This question has been more than a century is haunted by the hunters all over the world.
Theoretically, each requires its own hunting weapons. Shooting moose, bear, or hunting for quail, snipe – the difference in the requirements for weapons is huge. Many instructions advise you to have powerful rifles for hunting hoofed animals and large predators, heavy Grabovoi gun for hunting in the currents and travel, a little shotty for the summer-autumn hunting in broods of the coniferous forest and marsh fowl and small-bore rifle or a shotgun 32-28 caliber for hunting on fur-bearing animal. In the books published 50-100 years ago, it was recommended to have “long range rifle” for hunting birds and smaller animals. And this is not a complete list of required hunter weapons.
But in the past Soviet and now Russian, hunter mostly deprived of the opportunity to follow these recommendations. After all, even in the distant long time ago, when the price of an average rifle does not exceed the monthly salary of the worker, not everyone could afford to have several rifles, and only in relation to grooved and can not speak. Many contributed to this and the covert installation of the interior Ministry – one hunter – one rifle. (Even the notorious iron boxes were made one under the gun).
Today many issues are solved with the purchase of weapons, the shelves filled with a variety of models such as smoothbore and rifled weapons. But later, the Lord! Look around you, look at your hunter friends. Many of you will be able to for a simple gun to put a sum with four zeros, or to pay a few thousand for primitive (converted from a military-style) hunting rifle?
So the majority of Russian hunters in the foreseeable future will have to settle for one gun – the fact that they have, and in response to the title of this article, you can safely answer in the style of bad advertising – one rifle for all hunting.
So this is a name the author and dare to give some advice based on my personal experience and the experiences of other hunters, are covered in the hunting literature published over the last hundred years.
The choice of “universal” gun
If the gun You already have and buy another one you’re not going, this part is mainly theoretical interest. But if the buying guns thing is resolved, to opt for better durable and reliable shotgun 12 gauge type IL-12, IZH-27, IZH-54, IZH-58, or not inferior to them in strength TOZ-34. If resources permit, it is good to take the MC-6.
There is no sense to talk about how to choose a shotgun for all the recommendations (not listed in the hunting literature). The main thing – the gun should be technically fine and not worn. From buying a little-known and foreign models should be abandoned, because for most hunters in case of breakdowns will rise to insurmountable difficulties with the repairs, but their price is several times higher than standard domestic.
When you have a choice the preference should be given to the plane (why will be clear later).
So, the gun you have. Suppose that is a widely known model IZH-27 (with this gun the author of the hunt for many years). Everything said below to a greater or lesser extent applies to all standard domestic hunting rifles.
From any production rifle you can achieve versatility, properly sighted it and choosing the appropriate cartridge for different hunts. Almost any gun, whether it’s the cheapest trigger “tulka” or the celebrated “Holland”, provides reliable defeat of the game shot at a distance not more than 40-50 meters. Hunter just need to take the time to fit and test the gun. Very helpful for the fabrication of the Lodge custom, but it’s expensive. Most hunters have limited the replaceable absorber, the thickness of which can be changed depending on the clothing of the shooter.
The basic attention should be given to the sighting of guns, as each gun requires its own individual charge. During normal drilling the trunks of the left (lower) polochak and right (upper) chalk, of the gun it is necessary to achieve an average accuracy of 60% for palucka and 70% for PSCs. The sharpness of the battle should be the greatest. The fine adjustment and the selection charge described in numerous articles and books. After receiving the required results and having received the charge and the projectile in the base, time to start a special sighting of a gun, which a hunter will choose the most powerful and long-range cartridge for hunting on flights, currents, etc. it is Easy to pick up and the ratio of the projectile and the fraction of the charge of gunpowder for various “kratkorocnih” rounds.
The main thing – it is a serious approach to the zeroing of the gun. Shooting should be conducted on standard targets and all resultsthe be calculated with maximum accuracy. The result of the calculation displays the average results of a series of shots is equally loaded with ammunition. The adjustment need to be made in the time of year that you intend to hunt.
Similarly getting a reduced sample of gunpowder and fractions for equipment “economical” cartridge for shooting small, not timid of game.
After sighting and summarizing all the results, a hunter can equip to your gun bullets, providing standard trunks as far heap and battle rifles, and a wide, uniform scree.
This is the first step in achieving the “universality” of the gun.
The next step is zeroing the gun with buckshot. Here it is necessary to achieve the maximum heap and a sharp fight. Is receiving when shooting at 35 m 100% accuracy when the whole charge of buckshot must fit into a circle with a diameter of 75 cm to Achieve this it is possible, selecting a consistent shot and some features of its snaryadki. Grapeshot retains its stopping power is far beyond the limit of the fraction for the 50-meter mark, so when shooting buckshot in addition it is necessary to determine the maximum distance possible, shooting at targets of various sizes. It is often on the hunt is impossible to approach the bird or beast at a distance of steady shot, and miss the trophy you do not want. Even a large cartechini (9 PCs in charge) enough to put on the spot a large bird (goose, grouse) at a distance of 100, and sometimes more meters, in the case of a miss, the game goes unharmed.
The adjustment should be small and large buckshot, most appropriate to the gun barrel.
One of the most critical operations is the zeroing of a rifle bullet. Shoot it most hunters have rarely, mostly for battue hunting, where accuracy and result of the shot depends very much. One mistake can nullify the entire multi-day work of Rangers, hunters and team hunters.
Preparation for zeroing, start by choosing from a large number of commercially available different types of bullets most acceptable to you. Here it is necessary to prefer a heavy bullet with more stopping action. A good jacketed hollow-point arrow-shaped bullet, able to withstand heavy-duty gunpowder, but when injected into the animal strongly to deform and even to break down into separate parts. Most commercially available and manufactured by hunters bullets provide reliable battle of the beast at a distance of 35 m, and then shoot the current rules forbid collective hunts.
When an individual hunt for the beast, there may be situations when to shoot and a lot more 35 m. Therefore, the adjustment of the gun the bullet must be made to the several distances (35, 50, 70, 100 m). For zeroing and hunting, of course, necessary to select any one model of a bullet and use it constantly.
There is a perception that a bullet fired from a smooth barrel, I can not give a a heap, the exact and constant battle. This is not true, and a proof to serve as modern artillery guns with a smooth barrel and a true sniper accuracy of the battle. It’s all in the design of the projectile (bullet), the accuracy of selection of charge, care of equipment and design of the sighting devices.
Currently developed types of bullets for hunting rifles, not yielding at the distance of 100-150 m on the accuracy of battle rifles and has enough speed and stopping power. One of them is bullet Poleva giving when shooting at 100 m scatter not exceeding 10 cm in diameter and pierced pine timber 150 mm.
Greatly facilitates the sighting of the gun the bullet the use of different sights: iron sights rifle-type rear sights of different designs and of course optical sights.
The easiest and most affordable is the open sight. For the manufacture and installation of hunter requires minimal plumbing skills, when you install open sight without plumbing skills can do – just stick to the sighting of the strap of the gun sight and front any modern durable glue.
More perfect is a sighting device having a lifting bar and movable sights. Hunting rifles when firing a bullet because of the impossibility of increasing the initial speed have a steep trajectory of the bullet, and elevating the rear sight will allow for zeroing, to make marks for different distances. Will be useful for shooting buckshot with even steeper trajectory.
All of the above equally applies to the diopter sights. For shooting at long range is preferred guns with vertically coupled barrels, as the vertical deflection due to misalignment of the barrels easier to compensate for when shooting than the gun with horizontally paired trunks. In extreme cases, targeting long-distance can one of the trunks.
And of course, the most perfect sight is an optical sight. Setting it on his gun, the hunter will not only enhance its ability when firing a bullet at far and near distances, but may use it for hunting small fur-bearing animals, grouse, hunting grouse and capercaillie leks. Incredulous smile, seeing optics on the shotgun, maybe only people that have never tried to use it on the hunt. The opportunity to overturn accurately fired a bullet far a mouse in a field a Fox or cut with a crown of pine a curious grouse available to any hunter who believes in the possibility of his gun.
All of the above closely approximates your gun to a universal hunting weapon that meets your diverse requirements.
There are other accessories that make your usual rifle even more versatile. In many countries, smooth-bore rifles supplementary cut trunks under the existing hunting cartridges using two such trunks, in a matter of seconds installing the optics, you can turn an ordinary shotgun in fitting, suitable for hunting any of our animals. But, alas. It’s not for us. In our country the use of plug-in trunks is a criminal offense, which is a pity. Because the factory production of rifled guns is much easier than trunks smooth, and their price can not be very large. And to ensure that hunters would not be difficult.
Here is the answer to the question – how many guns have the hunter? With a strong desire to do one. And so, probably, will be as long as the vast army of law-abiding owners of “universal” weapon power will be treated as potential criminals and faithfully observe the commandments of “developed socialism” – “you’re gone” and “don’t let go.”