Originally Posted by prairie_goat
Originally Posted by 4th_point


I'm not a benchrest shooter and don't really care what a rifle does at 100y, as long as its in the ball-park (1-1.5"). I'm more interested in how they shoot at my max hunting range. That is the real test.



Same here.

To be perfectly honest, if all my hunting took place at woods ranges, I would declare the groups in the OP good enough. Buy some of the better shooting ammo. Or whichever was cheapest. Go hunting. Kill deer. Dine on their flesh. Be happy.


I do like good groups. In my youth I was a fairly good target shooter so groups are important to me. In all honesty though, all the deer I've killed over the last 30 years with the exception of one, have been 100 yards or less with more than 50% of those under 50 yards. I hunt hardwoods or small plots in the hardwoods 99% of the time. No large fields on a lease for me. It's either my own property or the local 93K acre National Forrest.

Just for giggles I just now filled an empty 2.9 liter fabric softener bottle with water and put it on the power line cut running across my property. There's a flat right behind my house and I have an access road running across it to another section of my property. It's about 150- 200 yards from the flat behind my house to the flat where the road crosses. Anyway I loaded a round of the ammo that shot this last group.
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Went out behind the house and took a couple old cuts of pine from the last time the power line was trimmed, threw the cut piece across a log for a rest, lay down on the ground and busted that jug from about 150 yards first shot from the cold barrel. Only shot once. No great feat I know but it helps build confidence for hunting accuracy.

Last edited by R_H_Clark; 04/18/14.