When you walk-hunt in big, wild country rhythm in shooting becomes natural over time. If it doesn’t, you will never be any good at it.
I’m reminded of the gun fights in the old days, it was usually unexpected, quick, and deadly. You better be fast and it helps to be accurate. Jumping a wild animal out of no-where when you are hunting will certainly kick your adrenalin way above the recommended level.
It is at that instant where experience with one gun or another will pay off. I have several rules and the most important one is never change guns. If you shoot the same gun year in and year out in your hunts you never have to wonder why you couldn’t find the safety when it mattered most.
So, to answer your question—I usually carried two to three guns on any extended hunt, all Winchester M-70’s, all pre-war, all with Tilden safetys, and all butt stocks cut or altered exactly the same. Therefore, I could reach in my gun box and pull out my 270, my 300, my old 1935 cal. 375 and never know the difference until it went off. However, with the 375 you’d certainly know right a’way.
My other rule was: Get a bullet in him and do it quick, doesn’t matter where you him hit—you can work out the details latter. And, before you hot-shots jump me this rule DOES NOT pertain to dangerous game.
The next time you and your son, or friend, are down in the south pasture. Stop your truck and get out and tell your son you want him to shoot at THAT oak down there, about 50 to 75 yards, and you are gonna time him to see how long it takes him to get off a shot.
Get him to load and lock and put the rifle on his shoulder. Then you are gonna holler-GO!--- At which time you say—one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, etc. to see how long it takes for him to get off a shot. You will be very surprised.
As I got older my timing increased as did my rhythm or I could never had gotten so fast. 90 % of it was that never changed guns. If I had participated in the father/son fun my shot would have very lkI eily occurred by the end of his “one thousand one” statement.
Here is the test: I was walking in low brush here at the ranch one time when a big turkey Tom squawked at me on myAll I remember was the squawk and the boom of my 270 as the big Tom fell out of the sky. left and immediately busted right over my head. The sling to my 270 was on my left shoulder.
I don’t know how I did it. Timing, rhythm, comfort, experience, and practice had a lot to do with it, but most importantly, RHYTHM!
I loved it!
MEK