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Long Range Hunting & Shooting
The “It’s just a hunting rifle” Saying Bugs Me
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<blockquote data-quote="Tom Wright" data-source="post: 1760787" data-attributes="member: 108611"><p>I concur--there is becoming a cult of long distance shooters pursuing the holy grail of the 1000 yard shot. First--one thing if at steel, another if at an animal. As for a solo hunter like myself, I'd NEVER take that shot since the chance of finding the animal is pretty damned slim unless shot in a bean field. With terrain and growth between the shooter's position and the animal being "whatever", how can you locate where the animal stood, the direction it ran when hit, without having the troop of extras found on the long distance hunting show crews to check range, altitude, wind direction/speed and to help mark the position as the hunter travels to where he thinks he hit his prey?</p><p></p><p>The real question, especially in the western open areas, is what is the terrain like where you will shoot an animal. The 'it's only a hunting rifle" might apply if you only need something that can shoot 75-100 yards, but not when jumping animals from 50-500 yards. Then the quality of the rifle/scope and your conditioned response is what it's all about.</p><p></p><p>I just got back from a mule deer hunt in Montana. I was there with 3 other hunters in camp I didn't know--they were from Minnesota and Wisconsin and I'm from Florida. During this hunt I noted a lot of differences that I think prevail. If you are used to hunting out of a stand or tower, you get focused on the perfect position of the deer, perfect set-up and thought out process of squeezing the trigger. During this hunt, their expensive custom rigs were't worth much without quick reaction time and ability to work quickly off a truck hood/door frame/sticks--no shooting rails available.</p><p>But a good accurate rifle/scope combo that one is used to using, over many hunts and in many different environs, is what is needed. But it has to be accurate and you have to know how to use it.</p><p></p><p>I'm not a great long distance shot, but I'm a pretty good hunter and have taken many animals from Canada to South Africa and in between. The difference is always the gun, the hunter and the control of your body and your ability. At the end of the five day hunt the others many missed shots with their $3000+ rifles. I was the only one to take a deer, a good 4 x 4 with my Browning Xbolt. And I missed the first shot--slightly over it's back at 260 yards , with the mulie at a run. The next anchored it. But the gun is accurate for me and I've taken African plains game out to 450+ yards with it. So it's not just a hunting rifle--but I know what it can do over a wide range of distances and with loads in 300 Win Mag from 140 grains to 200 grains. So my hunting partners had "real" long distance shooters, by my "hunting" rifle is filling my freezer.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tom Wright, post: 1760787, member: 108611"] I concur--there is becoming a cult of long distance shooters pursuing the holy grail of the 1000 yard shot. First--one thing if at steel, another if at an animal. As for a solo hunter like myself, I'd NEVER take that shot since the chance of finding the animal is pretty damned slim unless shot in a bean field. With terrain and growth between the shooter's position and the animal being "whatever", how can you locate where the animal stood, the direction it ran when hit, without having the troop of extras found on the long distance hunting show crews to check range, altitude, wind direction/speed and to help mark the position as the hunter travels to where he thinks he hit his prey? The real question, especially in the western open areas, is what is the terrain like where you will shoot an animal. The 'it's only a hunting rifle" might apply if you only need something that can shoot 75-100 yards, but not when jumping animals from 50-500 yards. Then the quality of the rifle/scope and your conditioned response is what it's all about. I just got back from a mule deer hunt in Montana. I was there with 3 other hunters in camp I didn't know--they were from Minnesota and Wisconsin and I'm from Florida. During this hunt I noted a lot of differences that I think prevail. If you are used to hunting out of a stand or tower, you get focused on the perfect position of the deer, perfect set-up and thought out process of squeezing the trigger. During this hunt, their expensive custom rigs were't worth much without quick reaction time and ability to work quickly off a truck hood/door frame/sticks--no shooting rails available. But a good accurate rifle/scope combo that one is used to using, over many hunts and in many different environs, is what is needed. But it has to be accurate and you have to know how to use it. I'm not a great long distance shot, but I'm a pretty good hunter and have taken many animals from Canada to South Africa and in between. The difference is always the gun, the hunter and the control of your body and your ability. At the end of the five day hunt the others many missed shots with their $3000+ rifles. I was the only one to take a deer, a good 4 x 4 with my Browning Xbolt. And I missed the first shot--slightly over it's back at 260 yards , with the mulie at a run. The next anchored it. But the gun is accurate for me and I've taken African plains game out to 450+ yards with it. So it's not just a hunting rifle--but I know what it can do over a wide range of distances and with loads in 300 Win Mag from 140 grains to 200 grains. So my hunting partners had "real" long distance shooters, by my "hunting" rifle is filling my freezer. [/QUOTE]
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