What is your effective range?

I use a 13"-27" tall bipod. It allows me to sit cross legged (can't comfortably do prone) & it's a very stable position for me. I zero at 50 & am confident with my equipment & abilities from 50 to about 130 yards where a lot of kills occur. I've definitely made longer kills with the longest at 178 yards (FXBoss .30), all with pellets as my guns don't do slugs. Below 50 yards is almost a no brainer (for me AND the squirrels, if you get my drift). My guns are always up to the task & my comfort level depends on how well I'M performing on any given day. After all, I'm NOT a machine

Vana2 said:

The hunting season is only a couple of months long so I spent the rest of the time plinking and pesting to improve my effective range. I use a one-inch target as a reference as it represents the kill-zone on pests, squirrels and rabbits.

You see a lot of nice groups from people target shooting in ideal conditions. I'm curious what kinds groups people can achieve in a hunting situation without a bench and a rest.

So what is the range at which you can take an off-hand shot with a high degree of confidence (80% or better?) that you will hit what you are shooting at?

My personal effective range is between 2 and 25 yards. I can expect to hit a one-inch spinner, off-hand, 8 out of 10 times (or better) anywhere within that range.


When I’m hunting or pesting and using a tree for a rest my effective range is 40 to 50 yards in calm conditions. Much beyond that bipods and shooting prone is required and that is not practical for me due to mobile targets, ground cover, ticks and old-man sore joints.

Pesting birds at long ranges with my Panthera is great fun but I admit that I need a lot more practice at reading the wind. A hit on a grackle beyond 100 yards is more of the bird's bad luck than any skill of mine - it's always a surprise to both of us

Cheers!

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I can relate to all of your issues ! New hip coming next week ! I rarely take offhand shots anymore . I have a bipod ,shooting sticks or tripod w/ me at all times . I'm still recovering from shoulder replacements within the last year and holding up any gun is a "pain" ! I practice regularly out to 65 yrds on a stool or SUV bumper w/ sticks / tripod . I keep most shots in 2in or less on good days w/ little wind . I take most of my pests & G-hogs this way. I'm not techie enough to use ballistic apps & such , so no dialing & cranking turrets for me . At best I do a dash or two on the scope reticle after ranging w/ my ranging binos .

Off hand 70 yards is about my limit with 0 wind. .22 fx crown mk1, 380mm barrel, 16gr aa pellets @960fps

50-65 yards off hand with a tree, propane tank, building for support. 120 yards prone or from the bench for Starlings. 30-50 yards unsupported, offhand.

I can achieve 1 ragged hole at any distance, I'm somewhat of a marksman....provided I only take one shot.

Maximum range for 80% confidence offhand? 0! I might not be the worst offhand shooter in existence, but I'd be competitive for it. In truth, I just don't take offhand shots when hunting. I'm either seated with a stick, or standing beside a tree. The kill zone on a squirrel is small, and I won't starve if I pass up a shot.

Offhand free floating 25 - 30 yards for me lol . Small game and pest only . using sticks or the side of a tree 50 and under lol

elh0102 said:

Maximum range for 80% confidence offhand? 0! I might not be the worst offhand shooter in existence, but I'd be competitive for it. In truth, I just don't take offhand shots when hunting. I'm either seated with a stick, or standing beside a tree. The kill zone on a squirrel is small, and I won't starve if I pass up a shot.

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Ed, I'm in that same category & not ashamed to admit it. Just don't have the strength in my left shoulder anymore to be an offhand shooter. The property owners of where I do pest control don't care if I use a bipod, they want results & I want humane kills.

Vana2 said:

The hunting season is only a couple of months long so I spent the rest of the time plinking and pesting to improve my effective range. I use a one-inch target as a reference as it represents the kill-zone on pests, squirrels and rabbits.

You see a lot of nice groups from people target shooting in ideal conditions. I'm curious what kinds groups people can achieve in a hunting situation without a bench and a rest.

So what is the range at which you can take an off-hand shot with a high degree of confidence (80% or better?) that you will hit what you are shooting at?

My personal effective range is between 2 and 25 yards. I can expect to hit a one-inch spinner, off-hand, 8 out of 10 times (or better) anywhere within that range.


When I’m hunting or pesting and using a tree for a rest my effective range is 40 to 50 yards in calm conditions. Much beyond that bipods and shooting prone is required and that is not practical for me due to mobile targets, ground cover, ticks and old-man sore joints.

Pesting birds at long ranges with my Panthera is great fun but I admit that I need a lot more practice at reading the wind. A hit on a grackle beyond 100 yards is more of the bird's bad luck than any skill of mine - it's always a surprise to both of us

Cheers!

Click to expand...

Despite many state and national champion titles, I don't even want to speculate what my answer would be, Vana. But truth be told, my maximum range probably wouldn't differ much from your's. That confessed, I'll take this opportunity to not only commend your honesty, but also your practice regimen.

Being a lifelong hunter, I've long been torn between strong hunting instincts and making my hunting more sporting propositions by using sporting means, methods and weapons. But no matter the chosen means, methods and weapons, the hunter owes the prey as humane demise as probable. No; in hunting, given anything less than a good brain-shot, humane demises are virtually impossible.

A good example is my decades-long archery and bowhunting affliction that devolved through the decades from compound bows to recurves, to longbows, and ultimately, to stick-bows in order to make it necessary to approach quarry to almost spitting-distance, where the advantage shifts considerably to potential quarry. However I eventually gave up bowhunting because there is NO WAY to have confidence a well-launched arrow won't injure an animal that dodged before the arrow arrives ('jumped the string'). I still enjoy archery immensely; but for the therapeutic value, rather than a hunting method.



'Ladybug', my favorite bow (of my own making).

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Max is 20 yards , @ 20 YDS i can brain shoot a Squirrel or i do not take the shot if their is any "IF "involved .

Much of my pesting is from a rest, and at that 46 yards with my HW95 is my longest kill shot. 177 dome on dome shot.

Walking and shooting off hand I use one of my Prods with a red dot, so 25 yards max.

The environments where I shoot do not allow for much over 50 yards. In a couple weeks I am going on a woodchuck mission. I will set up at 25 yards from the burrow with my AA s500 .22 and play peeekaboo…

range is the least important factor, but with the right gun and time to set up the shot i can get stuff to 100 or so .. but like i said, least important factor .. im going to get closer, ideally around 25y im coming for his as lol, there will be no escape ..

dizzums said:

range is the least important factor, but with the right gun and time to set up the shot i can get stuff to 100 or so .. but like i said, least important factor .. im going to get closer, ideally around 25y im coming for his as lol, there will be no escape ..

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You're not killing things with head shots at 100y taking offhand shots with an airgun.

As for me, knowing my very average field target standing scores, I'd stick to 15y on a 1" kill zone. And 80% would be tough.

In the field I use an ACCU-TAC bipod with double leg extensions which makes the rifle quite stable and have taken ground squirrels out to 120yds in .22. I am lousy at offhand shooting so I don't shoot offhand .

I'm also horrible off hand. With a rest 98 yards on pigeon lights out no wind 25 gr 22 cal pellet at about 940 ish from redwolf 22 hp

Top Field Target shooters being a good example of realistic offhand shooting capabilities of the best shots on Earth, and Troyer Factors being a good measure of Field Target shot difficulty(s), we can extract realistic offhand attempts from those particular airgunners, and those quantifications.

The Troyer Factor difficulty multiplier from FT freestyle positions (sitting, with supports and aids ranging from bum-bags to stools, to bipods, to girdle-esque harnesses, to shooting jackets and gloves) to OFFHAND position/shots is 1.75 X. The average Troyer Factor shot-difficulties for State and National Championship Field Target events being 35 Troyer, doing the math that means forced OFFHAND shots averaging no more than 35T; and usually LESS than 35T. WTH does THAT mean?

It means the best airgun shooters alive not only typically face forced-offhand shots of no higher difficulty than 1" at 20 yards IN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP competitions, but the best of those best struggle to achieve 75% success on such offhand shots, and 75% PLUS of the best Field Target shooters in the United States HATE forced offhand!

Ask me how I know.



On second thought, never mind.

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Well I cannot argue with that lol . I guess I am not as ethical out here in country bumpkin land as I would like to think .

I will still shoot at a rabbit within 25 to 30 yards haha.

swNCsw said:

Well I cannot argue with that lol . I guess I am not as ethical out here in country bumpkin land as I would like to think .

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Hey, country bumpkins are among my favorite people.

Correction- folks!

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