sight in days before opener!

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Axis II

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It drives me crazy when people sight in the day or two before gun opener and the gun hasn't left the safe in a year. I belong to a local hunt club and like clockwork the week before opening day everyone and their buddies are down there slinging 50rounds at 25yards, 50yrds, 75-100yards. Last year one guy showed up two days before with an ithica deerslayer and about 10 packs of lead rifled slugs and a tasco scope and couldn't figure out why at 50yards he couldn't hit a pie plate. Myself and several others told him to try sabot slugs instead and he says they are too expensive. You have a $800 slug gun and cant afford $20 for sabots? He ended up saying screw it ill use my 270. Um we are in Ohio 270 isn't legal. He gave us a dirty look and said he didn't care.

Walmart was packed for license and tags, guys at the range yesterday wanting to shoot a muzzleloader from 25-100yards and bringing friends too. I'm dreading this weekend when I go double check my stuff and Monday is opening day. The worst one I seen was dicks sporting good 2 days before opening day a guy buys a slug gun, box of shells, scope mounted, tag and license. I like having all my stuff done weeks before but always check it day before due to having a scope failure on opening day resulting in a wounded deer.

I'm not complaining just don't understand the lack of care because guys think oh its a gun I just hit them anywhere and they die.
 
Amateurs. I shoot different guns year round, and I generally shoot SOMETHING once a week. The deer rifles start getting trips to the range a month or so before season, and when season opens, they have probably all been to the range at least 2-3 times. Shotguns have been tested with slugs and buck at least once (iron sights- 35 yards max visibility where I hunt in Fl). All required ammo for season is purchased a month or more prior to season, if needed.
 
I'm old. But I learned at the knee of old men so here's my experience.

Your rifle has been in the safe for a while. You are going to get one shot (that's the plan anyway). So, you check the sight alignment with a cold barrel. Once you are satisfied (takes a while if you need to make adjustments because you have to let the barrel thoroughly cool between shots), clean it then fire one fouling shot.

The rifle remains "fouled" until the season is over.

The above is why I always laugh at folks who brag about "groups". You can shoot minute of gnats ass with you warmed up rifle then when you're sitting in the stand with a cold (sometimes damned cold) barrel and the deer of a lifetime comes by you miss. Or worse hit so poorly that the animal escapes and eventually dies from infection.
 
jeepnik said:
I'm old. But I learned at the knee of old men so here's my experience.

Your rifle has been in the safe for a while. You are going to get one shot (that's the plan anyway). So, you check the sight alignment with a cold barrel. Once you are satisfied (takes a while if you need to make adjustments because you have to let the barrel thoroughly cool between shots), clean it then fire one fouling shot.

The rifle remains "fouled" until the season is over.

The above is why I always laugh at folks who brag about "groups". You can shoot minute of gnats ass with you warmed up rifle then when you're sitting in the stand with a cold (sometimes damned cold) barrel and the deer of a lifetime comes by you miss. Or worse hit so poorly that the animal escapes and eventually dies from infection.
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Im all about groups with my varmint rifle and any gun but i have taken the advice on here about letting it cool. My last 4 trips to the range with both deer rifles i would fire one shot with one and lean it on the rack and fire a shot with the other rifle at another target and lean it up and go mark each hole and come back and fire the first rifle and so on. I do this because they are reloads and want to make sure the first shot wasn't a fluke in hitting the bull but have 5 others 4'' away or something crazy like that.

I think what bothers me the most is knowing that some don't even sight them in or half do it and wound deer. A lot of people have the old pie plate mentality but i like taking every factor out of the equation and making sure my loads are on par only leaves me to blame when a bad shot is made.
 
The good news is most of those people don’t shoot anything. Either they bust everything out because they don’t know how to walk through the woods, or they are poor shots and miss. Yes, occasionally they get lucky. But most don’t.
 
I guess I'm one of those guys. LOL. Mounted a scope on a new rifle two weeks ago and got a decent 100 yd zero and round about idea where I'll probably end up on charge weight. I'll get that sorted out tomorrow morning and let my son shoot it some too. If he does well and wants to use it, he'll be hunting with it tomorrow afternoon. If not, he can take his 30-30. FWIW, he shoots better than most of the once a year sighter-iners.
 
Years ago smooth bore shotguns and slugs were the only option. Many times I watched guys "sight in" their guns. It seems like it was always a paper plate on a post at 40ish yards. They would shoot standing, no rest, because that's how they shoot deer. If one out of five round hit the plate it was good. Later on the same guys would all claim they could hit a beer can at 100 yards every time. When Iowa allowed rifled barrels I bought one and a bunch of sabot slugs, the accuracy was amazing when you were used to a smooth bore. When deer season came around I got lectured on the money I wasted on the barrel and expensive slugs. Of course the 100 yard beer can claim was brought up. During the yearly sight in ritual I set out a beer can at maybe 60 or 70yards. It was pretty entertaining watching slugs hit the dirt, often several feet from the can. Deer season opened the next weekend and the fact that I could hit the can was forgotten while their smooth bores had recouped 100 yard accuracy.
 
I am in Ohio.
I am literally just about ready to go to Walmart, buy a license, and a few boxes of slugs.
Yesterday, I got my gun out of the attic where it has been for the past year.
After Walmart, I am going out to confirm my zero.

I don't see this as a big deal for a couple reasons:
I am 99% sure my gun is zeroed; why wouldn't it be ? It was zeroed the last time I shot it. It has iron sights.
I shoot literally a minimum of 3-4 times a week year round and have since I was a teenager: just not this gun.
To some people this may not compute but I am "into" shooting in a big way. But, the guns I hunt with, I never just take out and shoot for fun. I don't use them for anything else. I am also not really into hunting: deer hunting for me these days means I am hunting on my own property within a hundred yards of the house. Any shot I take will be closer than 50 yards.

But, I understand what you are saying. You are talking about the guys who never fire a shot throughout the year and then hunt. Most of them don't even check their sights. My dad was like that. He bought slugs and as far as I know, never fired one of them to see where they hit with his bead sight. I don't shoot this gun much, but I know it is zeroed.
 
I avoid 'sight in days' at the range like the plague. If they offered free life membership to work it, I still wouldn't do it. It's the one time of the year our range is open to the public, "as a public service", and having accidentally gone, (Not realizing the club even had a public sight in event) I left in fear for my life after seeing grossly negligent gun handling and RO's too timid to enforce the 4 rules. The level of accuracy most deemed sufficient was appalling, also. Shots spread over a 12 in. bull at 25 yards is 'good enough for venison'? I had to leave, because if I had acted as an RO, I would probably have been kicked out of the club. I teach 4-H shooting sports and the kids are much safer, and better shots to boot.
 
entropy said:
I avoid 'sight in days' at the range like the plague. If they offered free life membership to work it, I still wouldn't do it. It's the one time of the year our range is open to the public, "as a public service", and having accidentally gone, (Not realizing the club even had a public sight in event) I left in fear for my life after seeing grossly negligent gun handling and RO's too timid to enforce the 4 rules. The level of accuracy most deemed sufficient was appalling, also. Shots spread over a 12 in. bull at 25 yards is 'good enough for venison'? I had to leave, because if I had acted as an RO, I would probably have been kicked out of the club. I teach 4-H shooting sports and the kids are much safer, and better shots to boot.
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im pretty sure ours shut that down because of the same issue. The year the guy was messing with the Ithaca his buddy who was a member went downrange to set another pie plate and the guy was messing with the gun and was told by our president that he wasn't allowed to touch the weapon when people were downrange and the guest and the president got into an argument over it and the guest was asked to leave. I try my best to shoot when no one is there and when i do i use the outside benches.
 
I shoot so much better if I can get to the range at least 4 or 5 times before opening day. I need the practice. At least I feel a lot more confident about those 200+ yard shots when I do that.
 
The only time it really gets crowded at our "ranges" is right before muzzle loader, and bird season. Then youll have guys there getting their gear ready, but for the most part you can mammal hunt year round. So unless something goes wrong during a hunt, theres little reason for the guys that dont just like shooting, to be at the range at the same time.

Honestly the only time i "get" my gear ready is a day or two before a major hunt, otherwise ill just toss stuff in the truck evening before.
Thats led to some amusing hunts, tho usually i at least have boots, gun, bullets, and license (i keep a copy in every car, gun case, hunting bag, and my wallet)...Ive forgotten my knives more than once, my bolt a few times tho not recently, boots more than once.....cant think of anything else....oh grabbed the wrong gun and ammo combo.
 
I am a property owner that allows hunting by permission. We have basic rules that those we allow on the property to hunt must obey. We don't except excuses obey the rules and if you don't we won't allow you back on the property. The cardinal rule, shots taken must equate to deer taken. Its that simple no excuses. Also we only allow hunting from tree stands. In this part of North Carolina five deer to a tag. Fill out your tag and go buy another one. I don't charge a fee to hunt on the property either. I've been blessed with good fortune in my life so letting others hunt on the property is one way of giving back.
 
drunkenpoacher said:
Years ago smooth bore shotguns and slugs were the only option. Many times I watched guys "sight in" their guns. It seems like it was always a paper plate on a post at 40ish yards. They would shoot standing, no rest, because that's how they shoot deer. If one out of five round hit the plate it was good. Later on the same guys would all claim they could hit a beer can at 100 yards every time.
Click to expand...
The target varies with region. Here in the Ozarks it is either a cigarette pack or a Skoal can which would probably be great if the deer is addicted to nicotine. I have yet to see a deer with a Skoal can taped behind it's foreleg.
 
ohihunter2014 said:
well i got it done today but still not happy. I can put 3 shots cold bore in the center circle of the linked target at 100yards. I think the recoil and muzzle flip of the 45-70 keeps me from getting them tighter. I am going to try knocking the load up for down 3tenths of a grain and see if it helps.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/712957/burris-target-12-x-12-pack-of-10
Click to expand...

Try a PAST recoil pad. Helps with the recoil. Heck, my wife will shoot 300 gr JHP's through my GS using a PAST pad.
 
jeepnik said:
Try a PAST recoil pad. Helps with the recoil. Heck, my wife will shoot 300 gr JHP's through my GS using a PAST pad.
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Thanks, I have a grind to fit on there. I doesn't hurt to shoot it, it just gets a little wild wanting to jump off the bag.
 
LoonWulf said:
Thats pretty damn good for a 45-70 lever
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3 shots in the orange center circle. I got Hornady Leverevolution factory ammo to touch 3 shots but cant seem to get the 300gr to do that. Higher charge did seem to tighten them up a little but i think 1800-1900fps is enough.
 
I start checking zero on my rifles in October. Wisconsin gun/deer season starts on the third weekend in November.
I sight in at 50 yards. I fire 2 or 3 shots from each rifle and if they are centered on the target and within one inch of each
other I pronounce that rifle fit for hunting. I make several trips to the range with different rifles.
I like to avoid the crowds that go to the range the last couple of days before opening day. It becomes a madhouse.
 
Its not my intent to insult or pick on individual respondents to this subject but sighting in thus sight in days just prior to hunting season but I must ask just where were you the rest of the year? I've witnessed this as an example in Pennsylvania while residing there the PA Game commission ranges and private membership range associations would be packed rear-end to eyeball just prior to deer season. North Carolina the same thing occurs. I'm a land share owner in one range association that has a membership in excess of 700 members. Its much the same as it was in PA for most individuals seldom if ever shoot the hunting firearm during the year.
 
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