Thread: Perplexing, inexplicable misses

Originally Posted by Max Headroom

It grouped very well in my Stirling 14p

likewise max winchester powerpoint /rabbit ammo was the deadliest medicine out for possums /rabbits and some of the effects of mushrooming rounds were 100%bloody impressive .

Originally Posted by kotuku

a 12guage shotgun delivers a very terminal dose of contraception on a screaming buck of horny wee doe and "its a once in a lifetime happening "if ya gets my drift . .22,303 or 12guage used em all on jackos sometimes with bloody spectacular results . seen a screaming snarling shitting buck jacko in a house roof get met with a double det from Dads sxs 12g at 1'range in my childhood .yup i can stillsee the red rimmed hole in the house roof now and a bloody uncle grasping 2/3of a jacko carcass (front legs back head gone!)
recoil oon a 12g -if youve got it locked in on the mild end .if youre recoil sensitve try using 28gm trap loads to assist .

Hmmm. I had quite a sheltered upbringing compared to that. The only thing I can compare it to is something I don't actually remember myself.... but evidently, somewhere around the Lewis pass I think in the latter half of the 1950s, I was a sleeping toddler on the seat of the car. Dad saw a deer and leaned over me to shoot it through the open window using a long-barrelled Luger. People did stuff like that back then....

I've also been told stories about my great grandfather and cats... evidently he chased one down their long hallway while chopping at it with a sword. I think the only casualty was the carpet runner. Another time he managed to shoot the cat with his (Greener?) shot gun as it leaped from the hallway floor through an open sash window. That's fairly classy.

I stabbed one in ceiling with my set of antlers...the huas were coming into shed and stealing tux dog bickies.i looked up and saw the building paper move...my ten point antlers were nearest weapon to hand lol.

Earlier in the thread I mentioned a problem I had with my Norinco JW15 not grouping well. I shoot a lot of CCI Standard Velocity solid round nose and I was wondering if I had a bad batch of this ammo. I shot groups of it from other rifles and it grouped well.

I had a scope on the rifle which I'd been suspicious about. I'd had more than just a few flyers with it. I don't want to mention brand names or dealers because my problem doesn't mean the dealer is incompetent and it doesn't mean that every scope of that make is suspect. Anyway, I'd taken the scope back to the dealer hoping I'd get it replaced, but they took it away and tested it and pronounced that it was OK and suggested that I must have another problem. However I've fired more than just a few rounds in my life, and I thought that the scope still wasn't right. I bought a Tasco 'World Class' scope online which happened to be on sale at well under half of what my suspect scope cost me. I mounted it on the Norinco and sighted it in. The scope responded well to adjustment, and I shot some very satisfying groups. Nice clear optics too.

I took the dodgy scope back to the dealer and traded it for another toy. I explained that it didn't work well for me and that they should test it to ensure that it was OK knowing that they could get a replacement from the manufacturer if it failed to work properly.

It is good to have the problem sorted out. I like having the confidence of knowing that the bullet should land fairly close to where I'm holding the crosshairs.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

The best ammunition for .22lr from my teen years before Winchester power point came out was in white box with blue picture of Aussie in it. Called Aussie ammo. It was bare lead and a solid with dimple in the tip...not enough to be called a hollow point. It was fantastic stuff and I've never seen it since nor even found photos of it.

I remember using Aussie Ammo. It had the same 40 gr. semi-hollow point projectile as RabbitAmmo and Dynapoint. Nothing special, but we were teenagers with sharp eyesight shooting thousands of rounds of .22 ammo at targets, tin cans and rabbits. We got pretty good at it.

You bloody ripper,I've been trying to find photo of it for years.

Originally Posted by Jaco Goosen

Hey Coote.

I've had this several times over the years hunting jackal and warthog. Upon studying possible reasons I stambled accross two answers.

1. The projectile did hit, but for some reason did not expand, it basically pencilled right through and the animals runs of, only to expire a long way off or in some cases only to be shot and killed many months later.

2. The sinner.... Me. Knowing that I cant miss at that range I sometimes neglected to ensure that I do the right things to ensure that the shot lands where it should. Or I would rush the shot on the animal up close because I'm hoping to kill the other too, and end up starting to move before the shot breaks.

This is what happens to me, option two that is. I have had more misses with situations that I feel in the moment are sitters, easy shots that I am more than capable of making. Close shots, shots with small caliber firearms that I don't have to try with. That's the thinking anyway, reality is I need to focus and try just as hard with any firearm and situation or I'll miss.

All my misses have been 250 yards or closer.

Originally Posted by Old_School

Speaking to others, it seems im not the only one who is useless with a shotgun, I also find I shoot better with iron sights over a scope.
Something else I learned while I was shooting the first time at the range was I was shooting almost bang on the bulls eye when doing rapid fire and taking less time to concentrate, whereas when I took my time, I was shooting far more inaccurate.

Shit happens, good cheekweld makes a big difference

You know sometimes no matter how good you think you are , You just plain bloody missed . It happens , it's not rocket science . Nobody is perfect , get over it!.
I've missed a deer at 10 metres , I missed & I admit to it . I don't know why except the fact I missed. Trying to find an excuse is pointless and just plain arogant.

I've missed hundreds of easy shots over the years. Last winter I had new experience completely opposite end of scale,dog chased a possum up pine tree.i walked over ,popped a black powder n cast load into the 45/70, looked up at possum,started to bring gun up.....it looked down at gaping muzzle n promptly fell out of tree dead!!!! I don't know who got bigger shock,me,the dogs or my I looking mate.... And NO that's not a bungi tale... Hand on heart truth... I suspect...the muzzled dogs may have pushed possum into ground n cracked ribs beforehand....or the extreme cold plus fright caused heart failure. I have found possums dead in gin trap with no other explanation.

if thats same as you say take my word for it its fucking LETHAL on possums and bunnies inside 75m range .ive have resaults that looked like the joacko had been hit bya 3006at close range half ribcage blown out and Ive removed brains like youd open a boiled egg! Im yet to see anything these days to equal it!oops i tell a fib -micky ducks .270 is very good at composting jackos who hang around and backchat hunters

aye laddy dunnooo what hit him

he dannae know bloody either .

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

I've missed hundreds of easy shots over the years. Last winter I had new experience completely opposite end of scale,dog chased a possum up pine tree.i walked over ,popped a black powder n cast load into the 45/70, looked up at possum,started to bring gun up.....it looked down at gaping muzzle n promptly fell out of tree dead!!!! I don't know who got bigger shock,me,the dogs or my I looking mate.... And NO that's not a bungi tale... Hand on heart truth... I suspect...the muzzled dogs may have pushed possum into ground n cracked ribs beforehand....or the extreme cold plus fright caused heart failure. I have found possums dead in gin trap with no other explanation.

Loose scope rings don't help either do they @kotuku @Micky Duck

True that....trying to shoot Billy scroats in deep snow with old SMLE...could see shots hitting snow and kept getting lower,then scope n rings fell off completely...open sights still worked. Heck that's over 30 years ago now.

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

I stabbed one in ceiling with my set of antlers...the huas were coming into shed and stealing tux dog bickies.i looked up and saw the building paper move...my ten point antlers were nearest weapon to hand lol.

Pests in ceiling,about 3 yrs ago late afternoon.A mouse was scratching above ceiling tile.I got the thermal monocular out and could see his body heat moving about.I got the brading gun out(60mm)tapped the ceiling,he stayed still.I put a small peice of black tape on his heat spot.Shot him thru pinex tile.Took hrs for his heat spot to die away.Tape still there to this day.