500 yd shots more common these days

[6mm4me]

I have a friend in Montana who according to him shoots 500 to 1000+ yards at deer. This is with a wildcat rifle of which there is only 2 in existance, (something like a 300 H&H Mag necked down to a .22 bullet) off a benchrest table mounted on a mountain and using a spotter with very expensive glass. Says he can get a hit in 3 shots.
I didn't make it up, I just repeated what I was told.

[roy reali]

I am looking forward to hearing about the ducking rifle.

I mean a rifle that shoots so far that it actually orbits the Earth. Thus as it comes around, the shooter needs to duck to avoid being hit by the bullet in back of the head. This of course, assume that the bullets isn't stopped by an obstacle like Mount Everest, an icebrug, or countless obstacles that the projectile may encounter on its path.

[impact]

I am looking forward to hearing about the ducking rifle.

I mean a rifle that shoots so far that it actually orbits the Earth. Thus as it comes around, the shooter needs to duck to avoid being hit by the bullet in back of the head. This of course, assume that the bullets isn't stopped by an obstacle like Mount Everest, an icebrug, or countless obstacles that the projectile may encounter on its path.

[Mavrik]

I'm in agreement with several of the other posters. Where I hunt it's next to impossible to see a deer over about 200 yards. I don't think that I would even try shooting at that range due to the brush. In the last 3 years I've taken 4 deer with the distances (in yards) being 120, 75, 25, 25 and my father has taken 2 both under 30 yards. One he had to shoot at twice (he thinks the first shot was deflected by brush). As long as I'm hunting in the same area I just can't see myself taking a shot at something over 150 yards.

Mavrik

[zeisloft]

Egrets are protected most places, but...it sounds like they may be a "nuisance" to the catfish pond. I have a friend with a fishery, and he has a "permit" to shoot these birds while they are "actively engaged in the activity of depredating ‘crops’ (ie fish stock)” So if that is the case, no problem, other wise…Shhhhhhh.

As far as 500+yds goes, I practice at this range alot, A LOT. I have taken one animal, (varmints excluded) a feral hog, at a range in excess of 500yds. However, I had plenty of time, a good rest, laser range finder, a calm day, and a lot of practice at this distance. I felt confident I could place my bullet where I wanted it to go, and it did (+/- 2 inches). But this takes A LOT of practice
~z

[12-34hom]

500 yard shot = common = i don't think so.

While hunting any game, ethics to the game pursuited - with a clean kill are paramount. At 500 yards - maybe 1 in 1000 hunters could make a shot like that with any confidence - whatsoever.

I have a friend in Montana that shoots AT deer at 500 to 1000 yards

Correct - wonder what his % of clean kills are? But he has a magical rifle [of which only two exist] and this makes it ok. I wonder if the other owner of this particular rifle has more sense then this slob hunter.

Weather conditions? How many days have you been rifle shooting and had perfect conditions? where i live that may be around 5 at most.

As far as shooting an egret - why? - malicious, stuiped + illegal. Nuff said.

12-34hom.

[zeisloft]

12-34hom, I agree with the distance part of your post, but must disagree with the last part.

As far as shooting an egret - why? - malicious, stuiped + illegal. Nuff said.

It is not illeagle if you are doing it legally. Just the same as shooting shooting a varmit that has become a nuisance. Sorry, I just disagree.
~z

[roy reali]

So you can see an egret at over 800 yards away taking fish out of a pond?

Now tell me that the gender of the fish can also be noted from that distance.

[Art Eatman]

Odds are, shooting at an egret is likely to be illegal, anywhere. Even cattle egrets are protected in Texas.

You ain't really shootin' at long range until ya gotta put salt on the bullet so the meat won't spoil before you get to the critter.

Art

[Wild Bill Bucks]

Can't see taking a shot you have to have a telescope to see, and UPS to deliver the bullet.
Be easier just to eat something a little closer.

[samoand]

12-34hom: "While hunting any game, ethics to the game pursuited - with a clean kill are paramount. At 500 yards - maybe 1 in 1000 hunters could make a shot like that with any confidence - whatsoever"

+1

Few exceptions withstanding, attempting a 500-1000y. shot is something to be ashamed of rather than something to brag about. It's because of folks like that so many animals end up wounded rather then being treated to humane death. Your friend himself admits that his ratio of success is 1 out of 3... sheesh

[FirstFreedom]

I wonder if it is the technology (mag calibers, high end optics, laser range finders, butter bullet design...) or old fasioned BS.

I would bet my last dime it's 10% the former, 90% the latter. The technology makes a higher portion of people on the receiving end of their stories believe them, which emboldens them to tell more and better stories, and so on. This guy on my hunting lease likes to brag that he doesn't like to shoot at a deer with his 'seven mag' unless they're 600 yards or farther - not enough of a challenge for him, it would seem. This from the same guy who tells me that "dem turkeys can smell ya."

[Art Eatman]

Some of it is people who just flat out don't know how to estimate distances out in the boonies.

Years ago, my uncle mounted a scope on a rifle for a guy, and sighted it in for him. The guy takes off deer hunting. He comes back to my uncle, griping. The gripe was that the gun wasn't sighted in right. He'd missed a deer at 300 yards, even though he held a bit high.

So, off to the benchrest to check it out. They get to the bencrest, and the guy looks at the target: "Yeah, that's 300 yards! That's how far away that deer was!"

"It's 100 yards," says my uncle. A bit of argument.

My uncle shoots; 2" high, just like it oughta be.

The problem is worse in the west, with the wide-open country that a lot of folks aren't used to. And, to be truthful, a lot of them underestimate the distances, as well...

Art

[raktrak]

My friend kills them for the catfish farmers who have permits to do so and here they are everywhere by the hundreds(they eat the small fish). He was an army exhibition shooter and later shot competition on the Army Rifle Team. I've seen him kill Hawks in the old days before they were protected out to 500 yards off the hood of a 1962 Scout 4wd.with a pre 64 Winchester in 264 win mag. I can tell you he has a panel truck with a bench, wind velocity meters, thermometers, range finders and computers and printers as well as digital cameras. Reloads in the truck also. He's very well equipped. I will zero my 7-STW for 400 yards and all I have to do is hold the lower 1/3 of the deers chest cavity from 0-400 yards. At 500 I would hold over about 12 inches. Like some have said your mid range is critical so I concentrate on the low hold. My range at the camp is 400 max but out of the towers its up to 600. I passed up a nice Buck 2 days ago at 400 with my 6.5x55 Bruno Custom because the wind was blowing hard and I don't chance wounding game. On a still, cold morning my 25-06,6.5-06 7-stw or the 6.5x55 will handle a 500 yard shot. Those shots are 1 percent of our shots and most are300 yards or less since our towers are about 300 yards apart. Personally at 60 years old I don't think half the hunters realize their rifles capability. My dad said many years ago that if ya don't shoot at long range you will never know what you can hit. We used to shoot a steel deer at a friends range at 500 yards and once you saw the dust kick up and adjusted a little it was not so difficult as one might think. The flat Delta here allows one to test his rifle easily. Handloads and determination with practice will make you a shooter.

[CobrayCommando]

I have a friend in Montana who according to him shoots 500 to 1000+ yards at deer. This is with a wildcat rifle of which there is only 2 in existance, (something like a 300 H&H Mag necked down to a .22 bullet) off a benchrest table mounted on a mountain and using a spotter with very expensive glass. Says he can get a hit in 3 shots.
I didn't make it up, I just repeated what I was told.

Sorry, that doesn't sound incredibly impressive to me... LOL But I don't hunt.

How do these snipers do it? They regularly make over 600 yard hits. Isn't that generally like the range you're supposed to start employing snipers for?

Maybe its because they measure the wind, calculate in humidity and temperature and air pressure and adjust for range instead of holding over and using Kentucky windage.

Then again the closest I've gotten to being a sniper is ringing the 400 yard gong with my old Mauser a few times.

[raktrak]

A close shooting buddy that collects Military rifles shot a Canadian Ross at the Leland, Ms range at 600 yards with peep sights and got a 12" group, that stuff is just awesome. I can't see the open sights that well.He shoots the old Enfields the same way. It ain't bragging if ya can do it and he proved it to me. These doubting Thomas's need to see some of the delta boys shoot,cause after the crop is in thats what they do. Money for equipment is no object so they try it all.

[chemist308]

I have a 500-yard range here at my house. A shooting table, and three hanging steel plates of 22" diameter.

Not to hijack but Art, I can't believe no-one said anything about this. Dude you got a cool house!
As for the 500 yard shot, do-able yes. What's the point blank zero range on a 300 mag at a deer sized vital area anyway? Even if I was that good, I wouldn't want to shoot past that because then you're getting into the field of sniping and worrying about things like drop. Also shooting from more than a quarter mile, I'd be afraid of finding just a gut bag where I dropped the deer by the time I got there

[Foxman]

"I can tell you he has a panel truck with a bench, wind velocity meters, thermometers, range finders and computers and printers as well as digital cameras. Reloads in the truck also. He's very well equipped."
I kinda thought the idea was going hunting not taking the NASA jet propulsion lab with you
I like practising at long range with different calibers and bullets and some quite amazing shots are doable, I dont often take anything over 300yds on animals though, but I can practise out to 500yds on paper ok. The fun is in getting a decent group at these distances which means it isnt just a fluke.

[roy reali]

GPS pinpoint hunting is next. You won't even have to leave your truck. A GPS will aim a roof mounted firearm to the coordinates of a deer in the vicinity. A button in cab has to be pushed to actually fire the rifle. This will give the guy a sense that he is actually hunting. After the deer is down, a deer cleaning robot will be deployed. All the hunter has to do then is go gather the wrapped deer meat and throw in his truck.

I know a couple of guys that do 90 percent of their bird hunting with 28's. They are great wing shots. They do limit their range to the efectiveness of their shotguns, but they hardly miss. I am more impressed with these guys then anyone dropping long range game with some sort of super magnum something or another.

[Art Eatman]

chemist, I call my house a hunt camp with wall-to-wall carpet and A/C. 100-yard benchrest on the front porch, pistol range in a natural bowl behind the house, and I clamp my clay-bird thrower to the back-porch deck.

The whole deal with this long range stuff is knowing the distance pretty close, and as I said, being able to dope the wind. If you know your rifle and the bullet's trajectory for a given sight-in, it can all work out quite nicely. I've mostly used one rifle for some 35 years, and I've been messing around with the '06 since I was a kid. Heck, I'm supposed to know this stuff.

At a known distance on a firing range, wind is the only real variable. That's a lot different from out-there hunting...

, Art

[roy reali]

I suppose some of you think that long range shooting is no problem. Some of you consider that hunting.

I suppose that means you give the muzzleloader hunters that uses in-line weapons a big thumbs up.. They can hit game a bit farther then the traditional blackpowder shooters. But if you think long range rifle shooting is good, then in-line shooters should not get any grief from you.

[raktrak]

Year before last ,I contacted Cecil Epps at PRBULLET.com in Canada and bought some of his world champion DEAD CENTER bullets for my OMEGA in line. He recommended using Triple 7, fffg powder around 100 grs and a mildot scope. The 45 cal Omega shoots super with his bullets. We set the cross hair to shoot 3" high at 100 yds, this gives the first dot below the cross hair a 200yd zero,2nd dot a 250 yd zero, and the 3rd dot a 300 yard zero. His 195gr bullet is 357 diameter in a 45 cal sabot. It has a ballistic coefficient of 370 ,I believe. it will tell you on the PRBULLET.com site. It leaves the barrel at 2000 fps or so. We are getting MOA at all the distances. That means the energy is there to kill Whitetails and Caribou at 300 yards. Read his testimonials and see his targets on the web site. He is a super guy and has done it all with a muzzeloader, call him on his 800 number and tell him the boys down in Vicksburg, Ms have been bragging on his Products. He fixed several of us up with scopes ,bullets and special breech plugs as well as load data. Our state just said ok to using 38-55 and 45-70 break down rifles with scopes during the primative weapon season.They shoot a long way also.

[Art Eatman]

roy, hunting is a skill. Shooting is a skill.

I've sneaked up on deer close enough to toss a rock and hit 'em in the butt. Most of my kills have been in the 50-yard to 150-yard range and mostly neck shots. I've killed running bucks to maybeso 175 yards.

Overall, what difference does any of this imake if you can make a clean kill? All I care about is DRT. I'm happy for anybody to work with traditional muzzle loader, in-line, iron sights, whatever. Not my business, not my problem. All that counts is a clean, ethical kill.

Where I hunt, the deer are sparse. You can easily go for several seasons without seeing a shootable buck. If the only buck I've seen in several years is "way out there", it behooves me to be able to hit him clean. One thing I guarantee you: You're not gonna do much stalking in this wide-open country. You absolutely cannot be silent enough that a mule deer won't hear you in the rocks and dead crackly, noisy stuff. Other country, yeah. Here, no.

, Art

[Long Path]

The problem is worse in the west, with the wide-open country that a lot of folks aren't used to. And, to be truthful, a lot of them underestimate the distances, as well...

Yes, we do. I seem to recall a javelina out there that I thought was a bit closer than the 50 yards at which I dropped hammer on my .45... (Ah, well, he made decent tamales, eventually.)

[zeisloft]

For those of you who honestly can make an ethical cold barel shot at these distances, how often do you practice? What kind of records do you keep? Software? I feel comfortable behind a rifle at long ranges but rarely take a shot on game past 400yds unless I have practiced the shot under similar conditions ei wind, altitude, angle...Just curious to know how yall are doin it.
~z