I know that it is important to check your sights after having your guns transported half way around the world. I also realize that it gives the PH an opportunity to observe you in action and determine your level of skill and familiarity with your chosen arms. I think that most readers here are "gun guys" and probably spend more time with their weapons than others may. I am just wondering what sort of targets, distances etc. were used and what level of accuracy the PH was expecting. What distances did they have you shoot at with a heavy caliber open sight rifle VS scope sighted rifles. Thanks, JCS

Two extremes depending on the game and PH...for big stuff, 25 yds and hit the 4-6 dia "target"...sometimes a paint smear on a stump.

PG, 100 yds and hit the 4-6 dia target, could also be a paint smear.

This ain't Camp Perry.

We sighted in @ 200 yds. We were both sighted in in two shots and took one more assurance shot each.

Our ph said that he gets many clients that can't hit that paper at 200 yards.

50 yards off the bench first for ensuring everything was good from the travel, then off sticks for my heavy. Same thing at 100 yards for lighter plains game rifle.

Since we were hunting (plains game only) in very open country in southern Namibia where long shot opportunities are common, our guide had us check our sights at 200 meters from an informal rest (just a pad) over the hood of a truck. If you are good at this distance from that kind of rest, then both your zero is good and your shooting acceptable.

Fifty yards off the sticks for cape buffalo at 6" target.

We normally put a paper target up against the anthill at 100 yards and if you can hit the anthill you are good to go.

I've been asked to shoot at nearly any kind of target you can name at nearly any range. Usually off of sticks.

I'm happy if I can confirm that I'm still on target at 50-75 yards or so.

All 3 of the PHs I have hunted with have basically had me shoot off the hood of the truck. Both of my plains game rifles are zeroed at 200 yds. I take my own targets that I know where I should hit at 100 yds and shoot at that distance to verify zero.

Sticks at about 50 yds.

I brought my own targets, a few push pins and electrical tape to hang them, even a couple sets of earplugs. The plains game PH had me shoot at 100 yards off a "field benchrest", an old card table with a truck rim for a seat. The buffalo PH had me shoot off the truck hood at about 75 yards. Neither one had anything to use as a target, other than scraps of cardboard.

John

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
We normally put a paper target up against the anthill at 100 yards and if you can hit the anthill you are good to go.

Excellent.

I've heard of minute-of-buff but the minute-of-anthill is a better test.

what size is a standard zambian ant hill

peter

quote:

Originally posted by peterdk:
what size is a standard zambian ant hill

peter

About 8 foot tall by 12 foot wide. I've shot many of them with Andrew. Hell, its the only thing he ever shows me when you hunt together!

When I hunted in Namibia I was sat down and told to shoot at a target 200 yards away. I thought "goody" as I knew my 300WM was sighted in for 200 yards and it was my chance to impress the PH. Well, what a let down! The rifle/scope had gone off zero in transit from Atlanta to Windhoek and it took a fair number of shots to get it zeroed in again. Good thing I did not try to kill something! It was however a regular paper target. More civilized I guess, but I did feel under some pressure!
Peter

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
We normally put a paper target up against the anthill at 100 yards and if you can hit the anthill you are good to go.

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:

quote:

Originally posted by peterdk:
what size is a standard zambian ant hill

peter

About 8 foot tall by 12 foot wide. I've shot many of them with Andrew. Hell, its the only thing he ever shows me when you hunt together!

But was it a 6 year old anthill?

quote:

Originally posted by Aaron Neilson:

quote:

Originally posted by peterdk:
what size is a standard zambian ant hill

peter

About 8 foot tall by 12 foot wide. I've shot many of them with Andrew. Hell, its the only thing he ever shows me when you hunt together!

even i should be able to do that two out of three times, i was just starting to worry that i actually had to hit something very small like a cardboard box for grocerys or the like.

best

peter

The guy who's farm I shot onlast year dabbed a bit of grease from the engine block of his bakkie on to the front of a carboard box, put a rock in it to weight it down and set it in front of a swiss-cheesed oil drum.

We were invited to check our riccochet danger areas at 72 metres, confirmed by the PH's laser.

As an introduction to African laissez-faire, it was wonderfully refreshing.

Old Tikka, Tikka steel mounts, steel-tubed fixed power Meopta held zero no problems, even after I dropped it out of a bakkie six feet on to the running boards later on that fortnight.......

Do yourself a HUGE favor. Take shot targets with you from 25 yards to 100 yards, use them to check zero after the trip into camp. My PH made me change the scopes based on unfamiliar rest and I shot poorly as a result. Take an owl ear bag filled with plastic beads as a front rest. Caldwell makes 'em. If you have to move the scope, record how many clicks (in case you want to move it all back in your room).

It hav varied quite a bit.

Shooting rest - Concrete shooting bench, hood of the truck, sticks, padded rest on the roll bar, standing without support.

Distance - 25 yards out to 150 yards.

Targets - Coke can, cardboard box, printed target, a tree.

Namibia was the most formal with the shooting bench, printed target, and 100 meter range.

I have started taking a bore sighter to check the scopes before I leave the U.S. and then re check on arrival to see of anything has grossly gone wrong, and then take a few shots to confirm zero.

I've had all different experiences with this, the bes was probably Walter w/Kwan, said since we were braining crocs, I had to hit a tennis ball at 200 meters freehand, If I missed he would confiscate the rifle and give me this...

My PH had me shoot from the back of the Bakkie leaning on the roof with my soft case as a rest. He put a grocery box with a 2" black square drawn on it at 80 yards out for a target.

If I am going some were like Russia I will take my own targets. Sight in distance will be around 300 meters.

In africa I have shot from a bench with life sized targets. 100 meters.
Back of the ute on a piece of ply wood at 50 meters.
A mound of dirt at the empty beer box.

20m or something (not lasered) offhand:

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:
The guy who's farm I shot onlast year dabbed a bit of grease from the engine block of his bakkie on to the front of a carboard box, put a rock in it to weight it down and set it in front of a swiss-cheesed oil drum.

We were invited to check our riccochet danger areas at 72 metres, confirmed by the PH's laser.

As an introduction to African laissez-faire, it was wonderfully refreshing.

Old Tikka, Tikka steel mounts, steel-tubed fixed power Meopta held zero no problems, even after I dropped it out of a bakkie six feet on to the running boards later on that fortnight.......

hahahaha I was there when you guys rechecked zero and our guys were shooting their loaners to check zero for the first time. I recall none of us had much problems at targets or paper scraps. D muttered to me that I had obviously done this before...

107m zero... 11hrs red eye flight, 4 hrs in a bakkie,30-06 loaner, 180gr PMP (brown box) and a lynx 3x9x40 2 rounds happily touching each other and the bull I aimed at. priceless! goodness knows how i would have faired if the darn thing was off!

quote:

Originally posted by trapmonkey:

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:
The guy who's farm I shot onlast year dabbed a bit of grease from the engine block of his bakkie on to the front of a carboard box, put a rock in it to weight it down and set it in front of a swiss-cheesed oil drum.

We were invited to check our riccochet danger areas at 72 metres, confirmed by the PH's laser.

As an introduction to African laissez-faire, it was wonderfully refreshing.

Old Tikka, Tikka steel mounts, steel-tubed fixed power Meopta held zero no problems, even after I dropped it out of a bakkie six feet on to the running boards later on that fortnight.......

hahahaha I was there when you guys rechecked zero and our guys were shooting their loaners to check zero for the first time. I recall none of us had much problems at targets or paper scraps. D muttered to me that I had obviously done this before...

107m zero... 11hrs red eye flight, 4 hrs in a bakkie,30-06 loaner, 180gr PMP (brown box) and a lynx 3x9x40 2 rounds happily touching each other and the bull I aimed at. priceless! goodness knows how i would have faired if the darn thing was off!

That range was olympic standard indeed compared to the one the week before Mr. G, apart from the approach to it being from behind the stop butts of course.

Do you remember Wilie of the Wild Wounded Wildebeests fame? I spent an afternoon on the range with him on the first day of the competition trying to get him to squeeze a trigger rather than yank it! Sakkie pulled me aside at the skinning shed and sasked me to report back to him on his grouping after the "Two for one" affair....

according to what i heard he was saving ammo and it was cold so he wanted to get in hahahaha

regular plains game at 100m and DG 30m.
I normally have sticks, sandbags, targets and target frames in camp.
Sometimes we shoot off the pick-up, or off a bench if the ranch has one.
I am intrigued by the amount of scoped firearms that are out of kilter when they get here.

Walter like to sight in his rifle each time he misses!

Which means several times a day!

My last hunt we went to a spot to shoot with no appearent target, found an empty plastic bottle which was set up at something like 70 yards, I shot off the fence post, hit the bottle and that was good enough.

i think i used a cardboard box once and a piece of paper once, the rest of the time it was usually a blaze on a tree and about so far

It can get to be pretty funny.

Once my sight-in target was the bottom of a small cardboard box set on its side at the bottom of a huge anthill.

I was shooting at it off of sticks at about 75 yards. I could not see much if anything in the way of a bull's eye.

There seemed to be a light reddish rectangle somewhat to the right of and below the center of the box bottom.

I shot at it.

"How was that?" I asked.

"What were you shooting at?" answered my PH, who was peering at the box through his ten power bino.

"That reddish squarish thing down on the right."

"You mean the bar code?"

"I guess so, if that's what it is."

"If that's what you were shooting at, it was a good shot."

We had a decent set up at Dande North in Zimbabwae. A stand up Bench with target stand at about 80 yards and an excellent homemade target with highly visible reference points. Spotter had binoculars and a .458 hole is easy to see, esp if its a clover leaf!

I think it is as important for the PH to know what you can do as it is to confirm your zero. They are pros and will accommodate your minute of angle.

He said most Americans are good shots, esp those with a .300 magnum.

Andy

quote:

Originally posted by ledvm:

Boy is this one familiar. Stable to shoot from but the seat's not too comfortable.

A double will not shoot to the same place sitting from a bench, as it will standing or from sticks. Particularly a lighter gun.

Another point: scopes going "off". If a scope is "off" after riding in a foam-lined hard case, there is something seriously wrong with it. I wouldn't trust that scope again. The recoil from firing the rifle is 10x the shock of dropping the gun case. I once dropped a rifle off my shoulder (sling came undone), it landed on the objective bell. It shoot feet high afterward. I discovered the impact had actually BENT the tube. Nothing to do with the reticle.

I always tape my turrets after setting them ... I want to know if some TSA do-gooder twiddles the knobs. I think that happens more often than some realize.

Parting shot: use iron sights if you can. If you HAVE to use a scope, buy the best one money can buy. esp on a heavy caliber rifle.

PG - 100 yards from a bench, truck or whatever is available... If we have targets we use them - if not - a piece of black duct tape stuck onto a cardboard box does the trick.


Yeah, I know the barrel is touching the rest but the kid wanted a picture for his girlfriend back in Spain so he posed for the pics...


He wasn't here to hunt but my staff needed meat so I asked him to shoot a Warthog for them...



It worked out well in the end...

DG - 25 yards of the sticks

On my first trip over I shot a box out of the back of the truck.

After that I started taking a few targets with me along with a few stick pins.

Some wanted to see where I shot at 100 yds others at 20 yds are so.