Thread: First shots from my new rifle. Ammo choice?

What caliber is your riffle?

Originally Posted by 7mm Rem Mag

What caliber is your riffle?

6.5 creedmoor - its normal for different ammo/projectiles to shoot to different spots in your case 130gr vs 143gr if you try 120gr it wioll be different again just sight it in for whatever ammo you intend to use, when you change sight in and go again

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

bottom line is ...thats a VERY dead deer.....
think about your hunting...what range you expect to be shooting...bush hunting means 75 yards is a long shot...occasional 300 yard shot.... tops means 200-400 is normal....
1'' group will do all of that.
get steady,fire a shot,then 2 follow ups quickly..THAT is as close to hunting senario as you will get..... direct from nosler manual.....
now you swapped shoulders why??? sore from recoil perhaps...... you need rifle in tight to shoulder on target,close eyes for 10 seconds,open eyes.are you still on target???if not you are muscling rifle into position,so change your position,sandbags,pillow,sleeping bag till it stays closer to the bull.

I swapped because i couldn't get comfortable, which meant I wasn't holding the rifle well and my suppressed 6.5 CM kicked me like the .44 buffalo gun I shot on the weekend. My right eye is better and it's a RH rifle. Swapped to LH because it felt more comfortable on the bench and I could hold the rifle better.

The truth of the matter is I can't afford to put 100 shots down range to get things perfect, not with those 2 cartridges ($5 a shot), so I doubt I'll be shooting at ranges over 100m until I get more real world experience. Still, like you said Micky the deer was dead based on current accuracy.

Cheers for the input folks. While it's no substitute for experience, it's helping me to figure things out faster and is much appreciated.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

More to the point you can’t be swapping positions and hoping to draw meaningful data

Play around when you are done but nothing useful will come from shooting groups from different positions and the way the gun is held and recoils. It all plays a i part on how bullets land on the target end
It’s pretty impressive how close they are all things considered so your rifle seems very consistent


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Originally Posted by Bill999

More to the point you can’t be swapping positions and hoping to draw meaningful data

Play around when you are done but nothing useful will come from shooting groups from different positions and the way the gun is held and recoils. It all plays a i part on how bullets land on the target end
It’s pretty impressive how close they are all things considered so your rifle seems very consistent


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I'm pretty happy with it. I needed something that shot well to compensate for my lack of skill and knowledge, so glad to have some confirmation that the Sauer 100 is good enough in that regard.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

get an air rifle...like the slug gun you had as a kid..it WILL build muscle memory which is what you need to do.... a hundred rounds of .22lr is alot of fun too and again builds muscle memory.... even laying prone at home getting into position aiming down hallway of house (unloaded /EMPTY BOLTLESS rifle of course) will also help you to get into position faster when you need to..sitting with elbows on inside of knees is a position I often end up using,a good one to practise.

If I have read this right and this is the first time you have shot a centerfire rifle and if these groups are at 100m or even yards for the philistines then you have done damn well.
The others above have addressed the time and shoulder switch
Only thing I will add is if you switch shoulders then keep the group as a separate identity and do not attempt to shoot after the switch into the same group as the other shoulder
Some of us are right handed but left eye dominant , that can be interesting until a decision is made as to the way you will shoot.

Even today at over 60 when some one hands me or I shoulder a rifle in a shop , if I don't consciously think about it I sometimes shoulder on the "Wrong" shoulder.

Originally Posted by jakewire

If I have read this right and this is the first time you have shot a centerfire rifle and if these groups are at 100m or even yards for the philistines then you have done damn well.
The others above have addressed the time and shoulder switch
Only thing I will add is if you switch shoulders then keep the group as a separate identity and do not attempt to shoot after the switch into the same group as the other shoulder
Some of us are right handed but left eye dominant , that can be interesting until a decision is made as to the way you will shoot.

Even today at over 60 when some one hands me or I shoulder a rifle in a shop , if I don't consciously think about it I sometimes shoulder on the "Wrong" shoulder.

Yep, 14 rounds total from a centerfire.
I'm left handed, left eye dominant but bought a right handed rifle to shoot with my right eye as it's much clearer. Just feels weird, but as Micky Duck said an air rifle to practice with is a good idea to sort the muscle memory.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

1-2" groups is a good start. Well done.

I think the next step for you is to take the guesswork out of shooting technique and visit a local centrefire (NZDA etc) rifle club. When there tell them you are brand new and ask if there is a present or past club competition shooter, or experienced hunter who can help you. An hour spent with a good coach will teach you a great deal about prep and maintenance for your rifle, help you with ammos, teach you correct body position, breathing, positional pressures, trigger weight/process, parallax etc. This mentoring may cost nothing but will give you a sound foundation.

Also good to spend a season at a local smallbore rifle club. This offers opportunity for great practice with much cheaper ammo than centrefires, and you will improve alot over a year. Again best to ask for a mentor

A good start - go for it.

Originally Posted by Eat Meater

Yep, 14 rounds total from a centerfire.
I'm left handed, left eye dominant but bought a right handed rifle to shoot with my right eye as it's much clearer. Just feels weird, but as Micky Duck said an air rifle to practice with is a good idea to sort the muscle memory.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

Yeah you are off to a great start if you are already shooting that well this early on with that rifle, my dad uses a right handed rifle left handed and it’s a tad awkward to get your bearings but equally as fast and smooth once you are up and running


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Those groups are =to a dead deer at 200yds.Try a A4 paper at 200yds.Dont waste to much ammo.Going hunting.

Have you 'fitted' your rifle yet ? I fit all my rifles which means adjusting the length, packing the comb so that when the rifle is shouldered with eyes closed and the eye is opened it is looking straight down the scope at a clear image.
For practice, walk around the backyard for ten minutes every day cocking and snapping off shots ( a 'snap cap' is required) at knot holes in the fence etc. Very soon the rifle will become a part of you.
'Natural point of aim' as described in a thread / vid by Norway and touched on above by Mickey Duck is a very useful check before shooting. I only learnt that last year from Norways vids and it made a tremendous difference to my 'all positions' field shooting.

Id say if you had an older friend thats experienced in gun handling that would be willing to take you under their wing it would save you a ton of headaches

I few "hurry the fuck up its going to walk off" and "what are you doing you nonce" save a ton of wondering

its a lot to get your head around to begin with but with a bit of an old head around you will be away running in no time

Have not kept the practice up, backyard city, nosey neirbours and the current feelings about guns.
Invested in a quality springer air rifle HW80, heavy & requires technique to shoot well, every day I would freehand shoot a half a dozen shots at a swinger target 10mm at 15 meters. Great practice, helps heaps.

Yep, good enough to hunt deer with out to 200 I think.

You might benefit from a cheek pad/riser. Helped me.

Does my head in. Rifles sold with no open sights yet stock is designed for them, not a scope.