# Rabbits with a 30.06



## craigire (Aug 20, 2012)

This month I was on a cow elk hunt and after the last day of not seeing much more than jack rabbits, I decided to have a little fun. Since my 30.06 was all I had with me I used that. To my surprise I found it pretty difficult to hit those guys at close ranges. I know that the 30.06 trajectory is arched and when sighted at 100 or 200 yards has a tendency to rise before it drops on the target. This got me thinking about last years hunt when I was in thick forest and came upon a bull elk at about 30 yards or so. From that close I missed which was the fail of a lifetime in my mind, but I am now wondering, if I am sighting my rifle in at 100 yards but need to take a shot from much closer, how can I ensure a hit? Any wisdom or experience would be appreciated.


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## outdoorser (Jan 14, 2013)

I would like to see a photo of a rabbit you hit with the 30-06:grin:


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

craigire said:


> I am sighting my rifle in at 100 yards but need to take a shot from much closer, how can I ensure a hit? Any wisdom or experience would be appreciated.


If you are sighting in at a 100 yard zero the amount the bullet rises above the line of sight is miniscule. If you sight in for a 300 yard zero you are roughly at most 3" above the line of sight... neither of those would cause you to miss an elk at under 100 yards.

-DallanC


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I agree if it is sighted in a 100 yards all you need to do is put the sight where you want to hit a elk and you'll hit him. Even if you have it sighted in at 200 yards it should be a dead elk.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

A rifle sighted in at 100 yards and a missed elk at 30 yards?? Sorry, but you can't blame the rifle for that. :sad: 

Keep pounding the rabbits......maybe some day I'll tell you about my archery epic fails.


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

Bullets don't "rise" before they hit the target. In order for a bullet to do anything other than "fall" the barrel must be pointed at an angle that is above horizontal. Even a bullet that is going up is accelerating towards the earth. All bullets accelerate towards the earth the moment they exit the barrel. Gravity is very unforgiving that way.


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## craigire (Aug 20, 2012)

Thanks for the thoughts. I guess I will just have to accept that my epic fail is in fact 100% on me... crud.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

craigire said:


> Thanks for the thoughts. I guess I will just have to accept that my epic fail is in fact 100% on me... crud.


Not necessarily, if your bullet tipped a twig or branch it could throw it off big time. Surely you were shooting through a tree or bush...right?


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

This has to be the most unintentionally hilarious thread I have ever seen. Glad I stumbled across it. :grin:


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## Stunnerphil (Oct 3, 2012)

Last year during the deer hunt my dad shot a rabbit with his 30.06 at close range it blew in the air several feet we looked at it half of its backside was blown off


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## stimmie78 (Dec 8, 2007)

I shot a jackrabbit with my .270 once..... There wa a big cloud of fur floating in the air. As the cloud drifted away we could see the rabbit still on the hillside. When we got up to it it looked like nothing was wrong. Then we rolled it over and found that it was open top to bottom and from shoulder to hip. Haven't had a chance to try it again.


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## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

If you can follow and hit rabbits at close distance with a scoped rifle, then you will have no problem finding big game in your scope. I think it's a great way to practice finding things quickly in your scope.


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## GutPile (Feb 26, 2013)

I will occasionally lead up some 110gr Spitzers in my .300 win mag for rabbits. Now you see it now you don't...


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

GutPile said:


> I will occasionally lead up some 110gr Spitzers in my .300 win mag for rabbits. Now you see it now you don't...


I had a friend who was going on an African Safari and we were out shooting jacks and chislers on their hay farm. He saw a jack a couple of hundred yards away and pulled out his 300 win mag for a practice shot....vaporized that little bunny.


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## Rspeters (Apr 4, 2013)

This thread reminded me of this video...poor rabbit

 [MEDIA=youtube]9WypbzC6mi8[/MEDIA]


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Rspeters said:


> This thread reminded me of this video...poor rabbit
> 
> [MEDIA=youtube]9WypbzC6mi8[/MEDIA]


Oh man, me and a co-worker are laughing so hard we're crying....poor widdle bunnie...LOL


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

When I was dating my wife, we went out rabbit hunting on a beautiful day with fresh fallen snow. She had my .22lr, I carried my .22-250... after a long hike and not seeing anything we started back to the truck. After a short distance we jumped a jack and I threw up my gun... it wasn't even halfway to my shoulder when I touched it off, hitting the rabbit on the fly (one of the coolest shots of my life), the rabbit disappeared into a red mist, painting a lovely cone of red on the fresh snow radiating away from us.

I thought "OH CRAP" at the carnage, and I turned to see what she thought about this, if she would be repulsed or even passed out hehe. 

She was just standing there smiling back and said "good shot!". I knew then I had a keeper :mrgreen:

-DallanC


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## Cooky (Apr 25, 2011)

There used to be a gun writer called Jack O'Conner who claimed jackrabbit hunting with a deer rifle good practice for big game hunting.
Not sure if he knew much about hunting though....


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## Bax* (Dec 14, 2008)

Every time I read this thread title, I picture something like this:


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