Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Ok everyone, one caliber, one bullet, ALL of NA hunting....name it.

This is the beauty of forums like this... feedback on subjects like shooting at longer ranges. I appreciate the input and opinions.

Bob -- my T3 shoots the 180gr factory Core-Lokts at 2960 fps over my chronograph which is exactly what Remington advertises. I understand what you are saying though about recoil, charge weights, velocity, etc. though. I generally forget about charge weights in terms of recoil but lately I have been thinking about H110 vs Universal in my 44 Mag with 300 gr bullets so this is definitely relevant to me now since the H110 loads are almost 2x the charge weight.

I also understand the retina concern. I talked to my optometrist about this a few years ago. I've had very few people willing to shoot my 300 Mags. One friend did shoot one of my 300 Mags and I watched his shoulder recoil so fast that it made my jaw drop. No wonder nobody wants to shoot my rifles! Holy smokes. The pistol grip comes back so fast and far that it'll hit the offhand on the rear bag so hard it'll make me want to quit for the day.

Bob, Mark, & Tanner -- I'll be 40 in a week. I still feel young, but just don't have squat for experience at shooting game at distance. This is where your experience is helpful for those of us that haven't been there. I feel I can shoot as good or better than most on paper/targets, but I've never killed a big game animal past 100 yards.

I have excuses for not shooting "groups" past 200 yards! The main one is the mental factor. Give me a COM or "small" reactive target like a milk jug and I feel confident with the first shot at medium range. The "pressure" of shooting groups gets into my head and usually makes me do worse. This is not to say that I don't check my targets when I collect them at the end of the day. Even the milk jugs will show the point of impact. Believe me, if the POA was center-of-milk-jug and the POI was on the edge it creates fits for me.

Generally I am shooting by myself, but one day I was shooting with a buddy at ~400 yards. We didn't have a suitable rest so we shot off of a cooler on crushed gravel (logging landing). My buddy tells me I'm hitting the jugs low. "What!!!", I say. "Low!? No freaking way I'm low." "You're on the edge of the jug", he says while looking through my spotting scope. Turns out I was mentally set for 400 yards, but I ranged the distance at 420 yards earlier in the day. That evening I had the tape measure and drop chart out to make sure the bullet, rifle, scope, and shooter were doing what they were supposed to. It was all dead nuts at 420 yards, the shooter screwed up.

I usually need a reactive target to help with hits and misses since I normally shoot solo. Steel helps since there is an audible indicator, but my metal targets need to be improved. I've been using "scrap" from work which are just hub couplers from forklift axles. I really need better targets.

Tanner...

Here's one of those "edge of the steel" hits. I don't like it either. It was 532 yards and I clipped the edge using the picket on the LRD. I'm ok with it using the LRD, but I know I am more accurate with the M1. I would have shot it more, but the impact flipped it over (stood it upright for photo).



Here's the impacts on another hub coupler hit with my 270 Win on the outer edge and 300 Mag in the center. The center is thinner but the rifles hammer these couplers hard even at ~500 yards.



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This one isn't very far (390 yards) but I aimed the first shot between the two orange pasters and then fired the second shot as fast as I could after recovering from the recoil and getting my sight picture. This is typical of the type of practice that I do. I shot off a stump, took my time with the first shot, then pretended that a follow-up shot was needed as fast as possible. I like this type of practice using improvised rests better than shooting groups on paper from a bench or bipod. Not "5-shot groups" per se, but relevant practice at least to me. This was with a 2-7x Viper, before I had my FX-3.



I apologize to the OP for hijacking.

4th Point: Keep shooting....looks to me like you are doing fine.

Thanks Bob.

About 3 or 4 years ago I spent one summer shooting a 22lr at 200+ yards. I had a CZ bolt action, 20 MOA rail, and Super Sniper 20x. IIRC, I could almost get to 300 yards using all of the elevation in the scope but I needed to use Stingers. Accuracy with Stingers wasn't good so I shot regular high velocity ammo at 200+ yards. I only shot when it was dry so I could see my impacts.

I'll say that shooting centerfires at 500-600 yards is a piece of cake compared to a 22lr at 200-250 yards! It was great fun and valuable learning experience. I learned alot that summer especially shooting in the wind. The set trigger on the CZ spoiled me though!

Jason

One cartridge, one bullet?

280 Remington & 150 gr.......preferably Partition
300 WSM & 165 gr........preferably Accubond

Assuming this is big game only (say deer through bear) then I would go with 300 WM/180 gr. If this involved some moderate varmint hunting as well then I would go with .270/130 gr.

Lou

It all depends on what your definition of "one" is.

'06 168gr

You know he had you at "270" Bob......

Nah not really bsa...it likely would not be my first choice

But that doesn't mean it couldn't be used, and successfully,too,because I know people who have used it for everything from brown bear on down....on grizzly multiple times.

Couldn't help myself. I just can hardly choose between the two.

4th Point - no apologies necessary, everyone here is sharing the results of what is working for them, and learning from others as well. That's all that matters...having fun while at it

In the end, I am convinced, there is no '1' PERFECT combo, but an array of many that most often will get most jobs done provided one thing is included:

Shot Placement.

Whatever one uses, if they spend time learning THEIR gear - how to HIT their mark (punch vitals), whatever the game/terrain/distance, etc. - success will often follow

There is no doubt that as recoil goes up, all equal (BC/Speed, etc) sure so does the POTENTIAL ballistic edge, but unfortunately for many - also an inverse correlation w/shot placement, as often many will simply shoot better and often practice shooting more rounds before SHOW Time in the field, w/lighter recoiling rounds.

I will be the first to admit, I HATE Recoil almost as much as I do Blast - so use the lighter end of what is effective, down to a 6BR that has dropped deer to 400 yds from me...and as above, given various factors, it's often a self-imposed limit, as much as the conditions of where/how I hunt. I don't chase LR shots, but I will if pressed shoot further if I have PREPARED in advance and conditions are favorable.

Btw, I enjoyed all the posts, but AlaskaCub talking about the 25-06 reminds me of a guy I met from Canada that was at the Shot Show a few years back. He owned and used a few rifles, but while looking at Sako's and discussing hunting, he said he dropped a Moose IIRC over 500 yds w/a 2506. I asked what bullet/ammo, he said green/yellow box Remington. You can often tell a BS'er from not, and I am confident that this man was legit, and his story. The Moose did not go far at all, perhaps 30-50 yds as I remember. Point is, maybe though they are not hard to put down, they are large animals, and the 25 is often considered a modest round, but when used properly, knives get used AK Cub told me Paritions and WW Ballistic Silvertips were used on most of those kills - again, good bullets - THRU Vitals, works about every time!

Cartridge choice/bullet choice, scopes, rifles, etc. is highly subjective, and in the end, as long as it works for YOU, that's what matters. Most kill at modest distances and longer shots often require either 'dots' or 'dialing in a turret' so how many clicks or which dot does not affect if one will kill, just how to compensate for range w/your given combo.

Btw, Bobin, just how long was that 'Longest' Elk?

Enjoyed all the posts folks! Wishing all a great 2013, safe n happy shooting and hunting!

338-06AI and 210gr NP or Scirocco. But so many logical choices.

65: That "longest elk" was actually three bulls and they were in the 450-500 yard range.....not "long" by todays standards but long for me

Good post 65BR.

I have said it a few times over the years on this forum, and my father in law and his buddies are a good example of this, theres a lot of guys out there that just plain kill chit year in year out minus all the gun gack that goes on here on the campfire. They don't fret what bullet, caliber, BC, SD or even the scope they have on their rifle but they bloody up there hands just the same each and every season. Like I said earlier before things got into long range shooting gack, lots of calibers work for lots of hunters, how much recoil you want or are willing to endure for whatever your intended goals are is up to you, but there isn't a animal in north America that can survive aspirating its own blood or when the blood supply stops making it to the brain, how big or how little that disruption needs to be is purely speculative, of course unless it aims to make you pay for the pain you've caused it!!

Bobin, that is a nice shot, one I am sure Tanner is going to try to 'one up' Pun was intended as I was kidding you LITERALLY how long the elk was, not far - since you said 'Longest Elk' -

AC - Very true sir, thanks for your posts.

I think Confidence + Competence borne out by PRACTICE breeds success and hopefully RELAXATION for the shooter in the moment. I too once got all worked up about a shot, and do some at times, but I try focusing on the task at hand first, and let the excitement set in after I get a properly aimed round off, lest I pull off as I have done a few times for various reasons, but age/experience minimizes those for many, inc. me. I hear some folks getting so worked up when they see game they simply miss b/c they get too anxious/nervous more than anything else...often close shots.

Your last point is a valid one and perhaps skews choices in rounds whether one is after such DG or they are in the area one hunts in. One can drop truckloads of elk w/a 243, and I respect the round, but IF one is in big bear country, well, I'd rather cause more disruption on impact if charged!

65:.... Duhhh......I completely missed that one!

Bump.....lets play some more while it's winter

I'd do it all with the 175 NPT from the Mashburn at 3100 fps.

I bet that would work and I have yet to shoot anything with a 175 gr NPT....

I'll use a STW with a 150gr Part.I know it works.

Mike: I bet it does....