Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting LR Hunting - Why?

Great post Jeff, you said it all right there. Life everything else in life, LR shooting included "stay within your abilities" If this is done nobody, not nobody has any right complaining about anyone.
Those who say "there's a chance something will go wrong" Well thats BS, anytime you push the safety off something can go wrong. Those of us who shoot LR know that our equipment is thouroughly tested and we practice more than anyone else so who has the most chance of something going wrong?
are more deer wounded at less than 200 yards than beyond 500? You know that there is.
The actualy hunting bit, I'm not buying it, The ridge that I hunted over last year would have been much simpler to put a treestand up and take 50-60 yard shots, but I chose not to, not a challenge there, if you know how to deer hunt or whatever, both of the tactics discussed here are sporting, hell anyone who knows and understands the game they seek can place themselves within the magical 100 yd range. So do you place yourself in position to get the 50 yd pretty sunday shot so you can come on to people who prefer another method and start the "holier than thou" routine, or to you put your skills and abilities with a rifle, your knoledge of ballistics, your days of practice to use? Who made it they're priority to ? my ethics? Do I ? they'res?
Oh and the capstick bit was awe inspiring, till I remembered he used to either pick off babboons at 400-500 yds with his 375 H&H or mow them down with a mac 10 submachine gun.
So is he a hunter? or a shooter?
RR

Roper,

No sweat we all have our differences... Al least we are able to co- habitat here.... ;-)



Sledder,

Holy crap... are you serious?!? Yeah, you really showing you colors now. Just get is close with the earsplittenloudenboomer, it'll kill it...
Me personally 1500 is pretty crazy. All my pokes that far were at PD's
Anything for me inside of 800 yards is pretty much table fare. Now as far as an arse shot on something. I'll bet just about anything that my success rate is hands a feet above some lead slingers who's shooting them up the poop chute. What if you're off by a mere 3" hit a hip bone bullet deflects out instead of in.

At 800 if I'm of by 3" my shot is still a double lung.


Jeff,

+1

This is an interesting subject which I have debated on other forums and here is my answer. IF a person can make a 1000yd shot with confidence that he will kill the intended target with 1 shot then he should take the shot. Anyone who has doubts about their ability to make the shot should stick to closer shots. I have made many long range kills. I prefer them, for me it is the challenge of shot placement not just in the vitals but in that little light or dark spot just below the ear or behind the shoulder and so on. Having the confidence in your equipment and yourself is paramount to long range shooting and that comes with practice.

Off by 3"....if you are able to consistantly (lets say 90% for grins) throw them in a 6" diameter ring at 800 yards with "in the field" conditions, I'm impressed. Nice shooting sir.
This being the case, I say by all means let'er fly at 800 yards if that is what trips your trigger.

Anyone see the new LR prone targets for F class? Thats a scoped gun prone, front rest allowed? I don't know the dimensions for sure, but they are small. In F class or any target game if you were allowed unlimited time, you could make all shots inside the Xring. Which is a tight group for sure. Thats where the hunting or shooting at game part comes in, we are allowed to take the shot when all is right. Which means that each shot is a "pinwheel X" when released.

Jeff

It is interesting that none of you long range shooters have made a point of why you should shoot so far. Other than you can and its legal.
You state it is more challenging? To emphasize the shot on a live animal as the basis of the challenge or sport is ridiculous. If the possibility of a miss is sporting or challenge I have been taught wrong! I was under the impression you should not shoot unless you are certian . If you consider getting within 500 yards of game a challenge, I am confused, as it is easily posible to walk in open veiw of game within that range. Even drive a vehicle. Yet you chastise one for shooting moving game, Your reasoning of the possibility of a miss being sport, would lend itself entirely to shooting only moving game as a sport or challenge.
If you want a shooting challenge, why not try a 30 yard shot on a charging bear? Or limit your weapon to open sights, etc...
So It goes that a 800 yard shot is a gimmi? easy table fare? what next, farther. Or possibly of hand, maybe you could miss that way and it would be more sporting?
Sorry your bucket dont hold water!
And would you stop with the bs about more game being wounded close, It is unsupported dribble. Heck more left hand shooters wound game! (I have no Idea, but same bs).
Long range shooting is nothing more than a way to kill more game with less hunting.( time spent getting close to game).
Im tired of arguing with you guys, Have fun. Heck its legal. Laws are funny things. Just ask OJ.

That is why I hunt - to "have fun".

This should get the fur flying
http://media.putfile.com/buck-0001

oh yeah, walking in and putting a treestand over a game trail and taking a 30 yard shot makes you better, that right?
With good equipment that you have conficance in 500-600 is a gimme.


You state it is more challenging? To emphasize the shot on a live animal as the basis of the challenge or sport is ridiculous.


what is the challenge to you? freshening the corn pile?
If you want a shooting challenge, why not try a 30 yard shot on a charging bear? Or limit your weapon to open sights, etc...


been there done that, actualy had the bear by the scruff of the neck in one hand, pistol in the other when I fired the last shot.


Sorry your bucket dont hold water.


yours neither whatever is in yours is BROWN


And would you stop with the bs about more game being wounded close, It is unsupported dribble. Heck more left hand shooters wound game! (I have no Idea, but same bs).


That is fact, for one thing there are hundreds of thousands more deer shot at 200 and less than at 500, and a much higher percentage of those shots are made by less effective marksmen.


Long range shooting is nothing more than a way to kill more game with less hunting.( time spent getting close to game).


I spend way, way more time conditioning myself, looking for places to shoot, and making my equipment the best I can make it than most hunters ever dream of so peddle your snake oil somewhere else, you don't wanna hear about our successes and methods, there's a little "x" in the upper right hand corner of your screen.
RR

Safari hound. I see good arguements on both sides. I'm somewhat of a fence sitter if I may. I'm wondering about what long shots are nowaday? A long shot 20 years ago was 400 yards, now I see fellas calling 1000 yards a long shot. I see the discussion see/sawing back and fourth. A long shot for me is 500 yards and for others it's 1000 yards. Each to his own skills based on his equipment. This will be a never-ending story. Until someone comes fourth and mediates the confusion on what distances are we talking about. Is below 300 yards Short Range. 300-600 yards mid range and onward long range? Can this be ever nailed down?

Cacciatori,

see my article on my shooting ability.. from a bi-pod in field conditions...

10 shot group at 1013 yards

Safari Hound first this is not an argument, it is a debate. Second every center fire rifle made today is capable of hit and killing an animal at 1000 yds. the only limitations is the shooter. I do not say what you consider hunting is wrong because I choose not to hunt that way, it is your way and that is fine. I choose to hunt from long range because I can shoot at 1000 yds. I have consistantly taken animals at that distance and will continue to do so until age forces me closer. Don't get me wrong if I have a shot closer I will take it as well but I am not limited to a 100yd shot.

I cannot speak for the others here but I am not the type of hunter that grabs his shotgun the day before season and puts around thru it @50yds and says that is great lets go. I practice with my rifle 3 to 4 times a week and more if possible. I also reload my own ammunition I weigh every bullet and every powder load so I know within a very small margin where my bullet is going to hit. Along with those preparations I also scout areas, setup treestands and all the other things that you short range hunter do.
So summing up just because you cannot shoot at my range doesn't mean I should be limited to your range.

some of the Sr hunters are confusing what is stalking and hunting. Stalking is part of hunting. WE all don't look for the longest shot possible but we are prepared for the long shot should it arise.

WyoWhisper That is some fine shooting sir!

FWIW, on the issue of what its called, my sport, highpower service rifle shooting is called midrange to 600 yards. 200 yard only matches, same as 300 yarders are reduced courses. Then listed from 600-1000 yards is considered long range. Again, only FWIW.

Jeff

Side note: My grandfather considered anything over 50yd as long range, and shots past 100yd to be grounds for a beating (he died in 1940). My father considered shots over 100yd to be long range, and anyone attempting shots over 300yd to be stupid (1907-1969). I, personaly, prefer to stay inside of 250, but I'm prepaired to go 440yd IF the conditions are right.

Now, to be fair to my ancestors, gramps was using a 32-20, and dad had stepped up to the 30-30. Now me, I'm dottering along with the plain old 30-06.

Times change, equipment gets better, and some people are willing to hone their skills to a razors edge. I have no issue with any of it, as long as everyone stays inside of their confidence zone.

Hi Ric,

Thanks for the article - it all falls into place now. With a truly wonderful landscape like that, I can see that approaching to anything less than half a mile will mean a lot of leopard crawling! This also explains why custom rifles are built to undertake such tasks. My Sako will "only" hold sub-2" up to 300m, not 500. I might as well sell that POS now and commission a new rifle from your buddy! However, I think that your rifle would look a lot nicer with my Swarovski 6-24x50 on top. Who knows, with that combo, may be I could even hit rocks at 1K?

Serious question though. Are you actually permitted to use match bullets on game in the US? Over here, we would be crucified for that, as the 1991 Deer Act prohibits all non-expanding projectiles. In which case, how do they perform?

Thanks and regards,

Jacobite

Unfortunately yes. For instance Wyoming regulations state no full metal jacket bullets or expanding bullets.

Match bullets can fall into either category pending on what day of the week it is. They might come apart or go through like an FMJ. One in a great while they act like substandard expanding bullets at best.

This however does not hault their use by some "long range hunters". They need the super high BC to maintain super sonic speeds for game in the next area code regardless what the end result of bullet performance is.
I have "seen" shots with 300 gr 338 bullets that go completely though an animal at 1000 plus yards without any expansion at all! Game was found afterwards. Yet to some this constitutes a successful hunt.

Disclaimer--not all hunters act like above. Just the problematical ones.

Jacobite:

here is an idea of how the Sierra Matchking (MIDDLE MANGLED BULLETS) acts on impact from 1800-2600 fps on wet news print.

Wyo,
That is definitely some impressive stuff and an art.
As I said before, I don't want to take anything away from true marksmen. If I had the equipment and developed loads and could shoot like you fellas and gals, I would want to stretch my range as well.

I have a question with a hypothetical situation......

A dandy whitetail out at 800 yards is slowely grazing through a meadow with a moderate wind or even gusty......a bit up hill or down (whichever you prefer). A person spots him and lays down with equipment to measure wind and range, bipod, custom rifle, etc. Assuming that deer isn't going to stand there for an hour and/or give the person a practice shot. What percentage of Long Range hunters will hit that deer in the boilermaker only given one shot?

I am not saying I doubt anyones shooting ability or actually looking for a number. This is just a question out of curiosity.
If I were a betting man, I would bet that there are very very few shooters (that would attempt this) that would run that first bullet through the bread basket. I could be wrong and you may be one of those few that would pull off that spectacular shot. Again just curious.

I think what makes me curious about this is that I sometimes read how someone shot a record group at 1000 yards, but then I see that center of that group is about a foot away from the center of the target. One could run an entire box of bullets threw the same hole, but if that hole is a foot from the aim point, it doesn't much matter when it is a dandy whitetail standing out there......he is either missed or wounded.
I may be off base, but I am just trying to better understand. 5 almost perfectly consistant mistakes don't get you record in the field.

Again, I am impressed on your article. It is something to be proud of and something I doubt I will ever do. I am just trying to better understand how it transfers over to a game animal.

Thank you all for input and teaching me something.