Thread: .22 zero

i've shot a lot of rabbits at extended range with holdover and standard crosshair. you get to know the sight picture a various distances, so no guess work involved. mind you, I'm old, and learned to shoot with a flintlock and a scope with no aiming aids but the centre cross hair.

Originally Posted by craigc

I haven't fired as many shots as him but personally think that .22 use sharpens your hunting skills significantly.

One year I fired over 10,000 shots at animals as a recreational hunter. Mostly off the shoulder, to say that my centre fire shooting ability increased as a result of that would be a massive understatement; using a rifle just became automatic...

Like so many of you, I really rate rabit shooting as a precursor to deer hunting.

I now exclusively use CCI subs.

Undoubtedly correct on all accounts. You're right on the money Craigc.

The humble rabbit is an underrated game animal. They teach you so much, not only about shooting but about hunting and about yourself.

I have my .22's set for 30m. Quite simply this is because 90% of the rabbits I shoot are around that range. I see no point sighting my .22 at 50m just because everyone thinks that's a good distance for a .22 when, in the places I hunt, the rabbits are all sitting closer. Yes I can shoot them at 100m and occasionally I do but quite frankly I prefer to stalk in and get close. This way I miss fewer rabbits and it hones my stalking skills.

I recently put a Burris .22 Droptine Scope on one of the 10/22's and after just one season I can see the advantages but I'm still getting used to it. I've probably not shot any more or any less rabbits for having it but it does seem to make the 60m to 80m shots more accountable because it definitely helps with holdover. Putting a $400 scope on a .22 took some mental reconciliation but at the end of the day I figured I shoot more rounds from my .22's per year than any other calibre, so why have not have a half decent scope?

As for improving your abilities on big game...? Really it's all about being current. When I'm out shooting rabbits 3 times a week, month after month, eventually I can pull off some surprisingly good shots. You can't substitute hands-on time with anything. Experience counts. When the roar comes around in March/April, those last 6 months of rabbit hunting with a .22 bring about confidence in yourself and your abilities that can't be bought from any shop. You're current, you're on top of all your skills, you're practiced. Seeing a deer and putting it down cleanly unfolds instinctively.

CCI subs are doing it for me. They seem to be much better than any other subsonic ammo I've tried.

Originally Posted by Growlybear

you get to know the sight picture a various distances, so no guess work involved.

Can still get tricked by rabbits that are bigger or smaller than you thought, looking closer or further away though! Catches me sometimes at least.