Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting What is "long range" - is there a definition

A 500 yard zero will only be precise in one atmo condition. Change temps (vel), elevation, pressure, and your 500 yd zero isn't going to be in the same place.

So you will need to apply some fundamentals of LR to get back on target.

Bullet flight time covers all bets and ranges, rifle/pistol, rimfire/centerfire, elevation and windage.

I think past the five is when things get interesting, and you need to truly look at BC and what not to be consistent.



Travis

That is how I feel about it, if you cant hold on the animal you are hunting it is long range to me.
Gary

I would say 742 yards. Anything past that is long range.

Of course, my wife thinks anything longer than 7.23" is huge. (Something I've never decided to ask how she knows?) Its all about practice, whats "long range" to one man, may not be to another.--Confucius BC .264

I consider long range anything beyond 300 yds. That's where I begin making elevation adjustment. When I hunted mostly with my old 45/70 I considered anything past 100 yds long range.

Shod

Sometimes guiding has it's moments,,This fellow insisted that nothing less than a 10'brown bear would do! He claimed his Lapua's sweet spot was from 380yds to 800yds!! On the waning hrs of his hunt a 9'er showed up and he missed it cleanly ay 80 yds.

LR to me is a p/dog beyond 700 yds.....

Geezus........How?

He looks like he is having a lot of fun,but also looks like a gear freak,equipped to "fail".

I never have viewed long range as a set distance,it continually changes from one rifle to the next and is more about a comfort zone after zero and practice.LR for my 444 vs 264 are not even on the same page.

Woody I agree with that.

My only crack at the biggest whitetail I ever killed (or have ever seen)in New England was about 300 yards and had to be taken off hand,or not at all....fortunately,I do practice wierd stuff like that now and then, and got him.But that was really long range, that day...and something I would not care to repeat.

i am always suuprised at the number of deer hunters that i see that can not hit a target at 200-250 yds. they go out and buy a deer rifle and then sight in at 100yds and hunt. then when faced with a 300yd shot they have no idea where the bullet will hit.

i shoot all my rifles to what i feel is there max on the range or out to what i feel would be a safe range to get clean kills with that gun.i just couldn't see my self hunting with any gun that i haven't done some long range shooting with.

i say for me with most average deer calibers longe range is anything over 350-400yds. for some hunters i know it could be as close as 150yds.

Perzackly!

So, I say, for the common gunnut, its => .5 seconds. Of course for the learned, the time can be expanded for their group. Also, bullet TOF includes environmentals and BC in its calculus for distance. The only further discriminator is target/group size. .5 seconds is not all THAT far. Here is some data from QuickLoad & QuickTarget with high desert environmentals:

~.5 seconds vs distance

5.56 mm NATO - 5.56 x 45 mm
Bullet : .224, 69, Nosler HPBT 17101
Bullet weight : 69 grains, MV 2870 fps, 380 yds

5.56 mm NATO - 5.56 x 45 mm
Bullet : .224, 80, Nosler HPBT 25116
Bullet weight : 80 grains, MV 2680, 380 yds

308 Win.
Bullet : .308, 168, Nosler BalTip
Bullet weight : 168 grains, MV 2820, 410 yds

308 Win.
Bullet : .308, 180, Nosler BalTip 30180
Bullet weight : 180 grains, MV 2650, 390 yds

30-06 Spring. (SAAMI)
Bullet : .308, 168, Nosler BalTip
Bullet weight : 168 grains, MV 2860, 410 yds

22-250 Rem. (SAAMI)
Bullet : .224, 60, Nosler BalTip 34992
Bullet weight : 60 grains, MV 3600, 450 yds

9 mm Luger (SAAMI)
Bullet : .355, 115, Nosler JHP 44848
Bullet weight : 115 grains, MV 1120, 160 yds

45 Auto (ACP) (SAAMI)
Bullet : .451, 230, Nosler FMJ 42064
Bullet weight : 230 grains, MV 850, 135 yds

357 Magnum (SAAMI)
Bullet : .357, 158, Nosler JHP 44841
Bullet weight : 158 grains, MV 1366 fps, 190 yds

22 LR
Bullet : 22 LR high vel 40g
Bullet weight : 40 grains, MV 1260 fps, 175 yds

22 LR
Bullet : 22 LR subsonic 40g
Bullet weight : 40 grains, MV 1080, 155 yds

I agree with this too but that said I try to use a rest anytime I can and if one isn't available I get the most stabile position I can. Getting out and practicing on a tactical range and going to F class shoots helped me extend my range just from a confidence factor.

Tulie I agree of course and grab a rest anytime I can get it;that is just my way of saying, that I need all the help I can get...

As a rifle shot I consider myself somewhere between "passable" and "middlin' "...things get too far away, and they look awfully small!

Bob is being modest; he's an expert using any of his gear.

If you look at NRA competitions anything 600 and beyond is considered longrange. Those are Highpower long range matches and Palma matches.

The cross course matches which are 200,300,500 or 600 are considered midrange.

For whatever that is worth.

Oh trust me, I need all the help I can too but I'm too lazy to attach a bi-pod anymore. I sure wasn't suggesting anything toward anybody else. I figure I have enough of a time with myself that I don't need to point at anybody else..........well generally that is and of course the other half sure won't agree!!!

Ouch, that means anything over fifty yards is long range for me.

It's a good thing that field expedient rests abound in the areas I hunt.
Oh, also there is that bipod in the saddle bags.

Idaho I was kinda thinking 100...

I was being a bit facetious...but not by much.I am a pretty conservative sort.