Becoming a better shot. MSIN

Yes. How is that for a simple answer? There are a few catches. Let us discuss first the rifle and how the correct one will improve your shooting. The absolute truth is that the rifle must fit you. You must not be required to be a contortionist to fit the rifle. There are ways of adjusting a rifle to fit, should it be necessary. If the stock is a bit short, change to a thicher recoil pad. Remember that a good deal of hunting is done while wearing heavier clothing due to the cold weather. Buy with that in mind. If the stock is long, it must be cut down. Care must be taken, if attempted in the home workshop and a new recoil pad will likely be required. Some recoil pads may be trimmed with a belt sander. They must fit the new shorter stock dimensions. It is recommended that it be done by a professional.

Caliber choice is another way to improve shot placement. I recall meeting a guy at the range that had the “Tim ‘The Toolman’ Taylor complex. I watched him as he shot and knew that the Big Magnum was causing him to flinch, badly. I looked at the target and found that the holes were all over and there were not enough to equal the number of shots he had taken. During a break I asked what he was shooting. “A Weatherby .30-.378”, came the reply. “Had it long,” I asked. “A few months,” he responded and added that he was not able to get a reasonable group from it. He asked if I would try it out. I did. Three shots in less than an inch at 3.5 inches high and 7 to the left on the 100 yard target. I asked if he had a different caliber rifle that he shot well. “Yes, a .30-06,” was his answer, “Why?” I explained that the main objective of shooting was to hit what you aim at and that he had overpowered himself. The rifle was purchased for whitetail hunting and he admitted that where he hunted 200 yards was a really long shot. Why then the Big Maggie, I wondered and eventually asked. The answer surprised me a bit. His BIG brother has one and used it in Montana where he lived. He told me that he had no plans to hunt in the west. He just took a Whitetail each fall. He had more power than needed and he lost accuracy because of it.

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I told him that he could become proficient with the .30-.378 and offered several suggestions. Since he had handed me the rifle loaded, I returned the favor. Well, sorta. I picked up two shells in front of him. I left the chamber empty and had one round in the magazine. When he set off the trigger on the empty chamber and had only a click, he flinched so bad, that the rifle came up off the rest. The puzzled look on his face turned to embarrassment. “I flinched,” he remarked. “Yeah,” I replied. I had set him up and he knew it. I told him to shoot with someone else loading the rifle only occasionally, so that he would not anticipate recoil. I also suggested that if he were to keep the rifle he could add a muzzle brake and a better recoil pad. I further told him that the trigger pull on the Savage was not very good and asked if he had removed the heavier grease after he had purchased it. He had not. I told him to give the trigger a through cleaning and then lightly oil it, with Rem-Oil. I ran into him at a grocery store a month or so later and he insisted that I look at some groups he had fired. They were much better, down to slightly over an inch. He told me that he had had Answer Products Co. install a muzzle brake and recoil pad, had cleaned the trigger as suggested. He thanked me for the information. I let him know that Timney Trigger now has a drop in trigger the Savage. This should further reduce the group size. He told me that he was planning to hunt with his brother.

Muzzle brakes are available from several sources. Some do a little good, while only a couple will perform extremely well. In my mind the best of the best is from Answer Products Co. Their Quiet Muzzle Brake really makes a whopping difference. Especially, when coupled with their five conical spring recoil pad. Check them out at www.answerrifles.com or contact by mail at 1519 Westbury Dr, Davison, MI 48423. Be sure to request a copy of their video. You will be impressed. My .338 now has the recoil of a .243 Winchester. Answer Products Co. offers a full line of gunsmithing services and other products, such as a scope mounting system. This system allows a quick release and quick return while maintaining the same zero setting.

Jerry Danuser operates out of Fulton, MO and produces the Counter Coil Recoil Pad. They even offer a recoil pad that can be adjusted to fit different size shooters. The Central Missouri Chapter of Safari Club International (CMC/SCI) has a Ruger 77 equipped with the adjustable Counter Coil. It is used when they take a child with a serious medical problem on a “Safari Wish Hunt.” Several kids have used it to take some impressive animals, including a 7X6 Elk. You can bet it is worth the cost. These kids are not very stout and all have done well with the system. The recoil is greatly reduced. The Counter Coil Recoil Pad takes the num(b) out of Magnum.

Contact Danuser Machine Company,550 E. Third St, Fulton, MO 65251-0368, Phone: 573-642-2246 or on line at www.danuser.com. I can give you a person voucher for Jerry and the product. He and I are members of the CMC/SCI and he has become a personal friend.

Triggers are a culprit also. Due to the volume of lawsuits filed against the Firearms Industry, they are literally forced to have heavy trigger pulls. Before you have it worked on make sure that it is clean and lightly oiled with a Silicone or Teflon oil, I prefer Rem-Oil. Some triggers are easily adjustable. Others only need a little slicking up. Still others must be replaced. If a slick up will work, it will cost fifty to one hundred dollars. Well worth it in my opinion. I strongly urge that a responsible gunsmith do the work. Too many do-it-yourself trigger jobs produce an unsafe rifle.

The grand old Marlin 336 and the wonderful Savage 99 can be helped considerably with a slick up. The Savage 99 can have an exceptionally nice trigger pull. I had a slick up performed on three Savage 99s that I own. No, they are not for sale.

The Savage bolt guns are fine shooting rifles. Their main problem is the trigger. They can be slicked up a bit, but will still be far from the excellent mark. Replacement triggers are the way to go. Both Timney and Jewell offer trigger replacements. The Jewell is the most expensive and is basically for serious benchrest or serious varmint rifles. A hunting model from Jewell will set you back about $200 and it needs to be professionally installed for another $50-75 bucks. Jewell Triggers is reachable at 512-353-2999 or by mail at: 3620 Hwy 123, San Marcos, TX 78666.
Timney Manufacturing Co. has been around since 1946 and is one of the oldest and largest producers of triggers. They may be reached at www.timney mfg.com or by email at service@timneymfg.com or by phone at 602-274-2999. Their address is 3940 W. Clarendon Av, Phoenix, AZ 85019.

Timney Triggers has a drop in model for the Savage 110, 112, 116 and the Striker pistol. The cost is less than a C-note and most of us can replace the trigger unit with no problem. They may be purchased through Natchez Shooters Supply. (www.natchezss.com) They also make triggers for the Ruger 77, Ruger 77/22, Remington 700, Winchester 70, Springfield and the Mauser action rifles. I had a Timney installed in a Heym Mauser and the group really shrank. I had to have them install it due to some machine and wood work that was required. They are a fine bunch of people to deal with. I do wish they had a trigger for the Remington 742/74/7400. I would order three in a heartbeat.

Weatherby and Browning have fine triggers, unless you are a real nit-picker. Both can be slicked up by a gunsmith. They will then satisfy any hunter in his or her right mind.

Ruger 77’s are sometimes a bit heavy in their trigger pull and a slick up is in order. A gunsmith should have no trouble producing a trigger that dreams are made of. Of course, replacement is also a viable alternative.

Winchester 70’s possess, arguably, the best trigger in the business on their hunting arms. It is simplicity itself and rugged to boot. Almost nothing will render it inoperable. Just keep it lightly oiled and as clean it often. If however, you want to improve it, a slick up can be performed or replace it with a Jewell or a Timney Trigger.

The Remington 700 has an adjustable trigger that is capable of producing the best trigger pull of any factory trigger. It is somewhat prone to accumulate grease, rust and grit. Keep it clean and lightly oiled with the recommended Rem-Oil. Only a Do-It-Yourself moron would tamper with the trigger. If you still want a better trigger, contact Jewell or Timney. The improvement will not be much, unless it has been abused or rust is present.

Another area that must be addressed is the choice of ammo. I have two Remington 742s that are as identical as possible. One likes the 165 grain and heavier bullets. The other works best with the 125 to 150 grain bullets. The one that likes the heavier projectiles also favors the Hornaday 165s over other brands and by a noticeable margin. So, I suggest that you purchase a box each of several bullet weights from all the manufacturers and shoot them for accuracy, as well as terminal performance. Then make the decision as to what performs best overall. It the group is a quarter inch smaller, but does not have the terminal performance, it is not the one you want. Serious and meticulous hand loads can beat the standard ammo quite a bit. The difference is not as noticeable when using the premium loadings offered. Do not adjust the scope or sights during this testing period. Use the same sight picture and go by group size and not the location on the paper. Once the decision is made as to which ammo works best, then make the proper adjustments.

If you want handload accuracy and do not handload, there are several companies that will take your rifle and work up a custom load for it. While not cheap, it may be worth the cost, when figured against the cost of the hunt and the possible missed trophy. One that I and several friends have used is Sperior Ammunition, Inc. They are located at 1320 Cedar St, Sturgis, SD 57785. On the web at: www.superiorammo.com or by phone at 800-67-SUPER. Another fine outfit that I have dealt with is Arizona Ammunition, Inc. The are located at: 21421 N. 14th AV, Suite E, Phoenix, AZ 85027. Their website is: www.arizonaammunition.com and the phone number is 623-516-9004. Both have an excellent reputation. They load from the .17s to the .50 BMG.

If you want a bit move velocity, try the Federal High Energy and the Hornaday Light Magnums. A .30-06 will almost reach the .300 Win. Magnum. it is not recommended that either be used in semi-auto rifles.

There are a couple of little known pieces of information about the groups that you see in the magazines. Often the groups are shot at an indoor range, thus no wind to screw up a group. Second, the scope is of higher magnification than used when hunting. One writer that I talked with, regularly uses a 30X target style scope. So, you with a 3X-9X hunting scope, cannot expect to obtain the same tiny groups.

A final few words. Practice makes perfect, NOT. Perfect practice makes perfect. Your hold and stance must be correct. Your squeeze must be the same. Practice with an empty rifle, by having an empty case placed on the rifle. If you can squeeze the trigger and not cause the case to fall, you are perfect. Practice is still an essential part of obtaining acceptable groups. Use the bench for load testing and sighting in. Then abandon the bench. Practice from shooting positions. Use a rest when possible. Shooting sticks or a bipod are a good idea, if the range is long.

Good shooting and remember, SAFETY FIRST.

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