Mustangs Rule
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2021
- Messages
- 699
“Get a good grip on it”,,,,your hunting rifle.
I am not intending to get into a scrap here. It might happen, but I will do my best to turn the other cheek. As a big game hunter, one of my go to skills, if the opportunity presents itself and is within my parameter of experience, is taking running shots.
This began as kid hunting eastern white tails. My family were farmers, I had a year round deer depredation permit. As soon as meat was getting low, I hunted. I can still recall jumping a whitetail up close and just doing what seemed right,,,and the deer was dead. That was almost 60 years ago.
Given the chance I will always stalk to get closer, and prefer a standing shot from a stable rest. If however, a moving shot opportunity is present, and it is within the boundaries that I have proven experience with, actually practiced for, then I take it. My response has been honed sharp and fast. I have never lost an animal.
Anyway, to the point of this post, here are two things which I have come to consider a must for this kind of shooting. First, a low power scope,,,,max 4x,,,on the lowest possible mounts and second having a real positive defined place for my hand to lock on the pistol grip of my rifle. This I consider critical. It results in an instant match with the trigger meeting the correct place on my trigger finger. No micro adjustment needed.
For some years now the palm swell on my Sako Finnlight in 308, complete with the deep, wide groove in the stock to accept the fat part of my thumb has provided that “locked fit”. Add in the ability to use “ultra low” Sako rings and this rig has just been the perfect tool for such shooting. Over half the deer I have taken with it were moving. The faster I shoot, the slower they are going.
Pistols can have an endless choice of grips to facilitate shooting, not rifles. They are what they are nowadays.
I found the pistol grip on Pre-64 Model 70’s okay. Safari grade Belgium Browning stocks offer a better fit for me. The best ever pistol grip on any American rifle was on the model 54, Winchesters first bolt action. It was not fat, but was long allowing my finger to stretch then land perfect on the trigger. I have had two, still have one. Too bad my eyes are now too old for this iron sight only rifle.
During my middle years, I lived in Wyoming when antelope tags were “a plenty”. I chose to hunt them in the wilderness areas in high mountain meadows surrounded by groves of aspens. Their diet was ideal and they tasted just great. Often I went about with two tags to fill. After I shot the first one, they might mill around or take flight. That was where such shooting skills as I describe were a great asset.
Currently I have a Kimber Hunter in 280AI. It is a fine rifle, but the pistol grip is so skinny, my hand craves to be filled and have a fitted, specific place to land.
I am working up a custom swell for it myself with some leather and motorcycle tire tube material. When done my hand will say; “Ahhh” and my trigger finger will say; “Just right
Going back to the golden age of custom hand made rifle stocks for African hunters, part of the personalized stock design was having a made to fit pistol grip, that set the hunters trigger finger in just the perfect place instantly.
This is all but forgotten now,,,,a lost art of hunting,
MR
I am not intending to get into a scrap here. It might happen, but I will do my best to turn the other cheek. As a big game hunter, one of my go to skills, if the opportunity presents itself and is within my parameter of experience, is taking running shots.
This began as kid hunting eastern white tails. My family were farmers, I had a year round deer depredation permit. As soon as meat was getting low, I hunted. I can still recall jumping a whitetail up close and just doing what seemed right,,,and the deer was dead. That was almost 60 years ago.
Given the chance I will always stalk to get closer, and prefer a standing shot from a stable rest. If however, a moving shot opportunity is present, and it is within the boundaries that I have proven experience with, actually practiced for, then I take it. My response has been honed sharp and fast. I have never lost an animal.
Anyway, to the point of this post, here are two things which I have come to consider a must for this kind of shooting. First, a low power scope,,,,max 4x,,,on the lowest possible mounts and second having a real positive defined place for my hand to lock on the pistol grip of my rifle. This I consider critical. It results in an instant match with the trigger meeting the correct place on my trigger finger. No micro adjustment needed.
For some years now the palm swell on my Sako Finnlight in 308, complete with the deep, wide groove in the stock to accept the fat part of my thumb has provided that “locked fit”. Add in the ability to use “ultra low” Sako rings and this rig has just been the perfect tool for such shooting. Over half the deer I have taken with it were moving. The faster I shoot, the slower they are going.
Pistols can have an endless choice of grips to facilitate shooting, not rifles. They are what they are nowadays.
I found the pistol grip on Pre-64 Model 70’s okay. Safari grade Belgium Browning stocks offer a better fit for me. The best ever pistol grip on any American rifle was on the model 54, Winchesters first bolt action. It was not fat, but was long allowing my finger to stretch then land perfect on the trigger. I have had two, still have one. Too bad my eyes are now too old for this iron sight only rifle.
During my middle years, I lived in Wyoming when antelope tags were “a plenty”. I chose to hunt them in the wilderness areas in high mountain meadows surrounded by groves of aspens. Their diet was ideal and they tasted just great. Often I went about with two tags to fill. After I shot the first one, they might mill around or take flight. That was where such shooting skills as I describe were a great asset.
Currently I have a Kimber Hunter in 280AI. It is a fine rifle, but the pistol grip is so skinny, my hand craves to be filled and have a fitted, specific place to land.
I am working up a custom swell for it myself with some leather and motorcycle tire tube material. When done my hand will say; “Ahhh” and my trigger finger will say; “Just right
Going back to the golden age of custom hand made rifle stocks for African hunters, part of the personalized stock design was having a made to fit pistol grip, that set the hunters trigger finger in just the perfect place instantly.
This is all but forgotten now,,,,a lost art of hunting,
MR
