Those of you who shoot/hunt DG with DR's, what sort of practice/range training do you use?

One of the most critical things in my estimation are comfort and familiarity with your rifle.

Here is how I have achieved that with my doubles. The first rule is to shoot a lot. Once you know that your rifle is sighted in for your chosen load you can get off the sticks and do some meaningful shooting.

It is tough to get what you need at a gun range but if it's all that you have then so be it. At the range practice with reduced loads at first so that you won't get wicked flinch built in.

I set four targets up one at 75 on at 50 one at 25 and one at 10 yards. I will shoot the 25 yard target first off to warm up then I move into my drill. Fire two shots at the 75 yard target and do an emergency reload then fire one barrel each in to the 50 and the 25 emergency reload and stick two into the 10 yard target start off slow than speed up as your accuracy and reload technique get better. Don't worry about tiny little group just get to where you can put them all somewhere around the middle of the paper.

You can modify this as necessary with movement left to right and back and forth and target sequence as is allowed at your range.

After you become handy with the reduced power loads try the same thing after thoroughly cleaning the lead out of your gun from the reduced loads with full power loads and reactive targets like water jugs or some type of reactive steel. There is nothing more entertaining than bust water jugs with a heavy or flipping steel.

Even better is taking a walk with your rifle and picking out rocks at various ranges and busting them from all sorts of different positions and ranges some with a double some with a single some with emergency reloads some without. Not only is this great for your shooting skills it is fun too! Of course you've got to have place to do this and they are not always easy to find. I have a nice pond on a ranch that I lease with a big dirt bank on the far side. I love to play at keeping a stick airborne with my .470 NE and full power loads. Once you get that thing moving you are having so much fun shooting the stick you hardly notice the recoil of your rifle. Of course the occasional bull frog or turtle is fun to launch too if it's allowed in your area.

The best however is using your rifle on live game in simulated DG conditions and I know of no better scenario than hunting hogs in thick cover in the Southern U.S.. On my lease I shoot between 50 and 200 hogs a year most of them with a double. Shots range from just off the muzzle to way out there. I've killed hogs in simulated charge situations where they are running in your direction simply to get away but the shot is still on a coming at you critter. So it is valuable shooting time. I've shot them passing side by side I've shot them running away standing still you name it you get to do it on a good hog property. I've also had the opportunity to shot them at long range which once you figure out that your double is a very valuable tool at 150 or even 200 yards and that your bullets shoot way flatter than you'd think out there. That is a serious confidence builder too! I've gotten to the point where I can bust rocks at 300 yards all day long with my double it's just about knowing where to hold. Would I do that on game you bet your butt I would on a wounded buff or elephant that was getting away into the thick stuff. I've done it before with a heavy bolt gun. I've never had the opportunity on DG to take a long back up shot with a double but I'll be ready if the day ever comes. I've smoked a couple of tripod hog way out there with a double. If you don't shoot you'll never know what you are capable of.

I know that having a place to shoot multiple hogs isn't an option for many people but there is no better time spent with a double than on real life game. Even jack rabbits are a great tool for training if that's all you've got. In any case shoot a lot and mix it up don't stay on the sticks any longer than you need to. After awhile your rifle will become an extension of your body, once you get to the point where you don't need to think about proper form, when it just happens automatically. when you automatically go to the second trigger, when you don't even remeber having to aim, when the reload is as natural as a bolt stroke on your other rifles. When you are totally relaxed and comfortable with your rifle. That is when you've reached a state of "zen" with your rifle and that is when you are ready to start hunting with it.

I've killed a buffalo in full charge at close range with my double. You can read about it in the December issue of African Hunter in the article called a "A tale of two charges" by Lance Nesbitt. The practice pays off.

Good luck and have fun.

Put the 20 ga barrels on and shoot it a lot.

Don't use reduced loads myself. Depending on the range rules, either set out 8 inch balloons and do a drill similar to surestrike's. Or, two against paper at 50 yds, quick reload and another two.

To avoid flinch, after four with the big bore, pick up the medium double and do four at 100 yds. Be sure to end with four from a medium. That seems to be what the muscles remember.

Key to all this is using the iron sights and smoothly reloading.

Regards

Good stuff here, thanks guys!