Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Best caliber for hunting long range whitetails .

What gunnut308 said..Bullet wt. and caliber size count a lot at long range..

I'd personally take a 7mm 160-170gr class pill over any 30 cal 200+, but I'd owe that to not liking brakes.

BC is BC is BC, but recoil isn't equal across the spectrum.

I'd be looking at something with knock down power. While I have some rifles that shoot the higher bc bullets I don't feel they would cleanly take game such as deer that far away. Yes they shoot well and hit steel targets at farther distance but deer can be very tough. We owe it to the game to shoot enough gun. I'd say at distance past 300 yards something with a "mag" after it should be used.

Grin

Why so serious??




Your 105AM and 80TTSX combo will do everything that needs doing on WT/MD. Granted, if the wind is howling I can see busting out the .625 BC at 3050fps, but it's certainly not needed to beat up on anything but the wind.

Then I'd suggest a smaller cartridge for this person needing to reduce recoil. Espically if they actually practice.

Hey, if we're just hunting bucks here, I'll gladly take the 105 along.

But if the forecast is callin' for wind.... you know what I'm toting

i dont see the point in useing live animals for target pratice.rio7

Where have you ever seen someone mention that?

And BTW, I see the point. Ever shot prairie dogs or 'chucks?

I've shot NMSSHOOTER'S 300RUM and it is a joy to shoot, but only with hearing protection! Kicks about like a 243 or maybe a little less. I will say the energy it delivers with a 200gr NAB is impressive. One afternoon we set out water jugs at 500yds for target practice. The first one fell to a 7-08 and I believe a NBT. Not much explosion and most of the water leaked out. Next one was hit with my 257Wby using 100gr TTSX. Decent explosion. Next we pulled out the RUM. Massive explosions and utter destruction of the jugs. I know this isn't very scientific, but there was a tremendous difference in the destruction levels when using the different calibers at 500yds.

Tanner, dont get me wrong, i enjoy longrange shooting as much as anyone here on the fire. as for shooting paririe dogs and woodchuks i have done more than my share, i was raised in western colo. and ther was a huge dog town west of rangley,colo.and another north of blue mountian,almost as big. north of meeker, on coal creek was great wood cuck hunting and shooting.that was back in the early 1950s, i have hunted everything with hair in colo. since i was a small boy.my family had ranchs out side of craig, meeker, baggs,wyo.i now and for years have had a ranch in s.tex.and we hunt a lot more than most people ever have a chance to hunt.i have seen 1000sds of whitetail shot over the years most were killed under 300 yrds.i have seen hundreds of deer missed from close to way out out there.i read a lot about longrange kills but dont see much about misses and wounded animals, aint that intresting.by the way i have built my own longrange gun range thats 1175 yards long,with steel targets all the way out.and shoot a number of different cal. rifles at long range.i log on to this site to learn, i didnt invent the wheel,but i sure enjoy shooting, i think a lot of people that talk longrange, dont shoot much and talk a lot.just my 2 cents worth . by the way im 75 yrs young, and will hunt till die.rio7

I'd bet you have more to give than learn.

One reason you do not hear about many long range misses or less than stellar hits is that most folks that are really into LRH very rarely take a shot beyond their capabilities. The slobs that are spraying and praying don't usually advertise where they will get chastised. They save it for telling around gun counters.

RIO, welcome to the LRH forum and like Kaleb said, I bet you've got more stories to tell than we'll ever experience.

I'm in agreement with Eddy in that most guys that are truly great long range shooters and hunters know their own limits, as well as the limits of their equipment , and know when to take the round out of the chamber. I think that's why you don't hear about too many wounded critters or missed shots... either that, or we're all getting a fast one pulled on us!

I'd never feign to be a great shooter or hunter like many on this forum, but I sure know when the wind is blowing too much, or when there's just too much real-estate between me and the critter.

Tanner, i think you and others here have hit the nail on the head . that is,(KNOW YOUR LIMITS) i damn sure know mine. rio7

Some good points but the truth of the matter is anyone who has taken their fair share of game at long range has F'd up at one time or another. if they haven't then they are full of [bleep] or it's just a matter of time.
We practice until we cant see straight and we area half broke to get as good as we can. But the moment of truth is in the field. A shot on a 500 yard deer under unknown conditions can be tougher than ringing an 800 yard gong at the range.
Yes as long range hunter we should know when to pass a shot and often do BUT there are times when conditions seem perfect and you miss that down range cross wind or up draft that is not detected .
This is the reason I go longer on known farms that I have shot on before and know what to expect and limit myself under unknown conditions. I also make no apologies for smacking deer with a 300 grain smk when i feel the need to ensure minimal wind drift.

Your Ruger 270 will do just fine.

Carry on

I love the quote in your picture.... Priceless.!
Me.....I prefer .270, even though it seems to lose punch out that far. I guess size does matter. 100-300 is easy though. WIND is a factor,big time.

Best = probably a 338 Lapua

Best for a normal person to learn to shoot long = probably a 243 with 105s

Best for you = whatever you can shoot consistently and accurately at your chosen range

Spot on