Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game How did we kill game before?

for me it's cup and core, can't afford super bullets, and all my hunts are DIY and on public ground

The intent of the post was to spur discussion as we all chomp at the bit to "get out there"

Thanks for all your input.

One tank of fuel for our truck, costs more than many seasons of premium bullets used....if handloading. If buying factory load premiums, only one or two seasons...including a zero check prior to hunting! memtb

The idea that says "bullets cost is not important in a hunt' is short sighted.

In some cases, the "super bullets" do not shoot to the same trajectory as standard bullets and so you cannot do much rifle practice with them at their high cost. I believe a hunter should fire hundreds of rounds every year so he or she will be at ease with the one shot that matters every year.

For the hand-loader that answer is to find a "super bullet" and a standard bullet that "fly the same". Shoot a lot of the less expensive bullets all year and be ready for the kill.

As a guide with many years behind me taking hunters out, I can tell you that many if not most hunters are not as skilled with their rifles as they should be, and a LOT of them have expensive scopes, good guns and high priced ammo as well as a lot of other high-priced gear, yet lack shooting skill.

So I do agree that a bullet that costs $2 a pop is not even going to matter on the hunt.
But that's only 1% of the equation. The 99% is about getting ready for that one shot a year, and that should involve many hundreds of rounds fired.


So yes, expense of the bullets (or ammo) DOES matter.
A LOT!

From a diff perspective.... On P 5 is posted.......



A F A I C (as far as I'm concerned), a guy doesn't have to shoot 'premium' bullets for practice. The majority of 'practice' shooting can be done with cheap bullets.

THEN shoot 'Premiums to determine THEIR trajectory and ADJUST if needed. I expect there will be a DIFFERENCE between the 2.

WOW! You know what other people are thinking. Can you teach me how to know that? I often wonder what other people are thinking but have never figured out how to read minds.

Yes.....That! If the hunter/shooter can’t or won’t re-zero prior to a hunt....perhaps he/she/it should take up golf! Many people use a 22RF for cheap, no recoil practice from various field positions, though I prefer to do the majority of my shooting with the rifle I will hunt with. For those that do not believe that working with the 22 cannot replicate shooting (field positions) the hunting rifle.....then don’t tell me of all the rifles that will be used for various game animals, terrain conditions, day of the week, or phases of the moon! “IF” that person is a “one gun” hunter....I might (though not likely) buy into the argument against the 22F for practice! memtb

My Dad and Grand dad hunted in Woolrich and 5 Buckle Artics.
Other Pap, hunted in whatever he had, open sighted 30-30, smoked Pall-Mall's constantly, and even built pine knot fires to keep warm.
Of course they never killed "Hoggs", "Monsters" or any of the stuff people hunt today.
They just killed deer.
Lots of 'em.
In family feeding numbers.

mem

I agree...

You said above.........

"Yes.....That! If the hunter/shooter can’t or won’t re-zero prior to a hunt....perhaps he/she/it should **>>> take up golf! <<<**

Many people use a 22RF for cheap, no recoil practice from various field positions, though I prefer to do the majority of my shooting with the rifle I will hunt with. For those that do not believe that working with the 22 cannot replicate shooting (field positions) the hunting rifle....."


I don't put any stock in "practice with a 22 rf." You BEST get used to the RIFLE and RECOIL of what you're huntin!!!!

Well, I disagree with that, in that a .22lr just may be the best practice rifle ever made for woods hunting. Recoil is cumulative and the less of it the better for the long run. The mind plays games with recoil and if it is used to getting none most times, there is a good chance it will think it is getting none when a .30-06 is being fired under a game situation.

If from field positions one can breakup clay targets at 100 with a .22lr consistently, or flip .22lr spinners consistently at 50, you are in fine form once your Wood rifle is ready to go. A good argument could be made for a .223 if one wants to move the yardage out.

For year's I've advocated practicing with cheap bullets. For AccuBonds I tend to use SST's as the practice bullet. POI is not quite the same at long range but inside 200-300 yards it is a non-issue.

For practice, I tend to believe that the rifle isn[t all that important. Mostly I have Rugers, but to practice with a Remington or Interarms or something else (or vice versa) doesn't seem to hurt any. I probably practice more offhand with my .22s than all my centerfires combined. Recoil is one thing, breathing, etc, are another things. I feel I still benefit as a result.

To my way of thinking, any practice is better than no practice.

If one can't shoot a .22lr well, then the downhill ride gets faster as the recoil goes up.

Absolutely.

I agree with that.

I shoot my 22s, rifle & handgun LESS than I shoot C F rifles.

I also submit , If you can shoot a C F then shooting R Fs is a tip toe thru the tulips.

WDM Bell would walk many miles a day repeatedly shouldering ,sighting a target and dry firing his rifle in practice along the way,
...he likely fired many thousands more dry rounds than the thousands of live rounds he fired at game.

Ahhhhh.....The point was recoil and the effect as it increases....Not that you can shoot your CF well.

Bell was obviously wise when it came to shooting....

Battue , I recognized what you were saying.
When hunting (during) I don’t shoot enuff additional rounds for recoil to have an accumulative effect.

I SURE recognize the greater recoil from 300 WM compared to 270 etc.

One thing became OBVIOUS in my shooting and I demonstrated it to several friends at different times.
This :

Shoot a heavy kicker some, more than 1or 2 rounds. Then

Shoot a milder kicker shortly afterwards. You WILL shoot the MILDER one better than you did before.

If you (especially myself) shoot the milder round 20-30 Xs THEN
Shoot the HEAVY kicker shortly afterwards, it doesn’t help your concentration & accuracy.

I’d like to expound per the 22 rfs.

I understand trigger control, sighting, etc. What I was talking about is,
Shooting, being comfortable, confident with your Hunting rifle and its recoil is NOT accomplished shooting the 22 rfs.

I’ll repeat what I agreed with Coyote Hunter, “any practice is better than no practice”.

After at least 300,000 12Ga I’ve come to appreciate not wanting the subconscious mind to worry about recoil. It is the subconscious mind that jerks the trigger. Makes little difference if I’m shooting a rifle. If someone is going to pull a trigger more than a little, then most should try and keep recoil at a minimum.

It is the subconscious that needs to be comfortable with any skill activity for one to do their best.

In my first post I highlighted wood hunting for a reason, and when practicing for that kind of hunting a .22lr is near perfect and without recoil. The recoil of my Deer rifle does nothing to improve my practice or success on game. A subconscious mind that doesn’t think my head is going to take another hit does. If you get smacked around enough you will understand the why.