7mm MAG ?

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I'M NEW HERE GUYS SO BEAR WITH ME ! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ALL CONSIDER LONG RANGE. TO ME PAST 400 YDS IS LONG RANGE.I HAVE BEEN SHOOTING A REM. 700 7mm MAG OUT TO 400 WITH HORNADY 139gr SST AT 3100fps WITH NO PROBLEMS, BUT I WANTED TO EXTEND THAT DISTANCE SO I PURCHASED A TIKKA LONG RANGE HUNTER IN 7mm MAG, INITIAL TESTING HAS BEEN VERY GOOD, GUN HAS 26" HVY BARREL,I HAVE BEEN TESTING 139gr HORN. SST AT 3400fps, GROUP IS UNDER 1/2" AT 100.MY QUESTION IS DO YOU THINK THIS SETUP WILL WORK OUT TO 600YDS.LAND IS OPEN FIELDS WITH ROLLING HILLS OR FLAT. TRYING TO WORK WITH BAICS WITHOUT INVESTING A SMALL FORTUNE. I ALSO HAVE A RUGER No.1 IN 300 WIN.MAG. AND A WIN. MOD, 70 CLASSIC 300WSM MOUNTED IN HOUGE STOCK BUT DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH THE ACCURACY OF EITHER OF THESE GUNS FOR LONG RANGE.
 
Your 7mm's will do the job easily, some individuals might suggest heavier bullets but those Hornadys will do the job, a deer is not hard to kill if you hit him correctly. What you might find makes a huge difference in long range shooting will be your scope. Many hunting scopes just don't do the job out past 5-600 yards as far as having adequate adjustment lattitude in their turrets. You don't mention your optics and mounts so not sure where you are at.

What we would do is setup large sheets of heavy steel plate (2'x4'), hanging them on old swingsets or sawhorses, paint the front white and shoot at them at longer ranges. Your rifle might beat up most thinner plate at 600, we use 3/8" and 1/2" at 700 yards and longer for our .308's with no damage. The bullets make a large splat that is clearly visible so we can get good zeros and see what the wind is doing to the bullet (can see hits all the way out to 1000 yards). We spray each splat white after several shots so that the plate is fresh and reshoot or move back farther away. We also have some smaller plates (6x6, 12x12 up to 16x16) that freestand on angle-iron bases. We paint them and knock them over at long ranges, makes for great practice also. Can also hang the smaller plates on the swingset or sawhorses to make them clang.

I find that practicing at 700 and longer makes 5-600 yard shots very doable for hunting, and that is about what you are talking.

Work up some drop charts and learn to shoot in wind and you will have confidence when you take a long shot. You will also need some good rests, an adequate laser rangefinder, and a partner to practice and hunt with to really enjoy this game.
 
IAN M
IAM USING SAKO RINGMOUNTS AND A REDFIELD 4-16X44AO SCOPE FOR NOW, WAS THINKING OF POSSSIBLY GETTING A SHEPERD LATER ON. ALREADY HAVE 800YD LASER RANGEFINDER AND AT PRESENT NO SPOTTER! MOST LOOK AT ME LIKE I'M CRAZY WHEN I START TALKING ABOUT SHOOTING LONG DISTANCE. TO THEM LONG DISTANCE IS 300 YDS.BECAUSE OF THE AREA THEY SAY THERE IS NO PLACE TO SHOOT 500 YDS, BUT I CONTROL THE HUNTING ON A FARM THAT 500YDS WOULDN'T GET HALF WAY ACROSS SOME OF THE FIELDS.I HAVE TAKEN SEVERAL DEER OUT TO 400 YDS WITH MY REM. 700 IN 7mm MAG ALL FACTORY EXCEPT FOR STOCK. MY LONGEST KILL SHOT TO DATE WAS 565 YDS ON A MOOSE IN NEWFOUNDLAND WITH A 300 WIN MAG. I FIGURE THAT IF I COULD DO IT ONCE IT SHOUDN'T BE A PROBLEM TO DO IT CONSISTANTLY WITH TIME AND PRACTICE ON WHITETAILS--RIGHT?
 
You are probably aware that there are at least three methods of compensating for bullet drop and wind drift - #1 is aiming or holding-off (lots of guesswork, somewhat low repeatability, luck helps) #2 is using constant aiming points on the reticle, such as dots, circles, slashes, tick-marks etc that enable holdoffs with fair repeatability and the #3 is aiming on target (point of aim is where you want your point of impact) and cranking necessary adjustments with your turrets. Most guys here use #3, hence the need for good accurate, repeatable turrets.
I am trying to stay comfortable in the range that you are aspiring to also - out to 6-650 yards on deer. So far we have not broke 600 but have several five hundred plus one shot kills.
Really helps to get someone to shoot with, good luck.
 
IAN M

THANKS FOR ALL THE ADVICE, EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS ! THE TRIAL AND ERROR METHOD TAKES TO LONG. YOU HAVE GIVEN ME A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.AND ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN THINK OF WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
THANKS AGAIN

P.S. WIFE JUST TOLD ME SHE WOULD BUY ME AA ULTIMATE TRIPOD FOR ANNIVERSARY NEXT MONTH !!!! GUESS I BETTER NOT FORGET WHAT DAY HUH.
 
THANKS SHAKY FOR THE INPUT I INTEND TO DO A LOT OF PAPER TESTING BEFORE THIS IS ACTUALLY PUT INTO PRACTICE, I MEAN SHOT PLACEMENT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE HUNT-- CORRECT ?
 
SharpShooter,

Obviously your 7mm mag shoots more accurately then your 300 win mag. If you can get your 300 win mag to shoot as accurate as your 7mm mag it has more potential at long range.

I have been shooting/using a 7mm mag for around 20 or so years now but I don't consider it a long range cartridge. I am sure others would debate that. I limit my shots with a 7mm mag to 400 yards on large game. Just a personal choice, no other reason.

My long range deer rifle (of choice) is the 300 win mag. The reason I went with a 30 caliber was simple, bullet choice.

I wish you luck in your quest to cleanly kill animals at long range. There are many many people at "Len's" place that can help a lot.

You made mention that people think you are nuts for shooting long range.

Welcome to the "Nut" house.

Don
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OK GUYS HERE IS MY PRELIMINARY TESTING MY LOAD. -- 139gr HORN.SST 71.5grs R-22 CCI MAG. PRIMER OUT OF FACTORY TIKKA LONGRANGE HUNTER 26"bbl AT 100yds 5 SHOTS .623. WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK ? WILL THIS WORK OUT TO 6 or 700yds ?
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WEATHER HERE SUCKS -- WON'T STOP RAINING AND WHEN IT DOES TEMPERATURES ARE 80&90. RIGHT NOW VEGITATION WON'T ALLOW MORE THAN 100yd TESTING WILL HAVE TO WAIT TO EXTEND THE RANGE.

[ 07-04-2003: Message edited by: SHARPSSHOOTER ]
 
If you stay close to .5 MOA I'd say you'll be fine. You'll need to figure a little wind error and the rifle error will eat into what's left for uncontrolled variables... Figuring double the rifle accuracy for leeway so 1.2 MOA you'll be fine to about 700 yards (8 to 9 inch hit area).
 
Sharpshooter, the only way to know if the load will work at longer ranges is to shoot at those ranges. Stringing, and a host of other issues may make a good close range load unacceptable. Besides, you are going to need the practise anyways.

The 7rem will work at your ranges. The 139gr SST is a great bullet but also consider the 154 and 162 SST. Reason is wind drift and retained energy.

The heavier bullets have higher BC which will help reduce wind drift and make long shots easier. Also, a heavier bullet will always have more momentum, and at long range you need all the oomph you can get.

A 162gr SST at 3000fps will make a much better load, for me, then the 139gr SST.

I practise on gongs, clays at 700yds out to 1100yds. We use smaller targets so that it improves our shooting skill and allows for some error when we engage game. It is a lot of fun and you learn quickly about load development and the wind.

Make a drop table calibrated for your range finder/scope, practise lots, and good luck this fall.

Jerry
 
THANKS GUYS YOUR EXPERTISE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED, I WILL CONTINUE TO PRACTICE WITH THE LOAD I HAVE AND WILL GET SOME OF THE HEAVIER SST BULLETS. ANY LOAD RECOMENDATIONS ?
THANKS SS
 
AFTER EVRYBODYS INPUT I HAVE GOTTEN A BOX OF HORN. 162gr SST BULLETS. DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY LOAD RECCOMENDATIONS ?
 
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