Hunters Ed (Chapter 3)

Shooting a Shotgun vs. a Rifle

Point a shotgun Focus your eye on the target Pull the trigger Aim a rifle Focus your eye on the crosshairs or front sight Squeeze the trigger Point a shotgun Pull the trigger Aim a rifle Squeeze the trigger

Leading the Target-Swing-Through Method

Point your shotgun at a moving target and swing with it. Increase the speed of the gun so that the muzzle passes the target and then fire. In other words, literally "swing through" the target and fire at a blank space in front of the target. Swing-through is the best technique for the beginning student.

Firing Positions-Prone

There are four standard rifle positions: prone, standing, sitting, and kneeling. Prone The prone position is the steadiest of the four positions. Because it is the easiest to hold, it is the best position for mastering the fundamentals of shooting— aiming, breath control, trigger squeeze, and follow through.

Leading the Target- Sustained Lead

This method is a little more challenging because it requires more experience. You estimate the lenth of the lead necessary to hit the target and maintain that lead as you swing with the target, fire, and continue the swing.

Fundamentals of Good Marksmanship

A fair amount of knowledge, skill, and experience is required to become a successful hunter. One of the essential skills is good marksmanship, which is accurately and consistently hitting the target where planned. When hunting, accuracy is critical for a clean kill. Good Marksmanship is built on 3 fundamentals: Proper sight adjustments or patterning. Proper shooting technique. Practice.

Optional Sighting-In Techniques

Bore sighting-in with bolt-action rifles: remove the bolt, brace the firearm on sandbags, and look directly through the bore. Correct the rifle's position until you see the bulls eye in the center of the bore. Adjust the sights to give you a good sight picture. Collimator sighting-in for rifles without bolt actions: a collimator slips into the muzzle end of the barrel and allows you to adjust the sights much like bore sighting-in.

Firing Positions-Sitting

Both arms are supported by your legs. Next to the prone position, this is the steadiest position.

Know Your Accuracy Limits

Ethical hunters know their personal accuracy and limit their shots accordingly. An 8-inch paper plate is the standard target for establishing deer hunting accuracy. An 8-inch target is about the same size as the vital area of a deer. You need to be able to hit the paper plate consistently at the same distance and from the same shooting position you will be using when hunting. The fact that you can hit and 8-inch target at 100 yards from a bench rest does not mean you will be able to do the same from a standing or kneeling position. Before hunting, practice until you are confident you can hit the required target the distances and from the shooting positions you expect to use in the field. When hunting, limit your shots to your most accurate range.

Determining Your Dominant or Master Eye

Just as you have a dominant hand, you also have a dominant eye. You need to aim with the dominant or master eye for the most accurate shooting. Usually your dominant eye is the same as your dominant hand, but not always.

Matching Choke to Your Quarry

Quarry-commonly used choke (based on typical distance from quarry) Goose-improved cylinder or modified Duck-improved cylinder or modified Turkey-full or extra full Pheasant-improved cylinder, modified, or full Grouse-improved cylinder or modified Woodcock, rail or snipe-improved cylinder or modified Dove-improved cylinder or modified Quail-improved cylinder or modified Rabbit-improved cylinder or modified Squirrel-modified or full

Handgun Sight Alignment and Aiming

Sight Alignment is important in rifle shooting, it is even more important in pistol shooting because of the shorter distance between the sights. Typically handgun sights consist of a square rear notch sight and a heavy square front blade sight. This arrangement is easy to align. Most handguns are initially sighted in at 50 feet. Aiming at the shooting range, many handgunners use a sight picture that place the bulls eye on the top of the front sight, rather than placing it in the sights over the center of the target. However hunters should hold the alignment directly over the vital area. Scopes with long eye relief have become popular with handgunners and offer exact sighting for hunters. Scopes may take longer to align on a target then open sites, but they are usually more accurate.

Sight Alignment

Sight is the process of lining up rear and front sight. The sight picture is the image you see when the sights are aligned correctly with the target. To ensure that the bullet will travel to the target in your sight, it is necessary to sight in your rifle. Before you can do that, you need to determine your dominant or master eye. With an open site, you line up the target with the blade or bead of the front sight within the notch of the rear sight. With an aperture sight, you line up the target so that the front sight is within the rear peephole. With a telescopic sight with a crosshair reticle, you line up the target with the crosshairs of the sight. With a telescopic sight with a dot reticle, you line up the target with the dot of the sight. The dot must be centered.

Handgun Shooting Position and Grip

Use eye and ear protection. Assume a stable position. Grip the handle with both hands. Do not cross the thumb of the supporting hand behing the slide of a sem-automatic.

Rifle-Firing Techniques

Using correct firing techniques will help you study the rifle for the most accurate shooting. Bear in mind that these are only the basics. Further study will help you understand other factors that can affect your accuracy, such as wind, heat, and parallax. Parallax is the optical bending of telescopic crosshairs in relation to the target. Shooting from a Rest: when shooting in the field, the safest and most accurate shot are taken from a rest - a log, large rock, or other stable object. Dont rest a barrel directly on a hard surface, or it will shoot higher than normal - put some padding, such as a hat or a jacket, under the rifle. Four Fundamentals for an Accurate Rifle Shot: Aim carefully, aligning your sights. Take a deep breath, and them release about half of it. Squeeze the trigger slowly. Follow through.

Firing Positions-Standing

With neither arm supported, this is the most difficult position for firing an accurate shot. Rather than trying to hold the barrel steady, which is impossible, try to keep movement of the barrel to as small as possible. Smooth, natural motion will produce the best shot.

Firing Positions-Kneeling

With only one arm braced, the kneeling position is less steady than the prone and sitting positions.

Snap-Shooting

It is a technique to use if you must make a quick shot and the target is straight ahead at close range. You simply raise the shotgun and point where you think the target will be when the shot arrives.

Sighting-In Procedure

Fire your rifle from a solid bench rest with the forestock resting on a pad or a sandbag. Don't rest the gun on it's barrel - it will shoot higher than normal. Ideally, use an adjustable shooting tripod with sandbags. A spotting scope is also useful. The sighting-in process for most centerfire rifle's begins at 25 yards and then should be repeated at 100 yards. The basic steps involved firing at least three shots carefully and consistently at a target. If the bullets form a relatively small group of holes on the target, but not where you were aiming, the sights will have to be adjusted.

What You Learned

No two shotguns will shoot identical pellet patterns. To select the ammunition that provides the best performance, you must pattern your shotgun The goal is to produce a pattern of pellets with even density and a sufficient percentage of the load within a 30 inch circle. Four fundamentals You should master are standing in a relaxed, balance shooting stance; pointing the gun with your eyes sightingAlong the top of the barrel; shouldering the shotgun vibrating the stock to your cheek and then back to your shoulder; I am pulling the trigger quickly as you continue to swing the gun. The two most common methods of leading targets at long distances are swing through best for beginners and substained lead. A third method is snap shooting.

Sighting-In a Rifle

Rifle bullets don't travel in a straight line. They travel in an arc, formed by the pull of gravity. Siding is is a process of adjusting the sights to hit a target a specific range. Deerhunters, for example often site in their rifle to hit the bull's-eye at 100 yards. Sighting-in your rifle is important because it: Makes accurate shooting possible. Helps determine the farthest range at which you can hit your target. Improves safety by helping you know where your rifle will shoot. Other than ensuring accurate shots, sighting-in a rifle has other advantages: Forces you to practice Helps determine problems with your shooting technique Builds confidence in your shooting ability

Handgun Loading and Handling

Single-action revolvers typically load through a gate on the right side of the frame. To rotate the cylinder, pull The hammer back to half-cock. For a safer carry in the holster or hand, leave an empty chamber in front of the hammer. Double-action revolvers have cylinders that fall downward, exposing all chambers for loading. Semi-Automatics usually fire around stored in a magazine that is inserted in the grip or handle.

When is Your Shot Patterning Correct?

The pattern of pellets within a 30-inch circle should be of a proper, even density to ensure a clean kill. The pattern should contain a sufficient percentage of the load, which should be at least 55% to 60%.

Adjusting Your Sight

When adjusting peep or telescopic sights, the rear sights or dials are adjusted by a certain number of minutes-of-angle or "clicks" in a certain direction. Read the sights instruction manual to see how each click changes the sight at 100 yards. The rear sight is moved in the same direction you want your shot to move on the target. Moving shots from side to side is "adjusting for windage." Moving shots up or down is "adjusting for elevation." Specific instructions about trajectory and what fractions or inches you should be above the bulls eye at 25, 50, or 100 yards are usually included on sight-in targets. You also might consult a ballistics chart or get help from an experience shoot. Minutes-of-Angle: The standard measurement unit of shooting accuracy; one minute of angle (MOA) is 1/60 of one degree, or approximately one inch, at 100 yards.