Thread: The dinner plate challenge

Now be sure to cut 5 inches from wound to avoid food posioning

too late...now if phone would let me upload 2nd photo you would see dinner plate relevance...the dogs got hind quarters and frame,I have scoffed the back steaks for my lunch.

No dinner plate but shooting off the bonnet of truck checking scope zero a week ago.Close enough for the 308 at 100yds then checked 400yds.


Can do better on a good day at 400yds.

When shooting above targets i was looking thru a new Nikko Stirling Octa 2x16x50.After the 100yds shots i dialed 2 clks up and1 right,all good.Wanted a low to high x scope so got this with a life time warranty from Scopeuout NZ for just over $500.Great FOV with a 4A retical.Tipped ove a couple of geese at 300+ yds and shot a deer up a hill at 360yds last week.Thermal clip on looks good thru it.So scope and me are on song.

Top left and top right 100m checking zero after putting suppressor on (surprisingly zero point of impact change)

Back to 430m for the group in centre

6.5 creed

So, this is one for bush hunting.

One shot at 30 rough paces, which is as far as I could see through the trees, standing, start with rifle slung over one shoulder loaded and safety catch on, 5 second timer on phone.

This is a shot we'd all back ourselves to get, right ?

Target is in the middle of this pic, soft earth behind and I can actually see there's no one on the slope behind.


I suspended the target in vines 50cm above the ground. It's the 20x20cm cardboard wrapper off a slab on chocolate.


The ground under foot was a little uneven but better than average when you're in a hurry shooting at a deer.


Got the shot away before the timer went off.


Not every snap shot would be so close to the middle of course but I'd be confident to shoot a deer.

Very Nice! That is the way the challenge was intended: one shot, cold barrel, and at a distance and with the method and the target size replicating a particular hunting situation, a dinner plate-sized target being for larger deer. It gives a high level of confidence to the hunter as to whether they would be likely to make a humane killing shot on a deer in a similar situation and conditions — or not.

Deviating from this approach, by taking steps of any kind that improve the likelihood of hitting the target in this contrived situation is fine, but how then can the effect of these can be quantified and allowed for in a future hunting situation where the same steps can't be applied prior to a single shot being taken?
For example sighting-in immediately prior to the challenge is fine — if the hunter always sights in immediately before taking a shot at game. If not then the typical hunting conditions aren't being replicated. The question as to whether the rifle shoots to the same point of aim with a recently fouled barrel as opposed to one that was last shot some time ago is not being addressed, along with the rifle's ability to hold zero after being dragged through the bush for several hours etc... there are a number of variables that can change with time since the last zeroing. The same applies to shots being taken at targets progressively further away before taking this challenge at the longest distance, just like a deer at 600 metres will wait for a hunter to first confirm their come-ups and windage at 200m and 400m to factor out the effect of those particular conditions. Again these prior shots are taking out a lot of variables that the challenge was intended to be including as part of an assessment that as closely as possible replicates a hunting situation.

Bet the chocolate tasted nice,good shooting practice for in the bush.Very covered in bush there.

Yep the chocolate was good thanks. Have admit i stoppped and ate my lunch before doing this test. Felt a bit tired after an 05:00 start.
This was after 2 days unsuccessful bushunting, sleeping under the fly with the gun beside me.
Last sighted in afew months ago and fired a few rounds at a club range shoot since that.
Also, refrained from dry firing practice on it beforehand.

Originally Posted by Bagheera

So, this is one for bush hunting.

One shot at 30 rough paces, which is as far as I could see through the trees, standing, start with rifle slung over one shoulder loaded and safety catch on, 5 second timer on phone.

This is a shot we'd all back ourselves to get, right ?

Target is in the middle of this pic, soft earth behind and I can actually see there's no one on the slope behind.
Attachment 211287

I suspended the target in vines 50cm above the ground. It's the 20x20cm cardboard wrapper off a slab on chocolate.
Attachment 211288

The ground under foot was a little uneven but better than average when you're in a hurry shooting at a deer.
Attachment 211290

Got the shot away before the timer went off.
Attachment 211286

Not every snap shot would be so close to the middle of course but I'd be confident to shoot a deer.

You’ve nailed it. One shot in the kill zone in real a hunting situation.

one could say you have "hit the sweet spot"

Here's one at 141m, sitting using a tree for a rest. Again, a shot we would expect to make but on the other hand we haven't always.

After a couple of hours pushing through scrub I decided I wasn't going to get a deer in this place.


The paper plate is hanging from a Dracophyllum bush in the red circle.


There was some wind from 3 O'Clock but at that range it wouldn't make much difference. Actually, at the target it was drifting the other way, possibly a bit of a ridge top rotor.

Here's how I set up for the shot, gripping the small tree with a few fingers and holding the foreend out from it with a couple of others so the scope and stock wouldn't make contact. Not a 100% steady hold but good enough for the 21cm plate.


Here's where it fell.

Looks ugly enough to be the top of the kaimais

Originally Posted by Bagheera

Here's one at 141m, sitting using a tree for a rest. Again, a shot we would expect to make but on the other hand we haven't always.

After a couple of hours pushing through scrub I decided I wasn't going to get a deer in this place.
Attachment 213651

The paper plate is hanging from a Dracophyllum bush in the red circle.
Attachment 213652

There was some wind from 3 O'Clock but at that range it wouldn't make much difference. Actually, at the target it was drifting the other way, possibly a bit of a ridge top rotor.

Here's how I set up for the shot, gripping the small tree with a few fingers and holding the foreend out from it with a couple of others so the scope and stock wouldn't make contact. Not a 100% steady hold but good enough for the 21cm plate.
Attachment 213653

Here's where it fell.
Attachment 213654

For a right handed shooter try the rifle on the right of the tree with the back of the left wrist loaded against the tree