Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting How many of you shoot /hunt long range....

Yes we do take that much equipment in the field.You are correct you must know what you and your rig is cappable of at long range.Example we spotted a small herd of Antelope migrating down distant plateau we stayed low out of sight and reached our vantage spot,but the Antelope were still a long way out and my partner ranged the one we wanted @ 777 yards as I got set-up and checked the wind with my pocket weahter station and found the wind to be 10 mph and Quartering toward us,which meant a 1/2 value wind, then I checked my drop chart for my load @ this alltitude and saw that I needed 12.75 moa of verticule adjustment above my zero which is 2 moa high @ 100 yards and 1moa of windage I adjustted the Nightforce 3.5X15 NXS scope and shooting from a bipod I held on the front shoulder, I was concentrating on the sight picture and my partner said hold it the wind speed lessened when the wind picked up and steaded he said" send it"the trigger broke and I saw the Speed Goat just collapse straight down.This is how to hunt long range and not leave anything to chance.I do not know Boyd Heaton personally, but If he say's that he can he can hit a PD @ whatever distance and conditions I believe him because I know of his reputation and he has been shooting and hunting @ longrange longer than I have and taken game @ ranges that I am not ready for,I am talking ranges that most can't even imagine

Boyd thanks for the reply.Yeah,pretty much a hunting gun.Hunting type stock as in one found on a factory gun.Size,shape,weight,etc.Just tryin' to make it "real world".

Please understand that this is not a flame or a taunt in ANY form. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />I truly like to watch someone who enjoys his "work".We both may make a new friend.A shot of that distance isn't that hard.It's the wind factor that picked my ears up.Tried highpower a few times and that's out to 600yds.with iron sights so you get my drift.

Thanks for the invite.I'm leaving for English Center(Lycoming)sometime tomorrow to try a new spot.Where abouts do you hunt?

Let's talk food!!! Mickey Ds double quarter pounder with cheese.Yeah baby. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I live in York Co. not far from Wrightsville.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

Some day I'll make it to Williamsport and watch you guys shoot.

comments.... 14mph is a bit more than your average wind speed. Most folks overestimate wind speeds. Ya ought to hear em guess real speeds at Perry.....

Jeff

That's interesting, like I said I have not done any ground hog or have I hunted antelope. I was not questioning Boyd's skill I was just amazed that you guys carried that much stuff. I see from your post that you also have a spotter with you. Is this the case everytime you go hunting. I have been to Wyoming, Idaho,and South Dakota and it does look like it would be hard to get real close to the antelope. What I saw was wide open country. My limit on distance for now is 500 yds. That's as far as I feel comfortable with. I feel like my rig will to better but I'm not ready. It has taken a while to get to that, but most of the deer I kill are 100 and closer, but I do practice for that long shot. I remeber watching some nice bucks walk off at long range because I was scared to shoot. I know 500 yds may not be extreme long range, but for me thats extreme range for me.

With some practice and the right scope(one that has absolutly repetable turrets) 500 yards will become very doable.It is so much easier with a hunting partner as when you are concentrating on the shot it is diffcult to noitce slight wind change etc. the longer the range the more crittical things become,knowing the wind speed is important (not guessing) for one shot kills and remmber if conditions are not right you do not have to shot

Well the gun(my hunting gun) will be a 30" barreled 300 Ultramag Shooting a 210gr JLK bullet to an ave of 3346fps(don't try that at home folks) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> in a Sendero Stock.Will that work???. I was just up that way last Tuesday.I spend some time up Pine Creek and the Hyner area.I live in Lock Haven... I look foward to meeting you.Good luck to you in deer season...From what I saw up there...You will need it.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Boyd, Heading out the door in a few hours to the "no deer area".Last year I spent some time above English Center on the barrens and it looked promising.On the downside last year I didn't see one deer hangin' in front of a camp in that region.The owner of the Mountaintop Inn in Haneyville, Lee?, said he has never seen it so bad and he's a hunter.Nice guy.Saw some really nice bears down the street from there.Anyhoo here comes another flatlander to the mountains.Sold my property down here 2 years ago so off to the hills I go.At the old place it was called deer gettin' not deer huntin'so I'm going to have to work a little(a lot).

What are we going to do about that wind issue?I can bring my generater and run back and forth with a fan <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

We're on the same page about the equipment.Just didn't want somebody to show up with a Heavy bench or rail gun.

Peace,
284

Jim, that the anti-long-range hunters take pride in something other than long-range hunting is fine-- heck let them-- as my Philippino wife says-- "It's a free country". What i'm talking about is the "anti" part. I also take pride in things that i do, but i try not to criticize and attack others, unless someone's doing something that's blatantly wrong-- and then u can bet it'll be as tactful as i can muster. Criticizing doesn't have anything to do with pride. That's what i don't like much-- i mean really-- who does like criticism??

The accomplishment for me is to use my "human skills" to properly use the equipment (like a scope-- a reticle--a target turret--a rifle) to minimize the variables---FOR ME, JUST ME, no one else. Whatever someone else wants to do is fine with me. Heck-- i'm a traditional archery hunter too, which is a different type of "human skill", but i don't criticize rifle hunters because of it.

Of all the forums i've ever been on, the long-range hunting forums have some of the most educated individuals I've ever known or even heard of. Some of these guys have lost their wives over their zeal for the discipline, they're so addicted to it. U know what i'd like to see sometime. I'd like to see 1---JUST 1 of those anti's that have ever even seen what some of these guys r doing. They're TOTALLY dedicated to what they do, and if some r compromising their personal life for it, u can bet that when someone they don't even know tells them that what they're doing is WRONG it isn't gonna fly.

Now, i know that reticle ranging isn't definitively precise-- obviously not even close to the laser -- that would mean it would not have been perfectly calculated-- but in truth how many would know for instance how to apply Leupold's Varmint Hunter reticle as a reticle-ranging system to longer ranges than it's meant for (<= 300 yds.). Heck for that matter how many could even calculate just how big the pr. dog is that Leupold uses as their "std." for their ranging system? The point i was trying to make is that it's somewhat better than guessing. It really does create a sense of pride-- WHEN it works, as crude as it may be.

When humans strive to accomplish a difficult goal innovation occurs-- ballistic reticles, target turrets, Elmer Laitala's Super Long-Range Scope Mounts, meplat uniforming, VLD bullets, the modified mil-ranging formula, flintlocks, etc. ad infinitum. If a guy wants to try to shoot a prairie dog @ 632.4 yds. in a 13.95 mph wind-- heck, let him. If an anti-long-range hunter wants to go dig up the pr. dog hole, to get a wounded pr. dog out of it (whether it's a 632.4 yd. shot or a 400 yd. shot) to show his buddies he's right----- what the heck, let him do that too. But if that "anti" attempts to draw first blood from me because of it-- he better draw it all the 1st time.

I own a rangefinder. In areas I frequent, I'll range the distances, and have made long shots.

If I can, I want to make a one shot kill. A rangefinder helps me do that. That's okay with me.

If I can't accurately gauge the distance, I limit myself accordingly. Since my rifles have a point blank range of near 400 yds, I'm not limited that badly.

I wonder what's more ethical-- a tactical 633 yd. shot in a 14 mph wind on a prairie dog, or a running antelope in no wind @ 250 yds. quartering away.

Those point blank ranges of 400 yards just plain scare me. Add in all the other variables and simply aiming and shooting can go from a kill to a wound in a hurry.

Of course if you use the point blank up close and aim low, dead on mid range and aim high at 400 AND consider the wind, then it works out pretty good. Assuming a MOA gun, MOA hold and no overt errors along the way.

250 yard running shot-- nope not for me. I cannot hit things moving, and so choose to not do it. I'd bet for a shot that was good on moving game a 200ish yard shot wouldn't be all that tough.

Jeff

I ran the balistics on my 7MM STW. 130 G.S. Custom @3,600feet per second with a .500 B.C. It is sighted in at 330 yards. Computer prints the following.
100 yards +2.4"
200 yards +3.4"
300 yards +3.6"
400 yards -4.7"

kcm270 may have a similar trajectory. If he does, he certainly doesn't need to adjust much at "near 400 yards."

Ringman, have you ever run those over a chronograph at 200 or 300 yds?

JonA,

That sounds like a fun project. The above info came from the computer. My real life experience was sighting in 3" high at 100 and trying it at 300. To my surprise the groups centered 3" high!

As soon as the wet weather stops, I will give it a try.

I was hoping not to have to explain this one. I thought it was totally clear. But here we go. Lets assume moa accuracy. 400 yards. Drops 5 inches. Group size is 4 inches. Wobble area of 1moa(thats a pretty tight wobble for most folks) thats another 4 inches. Now go to the extreme of the group(very possible for any given shot) you could easily come up with a real error of 13 inches on a shot. And again the tight extreme could show the error either in wind or elevation. IE you could hold dead on and show zero drop at 400. I've heard that claimed. I'm sure it was fluke shots or pure luck on the shots.

What I'm saying is point blank is not all its made out to be.

Now since I'm a top competitor I'll agree that things could be better than what I've stated but thats pretty rare. In fact a rifle that will shoot a 4 inch group at 400 yards is pretty rare unless its a custom tube. And someone holding 1 moa or less is pretty rare too for a wobble area.

Jeff

That's the main reason i use the CMPBR approach, and i wish it were written like this in articles i've seen it explained in, but i've never seen Max. point blank range written up wisely. I always use CONSERVATIVE MPBR on all my rigs-- which should be established for about 1/2 most tgt. sizes.

On a New Mexico coues hunt this year, I forgot the Leica rangefinder at home. I had left it in the range box from the day before I left when I was shooting 400-600 yards. (So much for using mental checklists) Boy, did I feel naked, as those canyons were often too wide to be quessing yardages. Fortunately (in this respect), I did not see a shootable coues. A friend had his rangefinder, but we were not always glassing together.

RR

I agree with those who think long range hunting is irresponsible and unethical IF the shooter doesn't know the exact range to the target. The only way know that is with a rangefinder - period. If you don't want to use a rangefinder stay away from long range shooting at animals. Even a rat deserves a clean kill.

when sharps first started putting scopes on there rifles. many asked what they were for, sharps replied they were for beginners..or those who lack the skill to stalk within range...think about it..

RLB,



Go away. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />