We're here in Wales with WMS firearms training and we're gonna be setting our
rifles for driven wild boar hunting. Now I'll be predominately shooting my Sauer
404 in 33b Win Mag fitted with a Hawke Endurance 31- 4 x 24 scope and
I'll be using my Blaser R8 Professional and 300 Win Mag fitted with
a Hawke Frontier 31- 6 x 24. In addition to that we've got something a
little bit different, a Howa 1500 in 308 Winchester with a GRS Berserk rifle
stock shortened barrel down to around 18 inches and that's fitted with a Hawke
Reflex Red Dot sight. So, that's you couldn't we gonna use we've zeroed at up
on the range so that we know it's firing the right direction now we've come to Andrew
to show us how to put those rifles in to practice shooting driven and moving targets.
So, today's in three stages, the first stages we're going to check the zeros.
The second stage we're going to be shooting at 50, 100 and even back
to 200 meters completely freestanding and then we're going to move on to the
running boar target and we're going to spend the afternoon working on that
Let's go.
Okay, zeroing zero checks on rifles. Most people will quite rightly
check their rifle with a bipod multiple sandbags in a position where they're
basically weights and nothing can possibly move that's great after you do
that it's a very good idea to check that the rifle and you is shooting to the
same point of aim if you're going to be shooting freestanding. We often find
people handle rifles quite differently freestanding to the way they actually do
when they're on a bench.
So,
Just for the interest of accuracy, we've got a little
pad here on the front but I'm going to hold the rifle in this sort of position
I'm not going to agonize about the shots I'm going to imagine I'm under a little
bit of pressure I've got to squeeze the trigger fairly quickly, no mucking about
and just see if this is shooting for the same point of aim for me, Steve will check
the same thing out as well. This is a 300 Win Mag, it's a
Blaser R8 Professional Success. Nice bit of kit to shoot, it's going to recoil
a little bit without the moderator on we Brits love our moderators. But, that's no
real problem to us today. It's also going to make a feral bang in the shed so
we've all got our ears on please always protect your hearing.
So, I'm just going to address one of the targets in the front of our quarry here
line up, breathe in, breathe out and make the shot.
That's got about an inch and a half high for me. I'm not using the magazine at this stage with as far as
two shots, the first shot could have been a fowling shot could have been full of oil of something.
Breathe out, settle.
So, this is sighted in for about 200 meters in
reality at a 100 meters it's just running an inch and a half to two inches
high so that's great and Steve, no excuse mate, rifle shoots.
Now, I haven't fired this 404 before I'm very familiar with the Blaser's and
this has got different trigger settings and I'm going to dry fire this because
this could be on one of four different trigger settings and it's vital I know
which one before I go live. So, weapon cleared, dry firing.
It's got quite a light trigger.
Very similar to the Blaser.
Right, magazine in.
All loaded back around.
Aiming at the same place.
Firing.
Yeah, now that one for me has gone low and right.
Try another one.
Firing.
Same thing again, so what I'm going to do is ask Ian to shoot this
just to check and see what's in the right in the wrong place because I might
be shooting it differently to him. Over to you, Ian.
Next rifle on the block we've got a Howa 1500 here in 308, which I like very
well for rifles. bBrilliant value for money, it's in a GRS berserk stock with a
shortened barrel decent weight in the barrel so it shouldn't recoil too much
and we've got a Hawke Reflex Red Dot sight with a three MOA red dot I'm just
looking at a 10 inch disc out there and the doc curb is about a third of a disc
so that's perfect and this is a rifle to be shot like a shotgun and it's just a
case of both eyes open put the red dot on the target
and have a go.
So, white figure 11, send the just making the shot.
That's pretty good, give it another one.
That's on the money. Another one for fun, because I love it.
Headshot.
I think that'll do nicely. Is that okay, Ian?
I love it when a plan comes together.
We've just been shooting from a bench doing zero checks albeit in the fairly
loose and alfresco position but the reality of a boar hunt is you're going
to be on your hind legs shooting from a standing position
in my experience any attempt to use sticks rest or anything doesn't work so
how well can we shoot from standing? We all shoot little rifles better than we
shoot big rifles and the way to develop the right practices for shooting the big
rifle well is to get the muscle memory going with little stuff when there isn't
all that bang and crash and expense going on. You'll be confidently making
runs up and down these plates flicking away with a .22 rifle. Then we'll have a
go at five plate in this or pretend shots in a row, then we're going to have
a go at five plates in a row with the 223 rifle and then we'll start
having a crack at some of the larger targets with the larger rifles and
you'll immediately see that shooting a big rifle actually isn't as comfortable
as shooting a little rifle and the little habits will start to creep in
you'll be anticipating the shot so shoot the big rifle sparingly once you've got
all the right things happening in the right order that's basically what we're
gonna do. Just for a bit of no pressure fun I'm gonna stick 10 rounds in and
show you there's two different ways of going about this some of it may result
in a hit on a plate some of it may not but let's find out, okay?
iIt's with the better shotgun shooting one should mount slowly but shoot
reasonably quickly after the firearms in the shoulder. Now, with a shotgun you're
just looking in front of the target hopefully but with this we do have to
aim so I'm going to go for plate number one I'm gonna mount the rifle up start
slightly above the target drift down into it and make the shot it shouldn't
take too long.
Okay and the reload and the shoulder in case it didn't go well.
So this time I want you to definitely come down out between shots.
Finger off, but reloaded before you come down because that's the right muscle memory.
Okay, we've closed in the range we're about
60 yards away here. A lot of driven boar hunting is actually happening 10, 20, 30,
40 meters so a lot closer. We've been trying to do the hard work, we're going
to do some easier work now in theory. I'm going to be nominating one of the plates
for Steve to shoot. Steve's got a maximum of 4 seconds, in that 4 seconds you can fire as many shots as you like
and we'll see how we go on the plates, okay?
You can see how the 100 yard practice has helped because it's a hard
thing to do but now that we found the distance
it's much easier isn't it?
You're gonna find anticipation it's something that'll start to creep in now
because it's a lot more going on and it's trying to clear your mind of that
and go through all the basics of that lovely quiet gun mat onto target make
take the shot,
reload and most importantly ready for
another shot I'll nominate one of the two targets would be talking about
you've got two shots to make it if you haven't made it after the second shot, A
it's gone okay, B we need to reevaluate and find out what went wrong. So, who wants a
crack at this first?
Okay guys, we have the setting sun in the west.
The targets in the east beautifully lit up, we're gonna be running this at 50 meters
because it's a sensible, practical, pragmatic distance. If a pig of average
size is walking about 50 meters across 90-degree angle just aiming on the right
edge of the kill zone is enough it's plenty if it's trotting the base of the
neck will give you the required lead but this 50 meter range and if it's actually
cantering and pretty much going for it, generally speaking on the cheek if it's
an average-sized pig or possibly with a small pig on the nose. So, we're going to
start off with this at a sort of the trotting speed and then we'll build up
this systems 50 meters long you can get multiple shots in on this
and it will do from 0 to about 30 kph a flat out flying Kyler can maybe do 35 to 40 in a
very short burst normally they're doing 15 to 20 that's that's the sort of speed.
Don't swing through, things this is sustained lead.
there's the animal, there's its cheek and you sustain the lead and when we do the practice try
firing, when you hear the click you must still be doing the same speed at the
same level, reload pretty much on target back on and
you will be on this thing with your first few shots I'm confident.
Right. let's go
Yeah, the biggest mistake is aiming too far in front.
Right, going back at medium speed.
Alright team, all this morning's works paid off, hasn't it?
This is the series of high speed runs we did and look at it now you can argue till the
end of the time about who's shot is which. but basically you've both had about
60 to 70 percent the shots and these remarkable little killing groups and the
odd one up and down when we know there's more work and practice to do because
there always is when you're over leading it when you're just coming off the nose
here that's tended to lead to these old
frontal shots the elevation groupings been really good if you look at this you
know that that's 9 inches if you look at it we've actually got a solid killing
elevation grouping through the animals you made these groups freestanding at 50
meters on a target doing 30 km/h cross and yeah it's not bad is it? What we'll
go and do some more shooting the signs are good yeah it's really in big good
but there we go are we spray these and we'll get on with it.
So, how did we get on?
The scores on the board. We've settled down to shooting a
really good line through the pig so you're picking up those tips the whole
thing is about being reasonably clinical and humane with the first shot, never be
afraid not to fire at something okay because something else to come along. The
majority of the shooting up there has been great, you're getting the reasonably
quick second shots in and I say reasonably quick just too quick and you
know it doesn't work yeah reasonably quick is what works and it's
your duty as a hunter to be dealing with the one you saw shot at and to make sure
it's properly sorted before you move on. What I have found and full of you guys
back home who aren't using wild boar or moving targets, this is an amazing system to go
through to get these skills. Starting off from earlier on today yeah just in 300
standing shooting yeah we're doing really is taking the recoil we're
taking the violence of the shot away yeah now we're just working on that
holding the rifle bringing it onto the target assuming there's going to be that
movement yeah and then hitting those place consistently. Yeah, moving then on
to 223, then you have a little bit of an introduction of recoil maybe a slightly
dynamic in terms of the way to the rifle that's right and then as you progress
you move on to the bigger calibers which actually rifles are get more familiar
with, yeah, those first two stages everything yeah it comes natural putting
those skills that you've learned with a rough you more familiar with and then we
start to shoot it's falling into place the gears are meshing and you feel it's
natural and then the next progression yeah
bringing all you've learned onto these moving targets and I'd imagine if we'd
have come straight out here we've been all over the place. It would have been a
dog dinner of a day. I'd highly recommend to come here with Andrew if you are going to go and shoot
moving targets and go through this process. You may be a great shot, you
might be able to consistently group at 200 - 300 yards and all of that marks on the
skills they're fabulous now and they have their place. But, there is a
completely different dynamic when it comes to shooting at a moving target and
I feel hugely confident now to take my rifles
and rifles and our ability out into Hungary and start rolling some pigs, yeah I hope so.
Let's say thank you very much indeed it's been a revelation it's been very enjoyable
and then hopefully we can put all of that into practice and when we're next shooting on the shooting cinema and then at the field.
I'm ian harford and I'm Steve Wild and we're about to
embark on our epic wild boar hunting adventure to Hungary but before we get
set up and go just actually run through the equipment that we're gonna be using
on this trip give you an idea of what we're taking with us so here's what
we've got tried tested equipment all of this gear we've used in Alaska it's the
same stuff that we use basically every day of the year yeah just because you're
going to a different country doesn't mean you need to change your equipment
or your approach to it no it's just common sense hunting really is what we
use you've got to gear yourself up for your very own situation haven't you?