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

RLB, go over to the handgun hunting forum and tell them about your stalking skills. I've often used an open sighted handgun to hunt with myself, but this forum is about long range shooting and how to do it. The dos and don'ts were all hashed out long before you showed up and I doubt anyone wants to see a replay. You might check the archives. Please contribute something positive if you can or will.

my point was taken ...thank you.
have a nice day..

Boyd, Back from the mountains.No deer.But I did have a nice eight point stand next to the truck while we were in it.Pretty neat.The barrens is aptly named ,heard maybe a dozen shots in a couple of days.

Anyways If you would like to show me your stuff and get together it would be fun and a day in the mountains is always a good day.Bring an appetite,I'll buy.

Guys: I just got interested in shooting/hunting at 1000 yds. and need your help. I like to include elk as the heaviest game. Has anybody figure out the energy, momentum, and velocity required at 1000 yards to kill an elk, assuming a broadsided shot? What calibers and bullet weights will penetrate and expand at this yardage?

As for equipment I believe a rangefinder is a must. Fine. I own a Leica 1200, but how about rifles. Do I need a custom made rifle or barrel? I would like to limit the rifle and scope weight to about 9 lbs. I prefer to put up with a detachable muzzle brake than with extra weight.
And the scope? Any preferences on brand names, magnif. and click adjustments?
Calibers? Any commercial caliber sufficient or do I need a wildcat? I am getting up in years and I will not use anything that will take 100 grs. of powder or so.
A wind checker? Which ones?
By the way, I would like to buy a good and reasonable priced ballistic program. I have heard of Infinity from Sierra but don't know anything about it.

I know I will be getting responses with different brand names and specs. This is fine as this is part of the fun. I also realize that this is a controversial item and that I will probably be getting some heat. This is fine too, as this is also part of the fun.

OK fellows. I realize that I have made a lot of questions. I really appreciate your time and help.

There are certainly people on the forum better suited to give you advice than I, but if you are looking at ballistic programs take a look at the one put out by the makers of the Shooting Crony. That program gives you the come ups at various ranges based upon your load and it was a real help to me. Does anyone know of another program that does this?

In our country, there are several spot and shoot hunters and every year some of them take deer between 500 and 750 yards. All of the them have spotting scopes, range finders and top of the line scopes which allow them to quickly adjust for differing ranges. They also never shoot at a moving deer at that range.

JBD
Thank you for your response. I will check the Chrony ballistic program.

Central CA
Thank you for answering back. I was sure there were out there some dedicated shooters that were proficient in shooting at long distances, wether they were just punching holes on paper or in actual hunting. I have a lot of respect for these guys who have spent hours in practicing and have spent their money in the proper equipment that makes them confident when taking a long shot.

A couple of additional thoughts. First, I use the ballistics tables at the back of my old Hornady reloading manual and I have memorized them for the two rifles I shoot (308 and 7 Rem Mag). As an example - the 7 Mag sighted 4.50 inches high at 100 yards is plus 6" at 200 yards and dead on at just over 350 yards. My drop at 400 yards is 7 inches. So, I hold low in close and high at long range. Secondly, my scope allows me to estimate range out to 800 +/- yards (well beyond my comfort level). However, out to 500 yards on a standing deer I feel comfortable taking the shot. Inside 400 I am comfortable no matter what the deer is doing. To round out the picture, we hunt the Coastal Range of Ca in Central Ca. near Coalinga. Long range abilites are a must since the average shot is something over 200 yards and you must be competant at least to 300 yards to be successful year in / year out. We use the "jump" style of hunting (some folks call it dogging) and often you can not see the deer you jump until he shows up on the opposite sidehill. I guess the short story here is 1. Memorize your ballistics tables. 2. Know your personal limitations. 3. Buy good optics. 4. Purchase a rifle that performs to your needs and 5. Sight your rifle according to the reange requirements in the country you hunt.

Central CA.
Thank you again for the info. Your words are encouraging and very much appreciated.

I am wrestling with 2 items. One is the rifle caliber although I think I am covered since I own bolt rifles in 6.5X55, .270 W, 7X57, 30-06 and .300WSM. Although probably all of them would work I have'nt

The second item is the scope and my thoughts are to pick a caliber and load and have customized (up to 1000 yds.) a Leupold 3.5X10X40 I own.
I believe that the standard knobs would be replaced with target-style knobs, but after reading your post I came to realize that I might not have time to remove the dust caps from the knobs and then dial the right distance. But on the other hand you must have time to range the deer before you shoot. What do you think of this idea? What scope do you have that allows you to estimate range out to 800 +/- yds?

On my .300 WSM I have mounted a Leupold B&C 3.5X10X40 where the reticle has different aiming points up to 500 yds. With a load of IMR4831 and Barnes Triple Shock 180 gr I can easily hit the metal plates up to a distance of 500 yards. Of course this is sitting at the bench. Now, beyond 500 yds. it's a different game.

I guess if you want to go beyond 500 yds. you can figure out the drop at 600, 700 yds. etc. and click the elevation adjustment accordingly or go with the installation of target-style adjustments that I mentioned previously.

Central CA:

While I was correcting the spelling on my second paragraph I don't know what happened but my keyboard froze and as I was trying to fix it I must have pressed the wrong key as my post was sent ahead of time.

Anyway, what I meant to say in that paragraph is that although I believe that any of the 5 cartridges would be adequate I have not decided yet which one will be first. I will probably have, like yourself, more than one. Regards.

Magnumo

If you are serious about pushing it past 400 or 500 you have only the wsm to choose from (IMHO) and as to custom scope--again IMHO(i've got some midrange shots under my belt between 500 and 800+ and enough of them....) you need to click anything past 300 or 400 yards really. And so you will probably have time to do it and use it. First you'll have to range the distance with a rangefinder. Stadia wires etc... in a scope do NOT cut the mustard! Second thought is that if you dedicate a scope and dots to one round, thats it for that scope. YOu might like this and then want a better gun etc..

GO this route first and you'll be better. Check this out too.

www.longrangehunting.com Lots of info.

Jeff

Magnumo. If you are serious about true long range shooting, I would take 300 WSM if recoil is not a problem for you. All of the rifles you list will do, but personally, I would want the heaviest bullet I could get moving at higher fps to buck wind drift and retain additional energy at the ranges we are discussing.

And, I agree with Rost495. If you are serious about 500 yard + shooting, you need a range finder. My point was, under that range, there are ways to do it and not carry a significant amount of additional weight. Also, please note that we (our hunting crew) limit our shooting to 500 yard shooting or under. As I stated in my initial post, the guys in our area who shoot deer at ranges over 500 yards have spotting scopes, range finders, and optics on their rifles that allow them to adjust for range out to 800 yards. They set up in one place and sit and spot. Then, if they spot a buck or pig they want they use their range finders, dope the wind, adjust their scopes, and then attempt the shot. They shoot a variety of calibers, starting with the 270 and going on up throught the big ultra Magnums.

284LUVR,
I always use a rangefinder, even in Louisiana there are a few of us that collect game at an extended distance. I have taken deer at 335 yards with a .243 Winchester in a Remington 600. That is about the practical limit for a 100 grain Partition fired from this paticular rifle. When I am in one of my 35 foot tall tower stands I use one of the following: .257 Wby, .270 Win, .270 Wby, 7mm STW, .300 RUM, .30/378 Wby, and so on. The things you will find in my drag bag with each one of these rifles is a range card with the real world impacts at the actual ranges that I fired the rifle/bullet combination, not what the computers or charts will tell you, a laser rangefinder that checks itself for an exact distance, and last but not least a benchrest (not generally in the drag bag). About the only thing I will guess at is if the deer is running, how much do I need to lead it. Four years ago I guessed at a shot at a really nice buck, I guessed it was 335 yards and shot, it was 285 yards. I was shooting a .308 Win in a Remington 700 VS with a Barnes 165 grain coated bullet. In a word it was a clean miss, I guess it was so close to the top of his back he thought he was hit. He spun around a couple of times and stated running right toward me. I sat still and he ran up to 160 yards before stopping. I chambered another round and that one made it's mark. I have been shooting for so many years, ever so often I get the big head and take a shot based on a guess and some of them will come back to bite me on the ass. Earlier this season I took a large doe a 525 yards with the .30/378 Weatherby, it was an easy shot with a rangefinder and a Ziess scope. I guess what I getting at is, that I have been shooting high-powered rifles for about 40 years and still make mistakes guessing at what range is it.

I noticed in you handle you like .284 Winchesters, I have one in a rebarreled Remington 660, it is a blast to shoot! Good to see that you are a life member in the NRA, I have been a life member for about 30 years.
Have a good weekend!
Marcus