Jeff,
The primary function of this rifle would be deer. Elk, you never now.
I've yet to take a raking shot on an animal that I can remember. Don't have plans to with the Berger's.
At 1000 yards, and this is nothing but a benchmark in my mind.
(1,600 fps is the bottom line for the bullet to work like it should. I don't think more speed is going to be a factor in taking an animal. The Berger bullet has all it needs to function in it's unconventional way.
I picked up on something a couple of years ago while deer hunting during the general hunt here in WA.
A camp of hunters were on the edge of a steep and thick canyon
next to a main 4 wheeler road. Every morning all these 4 wheelers speed by to hunt a wilderness area 3 miles away.
(btw, I backpacked to their location.)
This group of hunters would wave them on while eating a big breakfast.
30 yards behind the camp and out of view of the road they had their spotters set up to view the opposite canyon sides.
Now, here in WA we have annual deer migration routes. Year after year these mule deer will take the very same routes on the hillsides as their ancestors did for hundreds of years.
They travel horizontally on the hills, a zig zag, walking for 50 to 100 miles to get to where they winter. Then they go back in the spring, UP to the high country.
These certain hunters had figured out that they didn't need to
cover all this ground in some of the thickest steepest country imaginable. They let the deer come to them but at a cost.
Long Range Shooting. They did real good and that with your off the shelf Walmart SPS.
I hunt the high hunt in Sept, if i don't collect then i hunt the general hunt in Oct. This rifle would be for that hunt.
In my area of interest, hopefully no crowds.
