Long range shooter

[capblack]

I think a lot of people have the wrong idea about heavy caliber rifles. I dont care if your using a 30-06 or a 338 win mag. if you hit it where it lives it will go down. theres no way that that buck hunt would have gone any different just from stepping up from an 06 to a 300 or 338 win mag. the bigger bullets dont do the killing, the shot placement does, all the bigger bullets do is make a bigger mess of your meat. there not necessary unless your hunting dangerous or thick skinned animals at close range. a 30-06 or 308 caliber rifle is all you need to kill any animal in north america. just work on bullet placement, not a bigger rifle. Brian

 

[SantiamDrifter]

I think a lot of people have the wrong idea about heavy caliber rifles. I dont care if your using a 30-06 or a 338 win mag. if you hit it where it lives it will go down. theres no way that that buck hunt would have gone any different just from stepping up from an 06 to a 300 or 338 win mag. the bigger bullets dont do the killing, the shot placement does, all the bigger bullets do is make a bigger mess of your meat. there not necessary unless your hunting dangerous or thick skinned animals at close range. a 30-06 or 308 caliber rifle is all you need to kill any animal in north america. just work on bullet placement, not a bigger rifle. Brian

I agree, it doesn't take a cannon to kill. But it is nice to have more knock down power sometimes. I've seen an elk take a round to the boiler room and just stand there looking at you like it was a fly. Now a bigger caliber to the high shoulders, you have a good chance off breaking both his shoulders and dropping him there.

 

[Markcanby]

What you get with bigger caliber is more mass. More mass=More energy at greater distance. So what you need to do first is find out what range you will hunt then figure out your drop verses energy at that range. Then you also need to pick a bullet construction that is made to preform at the velocities you will have at that range.

 

[halibuthitman]

well, all in all, numbers given... odds speculated.. theorys tested, I know of only one truism in all hunting and shooting, every bullet, arrow, and hook ive thrown... hit exactly where it was aimed, some of it was good aiming, and un fortunately some of it was poor aiming.. so lets just all hope all of these fine weopons and sporting arms we have mentioned... will be aimed well.

 

[BobberDown]

well this topic has grown and in most cases all opanines are good and valid but as we talk about the damage a bullet does most of you have never sean what a 300 or 338 hit to an animal at much over 300 yards looks like because that is the avrage long range shot for most hunters. but you have to look at it like this where not talking about shooting a deer at 200 yards with a hopped up 300 win mag. where talking about shooting elk and mule deer at 500 to 800 yards. at 500 to 800 yards a hit from a 300 or 7mm or 338 what ever mag you are shooting has about the same amount of Kenetice energy at long range as a 30-06 or a 308 at under 300 yards. now if you look at it from this point of view also takeing a 600 yard shot on a buck with say a 270. and a 270 is a very capible long range gun. but it is still like shooting that same deer at 100 yards with a 223 it will do the job and kill that deer but evan with a hart shot it most likely will run alittle way befor he dies. but that 100 yard or evan 350 yard shot with a 243 to a 7mm with a bullet over a 100 grains with a hart hit it will most likely put him down in his tracks.

so all i have to say is use the right calliber and bullet weight for the rang and animal you are going to hunt and i think it is better to be a little over guned a faster kill means less adrenline release and that is what makes an animal have that gamey taste i will give up a little etra rib meet theres not much there any ways . over an adrenilin filled animal.
every one just has to be onest with there self are you and your equiment capible of a clean kill at the range you want to shoot then i say go for it but if you can't lay down load set your rifle up and make a long range shot well your hart is ponding wind blowing your gun has a could bore there crose wind blowing to the left at your muzal and to the left at the target and there is a thermal comeing up the canon now hes on the move when he stops you dont have long maybe 15 to 20 seconts now you need to rerange him and dial your rifle and sweeze off a good shot its not for every one i will say that. but the only one that can say whether or not you should be doing it is you so dont lie to your self and wond an animal

goood luck guys

 

[Mattdm22]

.300 Weatherby Mark V is just the gun for you. =) Knocks down just about anything. I shoot 180 grain and has never failed!

 

[GDBrown]

Hunting season is coming up.....


Bump! I just got a Mdl 70 in .243 to play with. As soon as I get the barrel bedded correctly I'll start having fun!

GD

 

[strawberry shortcake]

I don't know much about guns and loads (but I'm learning fast). My BF knows TONS about this stuff. I have a new Marlin 336 Lever Action 35 Remington. He had to cut some of the butt off and added a peep site (I love me some peep sites). I asked him what it will shoot in terms of big game (the dealer said it will take down anything in Oregon) and he said what matters more is the right bullet for the game and velocity used. He is a reloader as well as a gun restorer and showed me all the ways this Marlin can be chambered with powder and bullet combos resulting in increased distance, velocity, and accuracy. I had some cartridges filled with the Hornady soft point bullets (for accuracy as well as distance and is the only pointed bullet type you can use in the magazine chamber) in front of big game powder loads and took it for a test drive. I'm pretty sure it will kill a deer or elk because it knocked a BIG hole through the base of a live ponderosa pine tree trunk at about 300 yards. For me, it's perfect. I'm just a wee little leprechaun. For hunting, I would rather shoulder a lighter gun than lug around one that is truck big. Carrying the right bullet for the game you want at the distance you want is MUCH easier.

 

[Raincatcher]

I don't know much about guns and loads (but I'm learning fast). My BF knows TONS about this stuff. I have a new Marlin 336 Lever Action 35 Remington. He had to cut some of the butt off and added a peep site (I love me some peep sites). I asked him what it will shoot in terms of big game (the dealer said it will take down anything in Oregon) and he said what matters more is the right bullet for the game and velocity used. He is a reloader as well as a gun restorer and showed me all the ways this Marlin can be chambered with powder and bullet combos resulting in increased distance, velocity, and accuracy. I had some cartridges filled with the Hornady soft point bullets (for accuracy as well as distance and is the only pointed bullet type you can use in the magazine chamber) in front of big game powder loads and took it for a test drive. I'm pretty sure it will kill a deer or elk because it knocked a BIG hole through the base of a live ponderosa pine tree trunk at about 300 yards. For me, it's perfect. I'm just a wee little leprechaun. For hunting, I would rather shoulder a lighter gun than lug around one that is truck big. Carrying the right bullet for the game you want at the distance you want is MUCH easier.

Sounds to me like you will be pretty darn self sufficient when you leave the family farm. Can't beat knowledge and enthusiasm...go get 'em SS!

 

[GDBrown]

This is the first center fire rifle I have bought in 30 years. My last was a 6MM Rem. I was a serious Varmint hunter during the seventies and took my share of mulies with it as well. My scout master was a smith and as my best friends father I spent many an hour helping him in the shop. For me hunting is about being outdoors and not how big the animal is. That said my first Utah mule deer dressed out at 300lbs, dropped with one shot to the neck as he trotted by at 75 yards. While in Montana my longest shot was about 275 yards, he never knew what happened, dropped like a rock from a broken spine. Rockchucks were more fun though, 350-400 yds shots were the usual and my handloads were very consistent. We'll have to see if I can work up to my old standards with the newer rifle.

GD

 

[strawberry shortcake]

You actually FOUND the rockchuck after shooting it!?!?!?!? Spread across how many square feet of ground?

 

[DuckWorth]

Well I hunt deer with either my 30-06 semi auto or my 7mm they both have the buypod on them, I shoot from 300 yards out to 600 and there great . Elk hunting I have take up my Ruger 338 mag and my Remington 300H&H mag gives me a choice on guns depending on what area I hunt that day , and as a close up 100 yard shot and back up for them pesky MT Lions I always have my BFR 45/70 revolver at my side .

 

[DuckWorth]

Hey Kodiak what unit you hunting Elk ? and any one here hunt the Fossil unit ? seems fewer and fewer hunt that unit now but I love it over there and have gotten my tags for that unit for the last 20 years and took many a nice elk and deer from there .

 

[capblack]

ive never considered a semi auto much of a long range weapon, even in an 06, but i bet that 7mm works well for you. I hunt western oregon, and i bet the semi autos would make an excellent brush gun with a low power fixed scope on it, or iron sights. Brian