Where does LR stop and Extreme LR begin? In your opinion

[HARPERC]

In my current thinking, I like the Leupolds concept of breaking equipment into rough categories of, CQ/T, MR/T, LR/T, and ER/T. It's helped me look at my equipment differently than when I viewed them as varmint/predator/deer/ bear and elk, or moose, and big bear rifles. Conceptually, it had me stuck at 600 yards, with my equipment reflecting that. Using a 338 RUM I've shot coyotes, deer and antelope, dynamite shoots etc., and while the cartridge may qualify for ELR, as currently packaged really it's an MR/T set up. Classes for me run roughly 0-200 yard, 200-600, 600-1200, 1200-over the horizon. To move up I'll double my magnification, restock the rifle, and at some point re barrel in a heavier configuration, and add about 3 lbs. Any time you're asking you're equipment to take you to the next level you're probably at least flirting with ELR. Toughest field shot I was ever offered, was a Mountain Goat at 300 yards. Gale force winds, hail the size of #4 buck blowing in sideways , shaking from early hypothermia, and we walked away. That was ELR that day. Broz and Kirby have it right, just my ramblings from what I've learned from them over time.

 

[MontanaRifleman]

For me... wind has a lot to do with it. Less than 2 MOA of wind is not too bad. 2-5 Moa of wind gets interesting especially when shifting. 5 plus MOA of wind gets real interesting at longer ranges.

I was out with my son a couple months ago to shoot gophers with a 223 and 22-250. Well there were almost no gophers out so we decided to shoot rocks. The first rock I picked was about a 4" rock at about 450 yds. The wind was in the 15-20 mph range. It pushed the bullet around a little but we out a few hits on it with a number of very close misses. That got a little boring so I picked another 1 MOA rock at 850 yds. I let my son do all the shooting with the 223 because it had the higher BC 53 gr Vmax. The 22-250 was shooting a 40 gr Rem factory varmint load.

I didn't have anything to calc dopw with but I knew the bullet's drop fairly well so I dialed in 20 MOA up and about 8 MOA left. He took a shot and elevation was very close but about 8 MOA right, so we dialed in another 8 MOA of wind and a couple of clicks of elevation. next shot was very close. He stayed within 1 MOA of elevation and the wind was pushing him around a little, right and left. Made a couple of hits on the rock and missed anywhere from the edge of the rock to a couple of MOA either side. I suppose that was a bit extreme in range and conditions for the 223.

For my bigger cartridges shooting .6 to .74 BC bullets @ 3200 fps to 3500 fps

0 - 400 is short range, no dope required.

400-700 is mid range, minimal dope required and a BDC type turret or drop chart work well in almost any conditions.

700 - 1K is long range, a little more particular with doping and wind estimations.

Over 1K, doping and especially wind becomes more critical and coriolis and spin drift more of a factor.

If 1K plus is ELR, then what is 2K plus?

 

[.284]

If I ever get into fast 338's my opinion might change but for now I'd call ELR when your bullet goes sub sonic

 

[Greyfox]

I'm pretty much in line with the idea of LR out to 1000 yards, ELR, further. Being mostly a deer and antelope hunter, I think of my 6.5-284 as my LR rifle, and my 300WM as my ELR rifle, effectiive for +1000 yards, conditions permitting. Ten years ago I persosnally would have thought of anything over 500 yards to be ELR by todays standards.

 

[M67]

ELR, to me, can be defined to about where you WILL miss if you guess the barometric pressure or the temperature, where spindrift is WAY larger than grou size, and coriolis drift similar.
I can pretty much be within a click up or down from guessing MET parameters with my 338LM at 1000m, and be pretty sure i will hit a 40cm target, give or take the severety of the wind and conditions. At 12 or 1400m, or certainly on langer ranges, one will have to measure this stuff - and anal reloading practices must be adhered to, in order to keep vertical spread down over the long flight times.
ELR is when one has finished cheering about the hit when one hear the distant gong ring. ELR is when one just concludes it was a miss - when the bullet strikes, ELR is for certain when one can hit something, but not detect the bullet strikes...

K

 

[BCMAG2]

I've been wondering for a while whether this forum needs a new distance category. I too agree that any shot over 1,000 yards qualifies as "Extreme Long Range" in most anyone's book. But now guys are posting stories and videos of their shots at close to 3,000 yards.

I made a great shot in swirling wind conditions last weekend at 1495 yards, but there's not much point in my mentioning it here when the next post is from a guy shooting 2900 yards.

I would suggest that ELR is 1,000 yards to 1 mile (1760 yds)....anything over 1 mile should be in a new forum category called OLR...Obscene Long Range!

 

[tom m.]

When I run out of adjustment in the nxs and have to use the bars, I begin to think "this is getting extreme"... now, when I have to back the power down to get more moa value on the bars I think "how is this still grouping?, is this legal?"

Tom

 

[MMERSS]

now, when I have to back the power down to get more moa value on the bars I think "how is this still grouping?, is this legal?"

So ridiculously true.

 

[HARPERC]

When I run out of adjustment in the nxs and have to use the bars, I begin to think "this is getting extreme"... now, when I have to back the power down to get more moa value on the bars I think "how is this still grouping?, is this legal?"

Tom

This has been an interesting thread! Some ways of looking at things I'd never considered before.

 

[CB11WYO]

I guess I would say for a general statement that 500 yards begins long range then at 1000 or 1200 ELR kicks in. But with todays ever growing technology and available gear, LR and ELR are moving out from where it was just a few years ago. There are several shooter shooting regularly past 2000 yards these days with amazing accuracy.


Another thing to consider when looking to set criteria for these types of shots is to consider what we are shooting.

I feel 1000 yards for my 338 is no big deal at all and almost a waste of ammo. But if I was shooting a smaller rifle like a 223 and doing reasonably well at 1000 I would say that is ELR for a 223. The guys on here shooting 22's at 500, well I am fine calling that a ERL task.

Jeff

+1

 

[snowpro440]

Extreme Long range for me is where the conditions can't be seen or predictable , then that's too far to shoot for me.