900 yards on the run!!! With a .204!

dbs1

Active Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2015
Messages
33
I know, I know...I couldn't hardly believe it myself.

I'm a big fan of browning Abolts and a year ago picked up my 4th one, this one in .204. Using the hornady 32gr ammo at 4225 it was just deadly all year on pd's. I swear it seemed even when I had the crosshairs off in a old man unsteady hold it would still hit em. 20 in a row at 150-250 yards in a 15mph wind one day.

Anyhoo...after shooting a few yotes at close range I never had one go further then 5 yards.

Mid January 2017 I changed locations to go try the open flats where I'd whacked several,over the last few years, where there are little canyons every 1500 yards and then just wide open country with little cover.

After setting up the decoy about 60 yards away and turning on the alpha dog call I wiggled back in to the only available bush about 2' high and waited. Now Before turning on the call I had ranged a few spots and could not get it to work past 450 yards so onward I went.

After 5 minutes of calling I spied a dog who seemed to have no interest in the call whatsoever and who was well beyond (I thought) my 450 yard mark. I turned the custom turret on the Leupold 6.5x20 up to 650yards and after waiting for the big male to wander around a bit finally had him stop long enough for a shot.

Didn't see where it hit, but by his reaction (not much) I wasn't close. There was a gentle 10mph breeze, so thinking I was short and wind blown off in front of him I ratcheted the turret all the way to 750yards and let another one fly. This time his nonchalant wandering turned into a little trot that told me I was getting closer. I kept thinking I was short.

By the time I racked in another shell he had put another 75 yards between us so I held 4' high and 8' out in front of him and let it rip. That kicked him in high gear and I figured I had one more shot before he got so far I wouldn't have a prayer.

One more round, this one holding 10' high and 15' in front of him, and with the non-existent recoil of the .204 and the scope turned to 18x I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him stumble, then another 40 yards or so do a face plant in the dirt.

Once he hit high gear he had easily put another 100 yards plus on me before that 4th shot and it was much like a turkey bowl family football game, with the-"go long and I'll hit you in the corner of the end zone." Aaron Rodgers type stuff.

I sat there and tried to get landmarks just in case I'd really hit him, then went and got the truck hidden 200yards over the hill behind me and drove to the first spot I'd shot at him and then ranged back to where I was sitting. After several try's I finally got a couple of readings at 540yards to my little bush. Ahhh...I'd been shooting over him.

I then just for fun figured I was there, I might as well go make some effort to find the critter just in case something wierd happened and he did catch that Hail Mary pass.

After 10 minutes I was just about to give it up and then...you have got to be kidding me, there he was. NO WAY? YES! WAY!!! I ranged back down to where the truck was parked where I first launched at him and it said 420 yards from where he now lay. Backing off some for his final 50 yards or so before giving up the ghost this old doggy was hit at slightly over 900 yards!!!

A big male, great light colored hide, and...no sign of an entry or exit wound. Maybe he just had a heart attack laughing at my long range antics, or???

I dropped him off to some young friends who sell the hides, with the promise they'd tell me what they found for a bullet location. Well, I'd rather be lucky then good, and in this case it appeared I was both. One in the guts. One in the top of the shoulders.

This weekend I followed it up with the same armament at 425 yards on a dog that hung up and then started to leave, but he was a standing shot and half the distance.

I'm trying to figure out how to photoshop myself in the pic with the 900 yard yote and the gun and make myself a nice plaque. Heck, every time I think about it I get stoked, and am more then a little amazed. 900 yards, little 32 grain .204. Running, and 2 hits. Who'd a thunk it????
 
Maybe you skipped it in although energy may be an issue with a ricochet, since you only have about 60 ft/lbs at 900 yards to start with... My BC calc for my 204 shows 42" of drop from 750 to 900, so hell of a shot.
 
That could be entirely possible with the one in the side, but the one dropping from heaven in the shoulders...I'm thinking he caught that td pass on the fly...ruled a completion!!!
 
For sure that poor dog was as unlucky as I was lucky.

I sure don't make a practice of 900 yard shots with the .204, I'd probably agree 500 yards is pushing it, but after watching him for 10-15 minutes and him thumbing his nose at me and the call, I decided...ok, I'll just see what happens here.

Whoa...
 
Great story! The 204 is my favorite yote gun and one of my favorite to shoot overall. 32gr VMax are hard to beat in it and it's nice being able to see your hits through the scope as well.
 
Great story Allen! I see lots of similarities in my experiences.

A buddy got me into dog calling in 88 and we've been enjoying it ever since. Guys think I'm nuts as well when on an elk or deer hunt and I'll take the chance of missing a trophy so I can shoot a coyote.

I also started with the mini14 and still have that gun, though it isn't used much anymore. I have some kids argue over who is entitled to it. Mine (for a mini) was fairly accurate, hitting with some regularity pd's out to 250 yards. When a client I built a house for gave me a new browning Abolt heavy barrel 22.250 topped with a Leupold 6.5x20 and I found my range doubled I was estatic. And that's where my long range love affair started. (Medium range these days)

I hunted for 5 years in Colorado beginning in 1980 and killed some ok bucks and bulls. Lordy if I knew then what I know now, I'd have a wall full of 180+ bucks and 340 bulls, though after getting into the long range thing I did kill a 407 bull and a 202 buck in Utah within a few days of each other 12 years ago.

After that experience, I've concentrated on Coues deer and even that has taken a drop in priority, with me forgetting to even put in for the draw this year.

If I can whack some pd's in the spring, catch some bass in the summer and kill coyotes in the fall and winter...well I'm pretty happy. Getting where I don't even miss my corvette road racing much anymore and probably selling that.

Our priorities change as we get older...hang out with grandkids and do the aforementioned things and I'm pretty happy.

Enjoyed your story a LOT!
 
Great hunt thanks for sharing, don't get me wrong I believe you but your a brave man to even post such a remarkable shot with a 204.
 
Oh don't I know. A year or so back I got called out by a guy on here that thought it was wrong if every critter I shot (and everyone else) didn't die right there on the spot.

I shoot prariee dogs and coyotes on a ranch that the rancher doesn't see it as sport or shooting practice, he sees it as a need for his livelihood. I've had several pd's get down in a hole after being winged as well as a coyote that got himself in a culvert. As long as they couldn't dig holes or eat calves he and I are happy.

Had I not watched it myself in a scope at 18x I wouldn't have believed it, in fact I was just a couple of minutes from telling myself I imagined it all and leaving before I found the dead dog.
 
That was a very entertaining story. Also, it makes me reconsider a decision that I made in '07.

I shot a yote with my Savage .204, at 200yds, using a 32gr bullet. I busted it's shoulder, and he ran off... never to be recovered (wide open farm country... without a tree in sight). I decided that if I were to use the .204 for coyotes, I would have to go up in bullet weight. I have never carried the .204 on a coyote hunt since, because I figure I loose a lot of the advantage (read - velocity) of the .204, when going this route. I just carry a .223 or .243. Anyway, maybe I need to rethink that decision.

Thanks for posting.
 
Funny thing, with pd's season being back in full swing beginning the first of July, I and my son (who I also found a browning Abolt in 204 for) as well as a grandkid and 2 SIL's went out opening morning and sent about 150 to their eternal reward. Later that day I added another 35 to the tally and in the following days another 60-70. We found a new place that had not been marauded it appeared. Yay!!

Getting several with the .22 Ruger semi from 50-125 yards and a handful at 150 yards was a hoot. From 100-300 yards the bolt 204 reigns supreme.

I went out today with the new table I bought and fine tuned the browning xbolt 22.250 (liked the Abolt better) as well as my old mini 14, a newer custom AR in .223 and my Wilson Combat custom AR in .204. As good as the custom AR in .223 is (1"+ groups at 100 yards) the .204 AR is just better (3/4" groups at 100 yards) and the sight picture stays put better then the .223. Went back to pd land and whacked another 10 with it.

Probably selling the .223 and the 22.250 to offset a motorcycle purchase. Oh the horror.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top