Beyond that, bullets drift more in the wind at farther distances. At 500 yards, the bullet drop was 49 inches. But at 400 yards, the drop turned into 23.7 inches-that’s almost two feet. At 300 yards, the bullet drop (how far the projectile falls upon exiting the muzzle of your rifle until it strikes the target) of that cartridge was a mere eight inches. Last year, I was practicing for an antelope hunt with a Barnes TSX 130-grain bullet in 6.5 Creedmoor with a muzzle velocity of 2,825 feet per second. Joe GenzelĪt longer ranges, your bullet drops exponentially. You Are Not a Long-Range Sniper (And Don’t Need to Be) Shooting accurately at longer distances is a big leap for new shooters. And that’s what you have to find: an instructor with high-level knowledge who can answer any question you have, and correct all your mistakes (you will make a lot, and it’s fine). Rifle shooting is complex, but Kauber caters to your skill level. I also learned that the rifle was far more capable than I was, and that I needed to set my own shooting parameters before hunting. He taught us how to shoot running game (which I don’t recommend you try until you have practiced extensively) and set up a simulated “hunt” so I could get a feel for how quick the actual experience would transpire. Before that, I’d never shot a rifle beyond 200 yards. By the end of the two-day class, I was ringing steel at 500 yards. Kauber is an ex-NAVY Seal Master Chief who covers all the basics in the classroom before taking you out to the range. I had no real concept of how to zero my rifle properly until I took Jim Kauber’s rifle hunting course at THE SITE. If you don’t know any experienced shooters, sign up for a class. To avoid frustration, bring an experienced shooter to help you. The sighting-in process alone is technical. Learning to shoot a rifle accurately on your own is next to impossible. It’s a great starter platform for right around $1,000. I bought a Weatherby Vanguard Select in 6.5 Creedmoor and topped it with a Leupold VX 3i 5.5-10×40 scope. Any new shooter can only stand so much battering before bad habits develop. You’re going to be shooting the rifle a ton and magnum calibers deliver more recoil. You should also select a cartridge with manageable recoil, like a. When you step up to a centerfire, do not spend more than $1,000 on your first rifle (remember: you have to buy a scope, too). I had shot some rimfires before buying a centerfire, so I went straight to a 6.5 Creedmoor. You can buy one (with a scope) and practice until you feel comfortable moving to a centerfire. Practicing with a rimfire will help you build skills for shooting a centerfire rifle. But all the concepts for shooting accurately are the same. There is way less recoil with rimfires than centerfires, and ammo is cheaper. If you have never shot a rifle before, purchase a rimfire, like a. What You Need to Know Before Buying a Rifle Once you learn the basics, and what pitfalls to avoid, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a competent rifle shooter. You have to mount a scope, boresight it, and sight-in the rifle before you can practice effectively. ![]() You can’t just pick up a bolt gun and shoot it accurately. And I know that for beginners, shooting a rifle can often seem a daunting task. I tell that story because I didn’t let a roadblock (my hatred for math) stop me from pursuing something I wanted to do. But hunting with a rifle-and shooting one at the range-was so fun that I didn’t mind relearning basic arithmetic. And if you don’t know (and as I found out), rifle shooting is a mathematical pursuit. All of my hunting career, I used shotguns, because in my home state of Illinois there are few game animals you can legally kill with a centerfire or rimfire, so there’s very limited opportunity to hunt with a rifle. But then, later in life, I started shooting rifles. Once school was out, I said so long to math. ![]() Algebra, geometry, statistics…I narrowly passed. ![]() I’ll be honest: I became a writer because I sucked at math. There are some basics beginners need to know before becoming a rifle hunter.
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