I’m ready for long range

[sniper7]

While I’ve messed around with shooting long range in the past and have some guns that will do it all the way up to .50bmg....I’m now ready to focus.

my goal is not to be a competitive shooter, but I want a long range hunting rifle, primarily for elk. I’ve always hunted archery or black powder and after this year I want to look at rifle. I have a couple spots in mind where I can easily push 1000+ yards.

i currently shoot a basic .300win mag savage with a 3-9 Nikon bdc scope. It’s taken deer, elk, antelope and even a bison. With that in mind I know I like the caliber, I have lots of reloading components and dies for it and if possible that is the caliber I’d like to stick with. I currently shoot 180gr Barnes triple shock over 69 grains of H4831

im prepared to spend some coin on a new rifle, scope etc. I want something that will reach out and touch accurately, and a scope that is easy to change from 100-1000+ yards (target turrets with easy zero reset) and that I don’t have to worry about what zoom I’m on and I find that will change what the mildots are showing me.


if someone has something like this setup and wants to get rid of it, I’m all ears. If it is a different caliber that I like and you have some reloading components and dope I’m all ears.

i have a private place I can shoot nearly a mile so testing etc isn’t an issue.

im not great about checking each subforum lately but will try, if you have something to offer up PM would be great.

[DangerLee_Industries]

This is what we do so shoot me an email and if you are ready to go I have several options from hunting to bench and everything in between. Mostly our custom work but have a few factory as well. Heading to shop now to setup so shoot me an email with specs and budget sales@dangerleeindustries.com

[MarkCO]

Elk at distances past about 600 yards, something like a .338 Lapua, 300 Norma Mag (what I chose and am having one built by Montana Rifles), 30 Nosler etc, the various SAUMs and RUMs are better choices just to have the energy out at range. 300 Win Mag, sure to about 600 yards with the right bullets, which, IMO, the Barnes are not. The Barnes solids need more velocity to expand and once you drop below about 2000 fps, they pencil and do not effectively drop elk unless you hit the heart, spine or head. Moving over to the long range hunting bullets from Hornady or Nosler is what I would suggest for longer ranges in .30 caliber. H4831SC is one of my favorite powders, but I find I get a little better SDs and more velocity in the 30 caliber magnums with a slightly slower powder and have gone to H1000.

Optics, there are a lot of really decent choices. I prefer the Burris XTRII (Veracity is decent too) line of scopes and have them on a few of my hunting and all of my precision rifles. They are rugged, reliable and have a great feature set for the price. RTZ is perfect and with the new MAD system, you can set the elevation and windage turrets how you like. If Burris did not exist, I really like the Kahles line of optics.

https://www.burrisoptics.com/m.a.d.-system

[sniper7]

Danger Lee I sent you an email.

Thanks Mark that is exactly what I was looking for. I’ll do a little research on the different long range calibers and projectiles and see what’s out there. What effective range are you looking at with the 300 Norma mag in your Montana rifle?

[MarkCO]

Danger Lee I sent you an email.

Thanks Mark that is exactly what I was looking for. I’ll do a little research on the different long range calibers and projectiles and see what’s out there. What effective range are you looking at with the 300 Norma mag in your Montana rifle?

I want to be able to shoot Elk to about 1000 yards. BUT, I won't push it if the energy and accuracy numbers are not there and I don't want to spend half the barrel life working up loads. I would be satisfied at 700 which is 200 yards past where my energy limit is with my current rig. The longest Elk was 505 yards and took one step...off a ledge and into a tree dying 8 feet above the ground. I have Deer and Pronghorn to 1000, but Elk are a lot tougher.

[sniper7]

I’ve killed a lot of elk and I know how hard they are to get out of the back country, but getting on out of a tree sure would be a challenge!

[Hoser]

Keep in mind when trying to hunt at long range...

Lets say you are pushing a 30 caliber Berger 230 (one of the highest BC 30 caliber bullets avail) around 2,900 fps.

If your range estimation is off by 15-20 yards, that means about a 10 inch bullet drop difference in just 20 yards.

If your wind estimation is off by 5 mph, that means a 18 inch difference.

I spend a lot of time shooting at long range, but I still limit myself to inside 500-600 yards to ensure a humane kill.

[XC700116]

Keep in mind when trying to hunt at long range...

Lets say you are pushing a 30 caliber Berger 230 (one of the highest BC 30 caliber bullets avail) around 2,900 fps.

If your range estimation is off by 15-20 yards, that means about a 10 inch bullet drop difference in just 20 yards.

If your wind estimation is off by 5 mph, that means a 18 inch difference.

I spend a lot of time shooting at long range, but I still limit myself to inside 500-600 yards to ensure a humane kill.

This,

I've shot over 8K rounds through bolt guns in 2017 in competition and practice. I've got a couple pretty solid accomplishments in long range competitive shooting, and unless conditions are perfect, I'm not going to exceed about 600 yards on an animal because I've proven to myself thousands of times, just how easy it is to miss at distance.

[XC700116]

That said, IMHO keep the 300 WM Savage for hunting and then go buy yourself a rifle in a smaller cartridge and a premium scope to learn on. Spend between now and next season sending a couple thousand rounds down range getting your shooting game down pat, then move that premium scope over to your savage, make sure your load is good, zero is good, and dope to distance is good, then go hunt with it. Rinse and repeat.

Your standard of accuracy for distance should be what distance you can reliably hit a 12" plate 100%, 1st round out of the gun for the day, every time. Then take that distance and subtract 100 yards.

[MarkCO]

Just FTR, every Deer and Pronghorn I shot past 600 was in one valley where I had the actual measurements between the fence posts and power poles. I had wind flags on long poles along the alley I shot. It took me several years and several hunts (mostly doe tags) to have enough days shooting (with my suppressor on paper) along the alley to gain the confidence to take those shots past 600. I am sure that given the data and time, Hoser, you would take the same shots I took, and likely take some I passed up on. Most of those took me a few hours of waiting to get the perfect conditions. Then I had to wait until the animal put it's head down to take a bite of grass so I could be sure they would not take a step.

With the biggest buck I have ever seen in the unit this year, I did not pull the trigger at 285 yards because the conditions were not right. When we spotted him at 2000 yards, I was not convinced it was not a 4 point bull Elk grazing with a few doe deer. 2 hours to go 1700 yards and I never took a shot. That was okay, the stalk was fun as well. Ended up shooting a buck that the game warden and I had looked at the day before and we decided would be good to take out of the gene pool to fill the freezer.