Subconscious Shooting

S

Smit

New member
Does anyone else agree that the type of action/magazine capacity your rifle has may affect the quality of shot you take in various situations (hunting, long range shooting, etc.)

An example would be say you were deerhunting and you were about to take a shot. Do you think if you had a bolt action instead of a semi-auto with 10 rounds in the magazine the shot you take may differ because subconsciously you know the number of chances you have will be different? Just attempting to provoke some thought. Thanks,
 
With most animals, you pretty much have one or two shots at best.

Some people are good at gunning down a running animal, but I wouldn't try.
 
I've read about people saying that, and I have no idea about how it would affect hunting but I know I shoot paper better with a bolt action. Not even long range, I shoot at 50 yards better when I'm more aware of each shot. With a semi auto, my "run n gun" instincts take over :D however, calm people with training and experience should have no problem being just as accurate with a good semi auto.
 
not so much with different action types but there does seem to be a subconcious difference in accuracy depending on targets. I haven't noticed much difference between shooting heavy bolt actions and light semis but I do notice that while shooting gongs and odd targets like toy soldiers and empty 22LR shells I tend to do much better than shooting at paper.
 
No, but when hog hunting I have wished I had a semi-auto larger bore rifle before when a sounder has appeared, but that doesn't change how I take the first shot.

I always try and make the first shot count regardless of type of weapon.
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I know that if I don't make that first shot right, there will likely be crawling, briars, mud, and poison ivey in my immediate future as I track the wounded animal. I really don't like any of those things. So the best thing to do is to make a very good first shot and then you should not have to make a second.
 
If I'm hunting game I want a one shot kill, I am concerned about ending the day with a good clean hit. I'm willing to wait for just the right target position.
 
When I was younger, probably 16 I had a semi auto 22lr that I would take out my mates farm when we went rabbit shooting and he had a left had bolt action savage.
I was never the best at taking off hand shots but I knew that I had 9 more rounds if I missed the first shot.

But one day my mate had my gun and I had his left had bolt, and a rabbit took off from about 10yrds away in a full sprint, I couldn't get a clear shot at it until it was about 60yrds away and was running at a fair pace, but to my and my mate surprise I nailed it with a single shot.
Never ever did a similar thing again.

I'm a much better shot now as I practise a bit now and I tend to not mind if I have a semi or a bolt action.
 
I don't know about capacity making you perform differently but among novice shooters, the type of rifle safety can cause sight picture to move significantly if the safety is taken off when the rifle is aimed. Pull and turn and Mauser safety operation caused the most deviation as compared to various push button types on semi guns, AK or AR types.
 
On a Colorado elk hunt...

one of us, in a party of six, chanced upon a herd of 6 or 8 cows, and 2 bulls. The lucky hunter took a carefully aimed first shot with his semi-auto - and missed. When the herd fled, he "emptied the whole magazine" at them - with no hits. He explained, "I didn't drive 1,000 miles to take only one shot".

Sounds to me like his semi-auto allowed him to unleash a "desperation barrage" that a bolt action and/or a lever gun would not have made possible.

I'm just saying.

P.S. A second member of our party was near the herd's escape route, but luckily wasn't hit by any of the flying lead. That is NOT the way it is supposed to happen, boys & girls.:mad:

P.P.S. After that incident, I made it a point to hunt in a different drainage than the guy with the semi-auto.;)
 
Sounds to me like his semi-auto allowed him to unleash a "desperation barrage" that a bolt action and/or a lever gun would not have made possible.
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I was watching an episodes of The Pig Hunter where the secondary hunter was in a blind with a bolt gun. While not a barage, he fired his first shot that missed and the pig started running. He then proceeded to fire the rest of his ammo as the pig ran down a long fence line, missing every shot. Not a barrage, but all of the followup shots were desperation shots.

The first 2 seasons are here...
http://www.pigmantv.com/ssp/show

I don't know if they ever had a 3rd.
 
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