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Hunting >> Hunting in Africa & hunting dangerous game
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EricD
.416 member


Reged: 27/02/04
Posts: 4636
Shooting practice before a safari poll.
      #29746 - 19/04/05 07:51 PM





Note that the question is about the rifles you will be hunting with, and not other rifles you may shoot besides anyway. If you do shoot a lot of other rifles anyway, even a .22LR, feel free to commment this with a post.
How many rounds do you shoot with the guns you will be hunting with, before going on a safari.
You may choose only one
0-50
50-100
100-200
200-300
300-400
400-500
500-600
600-700
700-800
800-900
1000 or more


Votes accepted from (01/12/06 05:24 AM) to (No end specified)
View the results of this poll



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NitroXAdministrator
.700 member


Reged: 25/12/02
Posts: 39889
Loc: Barossa Valley, South Australi...
Re: Shooting practice before a safari poll. [Re: EricD]
      #29751 - 19/04/05 09:06 PM

Erik

Is this just before a safari or between safaris? For example I will use my .375 on pigs and maybe goats as practice for the safari which might be a couple years away.

One of these hunts could have involved shooting several hundred rounds in the good old days.

If I am hunting plains game I will practice a lot more with my .30-06 than with a .375 or a .450. Say a couple hundred rounds with a .30-06 compared to say 50 to 100 rounds with a .375 and probably well less than 50 with the .450.

I would also shoot several hundred rounds through my .22 and .22 Magnum reinforcing the reload at the shoulder, not bringing the rifle down to reload. Also snap shooting and practice shooting as soon as the reticle hits the target.



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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

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Boomer
.300 member


Reged: 13/04/05
Posts: 144
Loc: The Hudson Bay Coast, Canada
Re: Shooting practice before a safari poll. [Re: EricD]
      #29756 - 19/04/05 10:46 PM

Erik -

The number of rounds fired are not as improtant as the type of firing you do. For example, one should practice shooting from field positions, concentrating on off hand and snap shooting. I think you should also train yourself to shoot off hand after a hard run which leaves you out of breath and your heart rate elevated. Another drill I like is to have a 5 gallon plastic pail tied behind a quad or a Jeep, position yourself between the two, and try to hit the pail as it jumps and rolls towards you. When live fire is not possible, dry fire as much as you can stand. Keep the ranges short, and work on obtaining fast sight pictures and quick trigger releases.

Mike

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EricD
.416 member


Reged: 27/02/04
Posts: 4636
Re: Shooting practice before a safari poll. [Re: NitroX]
      #29758 - 20/04/05 12:10 AM

John,

I was thinking about the time period when you are nearing a safari (say about 3-6 months before leaving?). Of course, if one goes to africa every year (or more) than I guess you can bring "time between safaris" into the equation. Unfortunatly, few of us go that often!

Although I feel that all shooting is worthwhile, I personally think that shooting as much as possible (with relevant drills, and not from a bench) with the rifle you will be using on the hunt is better than with other rifles. For example; I've seen people shortstroke their longer bolts when stressed, after having shot their other guns which had much shorter bolts in smaller caliburs for awhile.

In my 375H&H I use cheap Hornady 220 grain bullets (the flat nosed ones designed for 375win) for practice loads, and have in the last week shot about 150 rounds. I'll be going thru another 100 this weekend, and will most likely continue with this during most weekends until I leave for Zim in the end of June. I basically did the same the 2 other times I've gone to africa specifically to hunt. Also because it's fun and I like to shoot of course.

I do see that it would get a bit expensive shooting "tons" of ammo in a big double, but I wonder if a SxS shotgun might be a good way to practice without the high cost?

Erik

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EricD
.416 member


Reged: 27/02/04
Posts: 4636
Re: Shooting practice before a safari poll. [Re: Boomer]
      #29760 - 20/04/05 12:27 AM

Mike,

I absolutly agree that shooting of a bench is not relevant training for a hunt. And thus, I only shoot off a bench for sighting in a scope of for trying out loads. Most shooting I do is off-hand and snap shooting, sitting on the ground (or on tree stumps) with my elbows on my knees for support, and kneeling on one knee. Often, I will walk towards the target, either straight or at an angle, and shot on command when ordered (usually by my wife!). I try to make things as close to the CQB shooting I did back in the military as I feel that is rather simular to hunting shooting in many ways.

And I always cycle my bolt with the rifle still in a shooting position.

Up here in Norway we have 1 liter milk and juice cartons made of paper. I often fill these with water, and set them at various ranges, where I try to shoot them as fast as possible. I feel this is rather good practice, and hits or misses are of course visable immidiately.

The 5 gallon jug sounds like a good idea. I'll try it out!

Erik

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AussieMike
.300 member


Reged: 01/09/04
Posts: 236
Loc: Southern Tablelands, NSW, Aust...
Re: Shooting practice before a safari poll. [Re: EricD]
      #29786 - 20/04/05 01:01 PM

Like Erik, I prefer reactive targets like water filled jugs or logs destined for the fire - I get my wife to put the logs she can't split out as targets then she collects the split wood after I've shot them. (I'm temporarily crippled and not just a real slave driver). The 470 is a much better log splitter than the 375.

I'm also trying timing my time to first shot and between shots by videoing - only two hits count.

Shooting with small bores is actually counterproductive - I get in the habit of a too slow trigger squeeze and don't pay enough attention to maintaining exactly the same grip on the rifle. You can get away with a lot shooting a 243.

Paper patched cast bullets are making a lot of practice with my 470 economically feasible.

I'm lucky that I live in the bush a lot of the time and am finding that a few shots each day (2-8) is better than a lot of shooting once every week or two. Two shots a day every couple of days is over 300 470 shots a year.

mike

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SafariHunt
.333 member


Reged: 02/01/03
Posts: 468
Loc: Pretoria RSA
Re: Shooting practice before a safari poll. [Re: EricD]
      #29802 - 20/04/05 09:30 PM

I enjoy shooting not just for the practise but for the fun of it especially when working with loads so I must say for every animal that falls to a bullet I must have shot 50-60 rounds. This is now however when I was younger around 16 it must have been 10-20 rounds per animal.

The only reason why it is so much more is because I can afford the ammo much easier.


--------------------
"Sleeping under the African sky I can see nothing wrong with this world!"

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