First, i am new to the rifle world, and have been a shotgun shooter for along time, shooting the Sporting clay weekly for many years. (not since my kids were born though) and I know having a bad day at the range is known to happen. Well I was shooting my rifle at 100 yards off my tripod shooting sticks,, just like I've done twice a month for the past few months. (preparing for a bear hunt) and couldnt get any closer and all spread out in a 6" wide and 3 inch High area. normally my grouping are close,and this was just all over the place. I have checked all my rings and screws and everything is tight. I guess what I am asking is it normal to just have a bad day? Thanks for your help. W.
Posts: 782 | Location: Maryland | Registered: 03 April 2008
yup....it sure is......in baseball at least one team has had a bad century!
Occasionally I go to the range and never fire a shot.....it's just not right and one knows it!
Shoot for fun only
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill
Posts: 28849 | Location: western Nebraska | Registered: 27 May 2003
It's very seldom a gremlin or 2 doesn't pop up during a session at my range. Not long ago I marched a small group to within a 1/2" of where it should have been then missed the target and had 2 about 4"s apart at best.
I tend to use more than enough gun
Posts: 1415 | Location: lake iliamna alaska | Registered: 10 February 2005
Yes. If things aren't dandy, blow it off and try again next time. Could be sleep, getting sick, fighting with friend/family, dark of the moon, who knows? We ain't machines.
Every day is a bad day if you don't learn something and the converse is true. Your day wasn't all bad; you learned that there will be "days like that" so you won't be surprised when it happens again. Just grin and bear it. GOOD LUCK and GOOD SHOOTING!!!
IF YOU'RE GONNA GET OLD,YOU BETTER BE TOUGH!! GETTIN' OLD AIN'T FOR SISSIES!!
it's normal. a good cleaning of your barrel might help if you were shooting a lot of rounds. Anything that makes you uncomfortable will cause you to shoot worse. like others have said, too full or hungry, smoking, worries about life, tired eyes, tired body, being too cold. any time you can get fully in the moment and be fully comfortable is when you will shoot the best. I always bring my 22 with because if I am having a bad day, I will just quit and shoot the 22 until I get my next range session. No sense in wasting ammo when I'm just going to be frustrated doing it.
Posts: 973 | Location: Rapid City, SD | Registered: 08 July 2005
If you are a confirmed shotgun shooter as you say you are, be sure you are squeezing the trigger slowly and keeping a good sight picture and follow through. Many shot gunners tend to pull or slap the trigger and usually end up pulling the shots. Have a friend try your rifle if possible to be sure it is not the rifle. Good luck. Practice will help you improve.
Do it right the first time.
Posts: 239 | Location: North Smithfield, RI USA | Registered: 09 March 2002
like others have said, too full or hungry, smoking, worries about life, tired eyes, tired body, being too cold. any time you can get fully in the moment and be fully comfortable is when you will shoot the best.
Had one of those last week. Was really feeling sleepy and irritable, but I'd just had my mounts redone, so I wanted to re zero my .375. Shot 15 rounds and quit in disgust. I'll go back this week when I'm feeling better. Everyone has many bad range days, if you shoot very much.
Posts: 11729 | Location: Florida | Registered: 25 October 2006
Not a whole lot different than when you had a bad day shooting clays...shit happens! But, it'll all come back together for you, probably the next time. I know I've had them when shooting a rifle and a shotgun- definately not the most, fun, but like what was already said, learn something so the day isn't lost.
I heal fast and don't scar.
Posts: 433 | Location: Monessen, PA | Registered: 23 February 2005
I had bad days. Too preoccupied to focus on the target, or too uncomfortable from a bad night's sleep or long drive to relax my shoulders and neck at the bench. Hunger and thirst can have an impact as well when you're trying to focus. Sometimes circumstances just don't lend themselves to the most ideal shooting conditions.
________
"...And on the 8th day, God created beer so those crazy Canadians wouldn't take over the world..."
I agree with Jim. Don't consider it a "Bad Day" rather an "Improvement Day" that didn't meet your normal "Great" Range Day expectations.
We all have them; not "Bad Hair" Days - "Hair Improvment" Days (how much hair do you have?).
Shotgun Shooters, too.
I wouldn't get too upset and appears you checked over the potential Techincal causes. If you're satisfied you're O.K. with that; then I offer up it was probably something wrong with your Technique on that day. Just get a grip, go back and attempt to do the things you were doing when those clusters were small.
You know the Drill; Breathing, Trigger Control, Cheek Weld, Focus, Stance - it'll all come together.
And when that happens, sometimes i walk away for 1/2 hr., to clear my mind, and things get better... If not, i pack things up early, as staying will only make it worse, and your just wasteing ammo...
When you shoot rifles more, you learn what can and does make things go wrong, and once you learn to reconize them, you have less bad days, same as you already learned while shooting clays...
DM
Posts: 696 | Location: Upper Midwest, USA | Registered: 07 February 2007
Yea I've had a bad day at the range shooting sporting clays with shotgun. I've had a bad day shooting a pistol in a match and one of my rifles just did not want to shoot to point of aim with nosler partitions but the accubonds shoot just fine.
Posts: 2209 | Location: Delaware | Registered: 20 December 2002
Yup!! Everytime a guy with an auto rifle sets up on the left of me that cannot even spell brass catcher and the next thing I feel is his brass raining down on the back of my neck.
Free men should not be subjected to permits, paperwork and taxation in order to carry any firearm. NRA Benefactor
Posts: 1652 | Location: Deer Park, Texas | Registered: 08 June 2005
I agree with 30378. Auto rifles at the range should have a separate area to shoot. It is very hard to target a new handload with a 30 round magazine fanatic on the next table.
Other than that my bad days are whenever I have to bench anything larger than my .375.
Posts: 57 | Location: McCormick, SC, USA | Registered: 28 January 2008
No - Everyday at the range is always an enjoyable experience no matter what the outcome of the downrange projectiles. A day outdoors on the shooting range is only topped by one (maybe two)things and that would be a day outdoors hunting.
Larry Sellers SCI Life Member
Posts: 3460 | Location: Jemez Mountains, New Mexico | Registered: 09 February 2006
..Ya , Yesterday .. Killed my 5th chronograph , found I had very unreliable defensive revolver loads [ several duds.] Split the stock on my 9.3x64 . and almost blew the rifle up by going 1/2 grain too much on a reload I was trying to work up .. blew 2 primers ...., actually had gone up 1.5 gr and blew a primer . Backed off 1 grain and blew another .......... Then to top it all off When I took the scope off the rifle to get it ready to go to the gunsmith I discovered the front base was loose ....... There is an awefull lot to be said for Ruger and CZ rifles !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...I hate scope bases .......... OH ya ,, And I also discovered that a load I was working up in my fur rifle was 1000 FPS slow .... A 223 Rem isn,t , when it,s only going 2200 fps ... The problem is I can,t figure out why it is so slow ....... ......But it was still fun ....
.If it can,t be grown , its gotta be mined ....
Posts: 3445 | Location: Copper River Valley , Prudhoe Bay , and other interesting locales | Registered: 19 November 2006
Originally posted by SR4759: Yeah I drove 45 minutes to the range and started to unload to find no cleaning rods or ammo.
Been "there" myself!
So far, at least, I haven't driven to a hunting destination and forgotten my rifle! A good friend made that discovery a while back. We still tease him!
) and I know having a bad day at the range is known to happen.
......But it was still fun .... 
