Long Range - My Take

[mdwest]

I genuinely love target shooting long range, and genuinely suck at it compared to my buddies I shoot with. I have a pretty humble rule with a 400 yard max if I'm comfortable. No ridiculous wind etc etc. I've witnessed firsthand how horrible things go wrong at extended range.

400 is my hunting max…. Any further than that I’ve either got to find a way to get closer.. or I’ve got to pass… and that’s only if I’ve got one of my rifles capable of making the shot…

I’d prefer less than 300…

Truth be told I’ve only made 1 shot longer than 300 on game… a black wildebeest that was about 330… and only a handful of shots north of 200 (maybe a dozen or so game animals tops…)… everything else has been closer..

All that said, I used to be very into long range shooting… I sought out a lot of training back in the day… and put countless hours behind my “precision” guns… while I have no desire to engage an animal at 600 or 1000, etc… training at those sort of distances certainly made me a far better shooter at the ranges I do limit myself in hunting… mastering the fundamentals it takes to connect with a target at say 700 makes connecting on a deer at 200 a walk in the park…

 

[Tgood1]

Yes it does, using a hunting rig with hunting ammo will build confidence,,,,,and limits

 

[Altitude sickness]

It’s hard to find a 2000 yard range in the east. Yeah I think it’s 30” to 2400
Then 40” at 3000 yards

 

[Luvthunt]

It depends on whether you are a “shooter” or a hunter.

 

[uplander01]

As a hunter I’m going to work to get as close as possible and my personal goal is to keep things under 300 yards. That said I too am hooked on this long range target shooting. Just joined Two Hats Ranch club here in Michigan. Went out to meet the guys running it the other day…..took my benelli Lupo hpr in 308 that I have hand loads worked up that shoot a ragged hole at 100. Load pushes 168gr tipped sierra match king to 2780 fps. Rifle equipped with Minox 5-25x56 zp5. Had limited time so started at 600 yd and climbed the ladder ringing plates out to 1000. I’m an equipment junky, been selling firearms etc for 20 + years, long range shooting has evolved greatly in this time period. I have been a hand loader for 30 years. When you have the right equipment, ballistic data, and the right program to calculate dope, it’s really not hard to “hit” rather large steel plates at those distances. My next evolution is going to be measuring groups at those ranges. It’s a fun hobby and you can’t help but develop more advanced shooting skills in the process.

It’s all good, for whatever reason we all do this stuff, range time is a happy time for me even when stuff isn’t working right——because we’ve all had those days. Keep shooting, learning and enjoying it, just remember to keep things ethical in the field…..there are guys that can whack a mule deer at 800 yards field conditions, I’m probably just not going to be one of them. Lol.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have fired one, and only, shot at a 1K meter target. In South Africa at a landowner's very sophisticated range (eight targets at various distances, each with a video cam behind a bunker, and a split screen TV screen in the "clubhouse"). I put the 300 PRC bullet about 2" to the right of the bullseye. It was the owner's rifle and he invited me to take a few more shots. It was during the pandemic when ammo and components were unobtanium so I politely declined.

More later. Site is a mess today and keeps locking up. Grrr.

 

[skydiver386]

Any shooting that a hunter does to increase his skill is a good thing, including extremely long range.

The Appleseed program does a great job of teaching basic marksmanship from the standing, kneeling, sitting and prone position. I heartily recommend it to anyone in the U.S. or Canada who can attend one of their rifle clinics.

One type of Rifle shooting that we totally lack here in North America is shooting at moving targets. Having watched Franz and his crew on Wild Boar Fever down running boar with such skill and precision, I've made it a goal to learn this, and eventually go on a driven boar hunt in Europe.

Building skill with a rifle is always a good thing, and I congratulate the OP for having the desire and drive to build such skill. Knowing your limitations would make Clint Eastwood proud.

 

[WAB]

It depends on whether you are a “shooter” or a hunter.

One can be both.

 

[skydiver386]

One can be both.

To put a fine point on it:

Not all shooters are hunters, but all conscientious hunters should be good shooters.

 

[dchum]

It's fun---on a range. I've done it several times at FTW Ranch. Banging steel at 1000 yards is nice but in the field? Never. Too much risk of wounding, wind deflectiion, animal movement. I limit my field shooting to 300 yards and only under optimum conditiions. Sure kill, not wasting time chasing a wounded animal.

So if there is a massive kudu walking around a bend at 330 yards - you pass on the shot?

Cmon!

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

So if there is a massive kudu walking around a bend at 330 yards - you pass on the shot?

Cmon!

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

To put a fine point on it:

Not all shooters are hunters, but all conscientious hunters should be good shooters.

That was the point of this thread. I was a much better shot than I was a rifle hunter. I had to learn how to hunt, shot placement, and how to get as comfortable as possible in the process. Then I reached a limit. I knew I needed to overcome it if I wanted to sheep hunt or mountain hunt where distance and angles may be a factor. I’m still in the process. I embrace the process because the satisfaction is in the effort/work…

 

[Deepfork]

I practice out to 2000 all the time.

I am perfectly comfortable making shots on live animals out to 1200 yards with my 6.5 Creedmore. Any farther than that only if the situation and conditions are pefect!

 

[Flipper Dude]

So if there is a massive kudu walking around a bend at 330 yards - you pass on the shot?

In a heartbeat. Then get closer. If couldn’t get closer, find another massive kudu. Africa is full of ‘em

 

[YancyW]

I have a 300 RUM build by Bob also, it is a damn fine rifle. 230gr Hybrids hit like a lightening bolt.

 

[Deepfork]

I practice out to 2000 all the time.

I am perfectly comfortable making shots on live animals out to 1200 yards with my 6.5 Creedmore. Any farther than that only if the situation and conditions are pefect!

This guy always shows up to this type of thread, just decided to get it over with!

This is a great thread!

Shooting and hunting are different endeavors that use some of the same skill sets. Its amazing that on some long range shooting related message boards there is a endless supply of shooters/hunters that don't seem to understand that and will argue the point until the end. Hitting a steel plate consistently at 1000 yards does not translate to hunting at that distance!

 

[ryno111]

Totally agree. I'm from the south...where a long shot on a whitetail is 100 yards. When I got serious about improving my skills a few years back, I took a long range class in Wyoming. It was phenomenal and has allowed me to have fun shooting at targets while also turning two potentially unsuccessful hunts into successful ones.

Everyone's comfort level is different...and I'm always looking for ways to increase mine. The way I see it, I have more tools in my toolbox now.

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

On my recent Safari I had to work real hard to get under 400 yards for 3 different animals. Even though I could certainly make a 400 + yard shot. It just makes sense to work to get as close as possible.

 

[FlyGuy]

ELR is great fun. Any practice makes perfect.
On live game, I keep my maximum distance at 0.5 seconds of bullet flight time.

 

[Newboomer]

So if there is a massive kudu walking around a bend at 330 yards - you pass on the shot?

Cmon!

That one could be an exception if conditions are right (clear shot, no wind, he's just walking slow). Kudu has a large vital area.