Sharing a rifle: bad idea?

[Cheesehead]

Shot it right behind the ear at 370 yards.

were you really aiming for the ear at 370 yards?

 

[VikingsGuy]

Overdoing it is a good way to promote flinch.

A poor fitting rifle resulting in higher perceived recoil is a better way to promote a flinch.

 

[brymoore]

Sharing a rifle is fine. So is buying her a rifle.

My family has a bundle of rifles, each their own, but we swap a lot. Or, the boys steal my 280ai when I’m not using it.

I haven’t seen any accuracy issues when swapping. I think we’re at 6 people now who have killed with my rifle.

 

[OntarioHunter]

were you really aiming for the ear at 370 yards?

Actually, I aimed about sixteen inches right of the ear. His head was down with his arse facing into 35 mph wind. I figured the bullet would drift some but not that much. I just couldn't bring myself to aim at the guts. A couple days later I did shoot a warthog boar at just over 200 yards through the neck. No wind. I was aiming for the neck. They aren't very big and their meat is worth fighting over. Didn't want to waste any of it.

 

[OntarioHunter]

We get it, you‘ve hunted Africa….

I have also "shared" my brother's rifle a couple of times when mine crapped out. Five years ago I used his 300 WM Model 77 Ruger to shoot a buck after a long stalk offhand at about 55 yards ... in the head because that's all I could see. He was looking at me. Three years ago scope went to crap on my 06 and he let me use his 300 mag Browning BAR after he filled his tag. I only fired one shot ... through the heart of this buck at about 60 yards prone off the bipod. I was aiming at his heart.

 

[Chingon]

Get something like a Sig Cross or another chassis with adjustable cheek/length of pull. That's what I do so that me and my young boys can shoot the same rife while individual fit can be perfectly tailored.

 

[Dwreckers]

Is it a terrible idea to share a rifle setup with my wife? We will both be going hunting this fall. She is 5'5 and I'm 5'10. She has shot my rifle before and done fine at the range but with a scope dialed in and shooting from any random field rest and position, should I just buy her a rifle or would we be ok as is?

I shared a rifle with my wife one year and here’s how it went. Made a stalk on a real nice buck with the wife and she had the rifle. Made a stalk and bumped the buck at 80 yards. Wife didn’t like the shot and he was gone out of our lives forever. I feel as I could have easily shot it but it is what it is. That next spring I bought her her own rifle so that never happens again

 

[kiwi hunter]

Of course, you share everything else, and if it don't play out that's hunting, just enjoy being out n about