I'm So New I'm Shiny!

[BIGREDD]

I\'m So New I\'m Shiny!

I am almost embarrassed to post on this site! I don't know squat about long range hunting, my longest shots have been 400 yards on a whitetail with a 270, and about 300 on a ground hog with a 243.I reload and and have my own 600 yard range on my property. The closest thing I have to a Long range Rifle is a Thompson Centre Encore in 300WM with a 26 inch heavy barrel, 5x15 Elite 50mm obj. Is this gun suitable for long range hunting? I can shoot (3 MOA) to 400 with 180 grain paritions from the bench with sandbags. I don't want to sound like a total newbie I have hunted and shot all manner of firearms for 25 years...that said 1000 yards is like a dream to me!

 

[Darryl Cassel]

Re: I\'m So New I\'m Shiny!

Welcome aboard Bigredd.

Try to get the accuracy to a better range then 3MOA and the rifle will reach and kill further then the 400 yards you mentioned.

Many 300 Win mags with 26" barrels (Remington Sendaro's for instance) will kill at 1000 yards very nicely.
Try for 1 MOA (Minimum) at ranges to 1000 yards. 1 MOA at 1000 yards is 10"
Obviously, the closer you hunt an animal the MOA does not have to be as good.

There are many rifles that short range hunters carry that shoot about 6" at 100 yards. For them the accuracy does not have to be very good because the shots are usually not any further then 100 yards max.

For the LR hunter the rifle that puts 5 shots into a small cloverleaf or one hole group at 100 yards is desireable to start out with. Most of our big custom guns are capable of this accuracy.

Trigger time and load development is a must for any rifle you intend to use.

Later
DC

[ 07-01-2003: Message edited by: Darryl Cassel ]

 

[Dave King]

Re: I\'m So New I\'m Shiny!

BigRedd

Welcome to Long Range Hunting.

You might want to skinny down that 3MOA at 400 yards a bit, that puts you at about max range for whitetails. This would probably be the place to get he info you desire/need...

 

[Mysticplayer]

Re: I\'m So New I\'m Shiny!

Welcome. with your own range, you will be teaching us pretty soon. Trigger time is critical in this sport, plus it is a great time.

Never shot an Encore so can't predict its accuracy potential. In general, the smaller the groups the better.

A friend I used to compete with came down for the day to shoot LR with me. Has shot at 300m competitively and big bore silh. Never aimed at anything over 500m.

He brought an accurate 308 and a bunch of suitable ammo. With an estimated guess on elevation, we had him in the target area in 3 shots. He did hit the 9X9 gong once, a lot of very close calls. Would have done better but the wind was tough. By the way, I missed a lot too.

So give it a try. Just dial up the scope for 600yds and pull the trigger. You will be very surprised when that bullet splashes very close to where you want to go. Now you will be truly hooked and spend way too much time and money to hit tiny targets at very long ranges.

I think of LR plate and clay shooting as my version of golf. You can spend a little or a lot on equipment but being able to read the greens is what puts it in the cup...

Enjoy. There is so much info on this board that you will have all your questions answered.

My first suggestions are get a Lee Collet neck die, some MK or amax bullets, match primers, and H4831SC extreme. Work up a load with the bullets just off the lands, and start burning powder. Keep good notes and you will learn very quickly.

Jerry