Shooting At Medium Distances

[bullet]

I have really increased my long range practice since I have acquired my Weatherby rifles. I use to shoot long range like 300 to 400 yards with my 30-06 and it is capable of those ranges but I had to practice with each handload to make sure it was hitting the mark at different distances.

The 30-06 is viewed by many as a competent 300 to 400 yard cartridge and I certainly agree with that statement. The actual effective distance remains in the hands of the shooter who has practiced or has not practiced. I agree with some on this forum that shooting shots even if a cartridge is perfectly capable of accomplishing a 300, 400, 500 yard shot, is all dependent on the shooter and his proficiency.

If you practice enough with your rifle and cartridge, you will do fine with your ability being some of the limiting factor in taking a long shot. There is a lot that goes into long shots. Any person who goes to the range and tries to shoot at extended distances knows just how much is involved. I have practiced at mid range (300-500yd) shooting off and on for some years. Even tried 600yds at times and some days were better than others. When hunting I have made some long shots like 426 yards on a coyote with my 06 using a 165gr Sierra game king. With a Ruger #1 in 300Wby using a 165gr bullet I made a 618 yard shot on a deer. But I have also missed taking some long shots. I really try and get as close as I possibly can without alerting the game, because my chances of hitting the target increase in probability of the kill by shortening the distance to the target. Even when I think I am as close as I can get on long shots, I use a range finder when I remember to bring it with me. A person can't estimate good enough to make real long shots without a range finder. Shooting long distance is hard to do and without a range finder and a rock solid rest you will not kill consistently at long ranges. Practice is the most important thing a hunter can do to insure good results in the field. With the rifles I have and the optics I use I do not believe I should be taking shoots over 500 to 600yds and these are my extreme shots.

Better to hit your target with a slower and capable cartridge like the 06, rather than miss with a faster one like a Weatherby cartridge. Right? If that is true then so is this: "Better to hit your target with a faster but more capable cartridge like a Weatherby, than miss with a slower capable cartridge like the 06. Right? Neither has any meaning or validity if the shooter can't do it with the cartridge he is trying to use while making a long shot. Skill level is the key more so than cartridge!! But if you are skilled then faster is better because it is more than just a capable cartridge and it makes up for small margins at long distances over 350 yards due to shorter time of flight resulting in less wind drift and bullet drop.

The 30-06 is a great cartridge but in a skilled shooters hands he can even shoot farther making quicker more humane kills with a Weatherby type cartridge. Of course it all gets down to whether or not a person can really make a long shot and knows he can because he spends time practicing at the ranges he intends to try and take game. Reading ballistic charts and assuming you can make a long shot because your rifle and cartridge are capable of doing so does not mean one is capable. Take it out and see if you can and if you can't then practice until you can or until you have found the limit of your accuracy at long range with the given cartridge, rifle and optics you are shooting.

A long shot is fun only if you hit what you are shooting. It is funny how it is the long shots that remain in ones mind throughout the years of hunting. Yes, practice does pay off in exciting moments when a hunter connects on the long shots.

 

[Guy Miner]

Quite a bit of good stuff there Bullet.

I've got a firm belief that it's the shooter's skill that makes most of the longer range shots ethically possible. It's easy for any of us to go buy a rather accurate rifle, a good scope and good ammo anymore. Practicing with that rifle and ammo and learning to use it at longer ranges is the key to success at longer ranges.

With your 400+ and 600+ yard kills, you're obviously capable of some good longer range shooting. Good job! Seems like you've also paid your dues at the rifle range, learning to make hits at those distances. That's the way it should be. I've found that reading the wind over longer ranges is a huge factor. Elevation corrections are relatively simple. Range the target, dial in the elevation adjustment on the scope or select the appropriate hash mark on the crosshair, and squeeze.

Wind is different. It's often quite a feat to accurately read the wind over a 400 - 600 yard chunk of terrain... Then to correctly adjust for it. That's where the practice & range time come in for me. In very short time I can range and dial my elevation and be very close to perfect in my solution. Wind though... That takes judgment & experience.

Good topic. Although I've shot a number of deer at the 25 - 100 yard range, I've also hunted open country where it's very difficult to approach within 300 yards, and a 400+ yard shot is certainly possible. As my gun club rifle range only goes to 600 yards, that's about as far as I feel capable of accurately placing my shots.

Good topic. Often controversial, thanks for bringing it up.

Regards, Guy

 

[Antelope_Sniper]

There are three key ingrediants to long-range shoot: the rifle, ammunition, and the shooter. As we all probably realize, it's the weakest link that dictates just how that combination does, or in many cases, does not perform. On the open plains of Wyoming and Colorado, hunting a critter with 4x vision that can run 60mph, my typical shot shot is 400 to 600 yards with 20+mph winds. I'm sure PoP has a few stories about Wyoming wind.
In circumstances where these difficult conditions are the norm, I believe in garnering every possible advantage:

High quality, Long Barreled rifle,
Flat shooting cartridges like the 7mm STW, or something with RUM in the name.
High grade, Mildot (or tmr) Scope, preferably 30mm tube and M1 knobs.
Laser range finder and wind gauge. I've had occasions where I've had to adjust more for the wind then the range.
Sub MOA, preferably Sub 1/2 MOA handload with a forgiving bullet that can shoot through to the vitals at long range regardless of the angle....Usually something with Nosler in the name.
And Practice. Lots of Practice...at every range. I like to do what I call a Work-out. Start with a 3 shot group at 100 yds, and "Work out" to the end of the range.....however far that might be.
In order to get good with that long range rifle, you need to shoot it. Take it coyote hunting, or maybe long range rock chucks, or maybe even some long range prarrie dogs. Ok, not not suggestion you punish yourself with 100 rounds of 300 RUM in one day at Black Tails, but plink a few of the long range ones, or at least try, and get used to using your rifle under adverse field conditions against a target with a mind of it's own.
This all leads up to the final important element for the long range game hunter. Confidence. Confidence in your rifle, your optics, your cartrige, bullets, ranging equipment, and the quantity, and QUALITY of your practice. Ultimatly this confidence is what translates in the ability to dial in 600 yards of range, 20 mph crosswinds, and bring home that trophy buck that is safe from average Joe Hunter, but you you. 8)