Thread: Taupo range

Originally Posted by Tankd

People will think that all of this change is going to be for the bad , but as always change can be for the good ,as things will be different . As it stands now Ranges are for Target shooters and people who turn up shoot from a bench & then tell you how accurate the rifle is . But how accurate is the shooter? and how can you test the shooter if he only shoots static targets from a bench or a no rush set position .
With a more structured range it may lead to better utilization of ranges for better practice to be more realistic to hunting and at the same time make it more enjoyable for everyone.

That's the purpose of a shooting range though , what you're saying is a pretty closed mindset mate.
Not everyone who buys a rifle buys so with the intent of going hunting.
Someone might buy a .22 for the cathartic release of target shooting on a one way range.
Someone might buy a rifle with the intent of ringing steel at 1000m and he needs to zero.

What this range does is provide somewhere for people to do just that, rather than blasting road signs with buckshot on the Napier taupo , or being away from cell reception when Zeroing out on DOC land.

I'm interested in what you're calling a "No Rush set position" , as with hunting you should never be in a rush anyway, that's just the sign of a bad hunter. The range doesn't need to be "More realistic to hunting" , and that's not the purpose of the main range in the first place . It's to reinforce the fundamentals of marksmanship , and as with any skill , you apply this to other areas of activity.

In case you didn't know , there is a 50m running Boar range on site and the NZDA do use this , so may pay to be informed before making comment.

As with everything , there are process' to shooting. I've taken roughly 50 people to this range to shoot my .243 before taking them out shooting their first deer during my time as a guide. Teaching and maintaining those fundamentals of marksmanship is just as important if not more so than actually pulling the trigger on an animal. I'd hate to think how many times old mate has given his rifle to a mate to go shoot a deer and then a deer has been wounded because the rifle isn't zeroed or the fella behind it isn't experienced on the firearm.


Like you say , "How accurate is the shooter" - Most modern rifles will outshoot the person behind them , no matter how skilled, It's just a matter of mechanics. However to imply that one can not be a good shooter without the fundamentals learned on the flat range is just ignorant.

I suppose there is an element of freedom as well , to the point I don't want someone sniffing my arse as im fumbling with a hunting rifle that may have an issue feeding / or making a new shooter nervous by screaming out commands as RO's generally do.

Lastly , "Better utilization of the range" would be what exactly? None of what I have in mind for range improvement comes cheap , and none of it makes it any closer to real hunting unless we start chaining deer to the 100M mound.

Something to think about.