Sight in crowd at the range

tominboise

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Location
SW Idaho
I worked a shift today as a RSO at my local range. I like working during site in season as it is not just a steady stream of AR's and people with 9mm's blasting away. Anyway, today's cartridges of choice were pretty equally split between 30-06 and 270 Win, with two 300 Win Mags and two 7mm/08 (both Tikka's, BTW). Usually it is a lot of 6.5 Creedmore and 7mmPRC.

I continue to be surprised at the number of folks that just blast away from the bench and never fire a shot standing, sitting or prone.
 
When I'm sighting in a rifle, I'm not practicing. I'm trying to get that rifle and ammo dialed in so that if I miss, it's my fault, not the rifle, scope or ammo. Also, here in East Tennessee, one is lucky to get a shot over 100 yards. Not much practice is needed for short range shots. I'm sure it's probably very different in Idaho.
 
I continue to be surprised at the number of folks that just blast away from the bench and never fire a shot standing, sitting or prone.
Why??? You said it's "site in season," not "practice season."
I've been practicing with my trusty .308 Norma Mag off and on all summer. That "practice" included firing shots standing, sitting AND prone, and it included a few shots at distant (150-300 yards) rock chucks and ground squirrels.
But as you obviously know, deer season opens here in Idaho in less than a month. So next week I'll be taking my .308 Norma down to the gravel pit and running some "deer ammo" through it just to make sure it's hitting where I want it to hit (at 300 paced-off yards), and while I won't be shooting off a bench, I'll be using a tripod and/or a rolled-up blanket on the hood of my truck.
I've been doing my "sighting in" for deer and elk seasons here in Idaho for about 65 years now. My wife does the same thing. She "practices" off and on all summer with her 7mm Rem Mag with light loads. Come September, she runs a half-dozen or so rounds of the real stuff through her rifle just to make sure it's "on" while shooting with a good rest - because "practice season" is over.
BTW, we hardly ever shoot from a real "bench." And neither of us use our big game rifles to just "blast away" at anything. ;)
 
I am going to go to the outdoor range tomorrow, the indoor range I frequent still has their water shut off due to repairs. It may be busier that normal with hunting season close and the weather no longer hitting 115 ariund here.

I think I’ll bring along lever actions, those guns have been feeling neglected for a bit.

Stay safe.
 
Why??? You said it's "site in season," not "practice season."
I've been practicing with my trusty .308 Norma Mag off and on all summer. That "practice" included firing shots standing, sitting AND prone, and it included a few shots at distant (150-300 yards) rock chucks and ground squirrels.
But as you obviously know, deer season opens here in Idaho in less than a month. So next week I'll be taking my .308 Norma down to the gravel pit and running some "deer ammo" through it just to make sure it's hitting where I want it to hit (at 300 paced-off yards), and while I won't be shooting off a bench, I'll be using a tripod and/or a rolled-up blanket on the hood of my truck.
I've been doing my "sighting in" for deer and elk seasons here in Idaho for about 65 years now. My wife does the same thing. She "practices" off and on all summer with her 7mm Rem Mag with light loads. Come September, she runs a half-dozen or so rounds of the real stuff through her rifle just to make sure it's "on" while shooting with a good rest - because "practice season" is over.
BTW, we hardly ever shoot from a real "bench." And neither of us use our big game rifles to just "blast away" at anything. ;)
I get what you are saying but as you and I both know, a lot of these guys have the rifle in the closet 11 months of the year and blow the dust off when hunting season rolls around. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not how I roll.

One can pick out the experienced hunter/rifleman checking his zero and set up before the season. They don't shoot too many rounds to verify everything and then they leave. Probably because they've been shooting ground squirrels and coyotes all year.
 
I get what you are saying but as you and I both know, a lot of these guys have the rifle in the closet 11 months of the year and blow the dust off when hunting season rolls around. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it's just not how I roll.
Yep, I get that. There are guys (I've met a few of them over the years) that don't do anything with their big game hunting rifles all year except look down the barrels to make sure the "hole goes all the way through" a few days before hunting season opens. I "don't roll that way" either.
As I said though, my wife and I very seldom shoot our big game rifles off a real bench. There just aren't many real shooting ranges around here, and the one that I know about is usually clogged on weekends with big game "hunters" "sighting in" their newly acquired big game rifles. It's nice that my wife and I are long-time retired - we can drive down to the range in the middle of the week and "blast away" with our latest handguns (as long as we don't have any doctor/dentist/physical therapist appointments) just about anytime we want. 😁
 
All I need to do at the rifle range is get my groups right along with trigger management. I do that year round. I personally don't take standing shots in the field. I have taken kneeling shots walking to and from my blind but that's like shooting with a rest. Our range is only set up for bench shooting as it is enclosed with shooting stalls. I went yesterday with my 7-08. I was the only one there until about 10:30 and still empty. Guy working the sales office said they all show up the week before the season opens and the week after when they miss a shot on opening day...
 
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Unless its a new gun, or new optic, etc, why are you sighting it in...again? Never understood that.

Unless I might change an optic or switch to a dramatically different load, I sight the gun in once, and that's it.

Those who shoot all year round "in practice" generally don't need to "sight in"... again.
 
I shoot year-round. I'm at the club where I shoot at least once/month, usually 2-3 times/month and sometimes 2-3 times a week if I have a specific reason. The only way to shoot prone or sitting is to step in front of the benches, which is strictly against the rules if anyone else is shooting from the benches. They do have a concrete pad in front of the benches with clearly marked lanes for the matches they host that require shooters to fire prone, standing, and sitting. But when they do that everyone is in front of the benches and no one is in front of other shooters.

I use the benches to get my centerfire hunting rifles zeroed. After that they don't get shot a lot. I'll confirm POI at 200 and 300 yards and confirm zero shortly before hunting season but that's about it. I can practice field shooting by dry firing at home. And even when hunting I almost never shoot without some sort of improvised rest. I carry a small set of shock corded shooting sticks that work great sitting.

I shoot 22's on most range trips. I enjoy trying to shoot small groups at 200-250 yards with a 22. I need the bench for that. But I also shoot off hand. There are 2 sets of shooting stations at our range. One is a 300 yard range where shooters are shooting west. Twenty yards away and directly behind those stations is another set of stations shooting East for 30 yards into a steep hillside. It's intended for handguns but almost no one ever uses it. I use clay targets or golf balls on the hillside and get in lots of off-hand shooting with my 22's. The skills are the same so I don't shoot the more expensive to feed centerfire hunting rifles as often for that type of practice.
 
Those who shoot all year round "in practice" generally don't need to "sight in"... again.
^^^ very true, but I don't believe these are the folks the OP is referring to.

I always avoided the local "Sportsman's Club" range I used to shoot at during "sight in" season. For most of the year, other than the Tuesday night trap league, or the yearly "range day" for Hunter Safety, the range was generally empty, even on the weekends. For the three weeks before gun deer season it would be like a public boat landing on opening weekend of the fishing season. Folks tripping over folks, getting into arguments about who was "next up", folks shooting while others were downrange(small club, with no designated RO, when someone would say something about safety, it generally started another argument). Even tho the yearly dues at that time were only $10 a year, most of those "sighting in", weren't members and got pissy when they were asked to show their card. They'd come, leave a mess, destroy the backstops and target boards and then disappear until next year. A dozen years ago I set up a private range at my son; property and haven't looked back, and haven't been back to shoot, even tho I still pay my dues, attend monthly meetings and show up on "work" weekends. The world is full of folks that think they are entitled and don't have to follow the rules. The more I can avoid those type of folks.......the better.
 
People who shoot at and hunt people - military and LEO’s - usually “familiarize” with their weapons twice a year. Soooooo - for a deer hunter to familiarize with their deer firearm once a year - sounds about right to me. Others that boast more range time, you are applauded - you are hunting one of the dumbest animals on the planet - you do not need sniper skills to take possession of a deer - the most difficult part of deer hunting is getting the animal to walk in front of you.
 
Unless its a new gun, or new optic, etc, why are you sighting it in...again? Never understood that.

Unless I might change an optic or switch to a dramatically different load, I sight the gun in once, and that's it.

Those who shoot all year round "in practice" generally don't need to "sight in"... again.

I guess I'm the exception to that "rule" as I'm sighting in a couple rifles tomorrow for an upcoming hunt in a couple weeks in WY.

I own my own range out to 760yds and practice quite a bit. Buuuut, I don't use the same bullets for practice that I do hunting. So tomorrow I'll be zeroing/verifying zero's for NPTs and NABs in a 300WM and my 350RM.

Using a collimator boresighter to capture zeros by load and scope makes it easier to switch:

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But I still head out back to confirm. Also, I normally let my rifles go for a while between cleanings. So before hunting season I clean them, then run 10-15 rds through them "sighting in" so my bore condition is where I want it to be.

For me, sighting in and load development =

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Practice =

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I haven't hunted in quite a few years, but when I did my 30-06 hunting rifle sat in the safe for about 11 months of the year. About a month before the season started, I would pull it out and wipe it down with oil, run a patch or two with oil through the barrel, then take it out and put 3-5 rounds through it to verify it was still zeroed. That was it. Never needed to be re-zeroed.

After the season was over, the gun was cleaned, oiled, and wiped down, then put away till the next season.

During the year I put plenty of rounds down range with rifles that had similar recoil, so those were my "practice" rounds. Mostly my SKS with surplus ammo, but other rifles as well. Practice rounds were shot standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone. Checking zero was done on the bench.

chris
 
^^^ very true, but I don't believe these are the folks the OP is referring to.

I always avoided the local "Sportsman's Club" range I used to shoot at during "sight in" season. For most of the year, other than the Tuesday night trap league, or the yearly "range day" for Hunter Safety, the range was generally empty, even on the weekends. For the three weeks before gun deer season it would be like a public boat landing on opening weekend of the fishing season. Folks tripping over folks, getting into arguments about who was "next up", folks shooting while others were downrange(small club, with no designated RO, when someone would say something about safety, it generally started another argument). Even tho the yearly dues at that time were only $10 a year, most of those "sighting in", weren't members and got pissy when they were asked to show their card. They'd come, leave a mess, destroy the backstops and target boards and then disappear until next year. A dozen years ago I set up a private range at my son; property and haven't looked back, and haven't been back to shoot, even tho I still pay my dues, attend monthly meetings and show up on "work" weekends. The world is full of folks that think they are entitled and don't have to follow the rules. The more I can avoid those type of folks.......the better.

Our range is owned by the State F&G department and operated by the club I belong to. We are open to the public 4 days per week and to club members 7 days per week. When open to the public, we always have at least 1 range master and 2 range safety officers to monitor the line, help shooters when needed, etc. So we do not have the situations you describe at your Sportsman club. Safety is our number one concern. We have one main range for the public and 4 other ranges for club member use and special events. The main range has about 30 or so firing points. One can shoot prone, sitting or offhand from in between the benches, if they desire.

We stay out of the way unless there is a safety issue or someone asks for help. Sometimes if someone is struggling, I will ask them how it's going. We had a guy show up yesterday with a new 300 Win Mag rifle straight from Cabelas, complete with hang tags. New rifle, scope and mount, ammo, case. They had mounted the scope but that was about it. We helped him bore sight it, discovered the action screws were loose after a few shots and got them tightened up. He did OK with the rifle off the bench after that. His scope/ring/base setup would not have been my first choice in a hunting rifle but he seemed happy with it so good for him.

I have met a lot of nice folks when working the line. I have gained good info on certain hunting areas, and shared the same, with guys tuning up for the season. I like to think the people had a good time and good interactions with me when they leave, and that they will come back and shoot with us again.
 
I continue to be surprised at the number of folks that just blast away from the bench and never fire a shot standing, sitting or prone.

If you live long enough you will learn why some do that. :) Standing I'm wobbly and prone, forget about it. That's pretty much impossible now plus I never had a shot while hunting that prone would have worked for. I can only remember once having to shoot freehand to take a deer. With all the others there was a handy tree for support or I had found a place to sit where I could brace my arms on my knees..

I gave up deer and elk hunting quite a few years ago. Not tough enough to enjoy the experience anymore. Before I did go to a range and check that my rifle was still hitting where it was supposed to before every hunting season. It is a 30-06 with a light weight barrel and full length European walnut stock. Even here in my semi-aria area the stock was subject to warping although it never did. Also it isn't exactly a pleasant rifle to shoot from a bench being fairly light weight and shooting 30-06 was rather expensive so it has spent most of it's life in a safe. I kept my touch in by shooting less expensive and less taxing calibers the rest of the year.
 
I went to the range today with the Nylon 66 and got it where I want it at 50 yds. I also took the Marlin 336 .35 Rem., one of my Win 94’s in .30-30, and the Ruger 77 RSI .243.

A couple of handloads did pretty well in the ‘94, the Rem factory ammo did good in the 336 and I shot some “Perfecta” 100 gr SP in the .243 just to see how it did. (It was ok.)

There were three other guys shooting hunting rifles. One was a Weatherby mag, I think a .257 as the cases were not .300 sized, one had what looked like a .243 hunting rifle and the third had a Creedmoor target gun with a heavy 26” barrel and a huge scope.

The two hunting gun guys looked like they were prepping for hunting season. The target guy was a bit odd. When I walked past his lane to grab the range broom, he was packing up. I didn’t stop, but I nodded and said “Good morning,” He looked at me like I was a two foot tall green martian who had just stepped out of a UFO. I kept on walking and let him go back to whatever alternate universe he exists in.

:alien:

Stay safe.
 
As it happens, I was at the rifle range this morning, sighting in a shotgun (ghost ring sights) with slugs. I sat down at the bench, loaded up a single round, torched it off, said something unpleasant while waiting for my corneas to re-attach, and decided to do my sighting-in from kneeling. A bit later, the rangemaster came around, patted me on the back, and congratulated me for being the serious sort of fellow who does his practice from field positions.

For whatever that's worth. 😅
 
I worked a shift today as a RSO at my local range. I like working during site in season as it is not just a steady stream of AR's and people with 9mm's blasting away. Anyway, today's cartridges of choice were pretty equally split between 30-06 and 270 Win, with two 300 Win Mags and two 7mm/08 (both Tikka's, BTW). Usually it is a lot of 6.5 Creedmore and 7mmPRC.

I continue to be surprised at the number of folks that just blast away from the bench and never fire a shot standing, sitting or prone.
I do most of my practicing with a Kimber rimfire, much cheaper and no recoil. My time at the range is usually to dial in handloads or factory ammo
 
Unless its a new gun, or new optic, etc, why are you sighting it in...again? Never understood that.
Admittedly, "sighting in" our big game rifles just before "opening day" is sort of a tradition with us. It kinda goes along with the aroma of Hoppe's #9 and Hubbard's shoe grease filling the house - which we seldom use either product nowadays. 😄
On the other hand, I can easily understand why someone who practices with different ammo(s) all year, then changes to whatever ammo they're going to use for big game hunting just before the season opens might want to "sight in" their rifle using their choice of big game ammo.
Also, I've heard and read tales of the POI for some rifles changing with changes in humidity. I've personally never seen that. But then again, the humidity level in this part of Idaho (the SE part) doesn't change much, and I don't think it's ever very high. :thumbup:
 
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