What would you do if someone at the range called you crazy and full of $h!t

[landcbeitner]

Great story, thanks for sharing. I often ask guys if they know any places to shoot 1000yds or more. It's nice to find new shooting areas. Everything guys have shown me was less than 400yds! You'd think these foot ball fans would have some concept of 10 football fields! Oh well.

 

[RT2506]

I had an experience a little like this once. I was shooting at a local range that was only 200 meters long. I was shooting my 1874 Sharps copy in 45-70 just checking the new tang sight I just put on before going to a black powder silhouette match. There were two other people shooting at the range. I knew one fellow well because we have shot together a number of times but the other guy neither of us had ever seen. We had just come back from putting up some targets and I was talking to the fellow I knew. He asked what I was shooting and I told him and when he asked how well it shot I told him I could shoot groups with it at 200 meters that would put many modern scoped rifles to shame. The guy that we did not know just spoke up out of the blue with something like " I'd bet $50.00 there ain't know GD way no rifle shooting black powder and cast bullets with open sights will out a modern scoped rifle". I just looked at him and the rifle that he had laying on the bench, a Browning BLR 308 with a cheap Simmons scope on it, and said. We both have clean targets that we just put up. Your target is at 100 yards and mine is at 200 meters. Shoot you 5 shots and I will shoot 5 shots and we will just see what happens. We both shot and when we went to look at the targets he had right at a 2 1/2 inch group at 100 yards when we got to my target at 200 meters there was a group right at 1 1/2 with 4 shots in about 3/4 inch. I just looked at the guy and said put your money where you mouth was. He started sputtering and crawfishing but the other fellow said buddy you made the statement about a $50.00 bet and this man beat you fair and square. He pulled out a $50.00 bill that looked like he had been sitting on it a long time. I just took it and never said a word. The fellow turned and walked back to the firing line picked up his stuff and left and I have never seen him again. Oh! That just happened to be about the tightest group I have every fired with that rifle.

 

[Hammer47]

yep

I believe his brother is a "life member" at the yahoo club I am forced to shoot at. Regards...g

 

[ss7mm]

Great story, thanks for sharing. I often ask guys if they know any places to shoot 1000yds or more. It's nice to find new shooting areas. Everything guys have shown me was less than 400yds! You'd think these foot ball fans would have some concept of 10 football fields! Oh well.

The old football field guessing thing really throws them, especially if you are looking across a canyon etc.

One place where I shoot we get out to 500 yards but if we back up across a little draw we can easily get just over 800 yards. I've asked people to guess the range where we shoot 800 + and I've never had a guess under 1000 yards and one guy guessed 1750 yards. I told him a mile is 1760 yards and he said nope, it's not a mile but he thought it was about 1750 yards. Hey, with an eagle eye like that he doesn't even need a rangefinder.

 

[ss7mm]

Oh! That just happened to be about the tightest group I have every fired with that rifle.

Hey, it may not do it every time but it did it when the big bucks were on the line.

 

[landcbeitner]

The old football field guessing thing really throws them, especially if you are looking across a canyon etc.

One place where I shoot we get out to 500 yards but if we back up across a little draw we can easily get just over 800 yards. I've asked people to guess the range where we shoot 800 + and I've never had a guess under 1000 yards and one guy guessed 1750 yards. I told him a mile is 1760 yards and he said nope, it's not a mile but he thought it was about 1750 yards. Hey, with an eagle eye like that he doesn't even need a rangefinder.

I'm guessing his job requires him to have his name on his shirt .

 

[Eaglet]

ss7mm,

I enjoyed that post. Thanks!

 

[Boss Hoss]

On the other hand one could say "sach mir vas das eich nicht veiss"!!! LOL Make sure and use your best German accent!!

 

[magicofmt]

ss7mm, great read and great composure. I would have been in the betting mode to shut him up, you did it right.

Nice shooting too!

 

[Captn C]

Great read!

I have guilded a number of hunters ove the years on all types of big game, but there was one stand out incident your story brought to mind.

We were high racking West TX Mule Deer when I spot a nice 5X4 at the base of a rock slide. The hunter was an older gentalman that was shooting one or the first 7mm RM I'd ever seen...that ages me doesn't it. This is way before range finders, but I was/am fairly decent out to about 500yds. I called the shot at 300, he settles in and takes a shot. It hit so far up the slide the deer didn't even know he was shooting at him, about 15 feet high. I told him the shot was way high. The next shot is around 10 feet high, again I call that it's very high. The deer is still standing there. His 3rd shot rings out, just over his antlers. At the bullet impact the deer runs down the slide towards us and stops. This is when he tells me he is out of ammo and his shells are on the front seat of the truck.

I just right off the top of the rack and grab the shells off the seat. He pops one round in the gun looks at me and asks, "how far did you say it is?". I told him a bit over 250 now, at the crack the mulely stand on it's back legs and falls over backwards, but jump right back up. I'm getting pretty frustrated about this time and again he asks "how far is that?" The mulely is now wallking away from us, I made a quick decision and told him to aim for the base of the tail. I knew the animal was already hit and wanted him on the ground. He loaded another round and fired, this folding the deer on the spot.

We later found the first hit was to the base of the deers ear! After it was all over he questioned whether the shot was as ar as I had said. I already knew the gun was 1 1/2 high at 100, we shot it in when he arrived. He was using handloaded ammo that was pretty hot too.

He thought he needed that much elevation (15') to make the shot! During my time on that ranch I regularly shot doe with 270win out to 300 yards without any problem from the high rack, so I knew what 300 looked like.

As you guys well know, you gotta know your gun!

 

[GSoD]

Something I've been using to aid in 500 and under visual range estimation is golf references. Is it a par 5, 4 or 3?

But none of that will help you if you're tacking on 15' of elevation at 300