Practice rifles

[Deleted member 103481]

Do you primarily practice with your hunting rifles?

Do you use a small cartridge “trainer” for trigger time, fundamentals, better barrel life?

Most LR hunting rifles are barrel burners and while barrels are expendable, when you’re shooting 100 rounds a month or so on a big boomer you’re going to be doing load work up before hunting season every year...not even considering component costs...so how do you personally balance getting trigger time?

this is a bit of an open ended conversation I’m just interested in what y’all are doing, and figured this could be a good and educational discussion with many stuck inside and bored

 

[JMW67]

Do you primarily practice with your hunting rifles?

Do you use a small cartridge “trainer” for trigger time, fundamentals, better barrel life?

Most LR hunting rifles are barrel burners and while barrels are expendable, when you’re shooting 100 rounds a month or so on a big boomer you’re going to be doing load work up before hunting season every year...not even considering component costs...so how do you personally balance getting trigger time?

this is a bit of an open ended conversation I’m just interested in what y’all are doing, and figured this could be a good and educational discussion with many stuck inside and bored

I shoot a 22lr at 100 and a 22 hornet to 250 great for practice mainly trigger control and body position in different shooting positions

 

[ButterBean]

Every Rig I have is a Practice Rifle, I show no favoritism as I'm an Equal Opportunity Offender

 

[memtb]

I shoot a 22lr at 100 and a 22 hornet to 250 great for practice mainly trigger control and body position in different shooting positions

We have Ruger 77/22’s, which have been worked on, to replicate as close as is reasonable, to the stock length, trigger pull and rifle weight....as that of our hunting rifles! We don’t shoot our hunting rifles much during the off season.....other than an occasional coyote hunt!

I guess we kinda follow the KISS method......one practice rife and one hunting rifle! memtb

 

[MarshMello]

I use a MPA .22. Same chassis, scope reticle and trigger set weight as my competition rifle. For hunting rifles,, same concept. .22 in a similar configuration as my hunting rifle. It is much cheaper shooting .22 rounds! Fundamentals are the same so that works for me. I just practice on smaller targets/closer ranges.

 

[benchracer]

My 264 Win Mag is the only hunting rifle I have that could be considered a barrel burner. I have done load development with it and practice with it only enough to stay familiar with POI. Barrel life isn't really a consideration with my other hunting rifles, but component cost and availability is definitely a consideration.

For me, practice involves more than just staying sharp. I am still developing and expanding my long range shooting skills. Improving my ability to adjust for wind and mirage, along with precision shooting under field conditions, is a constant focus for me. Because of this, my practice/shooter development is multi-tiered:

1. Shooting in local F-T/R "club matches". I have both a .223 and a .308 for this purpose. I shoot the .223 in Mid-Range (500 or 600 yards) matches. I test match loads for my .308 in Mid-Range matches, in preparation for Long Range (1000 yards) and/or Palma format matches (800. 900, and 1000 yards).

2. Known Distance practice with hunting rifles AND match rifles on an informal range. This is also where the majority of load development takes place.

3. Varminting, primarily with 22 centerfires, but occasionally with 22 rimfires. Varminting is where it all comes together: Wind and range estimation, target detection, coping with mirage, shooting from field positions (sometimes at moving targets), and stretching my skills by seeking out and taking more difficult shots.

 

[YZ-80]

I take the CZ 455 out on walks and practice shooting at tree rats. They are quick little buggers. I suppose I’ll be eating them soon.

 

[26Reload]

All my rifles are plinker/hunters....
Also have 77-22....shoots good...but for precision....NOT....
time out on a hillside shooting is invaluable....

 

[Deleted member 103481]

I take the CZ 455 out on walks and practice shooting at tree rats. They are quick little buggers. I suppose I’ll be eating them soon. View attachment 184794

I’ve been looking for a 455 just like that for some time, Is that threaded barrel factory?

 

[YZ-80]

I’ve been looking for a 455 just like that for some time, Is that threaded barrel factory?

Yup. I got the barrel aftermarket. It’s a CZ barrel. I bought it as a .17 hmr (not threaded). They also have a 22 mag barrel. I think I got the barrel several years ago at CTD. I just recently put it on. Good little shooter. Can’t wait to get a Sparrow Can for it.

 

[Blancoalex]

We use both 22LR's for out to 300yd and then 223 and 6mm's for little bigger practice out to 1000yds.
Depends on how much noise we want to make that day.

Depending on your Big Rig you can almost match same velocity and BC with the 6mm's.

 

[ATH]

I put most of my rifles in a couple of the McMillan stock models with the A2 grip, and try to stick with similar scopes. Same trigger. So I can shoot several rifles with almost identical ergonomics. So my LR rig is a 338 Edge but I can practice similar setup with 243AI, 6X45.

 

[sp6x6]

My practice 338NM, heavier than I like for packing shoots exactl load,same builder.Its back up rig set,shot fair number of critters.If i shoot it out new barrel,be good for my kid,or if we do big hunt together,same ammo

 

[ARCaveman]

I take the CZ 455 out on walks and practice shooting at tree rats. They are quick little buggers. I suppose I’ll be eating them soon. View attachment 184794

Great looking rifle sir!