How far away would you shoot a roe deer with open sights in good conditions?

Gabe, the last thing I shot with open sights was probably a rat with an airgun when I was about twelve, my eyes were much better then....

Seriously though, I did zero and use the irons on my Sauer 270 a few years ago. I really surprised myself that I was able to shoot about a 4-5" group at 100 yards with them. The dispersal was mostly vertical which would suggest I was not indexing the fore sight consistently.

Any way, I think a Roe would be do-able out to 50 or 60 yards, one of the bigger deer may be nearer 100?

The light would need to be good though.

How do aperture sights work on a hunting rifle?

Especially when using a Diopter aperture sight (I do not know if they are still properly called "open sights" because the hole is in fact closed), with good light you can get amazing precision.

The light has to be good, though, especially when your eyes are no longer young and sharp.

+1 on that, I have a tang sight for my lever winchester. With a small aperture fitted, it shot great on the range on a nice summer day. In fall, in the woods, I could hardly see through it at all.
My M14 with the battle sight shoots amazing to 400 yds, but it's hard to see a target at a adistance, let alone place a shot well. Light and shot presentation are everything with irons.

Shooting military rifles with iron sights is not he same as shooting game with iron sights. The rifles are the same, the cartridges can be the same, and the group sizes can be the same. The difference is what is considered a reasonable group size.

These are the diameters of the black (inner) part of the target for NRA Highpower rifle competition:

200yds - 13" (shot standing or sitting)
300yds - 19" (shot prone)
600yds - 36" (shot prone)

At a rifle match you can get a pretty good score if you keep all of your shots in the black. But I don't think anyone will disagree that 19" at 300yards is unacceptable for shooting at game.

These are the diameters of the 10-ring. If you can keep all your shots in these then you are a national champion! :

200yds - 7"
300yds - 7" (prone)
600yds - 12" (prone)


Under field conditions, using sporting rifles with iron sights, most hunters cannot shoot with reasonable hunting accuracy much beyond 100 yards. Very few can do so to 150 yards. Shooting from a rest on a shooting bench doesn't count. False claims abound.

quote:

Originally posted by Claret_Dabbler:
Gabe, the last thing I shot with open sights was probably a rat with an airgun when I was about twelve, my eyes were much better then....

Seriously though, I did zero and use the irons on my Sauer 270 a few years ago. I really surprised myself that I was able to shoot about a 4-5" group at 100 yards with them. The dispersal was mostly vertical which would suggest I was not indexing the fore sight consistently.

Any way, I think a Roe would be do-able out to 50 or 60 yards, one of the bigger deer may be nearer 100?

The light would need to be good though.

How do aperture sights work on a hunting rifle?

Big aperture and close to the eye.

With a bit of practice these sights are incredible.

I shoot aperture sights to 1000 yards at bisley regularly, the trick is the target be clearly visible with all that entails.

I posted a thread on this earlier and was admonished for it!

Yes the type of sight makes a huge differance,
In the early 1900 in America the adjustable Lyman peep sights were so to speak the scope of their day.
When I was in collage I traveled accross the U.S. shooting ISU smallbore with apature sights. With those young eyes I got pinpoint accuracy.
As for hunting conditions I have also used the lyman sights a lot.
I have taken a Zebra at 175 yards and a black bear at 225 yards with peep sights as well as many other big game at ranges from 25 to 125 yards.

The main thing with any open sight is that they just don't perform well in low light like optics do. Even that is starting to change though with the tridium night sights that are being adopted to almost everything now days.

quote:

Originally posted by Ghubert:
With a bit of practice these sights are incredible.

I shoot aperture sights to 1000 yards at bisley regularly, the trick is the target be clearly visible with all that entails.

I posted a thread on this earlier and was admonished for it!

The question was how far with open sights for roe deer. Shooting matches is not the same as hunting.

For shooting 800, 900, and 100 yard Highpower rifle matches we use a 44" black circle. The 7-ring is in the white and is 60" in diameter. The 6-ring is not a ring but anything at all hitting the 72" x 72" square target.

For roe deer, an animal of 50-60 lbs, 100 yards is a reasonable expectation for any placed shot.

quote:

Originally posted by Akshooter:
I have taken a Zebra at 175 yards and a black bear at 225 yards with peep sights as well as many other big game at ranges from 25 to 125 yards.

Reasonable distances based on the size of the game and done by an ISU shooter.

Agreed, I need a bigger target as the range increases just to be able to see it and keep my front sight on it. I would'nt chance a shot at more than 150 yds on a deer. Even then it would have to be a broadside lung shot it good light with some kind of support. I have the lyman aperture on a flintlock .50 and it's an awesome sight.

I shoot open sights quite often on bigger game.

In good light and conditions, I'd take a shot at 100 yards at a Roe Deer, maybe 125 yards if everything was perfect.

I am talking leaf sights in the above, with a peep, they would be easier.

.

The question is easily answered at what distance can you put 10 out of 10 shots into the killing area of the DSC1 Deer target with open sights.

Once you have established that then take that range and reduce it by 20% to allow for rushed shots, poor firing position etc etc that comes with stalking.

From what I see at the range a good number of stalkers cannot manage to shoot the DSC1 shooting test first attempt 99 times out of a 100 and that is with a scope

In the words of Dirty Harry a man has gotta know his limitations.

And with open sights mine is about 20m on a roe.

Amir,


Just for you I will re-quote what I said on your thread.

quote:

Originally posted by DJM:
I good friend of mine has a great saying for when keyboard and bar marksmen claim that shooting a deer target is not the same as shoot a deer, they never miss a real deer, they cannot shoot targets etc etc etc, after helping out on 6-8 DSC1 courses a year for the 8 or so years I think I may have heard of the excuses by now.

However as my friend says the paper never lies!

Here are the pictures you requested standard Fallow sized "Iron Doe" at a range of 7m.

1-4 x 24 set to x1



1-4 x 24 set to x4



Open sights



5.5-25 set to x5.5



Now an "Iron Roe Buck" at 150m

Open sights



You could not see the target when aimed correctly, Note the front blade covers the entire animal


1-4 x 24 set at x1



1-4x24 set at x4



5.5-25 set at x14



One thing I have learned is that it is damn hard the line up the target the scope the camera all at the same time with only one pair of hands.

The scope is coming off the Sauer and I'm gonna see what it can do.

Chuck,

Good photo's there. I have to say that it is a good point well made. I know my eyes are probably not upto it, but occasionally I have a stalker that can see better through his eyes than I can see through my bino's so I definately think it is a big case of individual ability.

Indeed more often than not I also have the same experience as you with guys using a scope.

K

I have Recknagel express sights on my 9.3x62



and modified factory express sights on a .416 Rigby.

I also have a removeable (reversed) rear ghost ring on my 7x57.




With the ghost ring I can place my rounds into a circular 8" target at 200 metres from supported field positions. The 9.3x62 I can do the same at 100 yards and the .416 Rigby 75 yards. We have native animals here in Oz that are approx the same size as Roe deer and it I was to hunt them with these sights I would not take a shot over 50 metres.

I would shoot a roe at 100 meters with open sights. But I shoot a lot with different iron sights and I would only do it from a rest and in good conditions. The groups arent much bigger with irons than a scope, but its a lot harder to see where at the deer you aim.

@DJM: Nice pictures and impressive "test"

but You should try the test with one of those LED powered open sights - will look much better for the open sights then:

http://titanium-gunworks.com/l...ht-daynightfire.html

I'm not convinced about those led sights, the led seems to be to low in the post. If the POI is at the light even more of the target is hidden.

if you fit the rear sight with a deeper (3-3,5mm) groove they work brilliant. Of course You won´t shoot 100m with them, but for 30-50m it works brilliant - and you are able to shoot even at night with open sights (OK, that is extreme, but it works) - as long as You will see your target...

quote:

In the words of Dirty Harry a man has gotta know his limitations.

Dave,

You & I are on a Mind Meld here .....

quote:

With the ghost ring I can place my rounds into a circular 8" target at 200 metres from supported field positions ..... We have native animals here in Oz that are approx the same size as Roe deer and it I was to hunt them with these sights I would not take a shot over 50 metres.

+1

quote:

Originally posted by Boghossian:
How far away would you shoot a roe deer with open sights in good conditions?

For a clean shot, me personally, about 50 meters tops. Eyes ain't what they used to be and just as critical Roe ain't very big.

Now if all I had to do was hit it 'somewhere' well then make it a 100 meters Waidmannsheil, Dom.

I have never seen a roe deer, but they certainly seem small to me.

Given my experience shooting other animals of like size, and shooting with iron sights in general, I would not hunt roe deer with an iron sighted rifle unless I was willing to pass up any shot beyond 50-75 yards.

Mike they are highly territorial and very distinctive in their behaviour as well as in trophy character. You truly begin to learn and appreciate them once you tend to get close, realy close - to say to get on their ground. With an old buck it gets realy sporty where only mistakes count. Sniping at 200m is FAR from a Roe Buck hunting...
Anyway - just took a vid on Friday evening - here is how they appear at 30m:

Wonderful video. I just love the way they move and then just disappear. I must admit I really struggle at time to squeeze the trigger - just love watching them and occasionally taking one for the pot.

Great video - THANKS!

Love the video. Cute little things!

Do they taste good?

Do they taste good - yes, not at all gamey, just lovely and sweet.