Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Long range question

Is 541 yards long range?




P

Not for the Indy.

It's longer than my longest which was 527 on a rockchuck. Hit it in the rump and exited under the chin with a Savage .223 firing seventy-five grain A-Max.

For a 22 LR it is.

It all depends on the individual and their capabilities. There will always be someone bigger and better and those who will scoff at whatever ya say as if it is childs play. Keep shooting, keep working to get better. Ya dont always need to compare yourself to other people. If it is a lot farther than you have taken game before and ya did it successfully and intelligently than kudos!

It depends on shooter's ability, caliber/bullet selection, game involved, terrain involved and assuming the shooter is not too lazy (unethical) to check for a possibly wounded(bigger animals don't always show sign of a hit) animal. It is our responsibility as hunters/sportsman to determine what is "too" long!!!! memtb

Target shooters came up with these definitions a long time ago, so I use them.For non formal target shooters the lines are blurry.

Short range is zero to 300. Basically point blank.

Midrange is 300-600. You won't win any matches being sloppy but you can land some good hits without an advanced degree in wind reading. You can probably read the velocity out of the manual, or side of the box, scratch your nuts a couple of times and not embarrass yourself too badly. The running joke amoung those who shoot at my little private range is you can take just about anything worth shooting that is zeroed at 100 yards; dial 8 minutes of elevation, aim at the windy side of my 500 yard rectangular plate and hit it somewhere.Its faster than setting up the chronograph.

Long range is over 600. You better start doing a lot of things right starting with believing those 500 yard results.

Some toss in an ELR at over 1000.

It's just about at the limit for my Sheridan Blue Streak. I think I could push it beyond that if it had a scope.

On a live animal under field conditions?

Yes.

For me and my current scopes it is.

No!

There would be no hard rules to follow on this.
It could in fact be a very long shot even for an experienced shooter given poor shooting conditions.
But then the experienced shooter would be apt to pass on those shots.
With the proper equiptment however, shots at that distance and beyond are far easier, even for the less than the best of shooters.

It's folly to apply standard 'range' terminology to hunting. BobNH is correct.

I agree with this. Prepare for this "long range" shot, but try to get closer. I have a 7mag that is dialed in for 500 with no issue and I killed an antelope yesterday at 160ish. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

I dont buy into the live animal thing or field conditions thing. You are either practiced/capable of the shot or you are not. Heartbeats don't direct bullets.....

I can shoot eggs at 600 yards. My longest deer kill is 626 yards. No coincidence. But I very much enjoy the challenge of getting a whole lot closer....

Here's how I look at it,

If you are having to make accurate range determinations, and make calculated corrections for drop/windage, you are applying the fundamentals of long range shooting.

If you are close enough to be within the PBR of your weapon, that's close range.

Bull shidt.

You just firmly established your BG hunting experience .. Thanks. It's what I suspected.

I agree with Bob. You almost have to have the ability to read the animal as well as the wind, along with setting up for the shot. My longest shot on a mulie buck was 700 yards. 1 bullet through the heart and the buck went down without a hitch. Rifle was an extremely accurate 7mm rem mag model 70 "hunting rifle" using "hunting" bullets. Rifle was set up with a "proven" scope that tracked excellent and practiced at that range and beyond. 1 shot/ 1 kill. 2 years earlier and I did the same thing with a 300 WSM at 600 yards... To answer the OP's question: Yes, I believe 541 yards is long range on a live game animal. No question about it..

LMAO. I will go tell the 2 Boone and Crockett deer on my wall and the rest too.

You say some really dumb $hit sometimes Bob.

Heartbeats don't direct bullets........

Distance is distance. A long shot on a pie plate is a long shot on a critter.

Of course I am sure you have read into it and overcomplicated matters.....

I know a lot of BG hunters with world wide experience. Some post here.

Not a single one regards a 500 yard+ shot at an unwounded BG animal as anything other than a "long shot".None of them take it lightly.

John Burns said on here quite a while back, that, among honest men, 500 yards is a long shot.

When I hear someone say that 500 yards is a chip shot without regard to the field conditions he's faced with, I suspect he has not done all that much BG hunting.

That you have killed two B&C whitetails tells me you are lucky and not much else.


Since you think that 500 yards is such a chip shot at an unwounded BG animal, I assume you've killed quite a few elk, mule deer,and other western mountain game at over 500 yards?

Dammit Bob.

My hands are half covered in blood from dragging a deer right now. So is my phone now, thanks to you

As I stated, you are obviously reading into things. Where did I say it wasn't a long shot? Where did I call it a chip shot?

What I said was one is either practiced at said distance/conditions, or they are not. I gotta go.....

I get it. We don't need to take anything into consideration on 500 yard shots at unwounded BG animals.They are as mundane and routine as 200 yard shots I suppose.

Wow, I didn't mean to start a ruckus. That's the Internet, I guess.

I practice a lot, out to 600 yards. That's a looong way to me. Tuesday 10/4 I took my longest ever shot on an animal, 541 yards. We were hunting mule deer in an alfalfa field and that's as close as I could get. One shot, 140 Partition, 7mm-08. Broke the right scapula going in, double lung, busted the left shoulder knuckle (dang it) on the way out, did not recover the bullet.





P

Great job! You knew this was coming....got pics?

In my opinion long range starts at 600 yards. Distance doesn't nessecarily define difficulty of the shot. I remember I was unable to hold still enough (at 100 yards) to keep a 6X6 bull elk in my scope because I was so winded. I took an antelope with one shot at 777 yards with no problem.
What ever distance one chooses to define long range is only one aspect of the equation n

I never said that either. Not sure why that is the impression you got. Anyway, If I was practiced and familiar with my rifle and at target shooting
at 541 yds. then I would thake the shot. Like I said earlier, I was well practiced at 600 and killed one at 626.

To me, yeah, I would have to call that a long shot. Being as it is about as far as I would ever care to shoot at a game animal.

It is my opinion, and my opinion only, but after 500-600 yds, things start to get a whole lot "sportier" in terms of wind and such. Plus, I have more fun trying to get close, and will not take a questionable shot at an animal. But there are others who will shoot much further than that. Like John Burns and his game wounding buddies......

Some can do it. Glad you realize your pay-grade...

IMHO it's not so much what you're shooting at (animal vs steel) (although a big buck or bull would make a difference) but more about the time you have to prepare and the stability of your shooting position. With steel, you have plenty of time and normally a good platform to get situated just how you want.

Not so much with improvised field positions on the side of a mountain or on a cactus-filled prairie with an animal that's not interested in staying put.

True. The distance isn't the only factor but some folks don't understand the,especially those who have never done it. There are a lots of other factors involved in taking or passing a 541 yard shot.

Is it 'long range"? Of course it is.

Human error at 540 yards is greater than at 240, a lot more to consider in terms of wind drift (which may be different in velocity and direction, than it is at 240), position and location of animal, time of day, likelihood of immediate recovery, distance of animal from screening cover and the opportunity for follow up shots if required...lots of variables, and if they don't take these things into consideration, dealing ONLY with the "distance is distance" mentality, Im sorry.....


They don't have a clue what they are doing.

For here in Wyoming, yesterday, it's a chip shot , no wind ,good light clear but not bright.
For today here a 350 yard shot would be long range, foggy ,switching, swirling winds 15-45 mph with sharp drop offs.
Depending on experience, practice level and atmospheric conditions " Long Range" varies.
Just my humble opinion.

Never been tough to cypher who shoots and who don't. Pardon my long having been afforded the luxury,of not being forced to guess.

Firstly,one simply MUST have the mechanical means,to arrange POA/POI and ALL reliably miss that constant. Hint.

Secondly,not all chamberings/boolits are equal in their requisite needs,at a given distance,in regards to trajectory/windage corrections. Re-hint.

Thirdly,most here are guessing WILDLY at best and "own" neither the skillset or tools to arrange something sooooooooooo fhuqking pedestrian at it's "worst". I'd surmise that only half the audience can clap their hands,on a first try. Hint.

Now for the coupla astute gents that savvy and are insulted with this asinine conjencture,I feel your fhuqking PAIN,with this Drooling Dumbfhuqkery and am rather ate ease in illustrating the "impossible".

Let's start/stop with 22LR and nothing much over the 550yd line,if only for conversation. We'll not "dabble" atmospheric conditions(that much),ammo "selections",barrel tuners or gunning that "many" lots of ammo. Then again...

One should muse erector latitude/accuracy. Hint.

Track Record RINK

550yds+ with a 22LR.

Pardon The Splendor

Gunning new Lots of ammo for R&D at the 100yd line.

In the .3's

Don't be too "surprised".

Fhuqk SK

Norma MATCH Rocks




Not too tough to gun clay birds at the 500yd line with a 22LR,via the gent with a clue. Few can begin to savvy that which is possible,with good riggin' and a skillstet to match.



Just sayin'.

Hint.

no

There are two basic sets of individuals that use rifles; shooters and hunters....and there is much difference betwixt the two types. Hunters don't normally go through thousands of rounds a year like shooters do therefore they are less inclined to have conquered the skill sets necessary to hit the longer range targets. Some individuals are blessed with the fact that they are hunters and shooters and are highly capable of making the longer shots! Just because the necessary skills have been acquired and are utilized oft times on a weekly or daily basis does not mean that the more adept individuals should attempt the longer shots. CONDITIONS & CIRCUMSTANCES dictate whether or not a shot should be made and if an individual doesn't have enough commonsense to ascertain these 'go-no go' situations it would be best if they stayed home and went bowling!!

Not all the time... but as Rick notes, its shot to shot and having the ability to know when or when not to is important.

I've said it before, I've seen some conditions when I'd have a hard time convincing myself to shoot at 200 yards condition wise.

There are other times when 1000 is a gimme.

Assuming a few other things...

1,000 a gimme. Damn you're good.

Probably that, as well as being prepared by doing his homework

I know that part....which is why I simply answered "yes".

We shouldn't have to explain that to anyone with any shooting experience.

Would love to see picts of those deer.

I agree Bob. I passed on a shot the other day. Buck was at 500 yards, but it was a little windy in the Gorge and I wasn't set up right. I was also using a rifle and scope combo that was more set-up for dark timber hunting. I passed on the shot that day and shot that same buck 3 days later...

I'm really inspired by the courage Bob has to try to float a simple, common sense answer on the LR forum.

Keep it up there buddy!