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Hello Everyone,

I grew up hunting ducks with a 20-gauge shotgun and know zip about rifles when it comes to hunting. That leaves me kind of in limbo trying to write a scene in my next novel about a guy who uses a rifle to shoot a duck-sized bird in the air. I definitely need professional advice! Can anyone here provide a little info about the following...

(1) The rifle needs to be a make and model that would have been available in the late 1960s. It needs to be something standard that a rancher would have owned. I would prefer that it be bolt action, but that's not an absolute requirement.

(2) Would a hunter need a scope on the rifle to have any chance of hitting a bird the size of a duck (or larger) in the air? If one needs a scope, is there a standard type (available in the 1960s) that one might place on a bolt-action rifle?

(3) I'm used to leading a bird when firing a shotgun. With a rifle and scope, is one sited directly on the flying bird, or is one aiming slightly ahead of it?

I guess that's about it. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

--Old Duck

Message Thread:

• bird shooting with a rifle (research for a book) OldDuckHunter Aug 30 2005
  • shooting a bird with rifle calndux Sep 05 2005
    • shooting a bird with rifle OldDuckHunter Sep 09 2005
  • Winging it - Brian Richardson Aug 31 2005
    • Winging it OldDuckHunter Sep 02 2005
  • period rifles BrownBear Aug 31 2005
    • period rifles OldDuckHunter Sep 02 2005
  • On the wing..... Murphy Aug 30 2005
    • On the wing OldDuckHunter Sep 02 2005
  • .22 for birds Kirk Aug 30 2005
    • .22 for birds OldDuckHunter Sep 02 2005
  • How about........ Blacktail Aug 30 2005
    • How about OldDuckHunter Sep 02 2005
    • How about OldDuckHunter Sep 02 2005
  • A Marine Corps buddy... Michael Strahan Aug 30 2005
    • A Marine Corps buddy OldDuckHunter Sep 02 2005