Every serious hunter should verify his hunting rifle’s zero prior to the hunting season, and do so soon enough that any problems can be corrected.

A rifle can shift its zero for many reasons. A bump, shrinking or swelling of a wood stock, loose bedding or scope mounting screws — all these things can throw Old Betsy off her established point of impact.

Obviously a new scope or a new rifle requires sighting in. Changing the brand or bullet weight of your hunting ammo requires re-sighting in.

For safety’s sake, do your rifle shooting where there is a solid backstop. You can’t be flinging bullets across the countryside in today’s crowded world. Wear eye and ear protection while sighting-in. All deer-adequate cartridges produce enough muzzle blast to damage your hearing.

Be sure to use a solid shooting rest. And once you establish the exact bullet type and brand that works best in your gun, be sure to stock enough to get you through the season.

The Best Elk Cartridge
by Larry Weishuhn

Probably the best all-around elk cartridge available today is the .300 Winchester Magnum. With 10 percent more power with the 180-grain bullet than the old reliable .30-06 (a good elk cartridge itself), it also delivers more recoil.

Recoil sensitivity varies among individuals. A big, husky fellow might be more shaken (though seldom admits it) by magnum recoil than a smaller, frailer fellow. Hunters should be honest (at least with themselves) about this. The critical thing about elk hunting is to shoot an elk-adequate rifle well and that means preseason practice. Most folks won’t shoot a rifle that hurts them enough to get good with it.

If you can honestly handle the recoil and shoot your rifle enough to become proficient, the magnum cartridges up to and including the .338 Winchester and .340 Weatherby Magnums offer advantages. But there is no advantage in a magnum miss, so drop back to a .30-06 or a .270 that you can handle and shoot well at a reasonable range.