POLL: Your maximum rifle range on Deer

[grayghost]

What do you consider your maximum rifle range for a clean, one shot kill, all things being the perfect broadside, standing still shot?

If I'm standing: not too darn far!
Sitting, somewhat farther.
Prone, rifle rested on a backpack, quite a bit farther.
Wind over 20 mph and gusty: divide distance by 2
Dead calm: add 20% to max range.

[jojo]

With a steady rest 200 yards. I'd work to get closer if any farther.

Lying on the ground with a bipod on a calm day maybe 300.

Once on a blacktail hunt a buddy of mine, who I know shoots well, nailed a small buck from a good 400. I thought it was down, but it got up and Tony shot it again. I think if we had worked to get 100 closer it wouldn't have turned out that way. What a waste of good meat.

I don't know much about ballistics, but I remember the exit hole in its leg being almost baseball size. If the buck had been shot at closer range we theorized it would have gone down in shock and stayed down. Maybe the wind took it . He was shooting Federal 165 grain boattails in 30-06.

[trex]

I shot a doe in Pa last season just over 400yds according to my girlfriends dads GPS. She was broadside and standing still. When the bullet hit her she dropped like a ton of bricks and didnt move a hair. All the conditions were just right and I was in the prone position. No wind. There was no way we could get any closer for that shot and unless I get a perfect opportunity like that again I'll never try it again. 300 yds is my max for the most part and thats with a good rest. Offhand, no more than 150 or so. My gun of choice is a Sako 3006 shooting Hornady light magnums w/ a 150gr SST. +1.5 at 100yds, -6.5 at 300 and -20 at 400. I dont guess it hurts that I like to shoot alot either:)

[rb1]

442 yds went went 40 yds before he dropped. The rifle was a
remington 700 25/06. made several 300 to 600 yd shots had to track them. Some times another hunter got them. never lost one they were all accounted for. RB1

[Digital Dick]

It's not so much, how far can you shoot, it's how far is it? If you KNOW the distance, you can kill at 1000 yards with a black powder 45-70 sharps.

I've pulled paper at long range black powder matches and I've seen people that can shoot that distance and HIT what they AIM at. They KNOW THE DISTANCE of the shot.

So, if you don't know the distance you are reduced to shooting within your point blank range for the rifle you're holding. Do you know what that is?? Few do. Do you know how to sight for that distance? Not many do.

Take your whirlygig magnum bullet and drop it at the same time you drop a 500 grain .45 cal bullet. Surprise!!! They both hit the ground at the same time. Same forces working on them. When you shoot, only difference is trajectory. This is determined by muzzle velocity and ballistic coeficent. They both follow a parabolic arc.

Conclusion, You must KNOW THE DISTANCE. After that all is math.

DD

[skeet]

Well boys,
Digital is right. If you know how far it ain't a real trick if you can find something for a rest. After shooting over 4000 groundhogs(I got paid to do it) if you can figure close you can hit 'em. And nowdays they have the laser distance finders. Should make it a lot easier. My max range on a calm day(ain't too many of 'em) is about 400 yds or so. Have you all watched one of the good silhouette shooters stand up on his hind laigs and shoot the long range targets? It's kind of spooky to me. I can't even stand still. And they shoot great. They must be numb from the neck up!! BTW the most I ever got for one groundhog was 50 bucks. An easy 300 yd shot and the farmer stated he would pay that much to get rid of the darn thing in front of witnesses.... And they made him pay!!

Digital's absolutely right about knowing the range. Check a trajectory chart for your favorite cartridge. You'll find that, if the range is 150 yards, and you think it's 100 yards, doesn't make a lot of difference.
If you think it's 450 yards, and it's 400 yards, or 500 yards, it makes a huge difference!
At the long ranges, where a 50 yard range estimate error is easy to make, being off by 50 yards means you miss, or worse, break an animal's leg.
Rangefinder's the only way to fly.

[Wahnie]

Assuming you mean with a steady rest, using my STW on deer and elk, I try to limit myself to 400 yards. I'm sure I could pull off a longer shot, but there is too much margin of error. Like Jack, I also use a rangefinder. They are the only way for long shots.

Now on smaller critters, like prarie dogs, I try to limit myself to around 500 yards.

Shooting at deer I have never seen anything big enough that I would risk wounding it to a poor judgement shot...myself I feel comfortable to 300 yards......but like DD said.....is it 300 yards?? If you can point it with a rangefinder then the battle is half won.
I shoot a Sako 25.06, I am sure ina better mans hand, on a calm day, with all perfect conditions, it will go 500 yards easily.....but you will never see me try a shot like that...even with a rangefinder.

[Digital Dick]

I am rightly reminded by Jack and others that the final result of a long shot has another determining factor. When watching from behind the shooters at very long range targets, you can see the bullet wander in the wind as it goes.

The club puts out pennents at intervals along side the shooting lane to help judge the wind. It isn't unusual to see them disagree with each other, some blowing right, some blowing left, and some blowing back and forth. Wind can do this at Winnequah and your best planned shot can be literally, "gone with the wind".

I'm betting that long shots at unknown distances with unknown wind conditions are even tougher.

DD:D

I agree that wind is the big problem with long range shooting.
I shoot a lot of woodchucks during the summer. I set up a table in a likely field, and use a rest, and rear sandbag. For the long shots I use a rifle that's zeroed for 400 yards.
A rangefinder will tell you the range, and you can run trajectory charts that will tell you the hold over, down to the last half inch. You can dial in the elevation on the scope adjustments if you want to, so that you're exactly on point of aim, no matter what the range.
However, the wind is much more difficult. Is that a 10 mph wind? Or is it 17 mph? Is it steady, or is it gusting?
And, is it doing the same thing where the target is that it's doing where you are?
Shooting a high BC bullet that resists wind drift well helps, but wind is still the toughest factor.
Last summer I hit one woodchuck by holding 37 inches into the wind! I'd never try that on a game animal.

[bign83101]

My maximum range is 400 laser rangfinder with a harris bipod and sitting with very little or no wind other than that it depends on my rest and the situation.

comfortable at 300 to 350

[scalerman]

I made a 350 yard neck shot on a mule deer once. I thought it was closer. If I had known that it was that far I probably wouldn't have taken the shot. However it did give me added confidence in my rifle.

[TKO]

I have a pretty good long range rifle. I am shooting a 7 RUM. I have it sited in a bit more than 2" high at 100 which brings me at zero at 300yards. I use a range finder and a harris bi pod. That being said, I have been spending a lot of time at the range and I feel on a calm day with a solid rest 400-450 would be very much in my comfort zone. I do practice out to 550 yards. We can break clay's at that range( not flying..lol)

tko

[msradio]

I am a coward over long shots- or even medium ones- my 7x57 is sighted in at 100 yards and I have never taken a shot past 120. One of the guys I hunt with has the same gun same cal. and has taken deer at 250+ but I don't have the confidence that I can make a shot like that. I want the deer to fall over dead within my sight!
Daddy, on the other hand, has taken deer at 420 yards (I helped pace it off) but he's shooting a .308 or 45-70 with handloads that he's done all those trajectory figures on.

[Evan03]

Ive shot 5 bucks and bull elk. and didnt know the range on any of them.

my first buck was close pulled up the rifle and saw fur yanked away and down it went.

2nd one was running, Im guessing 150yds, 3 shots one hit. luck

3rd hm trying to remember it. ohhh I lied Ive taken 4. the 4th one was a long shot up hill, I layed my trusty old 270 on snowy tree stump and held just over his shoulder. after the shot it went down slidding probably 100yds down hill then got up and crested the ridge. I falled the blood trail to find him watching me walk up on him.

4th was 100yds or so standing.

the elk was running I emptied the the 270 and had time to stuff a few more in it. nother luck shot and Im gurssing that one was over 100.

so i guess you could say Ive just been lucky to not have lost anything. only two were long shots though

If I had range finder Id put my maxumim on 300yds, since I dont then I dont know try and get as close as i can.

Evan

"sportsman or sportswoman," or "outdoorsman or outdoorswoman" knows and follows a few basic common sense rules.

1. Always know your weapon and cartridge capabilities (goes for archery as well!), and don't exceed!

2. Always know your own capabilities - also taking conditions into consideration (don't take a risky shot in a stiff breeze or with only 10 minutes of daylight left, etc.)

3. Don't fling shots or arrows at the "big one" just because its the "big one" but tooooo far away!

4. With a rifle, always, Always, ALWAYS seek a rest when shooting a gun, even to sitting or lying down if necessary to achieve a rest. Make as precise shots as possible!

5. Never take off-hand, unsupported shots!

Usually my shots are less than 250-200 yards away. Sitting down and resting my elbows inside my thighs - a 200 yard shot is fairly easy if one is experienced and knows what they're doing!

I once killed an antelope at close to 400 yards! I was totally confidant in my shot - until I learned my friend's reloads were built with a LeeLoader instead of a powder scale! Had I known how he measured his powder charges I'd have had doubts about his ammo and not been one tenth as confidant as I was prior to learning the truth.

Confidence in one's self and equipment is EXTREMELY important.

But the sage goat was standing still, the air fairly calm, and I was leaning over the hood of my partner's truck with no one inside to cause any vibrations I couldn't control (but my own heartbeat). The pronghorn didn't even go 20 yards before piling up! Best shot I ever made.

When choosing a cartridge/bullet/load combination - I always choose something that will be lethal to 400 yards. My personal formula is to make sure I can cleanly kill a deer, elk, pronghorn, etc to 300 yards, with a 100 yard "cushion" built in. So far its worked perfectly except for the one time I tried to kill a proghorn with a .220 Swift. I wounded the sage goat and it got away as dusk approached. Pretty dumb of me! :confused:

When I first started hunting big game in the West, the standard belief was that 95+ percent of one's shots would be at less than 250 yards. This has indeed been the case. I've killed one whitetail, four elk, six proghorns, and some 16 or 17 mulies. Unless there is no cover and the air is dead-calm, no one should take a shot further than 250-300 yards.

Works for me! :D

[Evan03]

Ive noticed from shooting paper quite a bit that, what I think is 100yds usualy ends up ben right on 80yds when i pace it out, so hopefully thats kinda my built in buffer right there.

I think I made myself sound like one of those guys thats out there taken shots at far off game with nothn but twisted luck to connect.

this last year i took my buck, 1 shot to the vitals, from around 100yds standing, that one shot was all I fired all deer and elk season.

yeah like you said. I try not to shoot standing, but this deer wouldnt move out of the gap in the trees so went I to a knee I had no shot.

anyways, I cant wait for deer season to get here.

Evan

[ds]

I have been shooting a .338 Remington Ultra Mag for deer and elk. If sighted in 4" high at 100 yards the point blank range is around 285 yards. A 250 grain swift A-frame bullet is down about 11" at 400 yards. Foot-pound of enegry does not drop below 2000 until almost 350 yards!
With reasonable optics, my guns effective range is about 380 yards. It is however, not for the faint of heart or the slight of build, because it does pack a whallop!

[memtb]

400 yrds. - assuming conditions are good! -memtb

[Red Leader]

Both of my wallhanger mulies 28 and 30 inch inside spread were jumped up out of deep canyons. Had to wait til they stopped to look back. Both were facing me. The 28 was 525 yards 264 mag usind a bipod that I made at work. He went 15 yards. The wide 30 stopped at about 400+ peering thru a bush where he thought he was hidden. I shot prone, no rest. He was far enough that I recovered from the shot and saw him through the scope flip over backwards, dead. That was my greatest thrill hunting except seeing my sons get their mulies.

Boy this stuff gets my juices a going.

[Gil Martin]

Shooting position, distance and wind are critical factors. If I was shooting from a standing position the range would be less. Sitting or kneeling positions would extend my effective shooting range. We shoot the National Match Course at our gun club and I have definite thoughts of how well folks can and cannot shoot from different positions at known ranges. I would suggest that the more practice the shooter has the better. All the best...
Gil

[ghost stalker]

400yds

[JackRabbit]

from a standing position dropped two moose like a sack of potatos at 450yd. 7mm mag.;)

[quigleysharps4570]

Was recently told by a new guy at work that he'd shot an 8pt. buck last year at 825 yards with a borrowed .308 rifle. Didn't ask for any details...lost interest when he said "borrowed" and "825yds.".

[gd357]

Hmmm..... Well after giving it a lot of thought, my maximum range is a lot further than I've ever had to shoot. I can say that all of the deer I've killed were less than 200 yards. However, I wouldn't feel any compunction about taking a 400 yard shot with a decent rest. Everyone has their own MER and should strictly adhere to it.

gd357

[model 70]

Originally posted by JackRabbit
from a standing position dropped two moose like a sack of potatos at 450yd. 7mm mag.;)

come on now, one shot a piece?

[JackRabbit]

Yes sir, the first was broadside in the hump,the other walking away from me in the neck. ;)

[Nulle]

Comfortable at 400 with my 7mm.

[gspsonny03]

I've shot a couple at around 400, but I prefer them to be around 200. My eyesight just isn't what it use to be.:D

[foto]

Comfortable out to about 150 yds. Sighted in at 100. Where i hunt there ain't anyhwere where you could take a 150 yd shot let alone see something at that distance. Farthest I have ever seen deer is around 75-100 yds and 99% of the time you won't be able to due to ground cover and you'll see them much closer 10-70 yds. Wish i could say more but my shooting range tops out at a 100 so shooting 200-300 at game would be bad sportsmanship. If I ever go out west I will definitely find another range and try long distance but for now I just have no hands on experience at that range nor a need for it. take care.

[bigbrother]

Ol spark and I have both shot deer approaching 800yds. Yes they were 1st shot kills, no "spotter" rounds were fired. BUT, we also knew exactly how far away they were: measured with a WILDE (sweedish optical range finder used in WWII for artilery). I know from experience there are only 2 lazers you can buy over the counter that will range a deer beyond 600 yds. Both are from Leica and only one of them does it all the time. We also knew the exact wind speed (our longest shot was in a 4.7mph cross wind). We use a Kestrel wind meter as it gives us wind speed, barometric pressure, and temperature readings. As a side note, these shots were made from a standing position using a solid rest (not against a tree) but from an ultimate tripod.

The gun was a custom 6.5x284 firing handloaded 140g Hornady AMAX bullets. (actual BC of .618 w/ muzzle velocity of 2940fps)

All of that being said, it all falls upon the hunter. We are the only ones at the moment of truth that can make the decision to take the shot or not. We are the ones that have to live with knowing we made a good decision or bad.

I typically fire well over 200 rounds a summer through my 6.5 at groundhogs and other targets out to as far as I can see them. I know exactly where my bullet will hit. Some might take that statement as b.s. and I understand as it's hard to believe that a gun will put all shots into 1/2moa at all distances fired. Note I said 1/2 moa at all distances. A 1/2" gun at 100yds doesn't mean it will shoot less than 4" at 800! You need to shoot your gun at the distances you want to hunt at. This isn't to say that my gun won't miss; it is simply a mechanism. It still requires a human to hold and pull the trigger. That is where the error comes in and where we as hunters need to take responsibility.

When someone tells me that they shot an elk or deer at 800yds and just held the cross hairs on his back I feel a great sympothy for them. They don't realize what they are doing to the hunting community and they apparantly have no concept of ballistics. When we long range hunt, we use a drop and wind chart for the particular gun we are shooting. The deer we shot at 742 yards 2 seasons ago, we adjusted up 17.25 moa: now lets talk about math....
We all know that 1 moa at 100 yds is one inch...4 at 400..7.42 at 742yds. So you want to know how high you needed to hold over your desired target to hit dead on at 742: 7.42 in x 17.25 = 128" high (10'-8").

In the hunting world, that's too much for the average person to think about. And that's all I have to say about that.

[ghost stalker]

thanx big bro. i do need to invest in a range finder sooooon.
knowing the actual distance is everything. i used to think i was just a good shot , but last fall i was hunting some open fields for mulie which i am not used to but i am very used to clear-cuts and timbered areas. i spotted up a heard of deer with a good buckin a large field. guesstimated it to be a lil over 800yds and my buddie and i figured that if i could half the distance i'd be within my comfortable shooting range.
well after the second shot hit about 50yds my side of the deer i realized that the deer must have been over 1000yds away to begin with. i took another 150yds off the distance and another shot came up 10yds short. all this time the heard just looked around when i shot and kept feeding. not feeling good about getting any closer i chose to take another aproach but the light began to fail and i couldn't clearly make out the buck any more. all this being said, i think if i had a range finder i could have either got closer for the first shot or determined earlier that i needed to take another approach and would have had a buck.
a range finder would really help in new terrain. especially open fields. i am used to the bush where you have trees and stumps and rocks but it is a whole different ball game in the flats.

[JackRabbit]

you have to feel confident.i've made some pretty far shots only because i was sure of myself.other times i didn't feel confident and didn't take the shot,the last thing i want to do is loose an animal because of poor shot placement,whether it be a gogher, a big bull moose or that trophy whitetail.constant shooting sure helps build confidence.;)

[L. Cooper]

If a hunter doesn't KNOW the range, the effect the wind of the day will have on his bullet at that range, the exact holdover for the range he knows is correct, the actual level of accuracy of his rifle at that range, he shouldn't shoot.

In addition, if conditions at the time prevent him holding his rifle where it must be to deliver the shot properly (that means a proper shooting rest of some sort), he shouldn't shoot.

My contention is that in real hunting situations the range at which I can say I have all those factors managed seems to be way shorter than many people here are using. Without special equipment, almost no one should be shooting beyond the known "point blank range" of their set up. (I assume everyone knows what that phrase means to most shooters).

There are posts on this thread that are from people who have the equipment and who know enough about ballistics to take very long shots, and there are posts from some who obviously should never shoot beyond 250 yards. Real hunting is not a theoretical activity. Things are going to suffer and die. We need to keep the suffering as unlikely as possible.

Because of all the variables, I can't say what my longest range is. Is the wind blowing? How hard? What direction? Same direction over the whole distance? Same velocity over the whole distance? Do I know how far away it is? (Beyond about 250 yards my range estimation by eye gets really bad. So does everyone else's.) Do I have my shooting sticks? What zeroing choices did I make at the range? You can see what makes me so nervous.

In real life I have very seldom shot at anything beyond 300 yards. I'm one of Bigbrother's more average people. When I'm hunting, I can't handle the math much beyond 400 yards, and unless hunters are carrying specialized equipment and have practiced using it on gun ranges that allow shooting at extreme ranges, neither can they. So they shouldn't shoot.

Then there is the whole question of what hunting is all about. Is it not important to hunters to get closer than a half mile to their game? What role does "the hunt" have in such decisions? I suspect there are a lot of bow hunters who see discussions like this missing a very important point.

[bigbrother]

I think this whole discussion is based simply on "your maximum rifle range on deer." Most of the people involved in this discussion hunt via other means as well. The "hunt" means different things to different people. In the end, we are all hunters. There is a very important point to this discussion and it is that if we truly think about every shot opportunity, conditions, and variables the answer to the initial question will vary.

I happen to fall into the bow hunting fraternity as well, as do a lot of the others (note posts / replies in the bowhunting forum). As a matter of fact, the last deer I shot in January was with a bow at 12 yards but I enjoy hunting a variaty of ways. For me the hunt is simply about being outdoors enjoying all it has to offer. Whether it's comraderie of hunting long range with my dad, or the solitude of the forest bowhunting alone, or the fast paced deer drives with my relatives, or calling in a spring gobbler, or a host of many other instances.

At the end of the day, I'm always satisfied with the decisions I've made while hunting. It's hard to emphasize the importance of that fact.

[ghost stalker]

i feel we are getting a little off track or mabey some people never were on track. now don't take this wrong or as anything other that a discussion point, but this thread i think is more of a pi$$ing contest like i can do this better than you! but in a nice clean way. i understand big bro and cooper very much but i think it is more of a general question "your maximum rifle range on deer." i know that everyone would like to take a 200 yd shot at a nice whitie buck on the skyline and see him drop like a sac of potatoes. not the longest shot or the shortest shot but one we all dream of.
i think the question is more of a " if you were on your back 40 that was just SURVEYED and a buck was at a certain marker could you KILL it?" i could be way off track myself but what the hell? it's a discussion group and thats what we are here for.lol


enjoy my blathering...or not!
hapy shootting.

[Evan03]

this thread seems to be ontrack, unlike others we currently have rolling along.

variables do change from shot to shot, day to day and is difrent with every shooter envolved.. i dont see this as pissing match to see who can shoot the farthest. we all know our capabilities and abilities. we should know when a shot can be taken and have 90% clean kill rate. doesnt matter if that shots is at 5 yds with a bow or 300 with a capable rifle.

300 is very well within reach for alot of hunters with todays and yesterdays calibers.

Evan

much abliged to whoever did that for me. thanks

[JackRabbit]

I to believe this thread is right on track.The question asked was what is your furthest one shot kill on a deer.With moose being the largest of the deer family.I'm sorry that some have to use mathimatical formulas.But i shoot cus I luv it,whether targeting or on game.But seriously I'm very confident at taking 400yd shots and frankly I find 300yd shots gimme's.Thats why we target practice at long ranges,to be able to make the shot .Remember shoot be happy;)

[Ol` Joe]

I`d be very confident in a 200-250 yd shot on deer size game if sitting or a tree limb ect to rest the rifle on. The only problem I have with that kind of shooting here where I hunt is the Balsam and Cedar insist on standing in front of me 25 yd away. I`m lucky to see 75 yd let alone get a shot at any greater distance. 75% of the deer I`ve shot wouldn`t be "long range" for a spear.. of course 200 more yd in the swamp would just be that much farther I`d have to drag `em and I`m getting too old for that if there`s a way around it...:D

[rainydays]

When using my .257 Roberts and having a decent rest, I limit myself to 300 yds.--tr

[deadonat100yards]

i shoot a Remington 700 in .308 and a 22 inch barrel. A leupold scope (3-9x50). I shot a doe at over 200 yards in the spine and she dropped like a rock.The n the next week i shot a 7 point buck at 300 in the neck and he dropped like a rock.didnt even know the distance. and to beat it all...... i was standin up durin both shots!:cool: beat that.

[Rocky Raab]

Lots of folks limit themselves to three football fields away.

But I never played football, so for me it's a 3-wood and a wedge :D

[bigbrother]

I know it's a good thing that I can shoot more straight than I can hit a golf ball!

[Adirondacks]

Goes to show that you should read
the thing first.
I thought it was "what is the longest
that you have shot a deer?"
To that I answer 1. I have never taken
a deer further out than 100 yds. That's
a product of where I hunt. Mountain
woods.

To the question what is the max for
my gun. I'd go 300. Actually I'd probubly
not make that shot but I would make
one somewhere between 2 and 3
hundred yards. My gun could handle
300 yards but I wouldn't take the shot
unless it had a real good rest.
Not usually the case.

[go to guy]

I shot my first deer in Kansas with a .308 at 240yds.:D

[WyoShooter]

I shoot a 7mm mag. using a 160gr. handload and along with the scope I use for it I am totaly comforatable and confident with it out to 500 yards shooting prone.

[California Hunter]

For us, 300 yards is not considered long range. But, know your rifle; know your ammunition; use a rifle capable of a clean kill at longer ranges; and be at least adequate in estimating range. A good shortcut (assuming you hunt where long shooting is routine) is to sight your rifle between 4.5" and 6" high at 100 yards. You hold low on hair to 250 yards and high on hair to 400 yards. Read the following article to follow the logic. http://www.kifaru.net/posimag.htm

P.S. - Great Question.

P.S.S. - Practive, practice, practice.

[hnter]

With my 50 BMG, 1000+ yds is no prob. They drop like a rock !!!!!!

The prob is finding the carcass. So ya use a spotter with a spotting scope and FRS radio ta keep ya on line.
Yeh, I know this is gonna raise a stink, so what?.
Keeps yer blood movin!
Hnter

[Brant Buster]

I'll pick a round that humanely and ethically can dispatch a deer to 300 yards, then I add on a 100-yard (buffer) extra.

In over 30 years of hunting, I've actually only shot at and killed one pronghorn at nearly 400 yards. Everything else has averaged 100yards-plus to usually less than 300 yards.

The 400 yard antelope was after I had time to calculate for a slight breeze and drop.

[Mike Moss]

I would rather let a deer go than wound it. The longer the shot the harder it is.

I might take a shot over 200 yds but only if I had the laser and data with me.

[dakotah]

When I was much younger, I shot a Whitetail at about 800 paces. It dropped immediately - 165 grain 30-06. Shot it off hand and the deer was running full out. The bullet had to go somewhere and it did but luck -- no kidding. Would not do that again.

I shot an antelope this year at 440 paces. The conditions were perfect.

[Evan03]

300yds is a long shot anywhere you are or how you cut it.

most people shooting that far arent shooting that far on paper. 1-200yd world is alot difrent than 200- and further things change drasticaly and i dont think guessing yardages past 300 are even in the question

most all calibers are dropping close to 4 feet at 500yds most are dropn even more than that.

i am not pointing fingers at anyone ive been there myself killed one deer past 300 with my 270win with luck alone and young stupidity.

knowing what i know now i would still make that shot but i would not guess the range or not practice at the range out to distance i plan to shoot. for me 300 is as far as i go and i punch paper at that range and can keep groups well inside 5"s mosty my rifles will print half that out that far.

if any thing local is any indication im willing to bet that most people dont shoot past 100yds ever untill they are looking at game in the cross hairs. even i was giulty of that.

[dakotah]

If you hunt on the prairie good luck on keeping all your shots under 100 yards.

[THE KING OF HUNTING]

300 IS MY MAX

[Common-senseEA]

take the distance you can sucessfully shoot a 6 inch group standing sitting prone or bench and cut that down by 25% and that should be your MAXIMUM shooting distance in the field. When you are dehidrated or just ran to the top of a hill your 400 yard shot from the bench just turned into a 600 yard shot from the bench in the wind. most people dont have any buisness shooting past 250 yds in favorable conditions anyway. know your abilities and dont exceed them for the sake of a wounded animal.

[Ridge Runner]

well for the guys who dial it up, once the bugs are worked out on the range it basicly gets down to where they're rounds run out of steam. If they can dial to 600 or 700 and hit where they are holding, then its just a turn of the dial away to get as far as possible. if they're data is right, ballistic programs are only as good as the accuracy of the info you feed it.
Remember this, the dialing up is just simple math to about 700 yds. I can routinely hit a 4" circle to 700, but from there on I start to waiver, at 800 a 10" circle is about the best I can do, at 1K its not even close, I know what I need to work on and I'll get it fixed, just takes time.
Any way I feel confidant to 800 yds if the wind is favorable, took a doe last week at 585, bang/flop.
RR

[rattus58]

This poll is a little confusing for me in that I'm not exactly sure what it was asking... The Longest Range that I WOULD shoot, or the longest range that I HAVE shot a deer.

The Digital Gentleman pretty much has it right , you can HIT anything at any range you are profiecient at.

However, there are some practical limitations that I have come to understand over the years as I have aged. When younger, I dropped a deer at a little over 400 paces, probably about 300 yards from my point of shooting on the terrain I was hunting. That was with a .308 Remington BDL with open sights. A fluke for sure.. and a long story... and not the point.

What I have subsequently learned about shooting long range, is that though you may hit the deer, you may never FIND the deer.

Finding the spot that the deer was standing in when shot at long range is difficult in many circumstances, and if it doesn't drop right there.... DRT as in Dead Right There, an EMT coined phrase my son passed on to me about some of the steamy summer nights they spent in certain So. Carolina city sections, can require dusting off our tracking skills.

When a deer runs, your chances of locating it is inversely proportionate to the distance of the shot, and assuming that the your "visual imprint" of the deer's surroundings will remain static as you approach its assumed location is something we all quickly learn is a myth.

From what I have learned from some old timers, is that YOU need to direct a second party to the presumed shot location when distances stretch. If you are by yourself, the job is very difficult and next to impossible. It is easier if you are above the deer and can clearly locate an outstanding physical feature of terrain (not a treestand... a hill or mountain side) on long shots.

What IS a long shot. Most of my acquaintences seem to agree that anything over 150 yards brings brings an increasing degree of difficulty in tracking an animal that has run for most of us.

This brings us back to two fundamentals for shooting. Proficiency and observation. Proficiency is something that we can all probably intuitively agree on. Observation is something most of us are deficient in.

Close shots don't present the problems that longer range shots do. Wind direction and velocity are one. Terrain features we are shooting over is another, both for the shot and for tracking. The animals demeanor. The fact that it is standing still at the shot is not the same as is it alert, is it poised to jump, is it in an flight or fight attitude, and any number of other cues that many of us miss when we pull the trigger.

It takes only a tiny fraction of a second for a bullet to reach game, even at several hundreds of yards, yet in that same fraction, an animal can just twitch and cause shot placement to be off by several inches. Add to that the grouping you shoot, the wind and thermals, and you may end up with a dead deer walking (running) that we have to follow up on.

How far out can you kill a deer? I saw a video a few years ago on shooting running deer. As a part of that video, there was a trailer about these guys shooting at deer at long distance... like 500 to 600 yards. They had set up, set up markers and spotters, and sighted in for this distance. The gun was a 300 mag of some kind. As the video closed, they had taken a shot at a deer on this far hillside with the words "you got him!" as the deer bounded down the side... They didn't show any recovery.. so I don't know if the "got him" or just "shot him".

Aloha... :cool:

[Don Fischer]

Boy that was a good post. I don't really like these questions because of the quality of answers you get. On another site we got a post about long range shots on Antelope. The new poster told us he was good to go with his 25-06 to 400yds but never shot past 300yds. Probally has no idea how far he shoot's as he then described the load and trajectory for us. He's shooting a 115gr Nosler bal tip that's zeroed at 200yds. He claimed it was 1" high @ 100yds, 1" low @300yds and 3" low at 400yds!

When questioned he said he didn't know the velocity of the load but he shoot's a lot and that it might have been 6" low at 400yds.

How far can you kill a deer? How far can you see one? Most hunter's don't know come here form sic'm about how their rifle really shoot's, the velocity or anything about long range shooting but are willing to tell all they don't know to the unknowing as gospel. Next thing you know another unknowing is giving it a shot.

On yet another site the same subject came up and a guy posted that he carried a drop chart to 500yds with him. I asked how he adjusted the sights a 500yds and he told me he just looked at his chart and held over that much. Huh!

For myself I try to keep my shot's to 200-250yds. My rifles are zeroed in to max point blank range with a 6" target and 250 falls under that. I could count on the fingers of one hand the shot's I've taken in my life beyond 250 yds and there were none I had to take.

[rattus58]

Hi Don... :)

You are right of course about the unwashed (so to speak) spreading the gospel to the the unknowing and providing basis for future behavior.

One thing about Point Blank Range is that it at least represents your target. If you take the time to go to the range and determine at least your trajectory at varying distances out to some maximum distance, say 200 yards or even maybe 250, by taking a 6" pie plate and see if you can hit it consistently sitting on the ground.. wearing a back pack... or maybe shooting off your back pack or maybe taking a short jog around the rear of the shooting line and then coming up to the line and taking that 250 yard shot ... you've at least been there once before... :)

Much Aloha.. :cool:

[Hammerforged]

I prefer not to shoot beyond 300 yards, but I would shoot up to 300 using a bi-pod and everything being calm. I have only shot one animal at this distance, it was actually more like 350 yards, a buck mulie with a .338 Win Mag. The bullet penetrated the heart but did not expand what so ever at that distance. It was a 250gr elk load, but to be honest I would have prefered a much lighter bullet in a .25 to 7mm cal or a 180 grain Ballistic Tip in the .338 cal.

[grayghost]

I'm amazed to see this post still going. :)

[gd357]

grayghost,

I suspect that most folks have an opinion on long range: what constitutes long range, where they feel comfortable shooting to, and how far an ethical shot should be taken. This, of course, is dependant upon their ability, equipment, and familiarity with their rifle. If you've never shot past 200 yards, regardless of what a ballistic table says you have no business taking a 300 yard shot.

gd

[TheSollyLama]

I'll stir the pot.

Every basic trainee in the Army shoots to 300 meters with nothing but peep sights. These basic training guns are the worst guns the army has- often shot out, beat up, one step from the scrap heap. I did basic in 1991 with an A1 model that was probably as old as me and rattled like a can of nails.

Now I grant that the E-Type target is far larger top to bottom that the vital area on even an elk. So I am conceding that.
However remember these guns are crap, loaded with cheap, mass produced ammo, and shot with peep sights, not a 12x magnification that shows the ticks on an elk's hide at half a click.

So I find it hard to believe people consider 300 yards/meters a long shot. On a sandbag and prone unsupported a crappy old M16A1 did that easily with peep sights.

Another thing I concede- it's easy to kill people, elk are tougher, yes. But I think you all get my point.

Having said that- I try to stalk closer if possible. Killed a deer with an SKS with cheap russian ammo standing off hand at 200 meters, dead when he hit the ground.
I also have limited mobility so if I can shoot something one hill farther away, that is one hill less for me to try to stalk over. So I actually prefer a longer shot. Beats stumbling around the woods on bad knees.

Just picked up a .257 Wby Mag Vanguard Deluxe that I got specifically for it's long range capability. I'm an experienced shooter comfortable with extended shooting.

It's just that in my experience with deer, I just run into them at closer ranges. But I'm looking forward to some pronghorn hunting next season, where long shots are the norm.

[skeet]

I'm gonna stir your pot a little...maybe. It isn't just hitting the target(animal) that is the part ya have to worry about. It is hitting it in the vitals with enough energy to do the job. Not everyone may be the shot you seem to be...or worry about making that incredibly long shot. The 257 Weatherby is a nice cartridge for long range antelope or deer(and I consider 400-450 to be a very long range on a game animal) but it sure ain't a long range elk or moose caliber. Couple hundred yards max in the hands of an excellent shot. Elk take a lot of killing sometimes. So do big mulies. And forget the 257 on griz. especially with the new griz...the ones that aren't afraid of humans. Weatherby and others used those calibers to kill those game animals...but ya never heard anything bad about those stunts. An elephant with the 257 was just that... a stunt to sell rifles. I read some of the old magazines where people shot bears lions and tigers et al with the 22 Savage Hi Power. Some people got hurt doing it. There was a big hype about the 250-3000 being death on anything years ago. Sales hype, too. Used to be a saying in the car racing industry years ago...Cubic inches win most all the time. Holds true today even with firearms..bigger is better within reason..... as shorter yardage is better too. Except for bears I'd just as soon have 'em in my lap when I shoot. BTW welcome to the site. Lots of nice people here.. Good info also. And we all learn from the new folks too. Welcome aboard

Maybe I should say that the longest shot I ever made(or attempted) on a game animal was an antelope at a bit better than 450 yds. I was confident in my ability to hit it and for the cartridge to kill it. I was used to shooting those yardages on ground hogs and foxes at that time shooting a couple thousand rounds or so a year at critters. Hit most of 'em too. Turned down a shot the other evening on a nice Muley at about 200 yds though. He was in the field eating with the cow critters. About a 30 inch 4X4 too. Eating right next to the ol' prize bull....which ain't mine!!

[TheSollyLama]

I totally agree, Skeet. I concede that the E Type is far larger, and of course it's not 3 feet of elk across.

My point was more about the accuracy limitations more than killing power. To me, 300 meters seems an easy shot, even with a beat up gun in Basic.

I'm with ya on the real world practicality of shooting at long range. Although I'm not on the magnum bandwagon alot of people seem to be on. I don't think the game is any harder to kill today than when my grandfather hunted with a .30-30 flat nose.

I sure wouldn't take on a cape buffalo with a .257 anything. But it does prove the point that it doesn't take a .416 Rigby either.

We're massively overgunned for the most part these days. I have bad legs so I like animals to drop where they stand too. I don't want to track it. But I've never had anything run off yet with a well placed shot. So I'll save my shoulder some and carry on with Roy's favorite while I'm at it.

But since my legs are bad- open terrain like where antelope live is more my forte, so that is really why I chose to go small/fast/flat with my chambering choice.
If I were back east or up in the mountains here more, I'd have gotten a simple .308

[skeet]

Is one thing I do not have. All these new Rums and ultras and super shorts etc aren't really any better than what we already had. Mostly a way to sell more new rifles etc etc. 50 more ft per second really doesn't give ya any advantage that I can see. Sure I have a few mags. Have an old Winchester M-70 in 375 H&H and another M-70 in 338 mag. They were bought years ago when I worked in Alaska. The last magnum I have is a 300 Winchester that I will use on Elk...and maybe moose in Wyoming. Moose in Alaska I used the 338. They live in some really nasty country and there are a few ocassional Grizzlies in the same area. They(grizzlies) are one of the hardest critters to stop I have ever seen....especially when they are stirred up. A long shot on Moose in Alaska is usually fairly short...but that muskeg is hard to go through tracking a wounded one. I also have an old German 300 Weatherby but a friend has had it for years in Alaska. One of the nastiest rifles I have ever shot. He kills his moose with it every year, though. My usual hunting rifle is generally a 280 Rem, 270 Win, 30-06 or 7mm-08..for deer etc. I also bought a Custom rifle at a yard sale(among others) this year that I may try on a moose or Elk. It is a Dale Goens built 35 Whelen. Have shot a few rounds through it and it is very accurate and kicks less than my 338.

[Minihuntur]

My max would be 300yds with my .243 and 2.5-10X42 scope. However add for no bench rest, wind, cold, jitters, and 90 percent chance of all-around crappy conditions (pray for the other 10 percent) I'd probably limit myself to 200yds.
Minihuntur

[Varmint Hunter]

I shot a buck @ 469 yards this year while hunting in NC. The shot was taken from a very high tower stand that enabled you to see over the pine trees. The tower rail was "fairly" stable and I leaned across 2 rails that were at right angles.

Buck was quartering towards me and standing on the edge of a thicket. I decided to take the shot before he slipped away or the sun dropped any further. The 162gr A-Max bullet, from my 7STW, went through the deer and blew through a rear femur on the way out. Oddly enough that buck walked ?? about 10 yards before piling up.

I was using a Leupold 6.5x20 scope with the varmint reticle. This reticle has horizontal lines for 200yds-300yds-400yds-500yds. I initially sighted the rifle in @ 200yds. Then moved out to the 500yd line. It was not too difficult to adjust the magnification ring so that the 500yd impact was on the money when using the 500yd crosshair.

As for knowing he EXACT range - I couldn't agree with you guys more. You either KNOW the range or you're just taking a wild guess. Guesses don't work. Laser rangefinders do.

Intersting thread

[Brother Rockeye]

I'll jump in on this one-lots of great responses so far.
My max changes every hunt because the variables change.
weather
terrain
time to set
iron being packed

every situation is different,so is the max for that situation...