Accuracy required for hunting?

M

Mosin-Marauder

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Im wanting to go deer hunting with my Mosin this year, and was wondering what kind of accuracy is acceptable? I'd be aiming behind the first shoulder with a six o' clock hold. I've calibrated my sights to shoot approximitaely 4" high with 180 grain soft points and dead centre. I'm confident I can keep 5 within 2 inches at 100 yards, and within 1 1/2" at 75. So could I hunt with this rifle? Or no?
 
It works !!

In the southern tiers of Iowa, we have a season that allows the use of center fire rifles. We call this area Lap-Land as this is where Missouri laps over into Iowa. In the past, I have hunted with a group from down there and for years, many of them have been using SKS's and they take a lot of deer. I have more reservations with that, than your Mosin. .... :confused:

Be Safe !!!
 
Years ago, I hunted with a Marlin model 1894 in 44MAG. 3 to 4 inch grouping was best it could do at 100 yards but never stopped m form downing deer.

Your Mosin is up to the task.

Jack
 
I'd say that whatever distance you can keep all your shots on 6-8" target would be your maximum range for deer
 
there is no such thing as adequate and there is definitely such a thing at the same time. a rifle can hold 6 MOA and be considered adequate for hunting up to 100 yards as the kill zone on a deer is only 6 inches. however if you plan on shooting out to 200 yards you'll have to have a rifle capable of 3 MOA as the target is moved back but does not grow any larger. if you plan on shooting out to 300 yards, then your rifle will have to do 2 MOA. so based on those ranges you'll have to look at the maximum possible range you could be shooting at and plan accordingly.


then there is personal accuracy. no shooter is as solid as a bench rest, you are going to wobble some, no matter how stable your stance is. if your gun shoots 1 MOA groups but you have a 3 MOA wobble, you're still going to have to plan for a possible 4 inch spread at 100 yards. case in point, I shot my deer this year with my new AR15, it shoots 1 1/4 inch groups from a shooting bench at 100 yards(with the ammo I was hunting with). I shot my deer at 138 yards meaning I roughly should have been an even 2 inch group. however even from the very solid sitting position, I hit about 3 inches from where I was aiming because my wobble added to the variance in my guns inherent accuracy. I still hit the deer in the kill zone, but if I had been less careful in my shot because I figured my bullet would hit within 2 inches of where I aimed, I could have wounded it and ended up tracking. the same could be said if I was hunting with my Mosin nagant which normally will hold no better than 4 MOA, added to my 1 inch wobble could have had a possible 7 inch spread and missed the vital organs completely.


now if the shooter gun combo is able to keep their group size with any shooting position under 6 inches at whatever the max range you will be hunting, that is adequate. however you should never strive to be adequate, there is always room for improvement, never stop trying to get your groups smaller. the instant you are ok with being able to hit that paper plate at 100 yards, your marksman skills will decline rapidly and you'll end up maiming a lot of animals which will run off and die somewhere else in agony.

lecture aside... 6 inches at whatever range you'll be shooting is the generally accepted requisite.
 
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Like tahunua001 mentions, accuracy is never a gimme so never quit striving for those one hole groups, even if the rifle won't actually do them, you will better yourself trying to get them.

As for my perspective on it, I believe accuracy is relative term. To some they call putting 5 rounds in a paper plate at 100yds good, for others it's putting 5 rounds that a dime will cover. Also where your hunting plays a role in things as well. If your sitting where your overlooking a pasture or similar type pipe line or power line right of way, then absolutely a 3-5" group is acceptable. However if your sitting back in stuff like pictured here,
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then you might want something that shoots a bit tighter. This picture was taken by me standing over a feral hog I shot just behind the ear from 125yds back through this junk. So sometimes you need to have something that can thread the needle when needed.

BTW, there are two Polaris 500 4 wheelers and a red trailer somewhere in the background on the trail where I shot from.
 

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Your accuracy is fine, but what does this mean?

I've calibrated my sights to shoot approximitaely 4" high with 180 grain soft points and dead centre.
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I assume you mean 4" above the point of aim @ 100 yards with the windage dead center.

If so, that is too high at 100 yards unless you plan on doing all of your shooting out to 300-400 yards. At closer ranges you may well shoot over a deer unless you remember to aim low. You'll likely be 5-6" high at around 200 with that much over at 100.

You are also much more likely to hit brush. Look at Mike/Tx's photo. That is exactly the type of terrain I hunt in. A 100-150 yard shot is sometimes possible with 50 or so the norm. But you have to thread the bullet between the branches. Having to deal with an arched trajectory in that stuff is almost impossible. The last thing you want is a bullet several inches either above or below your line of sight.

Most guns zeroed at 100 yards will have the bullet no more than 1/2" either above or below your line of sight from about 50 yards to about 130 yards. Which is the ranges most animals are shot, even in wide open western states. The best brush guns are extremely flat shooting and accurate. I'd go with a 75- 100 yard zero, especially with irons. Zeroing 1-2" high at 100 yards isn't a bad compromise, but I'd never suggest 4".
 
mosin nagant's do not have windage, only up/down, more emphasis on up than down. usually they hit very high, I'm impressed you could get them to hit only 4 inches high, mine hits about 8" high.

I've hunted with old battle rifles that are zeroed at longer ranges and require holding low at 100 yards... it takes a little guessing and a whole lot of know how but I think out of a blind he should be doing ok.
 
Your accuracy is fine, but what does this mean?

Quote:
I've calibrated my sights to shoot approximitaely 4" high with 180 grain soft points and dead centre.

I assume you mean 4" above the point of aim @ 100 yards with the windage dead center.
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I leave my sight set at 200, as that is my battle sight zero, per se. I can shoot to 200 yards with it set like that. anything under 100 I set it to 100. 3-4" high above the tip of the front sight post is about dead center behind a deer's shoulder if I'm using a six o' clock hold. Which isn't really too high. Assuming the Deer's boiler room is 6" in diameter including the lungs and heart and other vital organs.
 
Just know your limits and only take shots you are sure of and you will be fine.

My dad had a nice doe dead-to-rights last weekend; but she was about 200 yards away and he was carrying a rifle he wasn't totally confident taking a 200 yard shot with (he's more of a shotgun guy).

Honestly, I bet he could have made that shot; and I kind of wish I would have taken it for him. We were both carrying modified Mauser's of pre-WWII vintage. He wasn't sure though so he didn't take it. If that deer had wandered 50 yards closer I would probably be cooking some right now lol!

The last thing you want is to chase a wounded deer through the woods all day; and if they go too far you might lose them (see my other thread.)
 
Thanks for all your help guys, one more question though.

Is it bad that I hunt out of a blind? I see all you folks talking about actually walking around in the woods and stuff. That sounds like a lot more fun than just sitting and waiting. I kinda want to do that now that I think about it.
 
Tree stands, blinds, stalking, all are acceptable. It is a matter of personal preference and each requires different skills. Hunting from a blind usually requires a great deal of patience, the knowledge of where best to place the blind and when to hunt from it.
 
The rifle sounds plenty good, to me.

I've hunted with old battle rifles that are zeroed at longer ranges and require holding low at 100 yards... it takes a little guessing and a whole lot of know how but I think out of a blind he should be doing ok.
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Yeppity Yep Yeppers. I've had a few, as well.

Right off the top of my head, my Mosin (M38) comes to mind. The sight is set below the lowest Arshin mark (200?), in order to get me to something like 5" high at 100 yards.


As long as you know how the rifle is sighted in, 4" high at 100 yards is not a problem.

Most of my iron-sighted rifles are sighted dead-on at either 75 yards or 100 yards. But, many of my scoped rifles are sighted high. My .270 Win is sighted for as close as I could get to 2.72" high at 100 yd (calculated for MPBR). My '06 is sighted about 3.12" high at 100 yd (MPBR again). My 6mm wildcat is sighted about 3/4" low at 100 yd (just to keep bullets from shooting out my POA on targets). And on down the line...
 
Is it bad that I hunt out of a blind? I see all you folks talking about actually walking around in the woods and stuff. That sounds like a lot more fun than just sitting and waiting. I kinda want to do that now that I think about it.
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Different strokes for different folks.

...And the area that you hunt often determines how you hunt it.

Where I live, you pretty much have to bust your butt hiking all over the mountain(s) to get into the animals (if you don't own a nice chunk of ground with a house strategically placed for kitchen window shots, if the opportunity arises).
Yet, I know plenty of people that live in places (like NC) where their only reasonable option is to sit in a blind or tree stand.
 
Part-time Hunter VS. Full-time Deer

Is it bad that I hunt out of a blind? I see all you folks talking about actually walking around in the woods and stuff.
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I have known many hunters but only two that were good at stalking. No, I'm not one of them. When the weather gets to bad for stalking, one uses a blind and the other one, stays home. Both are great trackers as well. In my book, there is noting wrong with using a blind even though I think that stalking is more fun. ..... ;)

Be Safe !!!
 
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