Okanagan,
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<br>I'm a bit confused. I am not sure if you wanted to address me on this or if you read somebody else's posts and thought I said it. I have never said I shoot animals across canyons at 900 yards, or further, so I assume you meant to address somebody else. Where I LR hunt, the field I watch is 750 yards across, at the longest point. The land is very flat, I doubt it goes up and down more then 4 feet all the way across the 750 yards. So, as you can see I surely don't shoot across any canyon and it is not possible for me to shoot further then 750 yards (from that location). Now, I do hunt on farms (for woodchucks) that shots of 1000 yards plus are possible. My best kill to date on a woodchuck using my 22 is 660 yards. My best kill to date on a deer is 420 yards. I do have my gun/scope worked out to 650 yards but unfortunately I have yet to have an opportunity at a deer at the 650 yard mark, hopefully one day I will. In the past 3 years I have killed deer at, 420 yards (3), 380 yards, 250 yards, 400 yards, and 75 yards.
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<br>I shoot about 300 to 400 rounds a year, LR, on both paper and woodchucks and deer. Not near as many as these guys that shoot in Williamsport. It's probably a good thing I am 4 hours drive from Williamsport or I would be right in there talking and learning from those guys since long rang is of interest to me. I may just take another trip over to Williamsport and give it a whirl if the guys here are willing to help me out. I would truly enjoy it.
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<br>As to being thin skinned, sorry, but I had to laugh at that, I am not at all thinned skinned,
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<br>How do I kill deer at long range, you asked.
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<br>I started by having a 300 win mag built on a Rem 700 action, schnieder S/S barrel, 5 1/2 contour, 27 1/2" long, McMillan GP Graphite stock, Bad Ord rings and bases, Schmidt & Bender 4 to 16 X 50 PM II scope with mil dot reticle. I am going to have a McMillan Hunter class stock bedded later this spring and I will use the GP stock I now have on that rifle for another rifle I am going to have built. Nothing real fancy or out of the ordinary about my rifle. With the scope it weighs 11 1/2 lbs, so it's not really that heavy.
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<br>I set up targets at 100, 200, 300, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650 yards and started shooting. When I was ON at the various yardages I documented the elevation adjustments. I do practice at those yardages every year (on paper) to ensure that I am still ON at all those various yardages. When hunting, I have my rifle sitting on a Bald Eagle front rest, a leather rear bag that all sits on a swivel bench. I had a different top made for the bench 2 years ago. The old one was 1/2 ply wood and wasn't stiff enough. The top on it now is laminated maple and it's 3" thick, very stiff now.
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<br>I shoot 180gr ballistic tips at a measured velocity of 3180FPS. Those are not real hot loads, by any means.
<br>I use the BT's because of the accuracy and flatness in which they shoot. I know there have been many debates about using bench rest bullets on game. I do use a bench rest bullet out of my 22 CHeetah MK 1 on game and it works great.
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<br>When long range hunting (for me, thats limited to 650 yards) I have the chart with all my elevation adjustments, Leica Geovids for ranging the distance to the deer, and of course my rifle set up on the front rest/rear bag on the swivel bench. When I see a deer come out of the woods (with my naked eyes) to feed in the harvested corn/bean fields I check the distance with the range finder, make the appropriate elevation adjustment, swing the bench over in the direction of the deer, get down on the rifle, get as steady as I can, wait till the deer is broadside, squeeze the 2 1/2lb trigger gently and smoothly. If it is to windy I don't shoot. If the deer isn't broadside, I don't shoot. Conditions have to be right to take the shot.
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<br>If it is windy out I have another elevated stand in which to hunt from that shots of only 280 yards are made. Sometimes I stalk hunt in the woods using my carry rifle, 7mm mag. It all depends on the conditions and how long I have to hunt and how I feel like hunting that day.
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<br>I am not in any way trying to convince anybody to go the LR route, but, if they are interested, I am always more then willing to help out in any way I can. I am sure that these guys that shoot at Williamsport know a lot more about shooting at much further distances then I do. I am very interested in what they have to say. I think we could ALL learn from them even if we don't ALL LR hunt.
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<br>Don
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<br>P.S. Maybe a 100lb rail gun is in my future, you never know,
