Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Think I'll give it a go! Advice needed

Exactly. On both counts.

I would run 'em both, let the rifle decide.....

MDT makes the LSS chassis for 'em....

I can like that.....

Dog,

I've got an old Rem 788 in 6mm but have been considering a RAR in 243. Whittakers has both the 243 stainless compact and the 243 stainless standard on sale. Is there any particular reason to get one over the other apart from handiness? I was thinkin' maybe the 22" barrel to get the better velocity. Is that sufficient reason to get the 22" over the 18". For the purposes stated by the OP, my impression is that the longer tube and higher velocity would be preferable.

What prompted this q is your statement ref jumping on a RAR compact stainless in 6.5 Creed if Ruger offered one.

Don't know what you'll lose in the .243 going from 22" to 18"...

But a pard of mine just bought a Tikka in .260 and had it chopped to 16.5" for use with a suppressor. Using loads that clocked 2830 with the 140 VLD out of his 20" Tikka CTR... the 16.5" gun ran 2785. He lost only 45 fps from 20" to 16.5".

My .300 WSM lost about 150 fps going from 24" to 17".

I guess it's up to you if the 50-100fps you might lose is an issue. 22" is the longest barrel in my stable anymore... and ironically it's on the smallest gun, a .223.

I decided to pull the trigger and this is what I came up with.

Tikkas T3 6.5X55 Swede out the door for $480 discounted at the local sporting goods store.

Black Friday sale is coming up and I'm thinking I'll get a fixed 10 SS


Trystan

I read this thread and it got me motivated, so tonight I got a heads-up on an RAR ss lefty in .243 with 22” tube and ordered same for $299. Figure to throw an EGW 20 moa base on it, get some Horn’s, throw a 10x milquad on it, and find a load for the Hornady 100 hpbt and play some.

I hated to spend the money just before Christmas, but that price was pretty sweet and sealed the deal.

10x is not exactly a hunting-friendly level of magnification.

For sniping, sure; for target work, from an F-class bipod; well, it ain't ideal, but will work... Thing is shooting antelope is fairly dynamic. The early longrange shooters would set up portable benchrigs and shoot cross canyon, or perch behind a tall tripod mounted rifle along game movement tracks and shoot from 1000yds. Guess you can shoot antelope in similar way, but try some running shots at 10x; just not enough field of view unless quarry is doing a slow walk.

I got a Tikka T3, and have owned 6.5x55. The .260rem or .260AI will do all the swede does, and you can buy (iirc) a Tikka Varmint heavy barrel in .260; or for real solution to longrange precision, there's the Tikka Master Sporter with match barrel and laminated stock. Basically it's a Sako TRG-22 but w/o the polymer stock. About half the price, but more than you've budgeted.

You want the heavier barrel and tactical or match stock.

Your Leupold 6x will serve just fine. Get the Sierra 142gr matchking bullets and use their accuracy load data. The Nosler 140bthp is a good value, but not the highest BC on the block...

Has anyone else noticed that nowhere in the discussion of 'long range hunting' has kinetic energy at distance been discussed?
In short, who gives d*mn whether cartridge X will shoot MOA or sub-MOA at a gazillion yards. If the projectile doesn't have enough kinetic energy to quickly dispatch the target animal, then what good is it? If you're just bangin' steel or paper at long range, then it's 'long range SHOOTING'. Long range hunting involves ethics as well as accuracy.

JMHO

Kinetic energy is not a wounding mechanism and in no way tells you anything about tissue destruction.

Neither does a X MOA group at X yards. Do you have another term you'd like to use to measure the potential for tissue damage and an ethic kill?

My point was that regardless of the accuracy at any given range, it in no way means that the projectile will have enough energy, force, or azz to destroy tissue and quickly and cleanly dispatch the creature on the receiving end.

There are other differences between long range hunting and long range shooting that I'll wait to bring until my nomex suit gets here and I can fight back the flames that will no doubt come with that discussion.

+1000

Impact velocity sufficient to expand the bullet is what destroys tissue, while kinetic energy is a distorted metric that is not necessarily proportional with tissue destruction. As long as a bullet has the structural integrity and momentum to penetrate whatever barrier it hits, whether hide/ribs, shoulder knuckle, etc, impact velocity is what gets the bullet expanded and the job done.

How about permanent crush cavity, temporary stretch cavity, penetration depth, neck length, etc.


"Energy" means nothing, if the bullet impacts with sufficient velocity to expand/upset it will perform correctly. Stop buying into gunstore/gun writer nonsense.

WiFowler,

Full metal jacket bullets of the same shape and weight of an expanding bullet arrives at the target with the same "energy". But it will not be effective at tissue destruction.

With all due respect this thread was about What works for antelope out to 600 yds, weighs less than 8.5 lbs and cost less than $1200

Honestly is 600 yds even considered long-range. I've shot game at over 400 yds and the only requirement needed to accomplish the task was a lot of shooting at 500 with a fixed 6 Leopold with dotz. I'm assuming the added 100 yds isn't going to be much different.

As far as Kinetic Energy is concerned a 357 pistol has an average of around 600 ft lbs and is considered to be a reputable deer cartridge. Don't see why a rifle would be any different given a bullet of proper construction.



Trystan

Great thread and please take this in the spirit that it's offered.... but that's not true. At least in America (as opposed to Jordan up in Canuckia) either the 3-10x42 SHV or the Bushy 3-12x44 LRHS can be had for under $1000. I have the SHV and the turrets twist quite nicely.

True... but they're about twice the dough...

I've owned and run a couple LRHS scopes... and they're awesome... no doubt.

As far as I'm concerned, the jury is still out on the SHV... though they do look pretty promising. I can't think of a single reason why I'd pay twice the money for an SHV 3-10 as I would for the SS 3-9 though...

Based on the OP's requirements, I would do the following:

A T3 Lite in .308, or 6.5 Creed/Swede/.260.

A Fixed 10X SWFA in MIL/MIL or MOA/MOA, your choice.

Talley Lightweights.

Harris S series bipod.



Simple, effective and proven.

Tikka T3 Lite in 6.5X55 already purchased

Warn 30mm rings purchased, Ive heard talleys fail occasionally

Harris S Bipod purchased

Ordering SWFA Fixed 6 instead of 10 as Im only going to 600 and might use it a bunch at 50 yds also



Trystan

Would anyone care to offer up a good, accurate load using a Hornady 105 hpbt in 243?

Powder, charge, cases, primer?

I have the RAR ss in hand, as well as EGW 20 moa base and SS 6x. It'll be a few days until I get everything assembled. Trigger spring is inbound.