The question of if someone is a good rifle shot often comes up. We’ve all seen folks who we thought were exceptional shots and we’ve all got stories to tell.
- One day Billy Bob shot a grouse out of a tree with his muzzleloader at 50 paces – shot his head clean off.
- One day Johnny shot a pigeon out of the air with a .22 rifle.
- One day Chris shot a feral goat at 527 yards.
- One day…it goes on an on.
When someone makes a great shot like these it become legend and they become Natty Bumppo. (What, you don’t know who that is? Google is your friend.)
If you shoot enough you will eventually make a great shot or series of shots. I’ve made some of these shots on occasion and was fortunate enough to have witnesses present when it happened. The problem with these occurrences is they get storied around campfires, and over drinks, and reputations that are hard to live up to are created. Sure, to make a good shot you must have some skill. To make a good shot every time you have to be skilled.
One shot does not make a good rifle shot. A good rifle shot always makes a good shot. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a test we could put before anyone who claims to be a good rifle shot. I’m not talking about shooting little groups from the bench. (Unless you are a bench rest shooter that’s as pointless as pierced nipples on a coon dog.) I’m talking about shooting off-hand, from one of the four common positions.
Here is something I’ve come up with that might fill the bill. If you can start standing with a loaded rifle at port arms and hit a five-inch circle at 100 yards in less than 10 seconds, and do it three times in a row, I will hang my hat on the notion that you are a good rifle shot. You can shoot from the standing, kneeling, sitting or prone positions. You can use a different one for each shot or the same for every shot. I don’t care. But, you have to get the hits and you have to get each hit within 10 seconds.
The man who can do it from the seated position is a better shot than the man who can do it from prone. If a fellow can do it from kneeling, he is better than the shooter who can do it seated. And, the man who can hit a five-inch circle within 10 seconds from the standing position, three out of three times, is a damn fine rifle shot. (The further your rifle is from the ground, the harder the shot will be.)
There, now you have something to aspire to. I work toward it almost every day.
