800 yards deer hunting less work the better

[skyler1101]

Hey everyone i researched quite a few threads nothing was quite as specific as i wanted to see and if its not very possible feel free to tell me. I am going to purchase a gun within the next week and im wondering what brand and what caliber would be great to start with all i care about is being able to hit at 800 anything past that i feel requires a great amount of practice which i don't have time for so something that can accurately shoot to 800 is plenty for me. Group spacing i would like to be within 6 inches at 800 i hunt mule deer and whitetail has to have knock down power out to 800 for a clean kill shot i also plan to hunt elk in the near future if the caliber could kill elk to the same range or maybe less say 500 thats a major bonus for me an all in 1 gun would be perfect. I do not want to reload my own ammo if i don't have to once again just don't have time for it. Gun brand something i can buy right from cabelas and scheels whats the gun that can get it done from factory i would prefer not to go custom built. ammo whos gonna have the most consistent and whats the opinion of the best out there for the caliber you favor. If what im wondering isnt possible feel free to voice it to me if theres a gun thats perfect but something just has to be done say loading ammo voice it to me i am here to learn. overall summed up i would just like a factory gun factory ammo that i can poke deer at 800 yards with reliably that doesnt require a pile of time and maintenence put into it as with owning two businesses i just do not have time as far as the major of everything which is shooting ability i am a good shot and have been hunting since i was 14 i am confident in my shooting abilities and when there is time i do go to the range and practice but is it something i have every week to do, no i dont . when i shoot a deer i make sure it will be an ethical shot and i wont leave the animal wounded or suffering there is nothing worse on this planet then hitting a deer and not being able to recover it ..... any suggestions and information is much appreciated also if you have an opinion a scope that you love or feel is great for long range feel free to throw that into your suggestion. if what i am asking is not possible explain to me why dont bash me please! THANKS!

 

[WildRose]

Hey everyone i researched quite a few threads nothing was quite as specific as i wanted to see and if its not very possible feel free to tell me. I am going to purchase a gun within the next week and im wondering what brand and what caliber would be great to start with all i care about is being able to hit at 800 anything past that i feel requires a great amount of practice which i don't have time for so something that can accurately shoot to 800 is plenty for me. Group spacing i would like to be within 6 inches at 800 i hunt mule deer and whitetail has to have knock down power out to 800 for a clean kill shot i also plan to hunt elk in the near future if the caliber could kill elk to the same range or maybe less say 500 thats a major bonus for me an all in 1 gun would be perfect. I do not want to reload my own ammo if i don't have to once again just don't have time for it. Gun brand something i can buy right from cabelas and scheels whats the gun that can get it done from factory i would prefer not to go custom built. ammo whos gonna have the most consistent and whats the opinion of the best out there for the caliber you favor. If what im wondering isnt possible feel free to voice it to me if theres a gun thats perfect but something just has to be done say loading ammo voice it to me i am here to learn. overall summed up i would just like a factory gun factory ammo that i can poke deer at 800 yards with reliably that doesnt require a pile of time and maintenence put into it as with owning two businesses i just do not have time as far as the major of everything which is shooting ability i am a good shot and have been hunting since i was 14 i am confident in my shooting abilities and when there is time i do go to the range and practice but is it something i have every week to do, no i dont . when i shoot a deer i make sure it will be an ethical shot and i wont leave the animal wounded or suffering there is nothing worse on this planet then hitting a deer and not being able to recover it ..... any suggestions and information is much appreciated if what i am asking is not possible explain to me why dont bash me please! THANKS!

Findd a Gen 2 Milspec Remington 700 in .300wm and have someone work up a good load for you using the Accubond, Interbond or one of the good Mono's like the 183g Peregrine VLR5's.

Plenty of velocity and energy to 800yds even if you decide to shoot an elk someday and High BC bullets to help you fight the wind and keep your drops reasonable.

Then go buy yourself a good range finder and weather station that will work together with a ballistic app to give you accurate shooting solutions.

If you don't want to go with the .300wm, they also make the same rifle in 6.5CM and .260 Remington. As factory rifles go the Gen 2 Milspec is one of the best deals to ever hit the market. Someone had one for sale here on the classifieds a few weeks back, it may still be there. The price I saw on it was extremely reasonable as well.

 

[MudRunner2005]

If you've never shot a gun at 800 yards, I highly recommend doing LOTS of target practice (at non-living things) before taking a shot at a living thing, and risking maiming it. There is no such thing as instant gratification in the long range shooting world, despite what all the gun magazine articles will try to tell you. You have to work your way out to your distance goal. You have to learn the equipment, learn how to use it. Learn the basics of LR shooting. Build muscle memory. Start at 100, then go to 200, then once you're shooting consistent groups at that distance, move to 300, etc... And I don't mean all in the same day.

And in all honesty, once you get past about 500 yards, the wind really plays a factor. So, 800 is not a cake-walk.

You will need LOTS of practice that you don't want to spend the time or money on... My suggestion stick with 100-200 yard shots.

 

[NDF]

I'm sure the wolf pack is on the way, your wanting a easy solution for something that is usually earned not bought, 26-30 caliber selections will be the norm depending on your abilities to tolerate recoil, cut your distance in half to start with and see what your ability shows you, there's no shortcuts for practice and range time, if you don't have the time to be proficient stick with targets and buy your meat

 

[skyler1101]

thank you both for the suggestions i am from north dakota and hunted the badlands with a rifle for my first time this year i normally hunt local took 6 years to draw the tag i currently shoot a factory 270 wsm kimber brand with 130 grain ballistic tip ammo the last weekend of deer season i ranged a large mule deer at 680 everything was always 500 plus and i kept passing them up i knew this may be my last chance i took the shot 1st shot i put 3 feet above the back missed but seen snow blow up behind back knew i was close second shot miss third shot two feet above back and i spined him instant kill i was in disbelief i got him but i was very happy ...but for future hunting i want to be able to make a shot like that without guessing and with accuracy and no chance of leaving an animal wounded

 

[MudRunner2005]

thank you both for the suggestions i am from north dakota and hunted the badlands with a rifle for my first time this year i normally hunt local took 6 years to draw the tag i currently shoot a factory 270 wsm kimber brand with 130 grain ballistic tip ammo the last weekend of deer season i ranged a large mule deer at 680 everything was always 500 plus and i kept passing them up i knew this may be my last chance i took the shot 1st shot i put 3 feet above the back missed but seen snow blow up behind back knew i was close second shot miss third shot two feet above back and i spined him instant kill i was in disbelief i got him but i was very happy ...but for future hunting i want to be able to make a shot like that without guessing and with accuracy and no chance of leaving an animal wounded

Then you must buy the right equipment, spend the money, don't cheap-out, and you have to practice, practice, practice. You need to learn to range your targets, how to dial (dope) your scope, how to read the wind and other factors. You need to learn how to chronograph your loads to build a dope chart. There's lots of stuff you need to learn before attempting another shot like that.

 

[codyadams]

Savage has a good deal at cabelas on the model 12fv 6.5 creed.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/SAVAGE-FV-VARMINT-RIFLE/1994604.uts

In this chambering, if your planning on factory ammo I have heard good things about the Hornady Precision Hunter ammunition. This set up would be enough energy out to around 800 on deer and 500-600 on elk with good shot placement. It's a heavy rifle, but if you won't practice much, the extra weight adds some forgiveness, which you will appreciate. Which brings me to the next point.....

If you don't have time to practice, it simply will never be ethical to shoot out to 800 yards on game. Anyone can aim at a point, hold a gun steady, and make a good trigger pull. My 12 year old niece took her buck antelope (rather small target) this year at 980 yards, with my aid, and made two vital zone hits in two shots. But holding the gun steady and making a good trigger pull is far from the most challenging part.

Reading wind is by far the biggest challenge out at those ranges to make first round impacts. So you can understand, the load I shot this year in my gun is very efficient in wind drift, better than many of the different long range set ups, a .264 cal 147 eld-m at 3050 fps. To keep the hit in the vitals at 800 yards, you need to estimate the wind, and be within about 4 mph. If you are more than about 4 mph off, you will either make a gut shot, or push it off the front of the animal, or if your lucky, break the neck. But try to think about that.....can you estimate the average wind drift over 800 yards to within about 4 mph? If not, you WILL end up wounding an animal, or making a poor shot. And the one way to really get better at this is to do what your saying you don't have much time for....and that is practice, learn the abilities of you and your rifle, and get confident with it.

If you can't put that much time into it, your consistent ethical max range will be about 500ish yards in moderate to low wind conditions, until you have time to practice more. Just keep that in mind, you certainly can get to 800 yards, but it's more than just throwing some money at some gear and doing it. There is certainly a considerable amout of skill required to make consistent first round kills on game out to 800 yards.

 

[Barrelnut]

Skyler, what's your budget?
Lot of factory rifles, scopes, and ammo, when put together can accomplish a 800 yard shot these days. You can even have ammo loaded for you ( a good idea if you can afford it). BUT as was said above, just putting it altogether doesn't necessarily make it happen. 800 yards is very much a long range shot and you will need to know your equipment intimately to pull it off with any consistency.

 

[dok7mm]

I don't think I better even comment on the OP's requirements and intended use. This is gonna be interesting, so I'm tagging in.

 

[Deleted member 25294]

thank you both for the suggestions i am from north dakota and hunted the badlands with a rifle for my first time this year i normally hunt local took 6 years to draw the tag i currently shoot a factory 270 wsm kimber brand with 130 grain ballistic tip ammo the last weekend of deer season i ranged a large mule deer at 680 everything was always 500 plus and i kept passing them up i knew this may be my last chance i took the shot 1st shot i put 3 feet above the back missed but seen snow blow up behind back knew i was close second shot miss third shot two feet above back and i spined him instant kill i was in disbelief i got him but i was very happy ...but for future hunting i want to be able to make a shot like that without guessing and with accuracy and no chance of leaving an animal wounded

Boy...I'm not going to pretend that I've never taken a shot that I shouldn't have, but taking a wild guess on a game animal at 680 yards was really stupid!
I'm glad you didn't smack him in the guts and lose him.
I'm glad you're wanting to learn how to ethically shoot at long range, but from everything you've disclosed so far I don't think you have the right attitude to get into long range hunting.
I would suggest practising with your 270 wsm, which is a great long range option, I think nosler 150 grain ABLR bullets are loaded commercially.
Since you're in ND start out sniping prairie dogs and coyotes.
when you learn the fundamentals, and can make first round hits on small targets at long range maybe Move on to big game.
For optics I would really recommend a zeiss v4 4-16x44 or 6-24x50.
Red Hawk Rifles has them for under $700, best value out there in my opinion and really good glass.
Good luck, and know your limits...

 

[skyler1101]

wow thank you guys for the great insight the 800 number is just that a number its the maximum distance i would ever want to shoot at 7 out of 10 times if i make a shot its 200 to 400 yards i was just humbled this year with my badlands tag and all the deer being roughly 500 plus, therefore i would like to build a rifle with confidence that can reach out spending money i would like to put in rifle and scope would be about 4500 if thats asinine and impossible and a guy would have to spend 6 minimum or something please explain to me why thank you all!

 

[skyler1101]

also i will look into the zeiss havent heard of them before my friend sporting a 300 win mag tikka reccomended huskemaw there are so many options takes time to read into them all

 

[MudRunner2005]

wow thank you guys for the great insight the 800 number is just that a number its the maximum distance i would ever want to shoot at 7 out of 10 times if i make a shot its 200 to 400 yards i was just humbled this year with my badlands tag and all the deer being roughly 500 plus, therefore i would like to build a rifle with confidence that can reach out spending money i would like to put in rifle and scope would be about 4500 if thats asinine and impossible and a guy would have to spend 6 minimum or something please explain to me why thank you all!

You can buy a rig like you want/need for $4,500... But you can't buy the skills it takes to pilot it precisely. That takes lots and lots of practice on non-living things before taking shots at living things.

 

[GetReel]

thank you both for the suggestions i am from north dakota and hunted the badlands with a rifle for my first time this year i normally hunt local took 6 years to draw the tag i currently shoot a factory 270 wsm kimber brand with 130 grain ballistic tip ammo the last weekend of deer season i ranged a large mule deer at 680 everything was always 500 plus and i kept passing them up i knew this may be my last chance i took the shot 1st shot i put 3 feet above the back missed but seen snow blow up behind back knew i was close second shot miss third shot two feet above back and i spined him instant kill i was in disbelief i got him but i was very happy ...but for future hunting i want to be able to make a shot like that without guessing and with accuracy and no chance of leaving an animal wounded

Keep your rifle, maybe upgrade optics and if you don't have a rangefinder, I'd get one of those too.
There are companies that you can send your rifle to and they do all the load development and testing for. (Hammer Bullets)
Or a company called Copper Creek makes a custom ammo pack level 1 and level 2 to fine tune a load and they keep that data for future orders.

But please practice more at distance. 3 shots guessing and eventually spining a deer, isn't exactly ethical imo