Off-hand, golf ball, iron sights at 25 yards - Can you hit it?

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ronny

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You'd have been reprimanded by my great grandparents for shooting a squirrel in the head. That was prime eating in dumplings.
My Granny, saving the good parts for the men folk, always fried up the heads for herself. I can still see her sitting there at the table, picking those little scraps of meat off the squirrel's head, smiling. 🥲
 
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You'd have been reprimanded by my great grandparents for shooting a squirrel in the head. That was prime eating in dumplings.

My Pop's granny liked fried squirrel brains,,,
Pop wouldn't eat them at all.

Perhaps that's why he told me to go for head shots.

Aarond

.
This. It's really nothing with a .22 rifle.

I agree that it "should" be nothing,,,
With a bit of real practice this should be easy,,,
But I know a lot of shooters who couldn't hit the ground with iron sights.

I think way too many of us rely on high powered scopes way too much,,,
That's what I'm going to correct in my own shooting this season.

No matter which of my three scoped rifles I take to the range,,,
I'm also taking that single-shot bolt-action Mauser,,,
And practicing with it standing at 25 yards.

Just to be able to say (and prove) that I can do it.

Aarond

.
 

2busy

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My Pop's granny liked fried squirrel brains,,,
Pop wouldn't eat them at all.

Perhaps that's why he told me to go for head shots.

Aarond

.


I agree that it "should" be nothing,,,
With a bit of real practice this should be easy,,,
But I know a lot of shooters who couldn't hit the ground with iron sights.

I think way too many of us rely on high powered scopes way too much,,,
That's what I'm going to correct in my own shooting this season.

No matter which of my three scoped rifles I take to the range,,,
I'm also taking that single-shot bolt-action Mauser,,,
And practicing with it standing at 25 yards.

Just to be able to say (and prove) that I can do it.

Aarond

.
My first 22 was a Stevens crack shot with open sights. Second 22 was a single shot Winchester bolt action open sights. The worse part was I needed glasses for near sightedness. I didn't get corrective lens till 8th grade. I squinted a lot growing up.
 
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My first rifle was a Winchester 189? pump in .22 short,,,
I could pop rats at the old dump at 50 yards,,,
At least that's what we paced out.

But that was prone laying on a blanket,,,
I didn't hit the rat every shot,,,
I hit maybe 3 out of 5.

I just remember hitting a few more than I missed.

I don't hunt any more,,,
Now it's just recreational target shooting,,,
But it would be nice to think I could still take a squirrel.

Aarond

.
 
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For anyone who wants a paper target,,,
Here is one that I created using PowerPoint.

The twelve golf balls are 1.68" diameter,,,
Depending on your printer,,,
That could vary slightly.

But it's something for those who can't find real golf balls.

Enjoy,,,

Aarond

.
 

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ronny

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Most of the 22s from that era (20s, 30s & 40s) were something on the order of a Crackshot or bolt action, mostly single shot. If you were well-off, you might have a Winchester 63, Remington 24 (241) or Remington 12 (121). You could name many others similar. That first group could be had for a few dollars. The second group ran around $30 - $40. I had a Winchester 67 single shot, one of the best of that first group. Would have given my eye teeth for a 63.
I think the key to the good shooters in both these groups was the sights. Many of them had some variation of a buckhorn adjustable rear and a front with a very fine blade topped with a very small ball or cylinder. Once you got it adjusted right, you could hit just about anything you could see. I would have never considered NOT shooting at a squirrel or rabbit just because he was a few yards too far away. I usually used .22 Shorts. My distance limiter was where I figured the drop of the bullet was too iffy.
I really enjoy thinking back to those days. Oh, and Granny liked the brains, too. So did I, but they belonged to her.🙂
 

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