The 1 Thing You Learned- Rifles

[Oregon Hunter]

I learned that a 6X fixed scope on all my rifles is all I need. Ran a 4X on my 22 for years. Now I have identical 6X scopes on my squirrel and big game rigs. Plenty of scope out to 600 yards for big game and around 80 for squirrels.

I noticed that when I go out and shoot hundreds of sage rats a day, I almost always end up leaving my scope at 6 or 7x

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Great topic @Oregon Hunter ! I’m a long time archery hunter that bought my first rifle this year.

I bought an $800 Browning 300WSM with the logic ‘buy quality that will last but something basic will serve my needs well.’ I know that every bling feature drives the price up a couple hundred dollars and for my hunting purposes I probably wouldn’t notice the difference so keep my spending in check. I think my logic was good but the one feature I would have spent more on was a muzzle break or threaded barrel to allow it. I grew up hunting/shooting 12 gauge shotgun slugs so I’m not scared of recoil. But after practicing long range shots I realize how much recoil affects accuracy and I think a muzzle break or suppressor is a worthwhile investment. So, I’m now in search of a good gunsmiths to add a muzzle break to my bare bones rifle when it would have been easier to just buy it that way- and that’s my rifle lesson learned the hard(or expensive) way.

I'm becoming more and more of a fan of muzzle brakes. They make practicing more fun, and you can always take them off for hunting season

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I don’t like a “busy” scope reticle for my kind of hunting in the beach timber. I came home and put on an old Leupold with a 4A. Perfect. Oh yeah and I quit wearing my transition eye glasses too. No bueno in the trees.

Maybe my old Burris had it right with the original Ballistic Plex

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I went from a sporterized mosin to a tikka; sometimes it’s the rifle not the person

And it never hurts to find excuses for buying new gear

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Absolutely. I’ve taken a couple first timers who blew opportunities because they couldn’t get on target in time. My top advise is “Dry Runs” that mimic real conditions as much as possible. The gear is irrelevant if you aren’t well rehearsed in using it.

My #1 lesson learned this season is that I want a scope with less power/ larger FOV. I tried running a big 5-25x56 because I wanted it to double as a spotter. In reality I didn’t end up using it as a spotter, but both bucks I killed this year took longer than I prefer to get lined up in the scope. I will be downsizing my scope for next season. And saving weight...

Dry runs are so important. It also perplexes me when so many of us spend a bunch of money to get an ultralight rifle, then slap a two pound scope on it lol

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Buy a gun and practice, don’t read the internet.

But, but, we're keyboard warriors who know everything

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I’ve also found that for me, the rifle/scope is my least important piece of gear. I wish I could have the time and money I’ve spent over the years ******* around with that stuff.

Backpacks that for right and carry weight well, boots that feel good and don’t rub, raingear that packs up and keeps you dry and equipment that allows you to sleep well is far more Important (to me) than the rifle I choose.

I’ve hinted with 2 dozen different rifles and as many scopes over the years....were some better than others??? Absolutely, would I ever have missed an opportunity because I had a different gun and scope??? Nope.....shredded feet, lack of sleep, lack of comfort, packs that hurt....all of that stuff WILL ruin a multi day mountain hunt.

Wow, hearing that the rifle and scope were never what made or broke the hunt is super valuable information!

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I set my zero for max point blank range. Usually a 200 yard zero or so. I walk with scopes down around 4x, parallax set at 150 to 200 yards.

Over the years I’ve learned and relearned that in the heat of the moment for shorter range shots inside 250 yards, these details will be overlooked.
For longer range, beyond 300 yards or so, there is time to adjust and set up for the shot. It’s a necessity for the shot to happen.
Use as little magnification as is necessary for good shot placement. Its good to maintain field of view for re-acquiring the target after the shot to provide visual and follow up if needed.

Wayne von Zwoll is a better shot than all of us, and also a huge advocate of lower magnification

 

[Oregon Hunter]

I wish I could upvote this post 10 more times. I've wasted so much time and money on optics and rifles even though I have proven tack drivers I consistently killed with in the past. Its a horrible rabbit hole to go down...
Pick one rifle, learn to master it in all temps and terrain, and dont look back. Spend the rest of your resources on quality personal gear.

I think you're right, chasing the next accuracy or range goal at some point becomes like chasing the horsepower goal in the car world. It never ends and we're never happy, Which is ultimately what hunting should be about

 

[Oregon Hunter]

Guns are cool and all but like you said, when you have proven shooters that always worked, why go looking for the next best thing....again and again and again....??? If you think about a big sheep hunt, you spend the entire time, 7, 9, 13....however many days hauling the pack, beating your feet and sleeping on the ground. The actual shooting part is like 3 minutes of that 240 hours.

I’m not saying people shouldnt do what they want with their $$$ just that I’ve never missed an opportunity due to the gun. A 30-06 with a 3-9 will go farther than you realize.

One of my buddies missed a sheep at 300yds last year, he went and spent 10k on a gunwerks and went to their shooting school, buys their Ammo etc....dosent seem very cost effective to me. Especially when you factor in plane tickets, hotels and the fact that he now has a 10k+ rifle that you can’t find Ammo for....and he Dosent hand load....

Maybe we should say it's just fine to get as into guns, scopes, cartridges as we want. But when it comes time for hunting season, stick with simple.

 

[Oregon Hunter]

After you have dialed in your pet handload and you're happy with it's performance, go and buy a lifetime supply of those components before they change them or make them obsolete.

This can be applied in many ways in life

I did that with my varmint load in my AR, and I've been happier for it

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Wow, hearing that the rifle and scope were never what made or broke the hunt is super valuable information!

I hunted elk for 20 years with a rough blued, plastic stocked Remington 270 with a cheap bushnell 4x fixed scope. It was about as basic as you could get, it had a blind magazine and most of the blueing was scratched or worn off. I never didn’t get my elk during those years.

I like guns and have a lot of them but I’m sort of at a point where I want to really use the heck out of what I have rather than browse gun racks and get the next “best thing”.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Maybe we should say it's just fine to get as into guns, scopes, cartridges as we want. But when it comes time for hunting season, stick with simple.

I’d agree with that. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a hunting situation o could have handled with my 30-06 and a 3-9.

 

[Marble]

Dry runs are so important. It also perplexes me when so many of us spend a bunch of money to get an ultralight rifle, then slap a two pound scope on it lol

We do dry runs with inexperienced hunters that have never used horses. A full load up, load out saddle, brief ride and then reverse it makes it much easier.

Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

 

[hodgeman]

You could also buy an ultralight stock to swap it out for hunting season

I'll explore that possibility. I'd probably have $500 in a stock, maybe $150 in bottom metal. That's probably less than the beating I'd take selling the rifle.

 

[EastMT]

I no longer hunt brushy areas with a brake installed, had a tree limb go through it and stick, could’ve been a bad deal if I fired it that way. Closed end, electrical tape over the end.


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[Opah]

I have hunted many years with my Browning BOSS and never had an issue with the Break, keeping the barrel down and checking for twigs is as automatic as bolting that first round soon as you hit the dirt. as for the scope I have a 55 mm with an 8" glare not tube for the early mornings and a red dot for the evening ( big Scope) there again not an issue I keep the tube on until evening. So if your good with the old ruff 10x power scope and a single shot bolt action Great.
You like to tech up with good to great optics, magnaport muzzle breaks, BOSS systems that's great also.

 

[Mt Al]

That is awesome. And inspiring!

I take a lot of rookies hunting. The single most common issue that I see that causes lost opportunities is the inability to get on target quickly. I see this a lot with guys who have too many gizmos. Bipods, funky slings, overpowered or overcomplicated optics, bulky clothing, you name it.

So my one “thing” is to recommend that you take inventory of your crap, reduce the unnecessary stuff, and practice getting on target fast and making it count. That golden opportunity might be fleeting.

Best post of this thread! My daughter had only practiced prone and off a bench - and here we were with deer starting to mill around and get ready to run and she couldn't figure out eye relief standing up using a heavy fence post for a rest. Very frustrating.

People should spend money on what they want to, but one rifle for 99% of all situations that you practice, practice and practice with has a lot to say for it.

 

[bigmoose]

Much has been said about LOP but I will add my thoughts. I restocked my Model 70 with a Pacific Research stock and a 14 1/2 inch LOP. At 6' 5" this fit me perfect. What I did not take into account was that most of the time out hunting I had my jacket on and my day pack. Since I always carry my rifle in my right hand when hunting the LOP was now too long for quick shots. This is my go to gun and I've learned to adapt. The last bull I shot was a snap shot at the back of his head at 75 yards as he took off from his bed. I think I would have happy to just got the standard LOP at 13 1/2" in hindsight.

I also believe in the lower powered variable scopes. I have a 2.5 X 8 on my Model 70 and a 3 X 9 on my 270. One of the best scopes I ever looked through was a 3 X 9 X 50 Leupold. The field of view was awesome and it was very bright even in low light.

One thing I've learned about my rifle is when to put on the scope caps. I had been still hunting in a white out blizzard in the quakies all morning. I had come to the far edge and now I needed to cross 200 yards of wide open sage to reach the black timber beyond. I pulled down my hat and pulled up my collar. With my rifle in the crook of my right arm I stepped out into the raging wind and snow. The wind was blowing at my back as I hurried across the flat. Just as I reached the timber I caught a buck jumping out of his bed to my right. He had 6 or 8 points on each side and was 32-34 inches and only 50 feet away, broadside ! I put both my thumbs in the ends of my scope and tried to thaw is out. Nothing. If I could have just got any part of an image I would have shot. He was that close. The worse part was that my scope caps were in my day pack. Lesson learned.

 

[EastHumboldt]

Here’s an old trick for target acquisition. Practice it before you go out in the field. Shoulder your rifle and get it positioned so you have a scope sight picture, but don’t worry about whats in the scope sight picture. With both eyes open, Acquire the target in your “off” eye, that is the one you are not using to look through the scope. In my case that is my left eye so I hold the rifle pointed a little right of the target. Now swing the scope smoothly towards the target. The “off” eye will dominate what the brain sees, but as soon as the target pops into the scope picture the focus will shift to the “scope” eye like magic and the enlarged image will pop up. Voila ... target acquired.