Dear Friends,
I read an a thread in the African hunting section where a post contained the following :

"Originally Posted by mjs http://www.shootersforum.com/images/buttons/viewpost.gif (http://www.shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?p=48191#post48191)
Like all you gentlemen, I've read the report. I'm also a subscriber to that magazine.
----------- He carried a Browning (FN Mauser action) in .458 without a scope. His rifle weighed about seven pounds. For fun he could shoot grouse on the wing with the .458, and I never seen him miss. -----."


Does the phrase "on the wing" mean in flight? Is that possible. If rifle bullets travel in trajectories, then how can some one achieve this feat regularly? :confused:

I am sorry if this thread is in the wrong section and if it has been a repost. However, I have made an effort to search the forum for an answer if it had been posted in the past.


Naveed

A place to do it safely is hard to find. I have a NEF Handi in 357 that is balanced well enough for the proper follow through for me to score aroun 4 out of 10 on low flying crows. I use William reciever sight. My technique is to swing in from behind a squeeze the trigger as the front sight passes the beak, and continue the swing. I have more accurate rifles with and without scopes that I have been unable to do it with.
My personal best is 7 out of 10 and the 4 out of ten may be a little optomistic.
I use wadcutters loaded to around 1000 fps.
A grouse on the rise with a 458 would be a little more challanging at least for me.

I hope that idiot hunts nowhere near me or I would shoot him myself . Yes you can shoot birds with a rifle but after the bullet goes through the bird (458) what does it hit 2 or 3 miles away ? And yes I was being kind calling him an idiot.

It's something i'd be tempted to try if firing downhill into the ground...
possibly set up a clay trap on your left, and launch them at low speed to your right, all below you, so when the bullet misses or hits (hah) it'll go straight to ground..


_Kar.

W. D. M. Bell reported in "Wanderings of an Elephant Hunter" of shooting birds in-flight with a .256 Mann. as they flew up a river. Bell was on high ground and the birds were flying toward him.

I have watched movies of Herb Parsons shooting clay birds in flight with a Model 71 .348WCF and a Model 94 .30-30WCF. Parsons did not miss.

Jeff Cooper wrote of shooting clays birds as part of the Scout Rifle class. The students did well on the birds thrown from a trap.

sorry to say;
When I was 16 years old,I bought a single shot Remington 22 rifle.
While hunting with my friend,Tom,we kicked up a pheasent,which took flight(in the air).He had a repeater,and fired all 20 shots.Shooting as fast as he could,he missed with all shots.
The bird had circled,so it was still in range.I took careful aim,and knocked him out of the sky.
At the time,I thought that it was a great idea.Tom thought that I was just great.
Today,I knowthat we were both wrong.
Frank

True, Frank -

Shot a hummingbird while in flight with a single shot .22 back when I was 9.

Still remember it and how sad I felt when I picked up the pretty, but dead bird.

Are there .458 shotshells loaded with bird shot? Then it would be safe I guess. Like the .410 shotshell.

I guess after reading the experts advice, I wouldn't try it with any rifle but I might try it with my RWS 350 Magnun airgun in an open field to be on the safe side.

Kdub did you tell that story once here on the forum? I think I remember a story about a new Marlin 39 that a friend of yours had and you shot that humming bird on the wing with it. Not sure if that was you and your story, but the first post brought that to mind. What a great story that was even if it wasn't you.


Yes Naveed that means he shot it out of the air with his 458. Folks like Ed McGivern used to shoot stuff out of the air all the time with handguns and rifles. Today with lots of people living everywhere it's kind of dangerous though.

I was playing paintball along a river bottom with my brothers and friends when a flock of seagulls (no, not the band) flew over. They were about 100 ft overhead. I took a pot shot at one and when I pulled the trigger it just felt right (anyone who shoots a bow instinctively knows what I mean). I nailed that bird dead center on the underbelly. Didn't hurt him but sure scared the **** out of him I'm sure. Paintball markers start out at about 300 fps so it's similar trajectory to a bow though they slow down a lot more quickly. Anyway, it was the most fun I ever had involving sky carp!

No, Bob - must have been someone else. That's the first time I've told of that little episode on the forum. Pretty much ashamed of myself for it, even after all these years.

When my dad was younger he was out with an air rifle, and a non-shooting friend, who had a borrowed air rifle. My dad shot at a perched crow, and just missed it, so it flew off. non shooting friend aims and fires at the flying bird. headshot.

_Kar.

I did once make a shot on a crow riding the uplift from a ridge with a 17 Rem, pretty much right above me and fairly close, with a steady forward movement. Out in the middle of nowhere so no danger, and only my dogs as witnesses.

I was target shooting with my .204 Ruger a few years back and nailed a small sparrow unintentionally.

My brother-inlaw shot a Candian goose out of the sky with a .22, he was trying to get close enough to shot one on the ground, but they took off before he could get in range. There is a whole flock, that like to come and eat the grass, he'd like his dairy cows to eat. Man those suckers can eat some pasture. Anyway after they took to the air, one flew within range, he knew the was no risk to anyone , so he had a shot. And what do you know, wings folded and crashed to earth.
I remember seeing an old show "Thats Incredible!", with some guys nailing plates, clay targets with a .22. Even doing it with the rifle held inverted! Crazy!
Safety first though, as others have said, you can not control a bullet once you pull the trigger.
Brendon

Yes Naveed that means he shot it out of the air with his 458. Folks like Ed McGivern used to shoot stuff out of the air all the time with handguns and rifles. Today with lots of people living everywhere it's kind of dangerous though.

Thank's Bob. I googled Ed Mcgivern's name and saw his record in Guiness Book. He sure was fast and accurate. And if some one can shoot flying objects with a single projectile, what hit ratio would they have on Ducks and clays with shotguns? My guess would be atleast a 100%.

I'd certainly not want to be a duck with old Ed shooting at me with a shotgun or a rifle or pistol. Exhibition shooting kind of disappeared for a long time, but it's kinda coming back here in the states with several folks doing a great job now.

My Dad killed a Grouse with his Springfield .30-06 in the air. He said it was cleaned and be-headed when it hit the ground (it was flying away).
Andy

the only time my dad has ever been pheasant hunting was when he was in his teens he went hunting with his friend. no dog. tall grass. it was also deer season at the time. they had plugged autoloaders and shot a lot and didn't hit any birds all day. my dad had a slug in his pocket, because it was deer season. On the last bird of the day the slug was in my dads magazine, first one put in so last one to be shot. they flushed a bird and it flew and he fired twice and missed on the third shot which was the slug it hit the pheasant in mid air and the thing exploded. Only bird they got all day. i thought that was hilarious

Back in the ..well, a long time ago when I was young and lived in Pennsylvania, I had a pheasant jump up in front of me and was flying away when I raised my .22 and took part of his head off. Foolish, I now know.

I'll have to admit to using a .22 on a flying crow. Wasn't the smartest thing I have ever done though.

I used to hit bumble bees that were buzzing my cedar house in the spring using my Daisy Red Rider. I was directly under them and they were only about 20 feet up though. They were too high to get with the badmitton racket.