I was shooting my M16A1 with its 11½ inch barrel on Straight Semi, mainly to keep my shooting skills up to par.  Just 12 magazines this time around.  I shot up some of my Ammo Day ammo I had purchased.  Only 360 rounds this time; nothing really major, the C-Mag stayed at home.
The first two magazines were at targets 100 yards away.  Then I switched to the 200 yard line and stayed there for the rest of the day.
The Range was pretty crowded.  Hunting Season was almost there.
But after a while I noticed something interesting.
Except for the kids (teens) shooting rimfires at the Pistol targets, everybody, and I do mean EVERYBODY else was shooting scoped rifles at the 100 yard targets.
True, a couple of guys with lever actions (30-30 mainly, with one Gent with a .444 Marlin) came later and shot with Iron Sights.  They also shot at the 100 yard targets.

All day long I was the only one shooting at the 200 yard targets.  And with Iron Sights no less.
(Decent day; most of the shots were in the black.  About a dozen got into the X-Ring.)
It was weird, not only being the only person shooting at 200, but shooting string after string without a scope.

I suspect hunting season has a lot to do with it.  Most shots in PA for deer are under 100 yards no matter what the "shooter" says. " I hit him running over there down the hollow...must have been darn near 400 yards!"

People like to zero their rifles at 100.  I know I do, then I know where they will be at 50-300.

Most guys do not understand iron sights.  I do 100% of my shooting with irons.  National Match Course 200-300-600yds, 1000 yd Prone, and even smallbore 3 and 4 position 50ft-50M-100yds, and air rifle too.  The nearest target I practice with a highpower rifle is 200yds.

The average shooter/hunter would do well to learn a little about marksmanship (sight alignment, Natural point of aim, trigger control).  It would help them to be better shooters and hunters.

john

Most PA Deer Are Taken At 4 Feet With A Muzzle Velocity Of 55MPH Horn Blowing With Headlights And Windsheild Wipers On And A Projectile Weighing Around 2200Lbs. No Need For A Scope They Will Actually Jump Right In Front Of The Projectile. That Is How I Sight In The Old Yukon Every Year

good one

Quoted: Most PA Deer Are Taken At 4 Feet With A Muzzle Velocity Of 55MPH Horn Blowing With Headlights And Windsheild Wipers On And A Projectile Weighing Around 2200Lbs. No Need For A Scope They Will Actually Jump Right In Front Of The Projectile. That Is How I Sight In The Old Yukon Every Year

Yup, how true!!

Truth be told, for the last 20 years, the deer have run a greater risk being hit by my vehicle on the way to the woods than they ever faced being hit by a bullet fired from my weapon.

Quoted: I was shooting my M16A1 with its 11½ inch barrel on Straight Semi, mainly to keep my shooting skills up to par.  Just 12 magazines this time around.  I shot up some of my Ammo Day ammo I had purchased.  Only 360 rounds this time; nothing really major, the C-Mag stayed at home. The first two magazines were at targets 100 yards away.  Then I switched to the 200 yard line and stayed there for the rest of the day. The Range was pretty crowded.  Hunting Season was almost there. But after a while I noticed something interesting. Except for the kids (teens) shooting rimfires at the Pistol targets, everybody, and I do mean EVERYBODY else was shooting scoped rifles at the 100 yard targets. True, a couple of guys with lever actions (30-30 mainly, with one Gent with a .444 Marlin) came later and shot with Iron Sights.  They also shot at the 100 yard targets. All day long I was the only one shooting at the 200 yard targets.  And with Iron Sights no less. (Decent day; most of the shots were in the black.  About a dozen got into the X-Ring.) It was weird, not only being the only person shooting at 200, but shooting string after string without a scope.

I went through the same thing two weekends ago...besides me, the only other iron sight user was a young man with his Winchester 94 at the 50 yd. range.

I've been this route.


Asshole told me my AR was an inaccurate POS until I showed him my 200 yd target shot with irons.

tighter group than his scoped bolt gun at 50 yards.


He sat there with his jaw on the deck.

Quoted: I've been this route. Asshole told me my AR was an inaccurate POS until I showed him my 200 yd target shot with irons. tighter group than his scoped bolt gun at 50 yards. He sat there with his jaw on the deck.

Same here.  I was shooting my HK91 when a gaggle of Elmer Fudds showed up to sight in their hunting rifles.  I was getting dirty looks from them at first...but when we went to check our targets four of them had groups I'd guess to be around 8-12 inches, one actually had a nice 2" group of 3 shots, and I had 20 rnds in a 7" group.  The guy who shot the 2" group seemed kind of interested when we got back on the line and struck up a conversation asking what caliber it was in and how much they cost and so on.  I let him fire a mag through it.  He couldn't get over how far it tosses the brass!