawkins ... 50 yards. Hopefully next season I'll see a Buck.

 

[cayugad]

It would depend on circumstances but I would limit my shots to 75 yards. We were shooting off hand one afternoon at clay pigeons at 100 yards hung on an old fence and after the disgraceful display of shooting I saw, I would never attempt a shot on a deer.

 

[marmot]

With my .58 musket, which I shoot a lot, 1500+ rds /year in practice and competition, 75 yards max. On a good day. With good light. And the wind blowing in the right direction. And... you get the idea. Any other day or gun, 50 yards, 'cuz A) Where I hunt I seldom get longer shots, B) Trailing a wounded deer is something I HATE doing, and C) Murhpy's Law usually goes into effect the second I get out of the truck to go hunting!

I enjoy shooting at 100 and 200 yards, but only on targets that don't leave a spotty blood trail if you make a bad shot...

M

 

[Greenmtnboy]

Without a rest would be about 50 yards. With a rest it would be 100 yards.

Garryowen

:bow: exactly any thing elce is is inmoral :nono:
I killed my elk this year at 100yrds resting on a thick aspen branch. Even than the wind drifted my ball three inches foward. (wicked windy :cursing: ) The ball went through the front blade through both lungs and lodged in the hide on the oppsite side.

 

[mikee51848]

I'd shoot 100 yds, but in reality, it'd be hard to find that far an opening in the woods I hunt. Too many branches and twigs in the way. The fartherest shot I've ever took was probably 75 yds with my 30.06. Now, a powerline would be a different story.

 

[Runner]

I killed my first flinter deer at about 60 yards. That is a little farther than I liked, but it was what I had. That is the longest standing off hand muzzleloader shot I have taken on deer I think. I killed one at 120 this year, but that was sitting down off my knee. With the caplock guns and roundball, about 75 yards is the max range I would want. I was calling my shots on a coyote plate target this weekend at farther than that, but that is shooting at steel plate.

 

[freetrapper20]

Offhand, no rest...I limit myself to 50 yds.