Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles The Hunter Marksman Challenge - How well can you shoot from field positions?

Hi Folks!

So I am in the final semester of a graduate degree right now, and I managed to set up one of my courses as a project involving my super-awesome-hobby that is gun enthusiasm! For part of the project, I want to get a bunch of folks to try "The Hunter Rifle Challenge" as per this YouTube video I put together:


http://youtu.be/jmP_MYlTtSo


The initial challenge is modelled after the awesome Cabin Fever Challenge put together by RifleChair; I've tweaked the format so it is more conducive to being done with a run-of-the-mill hunting rifle. The concept is pretty simple:

• 8 inch diameter circle target ("http://www.eclecticworks.ca/hmc/target_20cm_bull.pdf"
• 100 meter range, either formal or informal - anyplace that's legal and safe
• Any hunting rifle - optics/irons all good, any caliber, any action
• 2 rounds standing
• 2 rounds kneeling
• 2 rounds sitting supported
• 2 rounds sitting unsupported
• 2 rounds prone
• Time measured from first shot to last shot (easily accomplished if you video yourself)
• Score = (hits x 100) / time in seconds
• Submit your results in this thread!

If you post your results, it would also be AWESOME to read a bit about what type of rifle you use (type, caliber) and why it's the rifle you chose. Even more awesome would be a photograph of you, your rifle, your target, all in the setting where you shot the exercise.

If I can get enough folks to participate and share their results from their first couple attempts, I'll compile some statistics and share them here in this thread, including results I get from other folks on other forums. In my fantasy world, by the end of February I'd like to get a couple of hundred results to stick into my statistical model.

After we get the baseline data on our collective level of skill right now, I'll post up additional challenges that use reduced-scale targets we'll shoot from the 5 field positions (listed above) at 25 meters to see how much we can improve our positional shooting before next fall. Here's a couple of examples of the targets we'll use for phase II:


http://www.eclecticworks.ca/hmc/Target_Bull_Elk_BE001.pdf
http://www.eclecticworks.ca/hmc/target_bull_moose_BM001.pdf


Sincerely hope folks find it interesting enough to try, and would DEEPLY APPRECIATE folks posting their results here. If you are uncomfortable posting your results in a public forum, I'd also be thrilled to get them via PM and rest assured I would ensure your confidentiality.

Can't wait to see what you come back with! For the video I ran the challenge with a single shot Ruger No.1, I'll be doing it again this coming weekend with my CZ550 bolt gun.

Cheers,

Brobee

PS: Forgot to add that I'll likely be changing the scoring formula such that the square root of the time in seconds is used, not just the raw time. This will create a more even balance between hits and time.

All I would need from participants is:

Total Hits
Total Time (seconds)
Rifle (Make/Model/Caliber)
Did you have fun?
Any other observations you'd like to share?

Cheers,

Brobee

If the target was a bit bigger and shaped like the azz-end of a deer, it should inherently be much easier to hit. I know a lot of guys that can't hit a paper target worth a damn, but they are rather reliable paunch and azz-shooters from nearly any position. Funny how that happens......

I'm gonna use a paper plate.




Travis

I know some guys that are hell on wheels on paper but can't hit nothin alive properly worth beans..

Those same guys can't shoot magnum rifles for chit too huh... OP, you want to look at a hunter rifle challenge, look up the postal shoot put out by carl ross. A lot of the chit talkers that shoot 1/2 moa rifles all day long shut the fu ck up pretty damn quick on that shoot. I'm still waiting for steelhead to post up his targets...

ya know, nothing trumps trigger time and familiarity...

learned that from a fellow campfire member recently...

we all know it and all forget it all the time...

you practice off hand a lot, any supported position suddenly becomes a lot easier...

working at 100 and then moving out to 150 and then master that, out to 200....

go to the range several times a week now, with 50 rounds that I single shoot...5 at a time at a target on an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper ran off from the internet... and keeping them in a booklet, to learn where they are hitting and what I have to do to adjust the POI from my shooting positions..

Amazing how fast one can tighten up your groups in a short time...

Jackrabbits are good for learning to shoot from field positions.

WTF is the difference between a supported and unsupported sitting position?





Travis

One is supported, the other isn't, duh...

Using sticks is supported, no sticks is unsupported.

Always take a rest if available.

Should be fun.

Back in the day when 4 position shooting with a sling was the norm hunters were far better prepared than those who only shoot off a bench.

Thanks, spalding.




Dave

What in the earth's holy fugk does a guy from Atlanta know about shootin jackrabbits?



Dave the Conqerer

In general I like the idea, and do something similar with some tweaking.

The target is a plain 8-1/2" x 11" white piece of paper, usually over some brown background. Cheap and easy.

Shot two shots starting from hot or cold depending on how you hunt. Do this five times for a total of ten rounds. Using two makes you work the action, and can penalize you with recoil.

Use any position, but start standing.

Use any range. 50 to 300 yd. should require gear no more exotic than a scoped rifle. I haven't done this past 100 yd. with metallic sights, because the target is too small to see well.

Time the shots.

The one with the most hits wins, and time decides ties. Ideally us mighty and talented hunters would always have ten hits. If not maybe we should have taken more time.

Clark,

He reads a lot about some guy out west who shoots the schit out of the little self propelled pop up targets.

Bro,

I'm not sure how much you'll learn with 2-shots at 100y. Can you fill us in regarding the design of your experiment? I get the fact that you are trying to limit the number of shots, presumably to save time and expense for the guinea pigs.

My buds and myself were recently shooting paper plates at 100y with our hunting rifles. Offhand wasn't easy but everyone hit the plate...except for one shooter on his first shot. After that miserable performance he redeemed himself, but he was using 10x

Seated, kneeling, and prone were a breeze at 100y. But we didn't time anything. Or measure groups.

Personally, I'm interested in improving my 200y offhand but am struggling at the moment, as can be seen in the link below. I recall doing my best offhand shooting at 200y with a peep of all things a few years ago.

Field shooting

Jason

Well smart azz, I moved here from Oregon. Spent a lot of time in the high desert of eastern Oregon. Even did some hunting in Idaho. They have this new invention called an airplane that makes it possible to hunt away from home.

Pretty sure we should have some cerveza or distilled beverage involved, and the drill should begin with the seated shots fired from the front seat of a truck.

Will be a week or so before I can get to the range but I'll see what I can come up with for ya.