How "long" is "long range"

Hunter308 · #1 02-13-2005, 12:43 PM

Being this is the "Long Range Hunting" forum, I was wondering if there was a generally accepted definition of what "long" range means. Is it anything over 500 yards? 300 yards? Sorry if this has been asked before but I'm new to the forum and didnt't find anything on this.

Hunter 308

POP · #2 02-13-2005, 01:39 PM

In my opinion anything beyond 300 yds.

Ian M · #3 02-13-2005, 02:51 PM

Hunter,
This question has been beaten to death here and from past experience has the potential for wasting valuable space taking us away from our primary topic - how to do long range shooting and hunting. Long range for you might be whatever your skill, confidence level, hunting experience and equipment can handle. This leads to degree of accuracy, degree of confidence, ethics, how many times you can hit a paper plate at X yards, what energy the bullet has to deliver to kill a critter, where the bullet must strike, are practice shots allowed, which scope does the best job, no way you should shoot with a weak little .308 Winchester and on and on.

There is no comprehensive answer to your question, we are all individuals. Suffice to say that most guys who hang-out here want the capability to kill cleanly out to 500, with the extension to 6, 7 or 800 as they get more capability and confidence.

Please do a SEARCH on that topic and you will find lots of opinions. You will also note that there is a group of folks who enjoy the challenge of shooting much longer than we do, they have a site that you could find by a websearch of ultra-long range hunting I believe. Do not wish to dampen your enthusiasm, it is a legitimate question but one that we have worked over a lot.

ricka0 · #4 02-13-2005, 03:26 PM

Good question Hunter308 & I agree with POP
Excellent answer Ian_M - but I'm sure some folks will disagree [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]
I was flamed on another forum for asking questions about building a gun for 500 - 750 yards - this forum gave helpful advice and encouragement.
Even tho will we never get 100% agreement, I'd like to see general consensus posted.
I'd go with
<ul type="square">[*]300 - 500 as long range [*]501 - 800 as [need adjective here] really long range???[*]800-1100 as ultra long range[*]and for those guys who talk about 2,500 yards - insane long range.[/list]

Varmint Hunter · #5 02-13-2005, 03:48 PM

Many years ago when I started shooting varmints, long range was any shots out past 250yds. Yep, factory guns,factory ammo, small targets, and limited experience made these shots particularely rewarding.

Within a few years I was shooting handloads and more accurate factory rifles. What was long range only a few years earlier became average and long range meant shots had to exceed 400yds.

Today, with custom built rifles, handloaded match ammo using only the best components, and 20 years of experience, long range has a totally new meaning. Shots that exceed a 1/2 mile were unthinkable but are now made with some regularity.

Every year I look to push the envelope a little farther and the meaning of long range seems to change constantly. So how do we define long range - WE CAN"T [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

Hired Gun · #6 02-13-2005, 04:30 PM

Shooting a rocket at the moon or mars and hitting it. Those early shots were calculated. Meaning they didn't take off and drive there like you would in a car or boat. So it is with our dumb bullets. If your calculations are correct you will strike your target. For me anything over 300 yards starts to require some calculation on my part or I will miss. The farther the yardage the bigger the unknown variables can really mess you up.

Ian M · #7 02-13-2005, 04:32 PM

Varmint Hunter,
Great point - we can't! How about a standing offhand kill at 35 yards with my flintlock on a gopher that is just peeking out of his hole. That is a hell of a long shot. How about a running kill on a coyote as he blasts across the prairie at 190 yards. That is a long kill for most guys that I know. How about a mulie standing on the edge of a ravine at 783 yards and my 180 Accubond dumps him in his tracks - might be long for me but not long for the 1500 yard shooters.
Shooting long should be about using knowledge, skills and equipment to their maximum potential. That makes it vary since my rifle/scope/load and shooting ability might not enable clean kills as far as yours.
My friends and I "hurl" bullets at far-off rocks and steel plates to see if we can hit them. We do not do that at big game animals - we only shoot when we are confident that the bullet will kill. That means out to about 650 for the .308 rifles and 750-800 with the magnums. We put a lot of deer on the ground during a recent CWD cull and I know those numbers are realistic.