Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting OK - I might be in trouble!

I've been a woods hunter for 99% of my hunting life here in PA. Never been out west. Never owned a field to hunt in, only dabbling a bit here and there in neighboring fields shooting ground hogs at just shy of 200 yards a couple times in my life. (Although I did shoot a groundhog once, 66 yards with my S&W Model 17 shooting DA) My longest shot on a whitetail to date is 124 yards in the woods.

I decided to get and try something different. Not wanted to break the bank, I found a Sauer 100 XT 270 Win on the bargain rack after reading some good reviews. I topped it off with a Leupold VX-3i LRP Rifle Scope 30mm Tube 4.5-14x 50mm Side Focus First Focal TMR Reticle. This too is the most I've ever payed for a scope in relation to the cost of the rifle. In my normal stand on 1st day, shot a nice 8pt at a whopping 50 yards. But I'm scheduled to be in my neighbors field stand this Thursday morning for doe. Will not take a shot under 250.

I joined a local club that has a 300 yard + range with steel targets at varying distances earlier in the year (they are in a fight with the local township so the steel at 600 has been temporarily pulled) but did not have any time to get out there until yesterday. My best results at 100 yards have been with 150 grain Nosler Accubond LR over 61 grains of RL26.

Finally got on that range yesterday. I had so much fun banging steel - I felt like a kid again! I had no problem from the bench and off my knees sitting on the ground, routinely hitting 8 inch steel out to 265 yards. BUT - I learned quickly - from 300 yards and out - that separates the men from the boys! A gun that shoots into an inch at 100 does not automatically guarantee 3 inch groups at 300. I think I've been bit by my new bug! I now get why this is the biggest growth segment in shooting at the moment.

Now I've got more reloading to do.............................

And down the rabbit hole you go, have fun!

I was a Woods hunter too....Any rifle and cheap scope would work....Then They striped the property where I hunt...Now all of a sudden 700+ yard shots where possible........I have spent 1000s of Dollars since then to shoot long range and have loved every minute of it....I have shot deer at just over 600 yards so far.....This year I shot a Buck at 400 yards...Last years buck came at 320 yards....Now I choose my stands based on how much ground I can cover from that spot....I have learned a lot in the last 7 years.... The most important is the need for a solid rest .....Over 300 it really comes in to play.... And the need for Quality Optics...Yes you are definitely in trouble...

Welcome!

And the better you get, the smaller the targets will become. Your equipment may change a long the way too. 6.5 cm and a Nightforce possibly. When you start hitting 2" steel plates at 400 yards consistently, everything else is childs play. You'll be looking to stretch it out even further, like say out to 1,000 yards, and then with practice, be more than comfortable taking shots on deer sized game at 600+ yards. BTDT

I have used my .270 to about 400 yards on whitetails.. When I was a kid in the 50s and 60s, local rifle men were already in to long range stuff.. They killed deer up to about 800 yards, so this is nothing new, but we have better optics, rifles and ammo now.. To me the 6.5 cm is one over rated cartridge... It is easy to shoot and hit things with if you have time to dial.. Other calibers will let you shoot to 500 yards with out alot of hold over some, but less than 2ft. The last years I did any hunting in Pa.. I had a spot like Kentucky, and old strip mine that offer shots to 500 and some farther.. Hunting alone, 500 was my limit due to no spotter.. My final rifle for this work was a fairly heavy .300 wm, with a 6.5 -20 Leupold with hash marks as well as turrets, but in shooting whitetails in that situation, there was no time to use turrets.. So I relied on the hash marks and a fast load..
As pointed out earlier, a solid rest is imperative.. I had a large box that was perfect for shooting while standing.. I sand bagged the long range rifle in for the general direction I wanted to shoot.. I kept a lighter traditional deer rifle there also incase a buck crossed from behind and gave me a 100 yard shot.. After doing this, sitting on a stand in the timber was just too boring. In the open country I could see deer, people, birds, all kinds of stuff one couldn't see in the timber.. A fun way to hunt..

Soooooo gratifying to hear that distant steel sing!

Welcome to the club! Reminds me of how I started out. That is longer than I care to remember (30+ years ago). Shot many deer over 1000 yards, longest so far 1350 yards. One piece of advice I want to pass along buy the best scope you can even if it's a used one. The scope is the weakest link in the chain so spend till it hurts, you won't be sorry in the long run. My self I use Schmidt & Bender PMll 5X25X56 and Nightforce ATACR 5-25x56.
Currently using 338 Big Baer (CheyTac 408 necked down to .338 and shoulder moved forward.) All shot at or over 1000 yards. The one on the wall to the extreme left was shot at 1350 yards one shot.

Happy shooting.

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338 Baer...Bruce Baer?

Yes it is.

Just watch your ammo burn, vs availability of components. Don't get yourself in a bind.

Any distance you practice at... you'll get use to it, and it'll become child's play...

6.5s make it easier.... beyond a 1000 yds, you may need to upgrade your equipment or bullet...but visually you'll get use to those longer distances..... to me that is the weak link in the entire thing....

visually on our local range, they have steel hung out, to 600 meters...

I practice on that with the scope on 4 power.....when ya get good at that, turn the scope power up... and it becomes a lot easier...

There is a rock on our longer range at 725 yds... not a big rock tho...but once you learn to dial it in, you can hit it all day long..
I've taken guys who said they could never hit something that size at that distance...

I'll dial the rifle in, let them shoot it, and when they hit it first shot, they come off the bench like their fanny is on fire...
thrilled as a 12 year old....

first step is just looking at it logically, after that it is just muscle memory holding the rifle steady, and visual memory with hand and eye coordination....

So, what was the bargain bin price on the sauer? New or used?

The 270 is a great lo v range round and often gets overshadowed by other calibers. Admittedly, I never realized how efficient is was until a guy criticized my 264 Win Mag, and by holly he was right. This is a great cartridge. And you're right that beyond 300yds things get way more interesting. Little things mean a lot and you learn to dub the wind, not easy. I'm still refining my skills but am pretty proud of my 5" 4-shot 700yd group i achieved in 15mph wind. Happy shooting in 2021!