Before there is too much flak flying around from another post I made, I reckon this is a good experience for many.

We get so used to our rifles during the day but it is very different at night.

In a big FLAT paddock, set up some targets at paced ranges. Say, 100, 200 out to 500 yards.

Use normal paper tagets to see how well you shoot. Fire your favourite varmint rifle with 5 shot groups (or more- three shot groups won't show up the same, I tried it.)

Then, put up new targets at the same range but not the same targets in the same place but at the same distance. Maybe somewhere else in the same paddock. (Hard I know but paddocks around here are often over a 1000 acres)

Go back at night with your normal spotlight and try again. Get someone to hold the light and shoot over the same rest you normally use.

Try it-----

Get a mate to put a beer can out at a hundred yards and not tell you where in the paddock it is. Compared to where your 4 x 4 is.

You will be as shocked as I was.



R

Personally, I try to keep the range I shoot at, or that I will have a crack at something, to about 200 yards at night.. I`ve just used up all my luck, risking a miss, and then lifting the light and seeing a few hundred pairs of eyes several hundred yards behind what I was shooting at. To the very best of my knowledge, I`ve never had a friendly fire casualty among the local population ( sheep, or worse, cattle ) I plan on keeping it that way.
However, it`s up to the individual, I`d consider my self only a fair shot, with only half decent equipment, folk with flatter shooting rifles than mine and more ability can make the call on any shot that want to.

Inever tried it but we hunt foxes and hares almost daily at nigth with 22lrs and 223s and 243s ,the only diference i notice is that game appears to be at longer distance that in the day .Juan