Scarry thought for me..........

[17remhunter]

Ive been looking into the realm of Long Range shooting and just cant wrap myself around it. Yesterday while out in the Mountains of Central Nevada and ranging rocks at different ranges I just could not comprehend shooting at 800yds besides the wind is always blowing out here, even 600 yards seen like a long long ways away. Maybe its just because I hunted for 22 years with a Leman Indian Trade Rifle .54 cal reproduction patched round ball. I just got withing 75yards or less. The thrill was being close.

 

[Mackinaw BOB]

Different strokes for different folks my friend

 

[memtb]

The true challenge is "doping" the wind! With a decent rifle/scope/load and some practice ..... most anyone can get the elevation correct. Figuring the wind is an art form! memtb

 

[Bang4theBuck]

Personally, I think that is the a big part of the draw. Taking yourself from unfathomable to confident at ranges such as mentioned above is an amazing quest. Eventually taking an animal, ethically, at those distances is the pinnacle.

This can be a test of your rifle, your optics, your load, and most of all.....you as a shooter.

I'll warn you, once you dive in, it's difficult to get out. It's addictive.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I cut my teeth on longrange hunting by shooting PA groundhogs. At one time a 200yd shot was "long". As my knowledge, equipment and skills improved so did my ability to take small critters at greater and greater range. It took quite a few years but I was eventually killing groundhogs out to 1,000 yds. The only limiting factor for me was actually finding farms that presented shots at extended range that could safely be taken.

As posted above, it's additive.

 

[338 dude]

Ive been looking into the realm of Long Range shooting and just cant wrap myself around it. Yesterday while out in the Mountains of Central Nevada and ranging rocks at different ranges I just could not comprehend shooting at 800yds besides the wind is always blowing out here, even 600 yards seen like a long long ways away. Maybe its just because I hunted for 22 years with a Leman Indian Trade Rifle .54 cal reproduction patched round ball. I just got withing 75yards or less. The thrill was being close.

It is the same challenge or feeling you get when you're successful but it was exactly opposite archery and other forms of hunting you want to see how close you can get in long range do you want to see how far away you can still connect

 

[FrogFire7]

Same exact back story for me as @Varmint Hunter I'm not up to 1,000 yard chuck kills yet. But I did shoot two at 775 a couple years ago. Second round hits on both, but the first shot was very close on both. As you said, the challenge is finding a spot in PA that you can shoot 1,000, and then that spot having a groundhog on it!

 

[BrentM]

Long range and close range are different skill sets. I have a couple muzzle loaders but prefer my bow. I shoot compound and trad. I hunt big game with a bow almost exclusively but I shoot long range with just as much passion. I love shooting and I love the challenge that long range presents. It's no joke having a highly accurate rifle, ammo, and shooter come together to make consistent long range first round impacts. It takes a lot of skill and practice to make it all happen consistently and deliberately. Additional challenge is to shoot positional in field conditions to add to the craft of long range precision. It's not for everyone and not everyone should do it. It's an individual thing and unless you're all in it's totally cool to be all out.

 

[73driver]

Ive been looking into the realm of Long Range shooting and just cant wrap myself around it. Yesterday while out in the Mountains of Central Nevada and ranging rocks at different ranges I just could not comprehend shooting at 800yds besides the wind is always blowing out here, even 600 yards seen like a long long ways away. Maybe its just because I hunted for 22 years with a Leman Indian Trade Rifle .54 cal reproduction patched round ball. I just got withing 75yards or less. The thrill was being close.

When I was younger I would back pack in to my Utah hunts with a Jack Brooks reproduction Leman .54 trade rifle. The hike in took about two hours and the effort was well worth it. The results were a number of solid memories that come from going slow and letting the wildlife get close to you. Of the dozens of bucks I have taken over the decades the two I walked up on and shot off hand with a BP muzzle loader are the clearest memories. Now I have a custom centerfire with a bigger scope, still its in a tradition profile stock and slightly on the heavy side for something like what hunting rifles used to be. I figure its good for 400 yards easy and maybe out to 500 yards given no/low wind, solid shooting position and a hunting partner to spot and call the hit & subsequent game movement before it collapses. LRH hunting becomes more about shooting, the equipment, target style stock, bigger heavy scopes, hand loads that have been chronographed, lots and lots of practice and verifying your drops wind deflection etc. All are things I normally do for hunting but for long range to a level beyond I want to bother with. If I want to shoot like that I will shoot PRS or F class matches. Hunting up game for shots inside of 300-400 yards takes a different skill set and is not so equipment dependent. For a long range challenge I take my rifle to silhouette matches and shoot at deer size target at 500 meters offhand. My hat is off to anyone who can take game out to 800 or more and make a slam dunk first shot kill.

 

[johnnyk]

"Suum cuique."

LR shooting at rocks (or steel/paper) is practice for LR hunting, to me. I enjoy shooting "target"s with the rifles and ammo that I have put together. LR is subjective though. A 473yd shot with a .270 Win and a Leupold 3-9X40 scope is a priceless, long shot for me because of the scope's limited power (to me). I need to be able to precisely place that bullet in one spot, aiming for center mass is not acceptable.


Or maybe a neck shot at 279yds?


He was looking over his shoulder at me. It was quick. I could see just enough of his neck and knew the rifle was zeroed at 300yds. This is the way I found the deer when I walked up to him. Again; priceless.
It gets exciting when the "shot" presents itself and I have to execute. I can look at deer all evening and it doesn't really both me, until I start calculating, put the crosshairs on the animal and start my "squeeze".

 

[Shane Lindsey]

This site may be more your speed...This is a Long Range Hunting site.

Modern Muzzleloader Muzzleloading Forum

Modern muzzleloading hunting forum & muzzle loading classifieds. Modern muzzle loading forums for inline muzzleloading, white muzzleloaders, bullet casting, smokeless, sidelock, traditional.

www.modernmuzzleloader.com

 

[BrentM]

This site may be more your speed...This is a Long Range Hunting site.

Modern Muzzleloader Muzzleloading Forum

Modern muzzleloading hunting forum & muzzle loading classifieds. Modern muzzle loading forums for inline muzzleloading, white muzzleloaders, bullet casting, smokeless, sidelock, traditional.

www.modernmuzzleloader.com

This. I can't comprehend why people join a site or page for a specific thing and then basically argue against it. I didn't join this LRH forum years ago to be a better bow hunter or to even discuss it. I also didn't join this page to discuss point blank hunting range. There are plenty of places to waste calories these days for discussing a specific hobby.

 

[Shane Lindsey]

I joined because I heard chicks dig guns...

 

[Husky user]

Taking an animal at long range ethically is a big if.
I know people that don't respect the animals enough to not take just any old shot!