How far would you shoot?

Started by subsonic, May 15, 2008, 06:07:52 AM

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How far would YOU shoot at a big game animal (12" vital zone)?

00yds or less
0 (0%)
p to 200yds
8 (20%)
p to 300yds
12 (30%)
p to 400yds
9 (22.5%)
p to 500yds
4 (10%)
p to 600yds
4 (10%)
p to 700yds
0 (0%)
p to 800yds
2 (5%)
p to 900yds
0 (0%)
000yds or more
1 (2.5%)

Total Members Voted: 38

subsonic

Given a calm clear day, a good steady position, and a capable gun you know very well, a safe backstop, etc......
 
How far would YOU shoot at a big game animal with about a 12" vital zone?

Alboy

Been studying on this exact question myself with the shooters I own.
 
45-70 falling block sharps with 340-500 grain slug about 250 yards max. More comfortable at 200.
 
REM 721 30-06 out to about 350 yards with 180 gr loads
 
After that I either need to sneak closer or let the boys with the really big hot toys take it in.
Alboy
BLACKPOWDER WATERFOWLER
KATY TEXAS PRAIRIE
 
THIS TOO SHALL PASS

bowhunter 51

Ruger 77 in 30-06, 165 to 180 gr. factory....300 yrds. ....tops.....

That's the best I got...everything else I got is...less than......................BH51..
**********God Bless America**********
>>>>-----------Live to Hunt--------------->>
>>>>-----There is no off season--------->>

davidlt89

Well, I put 400. see everyone else put less!!! I would certainly need steady stix and a broadside shot, but would feel comfortable with my 7 mm mag on any game we have here. have the ballistics printed for the ammo I use just in case I forget. I guess I don't think of that as that far since it is a real common shot up here. some fields are a thousand plus yards. I have never killed anything this far though, but would not hesitate to try. God bless.
Romans 12:2
     
2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Hunterbug

I put 300 give or take a few yards. The farther the shot the more things can go wrong and I don't like things to go wrong.
Ask not what your government can do for you. Ask how your government can go away and get out of your life.
 
 
The unarmed man is is not only defenseless, he is also contemptible.
Niccolo Machiavelli

buckshot roberts

:biggthumpup: 200 yd's,  is the most with me, hunted over half my life in heavy wood'ed ares, Ron
We got too complicated......It\'s all way over rated....I like the old and out dated way of life........I miss back when..

klallen

a 12" target is absolutely huge, so that's a plus.  pristine weather conditions.  prone; bypod and rear bag stability.  the right rifle, scope and cartridge.  accurate drop chart and reliable rangefinder handy     ...     far side of 500, close side of 800, at this time.
 
1K yds. certainly isn't unreasonable, but with distance, you up the anty with what's expected of the set-up and shooter.  As we speak, I've got the set-up angle covered.  I'm just not there yet.

gitano

It may surprise some, but I put "up to 400". The circumstances described are the telling tale. Most bullets today will perform sufficiently out to 400 yds to 'plant' an animal that has a 12" vital zone, if impact velocity is high enough. That said, the longest shot I've ever taken on a big game animal is about 325 yds, and I can't imagine the need to take one even that long again.
 
Paul
Be nicer than necessary.

Paul Hoskins

It would depend on what kind of varmint I'm shooting at. Deer.........400 yards max. ..........Any bear 250 max. ...........Elk 300 max. ..........Longest shot I ever made was 418 yards on a buttonhead buck. The distance was determined with the rangefinder. I was using the 22/6mm Rem. AI and home made bullets. .........Paul H

Daryl (deceased)

Well, I said 500 yards because you asked how far we would shoot, not how far we'd prefer to shoot.
 
My longest shot on a big game animal was 472 yards, lazered.  It wasn't that hard of a shot, and I don't feel I'd have any problems making it again, all other factors being similar.
 
Put much of a cross wind into the equasion, or a bullet/load and/or rifle I was unfamilar with, and that range would get shorter pretty fast.
 
Daryl
A government that abrogates any of the Bill of Rights, with or without majoritarian approval, forever acts illegitimately, becomes tyrannical, and loses the moral right to govern-Jeffrey Snyder
 

RIP Linden33

Alboy

Just jumping back in to agree with the other folks joining in. It is wholely dependent on the shooter and gear versus conditions. I have shot considerably longer than my current 350 with the '06 and done it successfully. Now a days I do not get enough trigger time or hand load ammo enough to keep up the longer shots with confidence.
Alboy
BLACKPOWDER WATERFOWLER
KATY TEXAS PRAIRIE
 
THIS TOO SHALL PASS

LvrLover

I know my rifle and my stands very well and on a CALM day 400 yards is a possible shot for me. I have done it. Do I like to do it - no. I like to either wait for them to get closer, or get closer myself. I could punch paper at many different distances all day at a range. On game animals I tend to be very cautious. Consider this. My bullet exits the muzzle at 2800fps and to make it simple we will assume it stays at that speed. It will take about 1/2 a second to go 500 yards (more figuring in drag). What can a deer do in 1/2 a second? Way too much. If its unalarmed and feeding its a high percentage shot. If its showing any nervousness it gets less clear cut. It is my responsibility as a hunter to balance my desire to take an animal against the probability of a marginal hit as the range increases. I have no problem killing animals for meat, sport, or control; but I try to do it as quickly and humanely as possible. For many of us our rifle skills are very predictable and repeatable. Unfortunately, animals are neither. For anyone, at any range, it all boils down to shoot if you feel "comfortable" with the decision to do so and can live with what happens after the shot. Thats MY opinion.
"Live free or die: death is not the worst of evils." General John Stark

recoil junky

I put 500 yards. IF the elk didn't know I was there and IF the pristine conditnions were absolutely pristine. Like the bull I took last year at 464 yds w/the 300RUM. No wind, sun at my back, level shotelk had been just standing there for 5-10 minutes and showed no indication of moving.

Now let's open another can of worms. What do you think of "hunters" who get all geared up and shoot deer/whatever at 1k plus? Like others have stated here, there's to much that can happen in 1/2 a second. Plus I tend to call foul because then it becomes deer/whatever "shooting" and not hunting.


RJ
When you go afield, take the kids and please......................................wear your seatbelts.
Northwest Colorado.............Where the wapiti roam and deer and antelope run amuck. :undecided:  
Proud father of a soldier medic in The 82nd Airborne 325th AIR White Falcons :army:

LvrLover

Quote from: recoil junky;79187Now let's open another can of worms. What do you think of "hunters" who get all geared up and shoot deer/whatever at 1k plus? Like others have stated here, there's to much that can happen in 1/2 a second. Plus I tend to call foul because then it becomes deer/whatever "shooting" and not hunting.
I saw an article somewhere in a "hunting" mag about guys that use 50BMG to kill elk at over 1000yds. Now that is a huge chunk of lead,but it still runs about 2800fps; so 1000yds is more than a second away. They can't hear it before it hits them so they can't "jump the string" as in bow hunting, but how long does it take an animal to move 8" and put your bullet 2" outside of a 12" vital zone (assuming you held on center of vz). Even with a 700gr bullet, a hit in the gut means a really bad day for you and the animal. Now to balance that out, it is unrealistic to wait for the "perfect" shot. It will never come. We all play percentages in hunting. An arrow flying at 300fps takes 1/2 second to go 50 yards. That is a long shot, but I have seen it done. What it boils down to is what my dad taught me about firearms and projectile weapons. Once that bullet/arrow leaves, it never comes back. Each shot must be measured with care, especially on an animal. Get as close as you can and then get closer. Don't take that shot if you can't live with the consequences. The shots you choose to make are between you and the Creator of the animal you hunt.
"Live free or die: death is not the worst of evils." General John Stark

subsonic

It depends on the person's skill. I see an awful lot of "hunters" that can't hit a paper plate at 100yds at the local range right before every deer season. There are also a few guys that can hit that plate at 1000yds without much trouble. Who would I rather see in the woods?

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