Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Anyone have a personal limit of 300 yards or less for shots?

Assuming no range finders, no fancy scopes, etc. Just a rifle and simple variable scope, are there any guys here who have a personal limit of 300 yard shots and less?
I am trying to decide between a .308 and .270 (maybe a .30-06). Being honest with myself I don't practice shooting much and am one of those guys that picks up a rifle only during hunting season. Vast majority of guys in my area are probably like this.
Is shooting to 400 yards pretty darn tough for these types of hunters? Would a 130 grain from a .270 make going from 300 to 400 yards much easier than a .308/.30-06?

It seems like all the guys on internet forums make it seem like shots to 400 yards are no big deal for them. I know the internet makes people more confident for a lot of things compared to real life.

Just looking for advice from all you hunters here who are way more experienced than I.

Why no range finders? Leupold CDS scopes are hardly fancy, either.

If you’re hunting in terrain that precludes longer shots then I would understand.

And yes, I practice to 600 yards regularly. It’s easier than you think.

150 yards is my maximum......with handgun from rest! 😉 Rifles.....a bit farther! memtb

Great questions. Having access to a 500 yard range and seeing some guys come in like you describe, they have a hell of a time even at 400 yards. They may get dialed in at 100 or even 200 yards, but when it comes time to hit any sized plate at 400 yards, they fall flat on their face. It requires them to put multiple shots downrange before even coming close. If you don't shoot a lot, don't practice much, don't have the equipment, you have absolutely NO business shooting at a critter at 300-400 yards. There's a lot of us here that say shooting at 400-500 yards is a chip shot, but the majority of us here shoot a chidt load and at varying distances. I can't count how many guys just like the ones you describe, I've seen having problems. The funny thing is when they get all dialed in for 400 yards, which I don't know if you'd call hitting a 24"x24" target "dialed in", they go back to the 200 yard target and do no hit it and it starts all over again... The shame is those are known distance targets, they didn't even have to pull a LRF out. Moral of the story, if you don't know what you are doing, do not attempt a shot on a game animal that far out. Shoot at the range you are comfortable shooting. Know where to draw the line. I know where my max range is and it changes depending on conditions..

I really wouldn't feel comfortable estimating the difference between 300, 400, 500 yards if I wasn't able to at least walk it and have a rough idea.

Just looking? No.

Now TELL me its 400 or 500 or inbetwixt and I can dial...but that ain't what was asked.

Generally I am hunting in places where I have a fair idea though, but past 300 is still quite rare here anyway.

BSA, question for you, sir: Or those who do it a lot.

I've shot to 400 and 500 yards with a couple of rifles, not enough to say I am anyone worth listening to, but a fair few times lets say.

Without knowing the particulars, I'd imagine (400 yards being 1 inch click with a 1/4" adjustment scope) it seems whether you have a 308, 270 or a 30-06 of just about any load, if you walk it up 24" from your 200 yard zero and hold dead center on a 1 foot x 1 foot plate, you have 6 inches of leeway up and down. Just about all of them are gonna be inside that. Think thats fair to say?

At least it seems to me from 308, 223 and 7mm-08.

Hearing people have that much trouble with a 24" plate is no bueno.

Over gunned, over scoped and under practiced is a common condition.

At my range I've offered to hang 300 yard targets for people since I was walking down there anyway and I've rarely been taken up on my offer.

I've had people marvel at my shooting a 308 "way out there" at 300 yards, not needing a 7 mag or some such. It gets even better when I wail on a 4"x4" steel target at 300 using a 4x scope.

I'm of the opinion a person should first select a rifle for any one of several cartridges of modest recoil and thoroughly learn how to shoot the thing.

That right there. I am comfortable shooting game to over 500 yards WITH A RANGE FINDER AND A DIALING SCOPE AND WITHOUT MUCH WIND. Lacking any of those, about 350 is my personal limit as long as I have a drop chart.

Certainly I’ve killed more deer at and under 300 yds
but I hunted a deer lease 95–2011
Cut overs & regrowths were common.

I practiced 400 yds and killed 367, 389,
399, & 402 yds.
Lazered AFTER shot Back to Stand.

Here since 2012 I have some open pastures where
400 is a real possibility.

RARELY have I had time laser before shooting.
Last year I did once. 200 yds dead on.

My practice is I LRF landmarks, stumps, trees,
pond edge, etc while waiting.


Now, to the OP
W/O LRF 300yd is my Scope sighting so that’s not
too difficult. For Me.

I have known guys who can’t hit at 200 yds

It’s hunter specific.

Jerry

I hunted NY for 45 years harvested many deer longest shot 150 yards average about 50

I don't shoot at unwounded game at over 300 yards. Not because I cannot make a shot at 400 or 500 yards, but because the Murphy variables grow exponentially in the field after 300 yards. Too many things can go wrong after 300 yards that the hunter in the field is unaware of or unable to control. Unexpected side breeze at 450 yards, animal moves a step during the time of flight, stem of heavy grass unseen, etc.

From what I've seen at the range and in the field most hunters spend far too much time on the bench and not enough time shooting from some realistic field positions. And from what I've seen of hunters shooting without crutches, most should limit their shots to less than 100 yards, maybe less.

I run into a growing number of hunters who carry a ton of equipment to the field and brag about what their rifle will do at 600 yards. For a day pack, I wear a surveyors vest with my lunch, some water, flagging tape, compass, GPS (though I rarely use it anymore), fire starting equipment and a write in the rain small note book. I have my rifle, knife and binocular and often a small 22 handgun on my hip. If I remember, I'll throw in a varmint call for fun. I have never liked packing a bunch of unnecessary junk (bipods, rangefinders, etc.) with me and I'm far more impressed with someone who can get close to an animal before the shot than I am with someone who snipes an animal at 600 yards.

I spent from 1981-2002 hunting the wide open country of Eastern Washington and while I made some long shots early in my hunting career, I came to realize it was far more enjoyable and productive to close the distance. Not hard to do using the terrain to one's advantage. And if I couldn't close the distance I waited for another opportunity. I'm not owed an animal simply because I have a tag. Maybe I should repeat that. I'm not owed an animal simply because I have a tag. I see too much of that attitude in the ranks of hunters and many seem justified in taking low percentage shots or shots beyond their skill level because it's late in the season, the last day of their hunt, a lot of hunting pressure, and on and on.

I like to see us as hunters learn how to hunt again and how to shoot. Unaided and unsupported. Bipods and rests are great but lets learn to actually shoot as well. Learn to take advantage of what rests are available, but be able to make a shot off hand if needed. And limit one's self to a realistic distance based on our abilities. Not every shot lends itself to a back pack or bipod assisted shot.

It'd be hard for me to find a shot on my farm over 250 yards. Longest shot I've ever taken/made a game was roughly 195 yards.

Went a bit past 400 for elk in calm conditions. Otherwise 300 is it. Longest opportunity on this place is 250 yds, unless I were to purposely set it up for longer shots. Which would be stupid.

Nothing like a precision rifle in .308 to disabuse you of pokes at whitetails beyond 300 in a good wind.

No shot past 250 where I hunt.

My personal limitation of range is decided at the moment of truth when the crosshairs go on the animal. If my wobble circle is too large...pass. If it's steady enough to stay in the clean ethical kill circle it goes off. Factors are too numerous to say, oh, I shoot 'em at 300 yds, all day long. My current breathing and heartrate, shooting position, a rest or offhand, terrain, visibility, wind, speed of the animal if any, angle if any, what may be behind the animal. One and done. I hate drama.

300 yards is the longest distance I have range access for, and it’s a pretty far poke when you look at it. Shooting that far from a bench is no great feat, but in the field, from field positions, variable wind, unpredictable game movement etc, and it gets dicey. All academic for me, as no place I hunt offers shots at such a distance on deer anyway. On chucks I found there’s a lot of air around them even at closer distances. Someone planning to shoot at long ranges on game should try on paper first if at all possible IMO. I’ve been verifying my sighting at 200 since I gained access for that. 300 is mostly for fun. Can only shoot to 100 from field positions due to range restrictions.

Depends on conditions, if I have plenty of time to get into position and wind is not crazy I will shoot to around 500 yards. Trouble is it doesn't take a lot of wind to create a variable that is hard to solve out past400 yards. That said if you can make every shot you get out to 350 yards you are going to take a lot of game.

If you practice and are proficient in your shooting skills, I don’t mind.
I practice out to 600 on 8” gong. So 300 or 400 isn’t really a stretch for me.
But after 600 My hits drop off. So That’s my personal max.
Sure there a few guys thinking because they have a magnum and 24x scope they can hit 1000 yards

DRE 1000 yrds, Magnum and the 24Xscope , are not required, try a 4x14 Viper Vortex And A 1x8 twist .243 1000 yrds ain't that hard.




Cold bore 1000 yrds .243

I rarely shoot game over 200 Yards.Rio7

Nice shooting brother! I can’t shoot like that. I’ll Be the first One to admit that.

I was implying to non experienced shooters that have a 7 or 300 magnum and 24x vortex because that what they were sold on and think they can because it’s all the hype now days

The closer the better for me. I’ve never shot a deer over 200 yards and never shot an elk under 200 yards.