Why I will be hunting long range with a little help

[robertjay53]

I have spent the last month going through a lot of posts here at LRH and am very impressed with with the people here.
One type of person that I haven,t seen or heard from in all the posts are disabled hunters, which I am one /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
LRH will give me the ability to hunt Elk from LR because I am unable to stalk.
I have a rifle on order that will be ready Feb/05 and it will be a 300 RUM built on a 700 action-ss 1.25" bull barrel 26.5" with a 1.5" muzzle break. I will be shooting from a portable shooters bench and shots will be from 700 to 1200 yds. I will also have a leica 1200, good spotting scope and bino's. Will also be using the exbal program with chrono. The only thing I have not bought is a scope but have decided on a Nightforce either 5.5x22x56 nxe or the 8x36 nxe. My problem is which one and which recticle for this manner of hunting. I like the fine cross and fine cross with dot I almost forgot I will be shooting 200 or 220 MK's can you help thanks!!! Bob Percifield

 

[Ian M]

I would suggest the 5.5-22x56 NXS and the NP-R2 reticle, this is about as good as it gets for long range hunting. Put it in mounts from Badger Ordnance or Nightforce and you will never have a concern about how secure your scope is. I have this scope and it is superb, can recommend it highly.

Hate to complicate your life but I would also suggest a "practice-rifle" in .308 Winchester so that you can shoot lots cheaply - save the custom .300 RUM for hunting and pre-hunt practice. Hard to beat a factory Remington 700 VS, Winchester Stealth (or ll) or a heavy barreled Savage in .308 Win. for refining your marksmanship and learning to dope wind (and mirage).

Welcome to this site, I am confident that the guys here will be able to provide a lot of info that will help you get into long range hunting and shooting. Lots of real-world info as opposed to gunshop-hero talk.

 

[robertjay53]

Ian, Thanks for the reply and the welcome to this site.
Not to worried about cost of ammo. My little brother(50 yrs young) LOL has all the loading equipment I will ever need.
My gun will weight about 15 lbs so im not worried about recoilto much. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif This gun will be only used for Elk hunting and a coyote once in a while. I plan on shooting at a 1000 and 500 yd range near me to get used to shooting out to these ranges. Once I fell comfortable with my abilities I will practice long range up where I will be hunting to get a better understanding and knowledge of the land. I have been leaning towards the 5.5x22 nf. My brother thinks I should get the 8x36 because of the cool weather conditions in our area and less mirage according to him and since I will be shooting strictly from a bench and not caring the rifle in the field. As for the npr2 rectical I was leaning towards learning the comeups in my scope instead of holdovers and making the adjustments for correct MOA's myself. Im not saying the npr2 is not good but Im really used to fine crosshairs in my scopes. I just want to make the right choice the first time and after reading a lot of posts on this site I feel i've come to the right spot to learn from the experts. Shoot well and live long.
Bob Percifield

PS: My little brother shoots a hell of a gun he built a couple of years ago with the help of a gunsmith friend.
Its a 300 phoenix on a mauser action 28" barrel leopold tactical scope on top. It will reach out and touch em!!!

 

[4ked Horn]

Hello robertjay53

[ QUOTE ]
I have spent the last month going through a lot of posts here at LRH and am very impressed with with the people here.
One type of person that I haven,t seen or heard from in all the posts are disabled hunters, which I am one
LRH will give me the ability to hunt Elk from LR because I am unable to stalk.

[/ QUOTE ]

See if you can find where I mentioned it in this post.

It is the whole reason I bought my .308 Rem VLS. I have a heck of a time crossing uneven ground and stalking while walking is impossible. I have to look at the ground as I move across it or I'm goin down. I'm 36 and the very blessed victim of a rather nasty car wreck. 'nuff of that. (unless you want to know more. Info on request.)

Welcome to LRH. Enjoy. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[robertjay53]

Thanks for the welcome 4ked horn, believe me I also know about walking on uneven ground its tough. Im a below the knee amputee. I have just got back into hunting in the last 4 years and have found out rather quickly that my mobility is very limited. The longest shot when Ive had a broad side has been only 300 yds max to date. I have seen critters out alot further but because of my limited rifle & scope and knowledge of long range shooting I would not take the shot.
That is why Im here, so that I can learn to take that shot and KNOW I can put it where I aim. As for being disabled as we are, /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif then we must learn to adapt or quit hunting /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif this I will not do I will adapt and I will be good at. Why they may ask? Because I have learned as I'm sure you have to adapt and overcome !!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif shoot well and often !!! Bob Percifield

 

[4ked Horn]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for the welcome 4ked horn

[/ QUOTE ]

Just passing on what someone once gave to me.

[ QUOTE ]
Im a below the knee amputee.

[/ QUOTE ]

One or both? I'm facing that possibility somewhere in the future. I'm doing what I can to hang on to my feet for as long as I can and still work for a living and hunt but somewhere in the back of my mind I think the right foot or even the lower right leg will leave this world before I do. Wouldn't take much to set it off but I still use it like it owes me money.

[ QUOTE ]
As for being disabled as we are, then we must learn to adapt or quit hunting this I will not do I will adapt and I will be good at. Why they may ask? Because I have learned as I'm sure you have to adapt and overcome !!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like you have a good attitude about your condition. I've met a few people that were not as bad off as I am and were ready to give up and quit enjoying the life they had. It might sound wrong but I don't have much time for that type of mentality.

[ QUOTE ]
shoot well and often !!! Bob Percifield

[/ QUOTE ]

Indeed, shoot well and often Bob Percifield.

 

[robertjay53]

4ked horn, I,m missing my lower left leg and wear a flexfoot prosthetic weighs about 3.2 pounds mostly carbon graphite it will out live me /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif LOL. I hope you are able to keep what you have left. Had mine taken off 1992 because of bad circulation (old motorcycle accident).
Ya Ive run into the same type of people who felt sorry for themselves and I have to admit that I went through that phase also when I was younger and finally got past it. Life is way to short and Ive learned that if I want to do things that others injoy doing then I have to look at it and decide how I will have to adapt to accomplish it. It would make no difference if I had no legs or was in a wheelchair if there is a will there is a way.
Just a short story, I have a friend who has MS and is in a wheelchair and has only the use of his left arm and leg.
We went deer hunting this year and it was the best time Ive ever had. If you could of seen us from afar you would have laughed your *** off!!! Me chasing him around with a carpenter bench and a rifle trying to set him up for a shot.
He did not get a deer but he had a blast and next year we know what we need to do to get him a shot. #1. He will have a gun mount for his chair #2. He will have a real scope that he can see through (old tasco 4x32), and then we will be ready!!! See if something does'nt work find something that will /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Oh by the way shot two does @240yds and 276
with my browning abolt 7mm.We got meat. shoot well and long Bob percifield

 

[Shawn Carlock]

I have to totally agree with Ian on your scope issues. The Nightforce NXS 5.5-22 NPR2 is my personel pick as well. I also dial in to achieve hits at range, but in the event of a miss the second shot correction is very quick and in the field seems to be more accurate. I believe that seeing a miss go 12" over and 6 " to the right is quicker and more accurately corrected by moving say 1 mark (2.00 MOA) down and 1/4 mark left (1.00 MOA)(before anyone emails me I know it should be more accurately 1/5 of a bar) than it is to convert the inches to MOA and dial the additional correction. Also there is a greater error factor when trying to guage the inches of miss with a standard reticule, if you miss by a bar and a half up and a 1/4 bar right it is an accurate adjustment to simply hold a bar and a half and a 1/4 bar in the opposite direction. If you have a standard style reticule you are depending only on your ability to <u>guess</u> the inches off of target you are. For those reasons I would pick the NPR2. If you get a standard style reticule and change or advance your abilities your stuck with it, the NPR2 will work well both ways. I have 2 friends who are disabled and LR hunting is the only practical way for them to enjoy hunting, glad to here you have stuck with it. There are <u>few</u> greater enjoyments than precision shooting.

 

[jb1000br]

Might want to add a few inches on that barrel if it is not too late. why not make it 30?? you obviously arent dragging it around, so might as well get all the useful barrel you can handle IMHO.

Also, a 15lb braked RUM is still gonna give you a fair beating off the bench BTW.

JB

 

[Mysticplayer]

Welcome and congrats on working through your disability. LR shooting/hunting is very rewarding and I hope it works for you.

Same thought, get a longer barrel (30" min, taper if you want to save weight) and increase rifle weight. I have a 36" RUM in a 35lb rifle, muzzle brake and it still moves back 1" under recoil. I can still spot my shots which I feel is important for LR hunting.

I have a separate block of steel I bolt to the bottom of the stock. The orig rifle is 20lbs. At 20lbs, the recoil is not for me and there is no way you can spot your shots.

I also suggest you look at the NP2 reticle. I have mildots in all my scopes not because I use them to range but so that I have some reference for spotting and adjusting.

When you see a bullet land 'a few feet' from where you aimed, adjusting takes time and is not always accurate. Just how many inches/feet away was that impact? hard to judge at 1000yds.

With the reticle, you can compare the impact with the reticle and just move over. When you start shooting in the field, you will understand what I mean.

Also, super high mag is not required. Like Ian suggested the 22X is going to be lots. Elk are pretty big even at LR. You want field of view to keep track of the elk you want and its relations to other animals/geography. After the shot, you need to see where it went.

I would be surprised if you used over 16X under hunting conditions. Most of my shooting at 1000yds is at 12 to 14X depending on the scope.

Keep an eye on stock design. I prefer a flat bottom BR style. You want something that rides the bags well and will not roll during recoil. Stock design makes a huge difference on your ability to shoot well.

Finally, practise, practise, practise. Shoot at LR as much as possible. It would be nice to have a lesser cartridge to practise with. However, the only way to know how your rifle and load works in the field is to shoot it in the field. Barrels are easy to set back when necessary.

I would lean towards the 220gr MK or 240gr MK. At ranges beyond 900yds, any increase in horsepower is desireable. Also, the better BC will help with wind drift. You could also look at the 200gr Nosler Accubond.

Good luck...

Jerry

 

[Ian M]

Bob,
Sent you an e-mail, hope it got through.
Going hunting "Nascar-Deer" for a couple of days. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[robertjay53]

Ian, got your e mail it was great /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gifand very informational thanks very much. Bob Percifield.
PS: What kind of rifle do you use on those nascar deer? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[robertjay53]

save /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Ian M]

We shoot some custom .308 Winchesters that kill very well out to 650 yards. This year I have extended that a couple of hundred yards by using a GA Precision lightweight .300 WSM that is working very well out in the 700-800 yard range. 180 grain bullets are hitting harder at those distances.
Scopes are NXS, Nikon Tacticals and Leupold MK4's.
Couple of factory rifles are doing well also, Win. M-70 Stealth and Rem. M-700 VS, both in .308 Win.
Score was four to nuthin for our side yesterday.