POLL: Your maximum rifle range on Deer

[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.

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!

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!

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.