rost495 is new(and slow)

[rost495]

Hi All

I skipped this part too because I was in a hurry and wanted answers.

Anyway an intro. I am 41 and have been mostly a bowhunter and iron sight competitive highpower rifle shooter. In Rifle I have managed the highest classification possible with iron sights out to 1000 yards. Doesn't make me a MZ shooter though and I"m here to learn and probably will have high expectations. Whether I can meet them or not who knows. But I'm sure all of you will go a long ways to helping me.

I'll interject that I'm not so much into the MZ for the sport of it as for the opportunity. Having recently lost my dad I'm not getting younger and the MZ looks like it gives further range than the bow, with less competition in the woods than centerfire rifle, better season times etc... Of course I'm confident I can stretch the range of the gun quite a bit, but thats my personal desires. Just in case I need to make a longer shot.

As time progresses I may well get hooked, right now I'm trying to accomplish a few goals of animals never taken, and with a bow its just flat tough to do sometimes. You have to be happy with the experience lots of times with the bow. And I am/was. But the mountains aren't getting any easier so its time to grab my smokepoles and run.

What I have.
TC Hawken in 45. Used to shoot round balls in it till I lost a deer with a double lung shot and lots of blood. Went to buffalo bullets and all worked well. Wife even used it a few times.
TC Encore in 45 that I bought for use in New Mexico since you can use a scope. Mostly as a deer rifle.(duh) It shoots good enough that 300 yards is not a stretch with it and a dead center and 777.
TC Renegade(thats been all my subject lately) that has never been shot but is upgrading right now and will be my primary elk gun in the future for MZ hunts.

I'm mostly out of competition shooting but still coach teams a bunch and shoot enough to keep sharp. I can still go a year without shooting and win the next match which Im happy about.

I'm fortunate(not salary wise though) to live in the country and have my own 22 range at 50 yards in the yard with backstop, and about 200 yards out of the yard have my own range with benches at 100,200,300 and 600 with another portable bench that I drag with the truck on skids.

Me personally. Married 10 years. Wife is an outdoors person though is tied tightly to our dogs(no kids) and doesn't hunt much anymore but goes with me a lot. She is a triathlete and in shape. I'm getting in shape. I love anything outdoors. Started as a surveyor, went into taxidermy till it wouldn't pay the bills and am currently a building inspector for a small town of about 4500. I love fishing, hunting, shooting, dabble with the camera. And have a tough time doing any taxidermy on the side anymore as I'm the only child and have 3 houses and 100 acres to look after.

Thanks for all your help and help in the future. Am sure I'll pester you all enough when I run into something that stumps me. I am different in some ways. This 54 is a prime example. I"ll now mess with and upgrade the gun and it may take me another 2-3 months till I have the gear on it that I want and then I'll go shoot it for the first time. Working up loads will be the most work. Then I'll swap over to shooting elk cutouts at various ranges out to 200 yards to feel good. Yet practice after that is kinda moot- trigger time is just that, if I'm shooting pistol, rifle, bow or MZ the basics are all the same and I tend to adapt to any weapon easily(save the shotgun which I can't hit squat with and pisses my lab off)

Thanks and enough rambling.
Jeff

 

[Blue-Dot-37.5]

Jeff:

Welcome! I'm found mostly at the Smokeless Muzzleloader board, although I do bounce around a bit.

Yeah, once you have rifle shooting down pat, it's hard to shoot a shotgun well. It might help to have the shotgun fitted to you. Your eye is the rear sight, and if it's not in the same (correct) place every time, well, you know what that means.

I used to shoot .22 on a college rifle team, and a few years after that started shooting a shotgun. My biggest problems were 1) shooting with one eye, looking at the shotgun sight and 2) not following thru.

To cure problem 1, I had the gun fitted to me, and I was able to shoot stationary aspirins with a .38 cal rubber bullet (rifled insert in the shotgun) @ 20' with no sights on the shotgun. I was told that if the gun is fitted to you, it's no different than pointing at something with your finger. You know, it works!

Problem 2 was cured with lots of shells and clay birds. I was taught to shoot the bird, then either a) shoot the largest piece with the next shell, b) follow the unbroken bird down to the ground with the gun after I shot and missed or c) follow the largest piece of the broken bird down to the ground.

Those 2 things helped my shotgun shooting the most.

Blue-Dot-37.5

 

[dwhunter]

Welcome to the board!

 

[rost495]

BD, I hear ya on practice. Lucky I have a shotgun range a few miles away. BUT its so bad on my rifle shooting I rarely go shoot. Dog just has to put up with my poor dove shooting. I'd rather keep my rifle shooting on edge as we have few dove, few ducks etc.... around here unless you pay big bucks. So we spoil the lab as he's an inside dog anyway. Plus he's more excited when I finally kill one!!

But thanks for the advice. I have a former skeet shooter at that range thats a good friend. used to shoot competition. He tells me how when I do shoot and I'm good for maybe 15 of 25 or so.

Jeff