Anyone here hunting without a scope on your rifle? Why or why not? This year I decided that I'm just going to use my great grandfather's Marlin 30-30 that doesn't have a scope. Weird things keep happening with the 30-06 I normally hunt with (it has a scope), but I'd rather just not deal with it anymore. Sometimes after the first shot the next bullet will get jammed as it's trying to reload, and then the other day my dad and I noticed that it might be shooting bullets sideways as weird as that sounds ...I saw the wood target with my own eyes and it was just really, really strange looking to both of us. When it hit sideways It hit about a foot lower and to the right than where I was aiming when the rest of my shots came within an inch or two of the target I was aiming at. You could see where it scraped the board off to the right. I really don't trust it.

Sounds like something is either terribly wrong with the present scope or the screws holding the barrel and action to the stock have loosened up.

As far as the hunting without a scope, if your average shots are going to be 100 yards or under, you should be okay.

Over 100 yards, and for the average person, accuracy begins to go down hill, unless you have a set of "Ghost Ring" sights or some form of Apeture sight mounted on the gun.

My first suggestion would be to check all the screws on your 06' to see if the ones holding the barrel and action are tight, then check the screws on the mounts and bases of the scope to see if they are tight.

Then, I would start by sighting in the 06' at either 25 or 50 yards and see what was happening at that range before moving out to 100 yards.

Is the ammunition you are using new or is it the same stuff you have used in the past, also is it factory or handload/reload????

You can hunt with open sights, and some folks do well with them, but again, I would try the 30-30 on a 50 yard target and then at 100, just to see A, what your sight picture looks like at those ranges, and B to get an idea of where the bullet is hitting at those ranges. JMO.

Sounds like you have a personal gun problem and your set ups are basically not up to par. Maybe you should spend some time and money and get your equipment fixed or upgrade.

I don't use a scope because I usually get very excited when a deer appears and fire wildly until my thirty round clip is exhausted, the scope only gets in the way and when you are running and firing from the hip the scope really doesn't matter.

heh, I'd love to upgrade but we already have enough rifles as it is so my dad won't purchase another. My dad uses a .270 to hunt deer with, we have a Chinese SKS that he bought from one of my friends a few years ago for $100 (I could use that if i wanted to, it even has a bayonet but he took it off haha. I keep wondering how many Americans that thing has killed though), the 30-30, and then the 30-06. I could always hope my dad kills his buck first and then steal his .270 away from him when he's done since it will just be going back in the case until next year :P but the 30-30 is fun to shoot. We also have a mini-14, but I don't think I'd like hunting with that (my dad actually bought it to carry around with him in the pasture but normally hauls the SKS around with him out there in case he sees hogs now), but it does have a scope. We also have quite a few shotguns at our house and we don't bird hunt, at least not anymore. I actually joked with my dad that I could just go hunt with a shotgun instead :P

I shoot my centerfires scoped as of now, but have been wanting to try it with an iron sight rifle. Also my muzzleloader is iron sight and works just fine my furthest shot was just under 60 yards, but it works. You should be fine, just do some practice, pay close atention to your bead and you will be fine.

matt

Last year I bought a lever action 45-70, then inherited a 35Remington. Both are scopeless, and they are a blast to shoot. Mostly hogs, and closer range not exceeding 100 yards. I enjoy them as it forces me to use my stalking skills to get closer. Have fun and let the old 06 rest a year, she sounds a little tired.

I prefer a scope do to my eyes are not what they used to be, basically i just see better.

Sounds like you are shooting a Remington 742 or similar semi-automatic rifle. Your jamming problem is probably caused by a weak spring in the magazine. This is caused by leaving bullets in the magazine for extended periods of time. Replace the magazine and that should fix that problem. The other problem could be anything. If the gun is really old and has been shot a lot of times the barrel may be bad. Or maybe the screws on the scope rings are loose. There are so many things that it could be to narrow it down on the internet.

It is a Remington 30-06 semi auto, but I'm not sure of the model number. I know my grandfather used to carry it around in his truck on a gun rack so I'm assuming it always had bullets in the magazine. It was his weapon of choice, but I'm not sure how much he fired it. I think he actually hunted deer with it for a few years before my dad had been given it. My dad prefers his Remington .270 though, so I've been the only one to shoot it since then. It's just really strange what it is doing. It probably hasn't been shot since the 80's early 90's until I got my hands on it a few years ago.

Replace the magazine. They are fairly cheap, around $20 or so. More than likely it will fix your problem.

I carry it to a gunsmith. It does sound as though the spring in the magizine is weak. Your Grandfather would probably be real proud if you shot a buck with his gun, family traditions and all.