Max range

Hello all. I have a bear hunt coming up in August. The guide said the shot will likely be less than 50 yards (It will be in dense Maine woods). What is everyone's max "comfortable" range for shooting at an animal with their smoothie? I need to practice much more with my .58 NE fowler. I haven't totally gotten "my eye" with shooting smoothbores yet. I am ok to around 40 yards, after that it becomes tricky. The gun fits me real well, so it must be that I just haven't found the correct site picture yet.

50 max for me, never have shot much over thirty.

Magungo1066 said:

Hello all. I have a bear hunt coming up in August. The guide said the shot will likely be less than 50 yards (It will be in dense Maine woods). What is everyone's max "comfortable" range for shooting at an animal with their smoothie? I need to practice much more with my .58 NE fowler. I haven't totally gotten "my eye" with shooting smoothbores yet. I am ok to around 40 yards, after that it becomes tricky. The gun fits me real well, so it must be that I just haven't found the correct site picture yet.

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My gun will probably shoot better than what the single bead sight will allow me to achieve. 50 yards or less for me.

I limit my smooth-bore shots to 50 yards.

I limit my 20 ga. trade gun to 50+/- yards max. when deer hunting. I took my bear at between 20-25 yards from a tree stand.

Magungo1066 said:

Hello all. I have a bear hunt coming up in August. The guide said the shot will likely be less than 50 yards (It will be in dense Maine woods). What is everyone's max "comfortable" range for shooting at an animal with their smoothie? I need to practice much more with my .58 NE fowler. I haven't totally gotten "my eye" with shooting smoothbores yet. I am ok to around 40 yards, after that it becomes tricky. The gun fits me real well, so it must be that I just haven't found the correct site picture yet.

Click to expand...

So shoot at whatever range you can be 100% sure of hitting within 1" of point of aim. That's why the good ol' boys learned to stalk; they had to get close enough to be sure. An old fellow I met long ago grew up inHillbilly country in the SE States. He told me his father wouldn't let the boys hunt until they could hit their deer with a rock. They had to learn to sneak around. It's probably not too good an idea to go around throwing rocks at bears, but I am sure you get the idea.

I would say 50 yards with a true smooth bore is about my limit. You really need to put time in at the range and practice, practice, practice sir. That will build your confidence up. Good shooting sir.

Magungo1066 said:

The gun fits me real well, so it must be that I just haven't found the correct site picture yet.

Click to expand...

UM..., when hunting there are no "points" for doing it "authentic" if that means you might not get as humane a harvest of the animal as you would IF you added something to your smoothbore.

Fact..., Smoothbores meant for hunting did have rear sights. Not all, but they were not rare.





Now you don't need to alter your gun. You can put a 1/2" brass shelving bracket by using your tang bolt through one of the holes in the bracket. You can then use the remaining hole for sighting OR cut down the brass and put in a slot to form a rear sight aperture. When done, remove the bolt, remove the temp rear sight, and replace the bolt.



LD