They had another advantage as well: They had heaps of time to setup, get into position, dope the wind, settle their position, probably dry fire some, and then take the shot on a perfectly broadside target that stood perfectly still and didn't **** off into the bush waiting for the ballistics app...
I posted this in another thread, but the popular NZ Hunting Challenge held each year you only score on the first hit. You get another (optional) two shots to help improve what you did wrong, but they don't count. Every comp that is hunter focused should be this way.
Targets are actual animals...
If you buy today I'll also throw in the following:
- Good chance of hitting even if your scope zero has shifted a couple MOA.
- Works well from unstable shooting positions.
- Less error on angled shots.
- Lower chance of dialing errors because you don't have to dial.
Introducing the most advanced hunting caliber ever invented:
Get Closer.
The Get Closer caliber gives you these powerful benefits:
- Flattest trajectory possible for your rifle.
- Least amount of wind drift possible for your rifle.
- Maximizes impact velocity.
- No need to fumble around with...
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You were too far away and should have moved in closer.
Not being a jerk. I missed a tahr on steep upward angle because I refused to try to stalk closer as well. There is a lot to go wrong in high angle shooting and closing the distance is always the easiest way to fix it.
I have both types of bags. My WM down bag is the most comfortable, but my synthetic Mont Bell I'll use in wet conditions like temperate rain forest. Not that I think the bag may get wet, but that very humid air will attack down loft over several days as it pulls water in. If you can dry it...
Tikka T3X in compact stock in .223 will kill a lot of stuff and can be shot forever on into adulthood. Can swap out for full size stock for cheap when they are ready.
Sako/Tikka have dominated rifles sold in New Zealand for ages. My only regret about the US getting onto them is that it means we'll not get enough of them here.
I wanted to like the Tenmile so badly, but when I saw the reticle it just ruined what was otherwise a nice package. I sent it back.
The wind stadia has 12 mils of wind hold which is way too much. It would have been far better if they made it half that and made the rest much thicker and extended...
The Shot2Hunt course looks awesome, but for the money and location, the Appleseed event is a no brainer. All you need is a .22 and a weekend and small fee.
You can use the information from Appleseed to apply into field positions without a sling. The shooter can decide when the sling helps or hurts. I don't use offset prone vs. straight behind the rifle usually, but in some weird places I have done it. 9 out of 10 times I don't sling up, but 1 out...
I didn't find that at all. Their emphasis on NPOA immediately improved my shooting across all positions such as pack supported, straight behind the rifle prone, etc. The qualifications is under tight time pressure on small targets. If the rifle is bouncing all over, you won't pass the test.
The best rifle course I took when I lived in the US was actually an Appleseed Shoot. The range is "only" 25 meters but is not an easy task. To qualify Rifleman (I did), you must be able to do off-hand, kneeling, sitting and prone under time pressure. It is also a cheap course to take and usually...
There's a lot to go wrong at 500. At 600+ the chances of something going wrong rise massively.
When I see people shooting at animals past 600 and claiming they never wound, etc. I just think that's not true, or they've been extremely lucky.
EDIT: I wanted to add that I think all hunters should...
For those that didn't see the Backfire 600 Yard Challenge Video, these were the results from three shooters of probably better than average skill level. Those extended range shots 2-3 out of 8 is what I'd expect (note they could see their impacts and walk on following shots). At 3-400 yards you...
This is my personal opinion after watching even very good shooters make mistakes at range. I've done heaps of LR shooting, PRS matches, and ELR. There is a lot that can go wrong.
I was just discussing this yesterday with someone that for most people, they have already introduced 2-3MOA of error...
No doubt if you can shoot a higher BC bullet that's always gravy. It's more that at some point people use high BC to justify taking ridiculously long shots at animals vs. the much more likely short range scenario you point out.
I'm currently working up moving to copper bullets and making loads...
Here is the same 10MPH data above, but we move to 300 yards. For making a hit, high BC is so far down the list vs. just getting closer. Here we increased the target size to 3MOA which will be about 9" kill zone at that range vs. the 1MOA/10" at 1,000 yards above.
The best single thing you can...