Realistic Accuracy

From spending time on here and reading many of your posts I have come to realize that a good portion of you are tinkerers and your accuracy distance will most likely be much further than the person who uses their ml just for the ml hunting season. For the average person (not most of you) who sights his gun in with whatever powder and bullet that the guy at the sporting goods store shows him what is a true distance one can expect to be accurate out to? 50 yards? 100 yards? More? What do you think?

For example the guys in my deer camp that have muzzleloaders. They shoot them a couple weeks before the season with pellets and powerbelts, maybe 5-10 shots and call it good. None are even scoped. I would put there limit at about 75 yards. They just don't get into it as much as I do.

For me it depends on if the rifle is scoped or open sights. I have noticed my eyes playing lots of trick as I got older. In fact I have a floater now, so my shooting is greatly decreased. But for ME.. with a scope, I am comfortable for hunting accuracy, meaning I could hit a deer, at 125 yards. After that a lot will depend on the situation I face, like wind, sun, shadows, and just the landscape.

With open sights I used to say 100 yards, but I have cut that back to 75 yards for hunting accuracy. And all of this is dependent on what rifle I am shooting also.

My best rifles and loads will exceed 200 yards, everything else i sight in at about 80-100 yards even with a scope. Long shots are pretty scarce for me and my two longest did not occur until last year. Both were right around 150 yards and they were text book "perfect" with lots of practice at that distance. Plus a little luck.

A few years ago I was stacking em up with some anterless deer tags. My buddy commented on my good shooting. I didn't really go into my little secret. That secret was, to let that 150 yrd deer become a 50-75 yrd shot. The wind was right & it was a true honey-hole.

While hunting in most cover, a 75 yrd shot covers a good area. Yes, I'll go a fair amount longer, but I don't want to deal with a 200 yrd open field shot. I took 2 anterless last Jan, one at about 15 yrds & the other 25-30.

With my set up I wouldn't think twice about shooting a deer out to 200 yards. I've done a lot of shooting and found that with the components that I'm using I have confidence with my components and shooting ability.
IMHO, I feel that that question by Ditka is solely up to the shooter. The shooter has to know his limitations. :yeah:

Ray............ :wink:

What Ray said!

hawgslayer said:

With my set up I wouldn't think twice about shooting a deer out to 200 yards. I've done a lot of shooting and found that with the components that I'm using I have confidence with my components and shooting ability.
IMHO, I feel that that question by Ditka is solely up to the shooter. The shooter has to know his limitations. :yeah:

Ray............ :wink:

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And you would be one of the tinkerers who hone their skill and know their equipment well. That is how I am with my bow. Lets say that a person who does not search for the perfect powder/bullet combination and buys whatever. Using a scope and whatever combination how accurate is that gun going to be and to what distance. Is it possible to get 250 yard hunting accuracy doing that?

IMHO, I feel that that question by Ditka is solely up to the shooter. The shooter has to know his limitations.

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I also agree with this. The only thing I would add is that the shooter also needs to be honest with himself about his limitations.

I used to shoot on some public ranges before joining a club with a private range. Unfortunately when the "yearly deer hunters" showed up to "Sight in" their rifles I saw too many that would exclaim they were "good to go out to 200 yards because all there shots were in the black". Then I saw the targets they were shooting at 100 yards, and saw they were using pistol targets with something like 10" black bull on them. :d'oh!: That to me is not being honest with yourself about your ability and your equipment.
To me they needed more trigger time and maybe even some coaching, but most of them were usually know-it-alls. Then I saw some guys that were shooting something more like 4 to 5 inch groups at 100 yds and would tell me they only shoot between 50 and 100 yards max, they to me were being honest about their equipment and their abilities and I am sure had a great chance at harvesting a deer instead of wounding one.

So for the once a year shooter, I think as long as their combination of rifle/load/ability gives him consistant 3 to 5 inch groups at 100 yards, then he should be honest with himself and limit his shots on deer to 100 yards or less. If his groups are larger then he needs to cut that distance by 25 or even 50 yards.

Just my 2cents.

Ok, let me ask it this way. How important is finding the magic combination to your accuracy? In other words, how accurate would you be shooting whatever powder/bullet combination you happen to get sold then sight in?

I live life in the total opposite perspective. With any of my hunting guns I confident and comfortable to at least 150 yards. But I get a few deer every year in my home state, times 35+ years or so, and as far as I remember, Ive never had to shoot over prob 60 yards... 50 may even be more realistic. Its thick scrub growth with briars and bramble flatland, you just dont see them too far off

Well Ditka, anything is possible. Sure you can buy a rifle, some bullets, powder and primers and go to the range and get 3 to 4" groups at 50 and 5 to 6" groups at the 100. If that's what that person wants out of his shooting, God bless him. Those size groups for me is not acceptable. ( Check out my last range report for this year ). Those groups didn't just happen. I spent many days at the range with 15/16 different bullets, different powders and primers. Sure you can buy what you need and go to the range and get what you get but is that fair to the game you hunt? You have to make near perfect shot so the critter doesn't run off and bleed to death because the hunter didn't get the best components for his gun and put the time in to make those near perfect shots.
The other main factor in this issue is the shooters ability to put that bullet where is counts. The equipment you use is only as good as the person using it. IMHO 8)

Ray............. :wink:

hawgslayer said:

Well Ditka, anything is possible. Sure you can buy a rifle, some bullets, powder and primers and go to the range and get 3 to 4" groups at 50 and 5 to 6" groups at the 100. If that's what that person wants out of his shooting, God bless him. Those size groups for me is not acceptable. ( Check out my last range report for this year ). Those groups didn't just happen. I spent many days at the range with 15/16 different bullets, different powders and primers. Sure you can buy what you need and go to the range and get what you get but is that fair to the game you hunt? You have to make near perfect shot so the critter doesn't run off and bleed to death because the hunter didn't get the best components for his gun and put the time in to make those near perfect shots.
The other main factor in this issue is the shooters ability to put that bullet where is counts. The equipment you use is only as good as the person using it. IMHO 8)

Ray............. :wink:

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:yeah: :yeah: :yeah:

I watched two fellows at my local range bring out two new TC omegas (open sites) and a bag full of new shooting supplies that the salesman talked them into buying. I would say those fellows could hit a pie plate at 25 yards but that's about it. My friend has the same gun only scoped and can shoot 1.5 inch groups at a 100 yards and has taken deer past 150 yards with it.

I'll say this sometimes you get lucky. I bought my KRB used and it came to me with a williams FP receiver peepsight on it. At that time I was shooting T7 pellets and the Barnes 290 TMZ. I loaded up two 50 gr.pellets and a bullet and was touching shots at 50 yds.

Ditka said:

. Lets say that a person who does not search for the perfect powder/bullet combination and buys whatever. Using a scope and whatever combination how accurate is that gun going to be and to what distance. Is it possible to get 250 yard hunting accuracy doing that?

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Not bloody likely......... 8)

I can say that my first ml was a CVA Hunterbolt with a Cabela's 3-9x40 scope. I had no idea what to shoot so I did the unthinkable - I read the manual. :shock: I bought some Pyrodex RS and the recommended bullets in the manual (there were 3). My first trip to the range after sight in produced pie plate accuracy at 100 yds. I think that if a person in your scenario of new gun, scope & whatever the clerk throws at them gets pie plate accurate right put of the box, they will get hooked on our beloved sport and not stop until they shoot like Ray.

I went shooting to verify some zero's for Ed {we both have White 98 Elite's and he so kindly sent me some bullets to shoot}but i used the wrong powder {i used 777 2f and not 777 3f } so i'm gunna have to do it all again oh deer more shooting.I shot about 30 rounds,just load n shoot then repeat.

Here are acouple of groups from that shoot.

Shot #1 5 1/2 inches to the R adjusted scope n shot 4 more



The 2 groups are shot at well over 100 yards with wind blowing 5 to 15 mph the other was closer

Now for a poll at what distance are these 2 groups acceptable for hunting

that didn't work :huh?:

bp45cal said:

that didn't work :huh?:

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Here is a thread for how to post pictures:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=11891