Finding maximum personal range

[degreen]

So I have read so much great stuff on this forum that my little brain can't hold much more. I have however been thinking of something that I have read, and that is first round cold bore hits at longer ranges.

My thought on this is being able to hit a say 8 inch target at different ranges with the first round. The reason for the 8 inch target is that it would represent the size of the boiler
room of a Prong horn antelope, and if I can hit that I should be good for deer and elk.

My question is at what point do you consider a yardage to be your personal max range?

 

[Frog4aday]

I like your way of thinking. At what range can you hit that 8" circle (paper plate?) 90% of the time or more with that first, coldbore shot in a variety of conditions? Whatever that max range is, that seems like a good place to establish ones personal shooting limit.

A hunter will still need to take into account current conditions when hunting. If 600 yds was the established max but it is howling 50mph winds on the day you get Mr. Pronghorn in your sights, 600 yards is going to be too far on that particular day. Judgement. It comes down to good, honest judgement of ones skill, rifle, cartridge, and weather conditions.

What kind of a shooting position do you have matters, too. Prone is great off a bipod but if the sage brush blocks your bullet's path and you have to use the kneeling position to get high enough to take your shot, your max range likely just decreased quite a bit. It's an interesting question to ponder. So many variables effect what max range will be on any given day.

 

[codyadams]

I have a target that is 24" tall by 12" wide, I will paint the top and bottom black and the center portion white so that I have a white rectangle 12" wide by around 8"-10" tall. I practice going out and making first round impacts in that. The condition/range/if I have a spotter dictate my max. With my best rifle, under great range conditions, as in little or no wind, I can make consistent first round hits on that out to 1100-1200 range, I would take a shot in that range if I couldn't get closer and conditions were perfect. If wind gets in the 5-10 range, or is inconsistent or shifty, first round hit percentage goes down significantly in the 1100-1200 range, and I would not take that shot personally. If my wind bracket is a 5-8, and I have a spotter that can watch the wind for me and tell me when to take the shot, and I can confirm what I'm seeing in my scope, I do pretty good in the 800-900 range. Without a spotter though, I will take some off of that, as I feel a good spotter is essential to consistent first round impacts. I have shot in winds gusting from around 15 to 35 mph several times, and besides the sand blowing in your face from prone making it extremely challenging to even get a good sight picture, making hits at long range is more luck. When the winds are like that, my max I will take a shot is around 400-500 yards, if I'm presented with a full vital zone shot, not quartering or anything, and if I can get closer at all (often possible because any and all noise is muffled) then I will. However, in high winds like this in open country, you can usually make good use of a of a wind meter, and try to bracket your wind and take your shot when it is in the area you doped for.

You just have to go out and practice to establish what your max is, and NEVER skip a shooting session because the winds are bad!! This is the best time to practice, and will really help your skills and teach you. Are you going to stay at home and not go hunting because it's a windy day? Likely not, so practice in those conditions too. The only time I will postpone a range session due to wind is if I am doing a ladder test or some other form of load development, because the point then is about the rifle's performance, not my skills.

 

[degreen]

Awesome information so far guys. Codyadams I see you live in Wy. so you probably know how the wind blows around the Red desert. I usually hunt elk in either area 99 or 100. So maybe I should take some time and do some range time up there.

 

[codyadams]

Awesome information so far guys. Codyadams I see you live in Wy. so you probably know how the wind blows around the Red desert. I usually hunt elk in either area 99 or 100. So maybe I should take some time and do some range time up there.

Not a bad idea!! Ya the wind can get pretty brutal anywhere on the southern end on this state, not as many mountains to slow it down in lots of places.

 

[Tiny Tim]

Great call on the wind Cody. Most never practice in the field or from field positions. I see tons of guys shooting rifles off the bench at the range prior to season to "sight in", thinking that translates into the same POI and ability in whatever position they end up shooting from in the field. Real world practice is what it takes to pull off those shots and as Cody implied, we ought to understand that many variables affect that distance on any given day.

 

[Joe-boy]

I think at least for me (I'm really not a long range hunter, never have taken a shot at an animal further than about 200 yards) this is the most difficult thing to handle; how far can I actually shoot and be confident I don't wound an animal? I get pretty confident I can hit a coin at 100 meters or a clay pigeon at 300 meters once I'm at the range and have shot couple of nice groups right before, but in reality when I'm hunting there's couple of more variables...
- Usually the shooting position is less than perfect
- It's cold
- The rifle has seen more or less abuse after it was zeroed; is the zero still OK?
- My hands are numb from cold
- It's getting dark
- The temperature is something else than it was when zeroed
- The barrel has been cleaned.
- Etc.

When pondering if I should take the shot or not, all these pile up in my head and I'm not that certain about my ability to make a clean kill any more.

What would really help is being able to take a shot every now and then at objects at different distances, but unfortunately that's not possible in my case. I hunt on a land where no other shooting is allowed, I can only shoot at the range, and the distances there are known 100, 150 or 300 meters). To be honest, 300 meters still seems like extended long range to me, so there's enough things to learn before I can confidently take a shot at a deer at 300 meters. Would require a couple of visits to the 300 meter range and verify what my real accuracy is at that distance, preferably trying different shooting positions as well. I think it would be enough, but in reality I'm not confident enough to go past let's say 200 meters at the moment. I hope and try to extend my range, but I refuse to do that by increasing a risk of wounding an animal.