Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting How far can 6x take you?

Angus,

I was indeed being a little sarcastic, since I'm not about to shoot at big game at 1200 yards with any scope.

But i wasn't kidding about shooting big game with irons at 200-250 yards. The technique depends on the rifle. Sometimes I've used an aperture sight that can be adjusted up and down just like a scope's elevation knob, but I've also used a fixed aperture.

I killed a bull caribou a few years ago at 350 yards using a pre-'64 Model 70 .270, with a 150-grain Hornady Spire point at about 2900 fps, and a Lyman receiver sight and the factory bead front sight. I sighted-in so a group at 100 yards landed 2" above the top of the bead, allowing a 6 o'clock hold to work out to around 250 yards.

Beyond 250 I figured where "inside" the bead the bullet would land, and aimed with the entire bead. I knew the bullet would land right around the middle of the bead at 350, and the bead would just about "cover" the bull's chest at that range, from top to bottom. The bullet landing in the bull's ribs right behind the shoulder.

With practice, it's really pretty easy to kill big game out to around 200 yards with aperture or even open sights, just by sighting-in about 2" above the front sight at 100 yards, exactly like a lot of hunters do with a scope. I've even killed small varmints out to 200 with irons, and if you know what you're doing, longer ranges are quite possible. All it takes is practice, just like shooting at longer ranges with a scope.