poor shooting

[Dom]

Ok been getting heated over this.If you have sighted your firearm what is the reasons for shooting higher than your target.My opion is the target is out of range.Any one hold sights/scopes feet above target just to make the shot.This is poor shooting.

[nybuckboy]

I will need some more info than you are providing to answer your question.

What distance did you sight the gun in at originally?

Are you using the same grain round?

Re: Let's say you were sighted in for 1" high at 100 yds and shot at a target only 50 yards away it could be spot on a 50. If you zeroed the gun at 100 yds using a 100 grain round and then changed to a 80 gr or less round the round would shoot high.

Start from the beginning and give me some much needed info and I'll see if I can help.

[Skillet]

I was taught that if you're gun is resting on something in front of where your hand hits the forestock, it will send your shot high. I agree that holding high to compensate is poor shooting.

[Dom]

I will need some more info than you are providing to answer your question. What distance did you sight the gun in at originally? Are you using the same grain round? Re: Let's say you were sighted in for 1" high at 100 yds and shot at a target only 50 yards away it could be spot on a 50. If you zeroed the gun at 100 yds using a 100 grain round and then changed to a 80 gr or less round the round would shoot high. Start from the beginning and give me some much needed info and I'll see if I can help.

It's not myself shooting but some guys that i know they say and do hold feet above the target to hit.Why even take shots that you or any one has to guess.I my self sight in at 2 inches high at 50 so at 100/150 my shot is rite on target.Just never understood the reasons for this guessing a shot.I am not trying to start arguments just dont understand why.They are shooting shotguns. Edited January 9, 2012 by Dom

[nybuckboy]

I was taught that if you're gun is resting on something in front of where your hand hits the forestock, it will send your shot high. I agree that holding high to compensate is poor shooting.

I hadn't heard that? I too agree that holding high to compensate is poor shooting.

I like to sight a gun in so that does not shoot too high or too low out to a certain kill range, i.e. not more than 2" high or 2" low out to 250 yards yet at 100 yds it may shoot 1" high and at 150 1.5 " high and then zero in at 250.

[Skillet]

Yeah, I'm not sure if it's true or not, just being told that as a kid was enough for me to avoid it.

[nybuckboy]

OK gotcha Dom... these guys are holding high to drop the bullet into the target. Yeah then they are trying to compensate. If they were doing it for fun at targets maybe but to try to make a clean kill then that would be foolish and irresponsible. Thanks for clarifying.

[Dom]

OK gotcha Dom... these guys are holding high to drop the bullet into the target. Yeah then they are trying to compensate. If they were doing it for fun at targets maybe but to try to make a clean kill then that would be foolish and irresponsible. Thanks for clarifying.

Yea just down rite poor skills.I am glad that i do not hunt with them,cannot and will not hunt or shoot with them there talk was enough.Not my way of hunting that's for sure.WTF is wrong with these shots is what I was asked.

[erussell]

Yea just down rite poor skills.I am glad that i do not hunt with them,cannot and will not hunt or shoot with them there talk was enough.Not my way of hunting that's for sure.WTF is wrong with these shots is what I was asked.

Depends on your skillz. Snipers do it every day. What kind of holdover are we talking about? Sighted in for 100 and shooting at 200 yrds isnt to difficult If you are fimiliar with your weapon and fireing at known distances ( ie. range finder ) and can dope the wind and you have a target at over what you have the gun sighted in for than it is perfectly fine to hold over. They even make a whole line of scopes for this.But if were talking about sighted in for 100 yrds and shooting at 400 or 500 yrds that would just be plain luck or superman skillz to acheive a hit ( and yes there are some people who can do this all day long ). But if you shoot alot and know where your gun hits at every range than I dont see the problem. But I agree it's easier just to sight in for a certain range ( 3 inch high at 100 is what I usually do ) and move for a closer shot.

Edited January 9, 2012 by erussell

[Ford]

It was shotguns, so the drop is significantly more than rifles. Aiming a few feet high, sounds like out to maybe 250 yards with a gun zeroed at 100? To far for a shotgun in my opinion. The wind will wreak havoc on a shotgun slug, and most Sabots as well. A slight breeze can move shotgun slugs feet at that range. Sounds like lobbing lead for deer..Fun on targets, but ineffective for hunting..

[erussell]

Yeah pretty dumb

[bubba]

I certainly do not do it, but I do not shoot the distances where I would need to. I dont see where any average deer hunter would need to do so to kill a deer. They must be shooting long distances for sure. That being said if a person took the time to zero a rifle in and knew the amount they had to hold off, it is easily done. As mentioned, how do you think snipers pull off 2000 or better yard shots with precision. They can not hold dead on. Actually you hear guys wanting to shoot 250 yards with a ml because some guy on tv says it can be done. If you look through bdc scopes and actually figured out how high you have to hold to pull off a 250 yard dead on shot with a ml, it would surprise you. Bottom line it can be done with loads of practice, not guessing. Would I do it no. Do I condoen it no not for the average joe out hunting, there is no need.

[ants]

I hunted with a guy for 3 years before I realized he never bothered to properly sight in his gun. After he missed his 5th or 6th deer I started asking what he was doing wrong. He told be that his gun, which at the time was a brand new 1100 with a good Nikon scope, shoots " about a foot high" so he was holding low.

He was kind of new to hunting and didn't know any better. After a couple boxes of slugs I had him dialed right in and our next time out he nailed a big doe at about 50yrds.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

I highly suggest if anyone thinks about taking these kinds of shots to try it on paper. At a buddy's rage we fired my 1187 out to 300 yards at 50 yard incriments. Proof enough that you wouldn't want to do it in a hunting situation. no wind, bagged gun in a lead sled. Definitely wasn't like a rifle grouping...lol.

[chiefbkt]

I know there are new scopes that have BDC's built into them and maybe then your original crosshairs would be feet above the target? Still doesn't mean you should be shooting, unless you have actually shot those distances at the range. Speaking from experience, there aren't many ranges where you can shoot past 200 yards. Seems to me if you are holding feet above your target and shooting a shotgun, you shouldn't be squeezing the trigger. The outcome will most likely be a miss or wounded deer.

[Larry]

Usually you don’t shoot high if the target is out of range. You should shoot low. The gun may not be sighted in properly. You didn’t say if the gun is scoped or not. Need more info