On a recent antelope hunt I muffed the first shot and had to finish the job. After a while I figured out what I did wrong so I thought I would post the scenario to see if other people could catch my mistake.
The scenario: A few days before the hunt I went to the range to make sure my rifle was still sited in. I setup my targets at 100 yards and setup the gun and rest on the bench. I was using the same ammo that the gun was sited in with. I shot a couple of practice shots and got down to shooting groups. I shot 3 three shot groups. Each group was about 1� and right where it should be on the target (about 3� high). This gun is a usually very accurate and sub 1� groups are the norm. Confident that everything was ok I went home, thoroughly cleaned the gun inside and out, and put the gun and ammo in a good padded hard sided case.
The day of the hunt I drove to the hunting area and took the gun out of the case and loaded it with the same ammo I had been using. During the course of the day the gun was not dropped or hit in any way. Eventually I stocked as close as I could to a herd of antelope that had one decent buck. I estimated the range at 400 yards. I shoot this gun a lot and 400 yards is well with in the guns and my capability. I had a very good rest. I put my pack over the rest and set the gun on it. I checked the wind and it was dead calm. I figured I would have to hold the cross hairs just slightly over his back for the correct drop. The buck was facing right, broadside and standing still. The cross hairs were rock steady as I gently squeezed the trigger. The shot felt perfect. At the shot, my wife who was spotting for me said the buck went down in his tracks but the shot looked to far back. I closed the distance to about 100 yards and had to finish the buck off with a second shot. The first shot had landed in the paunch about 12 inches to far to the left. I was dumb founded has to why the shot was so far to the left. With no wind what would have caused 12 inches of left drift? I went back and measured the distance at 421 yards. Thinking maybe I somehow had bumped the scope off, the next day I went back to the range and shot some more groups. The groups were all less then 1� and right on target. Hummm???? After thinking about it for a few days the little light bulb went on as to what I did wrong. I know better but forgot one small detail. The question of the day is what deal did I forget (do wrong)??
The only thing I can think of was that you shot a couple practice shots before you started shooting your groups at the range, and then cleaned your rifle afterwards...your groups at the range were from a dirty, I'm assuming warm, barrel, and after you cleaned it and hunted with it, your first shot was with a CCB, clean cold bore, therefore not the same conditions as the range. Am I right?
------------------ God Bless and Shoot Straight
Posts: 264 | Location: Big Sky Country, MT | Registered: 12 October 2001
The only REAL way to tell what a rifle will do at any given range is to shoot it AT THAT RANGE! Ballistics tables are nice for telling you what your rifle SHOULD be doing. What it actually does at those ranges is often VERY different from what it SHOULD be doing. Another thing to consider is that while it may have been calm where you stood, there may have been a gust of wind down near the animal. I've had plenty of small gusts blow me out of the 10 ring at 300 yards during the course of HP competition. Of course you just might have muffed the shot too...
Some interesting responses. I will wait for a little while longer before I post the answer. I will post some more info: the gun is a Remington 270 win. I was pretty much right on with the hold over because the bullet impacted just about right up and down just to far to the left. Before I shot I looked at all the sagebrush between me and the animal with binoculars and could not see any trace of wind. I shoot this gun a lot from ranges of 50 yards to 500 and know where the gun shoots at all ranges. I was shooting from a pile of old logs from an old fallen in trappers cabin. The log were arranged in such a way that I could sit on one and another was just at the perfect height for a rest for the gun. It was just like a bench rest. I had used the cabin as cover for the stock and there was no more cover between me and the antelope
Cleaning the rifle and not having a fouling shot or two is my opinion. Could also have been not shooting from from a hunting position.I know that I always get one shot that pulls after cleaning the rifle.
Posts: 1111 | Location: Edmond,OK | Registered: 14 March 2001
I'm wiht the guys who said it was because of the cleaned barrel. I've got a rifle that will put the first and second bullet from a clean (not even oiled) barrel about 6" away from zero.
Posts: 3082 | Location: Pemberton BC Canada | Registered: 08 March 2001
The temperature and the rest materials were different. You used a soft rest for the sighting in and a harder rest for the actual shot. Also placement of the forearm may have changed to the front or the rear. Todd
Good answers!!! The correct one is the first shot from a clean barrel. Several of my guns do this but this one is particularly bad about it. This gun will throw the first shot from a clean barrel about 3� to the left. After that first shot it shoots fine. I know this gun does this and why I cleaned the gun before I went hunting I don�t know. I normally don�t clean any of my guns after I check the sights before a hunt for just this reason. The only reason I can come up with for cleaning the gun just before the hunt was I must have been having a blond moment!!! It just goes to show that Murphy was an optimist when it comes to hunting. I think that the old phrase �Anything that can go wrong will go wrong� should be changed to read �Anything that can go wrong is guaranteed to go wrong�
[This message has been edited by mtelkhunter (edited 10-17-2001).]
That's a pretty good case for why we shouldn't be shooting game at 400 plus yards, there are a lot more varibles than that at that range, updrafts, wind different at target than at shooter position, and a million others....If one shoots enough rock chucks at extended ranges he gets an idea of the many varibles that can contaminate a good shot....
We're all guilty of long shots and I have made many of them, but sooner or later a good shot will wound an animal....A poor shot will probably miss everytime at that range, but the good shot will not, he'll wound or kill the animal everytime..Not a good scenario, when you think about it......
Good judgment comes with age I think, your balls drop at 12 and brains come in a 45, if your lucky.....
I would have to agree with Ray on this one. I have made some shots that were considerably longer that the one described, however, as I get older I tend to take less chances and have reduced the ranges that I will take a shot. I normally would not have taken the 400+ yard shot at the antelope because of the number of variables (wind, updrafts etc) even though I do practice under all conditions at long range. Because the conditions were so perfect on this animal I weakened in my resolve and took the long shot. Without the slipup in shooting from a clean barrel I would bet that under those conditions I could have put every round through the kill area at that distance, however, like Ray and I have said �Things can and do go wrong� even with very experienced riflemen. The fact that 99 times out of 100 I would have killed the antelope cleanly doesn�t make it any easier when you wound the 1.
I have a .30-06 that has several minor faults, but it will put the first shot from a cold barrel, clean or fouled, into the group every time. It's not for sale.
Bye Jack
Posts: 176 | Location: Saskatchewan | Registered: 14 January 2001
I had another one that could have spelled disaster this fall. The rifle I had sighted in for my wife's antelope hunt shoots about 5 inches HIGHER at 300 yard when my wife shoots it compared to when I shoot it. Have a theory, but don't KNOW why. Just glad I took her out to practice long shots the week before the season started. FWIW, Dutch.
Posts: 4564 | Location: Idaho Falls, ID, USA | Registered: 21 September 2000
Dutch, Just a guess but my theory is that she rolls with the recoil more than you, or just provides less resistance due to less body mass, allowing a little more muzzle climb while the bullet is in the barrell. It doesn't take much to equal 5" at 300 yards.
Posts: 7123 | Location: The Rock (southern V.I.) | Registered: 27 February 2001
Mtelkhunter #1 thing that can happen when shooting at live targets at 400 yds, is when the animal takes a step at the same time you set her off, Instant gut shot! But I think in this case it was the clean cool barrel! I have every confidence you can hit what you shoot at at 400 yds, but, IMO, 90% of the hunters in the field cannot hit a 55 gallon drum at 400 yds, much less a 12" circle, that moves!
Dutch #2 One person cannot zero a scope for another, everyone mounts a rifle differently, and the rifle may shoot close enough to kill a deer, at 100 yds, and be way off at 200 yds for the second person. One person zeroing a rifle for someone else is no better than bore sighting, it'll get them on the paper, but not in the same place!
------------------ ..Mac >>>===(x)===> DUGABOY DESIGNS Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art
Posts: 14634 | Location: TEXAS | Registered: 08 June 2000
I had never done that before until about 3 weeks ago. My first 3 shots were vertically strung. The only thing hurt was my ego. All the shots landed within 4" of one another but from a 300 Win Mag rifle that is shooting 1/2" it gave me some concern. As i sat there looking at the group, I remembered.
Next group dropped in at a nice little 7/16" group!
Age is catching up....
mike
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America, Love it or LEAVE IT!
Posts: 1574 | Location: Western Pennsylvania | Registered: 12 September 2002
It just goes to show that Murphy was an optimist when it comes to hunting. I think that the old phrase �Anything that can go wrong will go wrong� should be changed to read �Anything that can go wrong is guaranteed to go wrong� 
