All honest criticism welcome - shooting

[RaiderRich]

First off, ditch the sled!!
They do nothing but teach bad habits!...

This. When at the range I shoot off sand/shooting bags or bipods if rifle is so equipped. Sleds don't give you the 'feel' of hunt shooting conditions but shooting using bags/backpack/sticks/bipods etc. do at least more closely resemble field conditions, plus it forces you to test actually holding the rifle to your shoulder.

I saw some comments about scopes. A quality scope can make a difference but if it is not properly installed even the best scopes won't work worth a hill of beans. Proper placement and torque settings are essential here.

Trigger pull can be an issue as well as the anticipating recoil and report. Recoil can be minimized by doing a few different things. A good recoil pad may be the least expensive start and of course muzzle brakes and cans if you are so inclined. Looking at the pics though it almost looks like you may shoot the 30-06 better which would nullify an issue with recoil. Report is best avoided by using good hearing protection, you should never shoot without hearing protection. I wear mine while hunting now. Many triggers are adjustable and if not for most firearms a replacement trigger may be available. Also unsure if you have more experience shooting shotguns vs. rifles, in that case you do have to let yourself be aware of the difference in technique, pull vs. squeeze.

Ammo is the last thing, try different factory loads. I have 2 30-06 rifles and each has it's own preference for ammo. Ammo that shoots good in one, stinks in the other and vice versa. Plenty of inexpensive ammo out there to at least test some different cheap stuff to see if your rifle likes one over the other.

A fun thread and a ton of great suggestions. Best of luck!

 

[Whitetail_kid]

i would start fresh. Verify scope, rings, and ditch the lead sled. I use Caldwell the rock and like them with a back rest. I would practice dry firing on the target before chambering a round and see how close you stay on the target. Practice until you can squeeze the trigger and stay very close to your aiming point. Then chamber a round and shoot and have someone watch you. See if they can tell if you are jerking the trigger. Go from there. If all is well and still shotgun groups, then it’s the rifle.

 

[3855WIN]

If I read correctly, the OP has four rifles. It doesn’t sound like these are of high quality. Time to trade some in on a quality rifle and scope.

 

[RemingtonRules]

My honest opinion is get another good shooter to help.

If he can dial it in then look for golf or tennis lessons.

 

[Pucky Freak]

Simplest solution just ditch all the big guns and stick with the .243. With quality ammunition, self-imposed limits on angle of the animal, and range of shots to account for energy on impact, you’re not terribly limited for elk, BB, and anything smaller.

I switched from an ‘06 to a manbun d/t occasional flinching issues. New gun is less versatile, but I’ll take a tack driver over a cannon every day of the week. Eventually I plan on a moose hunt, and I’m thinking .308 w/ a barrel threaded for a muzzle brake.

 

[BrentD]

My honest opinion is get another good shooter to help.

If he can dial it in then look for golf or tennis lessons.

I'd agree strongly with the first part, but disagree entirely with the second. Bear down and fix it, if it's you.

 

[Don Fischer]

I strongly suspect thre problem is the guy pulling the trigger! Frieend of your's that reloads, does he shoot well? Has he shot your guns? If he shoot's well have him shoot them but doesn't sound like the sled is gonna work, I've never used a sled. I use sand bags. Hard for me to believe you have two rifle's that shoot that bad in facr hard for me to believe you have any rifle that shoot's facroty ammo that bad. Of course I don't shoot factory ammo and haven't for about 6-yrs so what do I know. You need to get shooting help. Deal I used to do with guy's in the service was to have them aim the rifle off hand and balance a quarter on the end of the barrel and dry fire it. If they jerk at all the quarter falls off! Really believe you need to work on your own shooting problens first!

 

[Maverick1]

Looks pretty good for a slug gun.

 

[BackofBeyond]

A little dry fire practice never hurts. Set up on the floor of your house, rifle supported on sandbags front and rear, then balance a quarter on your muzzle. Practice squeezing the trigger without knocking the quarter off. Do it repeatedly until it becomes second nature, then head to the range.

 

[ImBillT]

I’ve never shot with a sled. I haven’t researched the issue with sleds breaking scopes, but I have heard of it. What confuses me is that benchrest shooters in the unlimited class shoot “rail guns” and don’t break scopes. Why would a barrel clamped into a 50lb adjustable rest not break a scope, but sticking your rifle in a sled does? Maybe I’m missing something.

I haven’t seen anyone suggest something. Find a guy with a great shooting gun who will let you shoot 2-3 groups with it. If you stink, you need work. If you don’t, you might need better guns and ammo.

You do need to figure out how much is you and how much isn’t. I just got back from the range. I took a lot of weight off a very accurate rifle that was just too heavy for mountain hunting. Taking that weight off involved a new scope, as well as some work that I feared might make it shoot a little differently. Well, I shot two teeny tiny 3-shot groups(.404” @200 and .239”@100) with it. Then I shot an AR-15. It’s my first, and my first time shooting it. It shot two 6” groups. Maybe worse. While I might be able to shrink that considerably(I sure hope), I’m confident that I’m not a 6MOA shooter, and I’m also confident that it’s not a .25MOA rifle. Blaming the Indian isn’t always right, but you also don’t want to spend $10k to find out that you needed more practice or skill. Shooting someone else’s equipment, and under their instruction might be worth your effort.

Don’t put it all on yourself just yet. While I don’t think you’re gonna win a national title if you barrow some equipment tomorrow. I’m 100% confident that you’ll never learn how to shoot .25MOA groups while shooting a rifle/ammo combo that’s only capable of shooting 2MOA.