Guy M
Well-Known Member
I'm a hunter first, and a long-range hunter second, if at all. But I admire the skill required for long range shooting, and often shoot to 600 yards. I know, that's a "chip shot" for a bunch of you guys. 
Perhaps it's my perception, but there seems to be some pressure for guys to shoot game at farther and farther ranges, even if they're not comfortable with shooting "way out there." I'd say... Shoot at ranges you're comfortable with.
Most of my conventional hunting rifles are zeroed at 200 yards, and I'm very comfortable with them at 300 yards, some to 400 yards.
My "long range" rifles I feel plenty good enough about to use out to 600 yards. Though I'm not currently competing, I am a "long range high master" according to the NRA, so have some experience with longer ranges.
Here's some reasons for my personal range limits:
1. Often, I simply don't have long-range shot opportunities. Mostly I seem to end up shooting game between 150 - 350 yards. Even on pronghorn. I've never shot a pronghorn beyond 250 yards! Closest shot on un-wounded game has been about 20 yards. Closest shot while following up a wounded bear was about 10 feet, in the brush. That was pretty intense.
2. I fear wounding big game, with a marginal shot, and having it get away. If an animal is poorly hit at 400, 500, 600 yards... It gets a LONG head start. This one worries me a lot. A few years ago I made a marginal hit on a nice mule deer buck towards the end of the day. Was unable to recover that buck until the next morning. I didn't sleep well that night. Fortunately the weather was cold, and it turns out the meat was in excellent condition. He hadn't gone far the night before, after being hit, but he had traveled. I think that he may have gone a lot farther if I had insisted on following him longer at night, pushing him.
If you've never made a poor hit on big game... You're not immune, it just hasn't happened yet.
3. Wind... Range is easy. It's just math. It can be measured accurately and dealt with easily. But wind? I can measure the wind at my firing point. I can only estimate what it's doing out there at 200, 300, 500, 700 yards downrange... And even our best whiz-bang cartridges with the most slippery of bullets are still greatly affected by wind.
4. 600 yards is as far as I can routinely practice at my gun club. I can practice farther, but it's easy to set up at 600 and practice. Not so easy to set up 800 - 1000 yard shots, so I don't get much practice beyond 600 yards.
So - for those reasons, though I have done a fair bit of shooting at 600 and beyond over the decades, I've set my personal limits where I feel confident. I'd suggest others do the same - find your confidence level, built on experience with shooting. And please, consider what happens when wounded game gets a quarter mile or half mile head start on us. These are my limits, not yours.
Oh, sometimes I've carried a silly lever action rifle with iron sights... Or a traditional muzzle loader, or a bow, or hunted with my revolver... Ya, my limit is even shorter then!
Regards, Guy
Perhaps it's my perception, but there seems to be some pressure for guys to shoot game at farther and farther ranges, even if they're not comfortable with shooting "way out there." I'd say... Shoot at ranges you're comfortable with.
Most of my conventional hunting rifles are zeroed at 200 yards, and I'm very comfortable with them at 300 yards, some to 400 yards.
My "long range" rifles I feel plenty good enough about to use out to 600 yards. Though I'm not currently competing, I am a "long range high master" according to the NRA, so have some experience with longer ranges.
Here's some reasons for my personal range limits:
1. Often, I simply don't have long-range shot opportunities. Mostly I seem to end up shooting game between 150 - 350 yards. Even on pronghorn. I've never shot a pronghorn beyond 250 yards! Closest shot on un-wounded game has been about 20 yards. Closest shot while following up a wounded bear was about 10 feet, in the brush. That was pretty intense.
2. I fear wounding big game, with a marginal shot, and having it get away. If an animal is poorly hit at 400, 500, 600 yards... It gets a LONG head start. This one worries me a lot. A few years ago I made a marginal hit on a nice mule deer buck towards the end of the day. Was unable to recover that buck until the next morning. I didn't sleep well that night. Fortunately the weather was cold, and it turns out the meat was in excellent condition. He hadn't gone far the night before, after being hit, but he had traveled. I think that he may have gone a lot farther if I had insisted on following him longer at night, pushing him.
If you've never made a poor hit on big game... You're not immune, it just hasn't happened yet.
3. Wind... Range is easy. It's just math. It can be measured accurately and dealt with easily. But wind? I can measure the wind at my firing point. I can only estimate what it's doing out there at 200, 300, 500, 700 yards downrange... And even our best whiz-bang cartridges with the most slippery of bullets are still greatly affected by wind.
4. 600 yards is as far as I can routinely practice at my gun club. I can practice farther, but it's easy to set up at 600 and practice. Not so easy to set up 800 - 1000 yard shots, so I don't get much practice beyond 600 yards.
So - for those reasons, though I have done a fair bit of shooting at 600 and beyond over the decades, I've set my personal limits where I feel confident. I'd suggest others do the same - find your confidence level, built on experience with shooting. And please, consider what happens when wounded game gets a quarter mile or half mile head start on us. These are my limits, not yours.
Oh, sometimes I've carried a silly lever action rifle with iron sights... Or a traditional muzzle loader, or a bow, or hunted with my revolver... Ya, my limit is even shorter then!
Regards, Guy
