How true. I remember hunting up the south side of a slash cut draw late season in overcast weather. The sky opened up momentarily and sun shone on the opposite side to light up a nice buck! It was what I suspected was about 320 yards plus and he was heading uphill. Thought I would continue up the draw hoping that the range would shorten up, but the sunray was fleeting and do you think I could spot the bugger again? Yes, I was hunting the 7-08 as well but didn't opt for a shot at that distance.
Effective hunting range of 7mm08
- Thread starter TrevorMack
- Start date
How true. I remember hunting up the south side of a slash cut draw late season in overcast weather. The sky opened up momentarily and sun shone on the opposite side to light up a nice buck! It was what I suspected was about 320 yards plus and he was heading uphill. Thought I would continue up the draw hoping that the range would shorten up, but the sunray was fleeting and do you think I could spot the bugger again? Yes, I was hunting the 7-08 as well but didn't opt for a shot at that distance.
Pie plate at 600y I believe. A crow's head is what...an inch? So you're telling me better than 2 out of 3 shots you're pulling off less than .25moa? Out of a hunting rifle?
pisces-guy
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- West Kelowna, B.C.
My 11 year old son chose a Ruger American Compact stainless for his first rifle, and this rifle or something similar is reasonable in price and pretty light. You have a point in that the Bushnell Elite scopes aren't the lightest, I just suggested them as being reasonably priced, bright, and effective. If the lady in question has plenty of money then the Swarovski scopes in 4-12X40 also have a good "rainproofing" coating and are noticeably lighter, but more expensive. As far as a scope with a 40mm objective being a "big scope", I'd have to disagree...it's the hunting standard...my mountain rifle has a 36mm objective scope on it and it's the smallest I'd use. A 50mm scope is a "big scope" and is tough to justify over a 40mm. As far as heavy bipods go, there's a new generation of bipods out now, check out javelinbipod.com for example, sold by the Shooting Edge in Calgary. They're strong but ultra light, and you keep them in your hunting jacket until/if you encounter a long shot...then you pull them out and they attach to the mount on your fore-end with a very strong rare earth magnet. The longer traditional Harris bipod that can extend over the wild grass in a lot of hunting situations works great but yes, it's got some weight to it, and a lot of us won't use them if we're doing a lot of walking/climbing. The Javelin works just as well and weighs just a few ounces...a perfect solution.
A rifle should have 'some' weight, too light doesn't help things.
Many looking for a rifle for a novice shooter should heed this advice.
Too heavy does not work, but too light is no good either. Aside from the increased recoil of a ultra light, it takes considerable skill to shot them well in field positions. Your form and follow through must be excellent to get good accuracy. An ultra light is much more finicky to shoot than an average rifle. Something in the 7-8 lb range, scoped, is a good choice for a new shooter.
I shot phone books at 400yds with my 7-08 to test bullet expansion. My friend shot first an we established a hold off for wind, when I shot I had a first round hit. I was very confident with my sub MOA load. I shot a mule deer at 380yds prone uphill with a jacket on a low rock. The deer went down and didn't get up. It was a pretty good climb to get to the deer. At first we couldn't figure out where I hit, when we did I went from precision shooter to lucky SOB. I've shot 3 animals at 300yds +/- 10 yds all hit exactly where I was aiming. Practical experience means more than math. I'm getting better but it'll be a slow process working up to longer shots.
My 7-08 isn't the limiting factor, me + plus weather+ plus shooting position+ plus animal behavior are the factors.
So yeah pretty much +1 to everyone who already posted
Remember practice is a better use of time than debating cartridges. The debates are for killing time when driving to the range or around the campfire after hunting
Willy
My 7-08 isn't the limiting factor, me + plus weather+ plus shooting position+ plus animal behavior are the factors.
So yeah pretty much +1 to everyone who already posted
Remember practice is a better use of time than debating cartridges. The debates are for killing time when driving to the range or around the campfire after hunting
Willy
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saskgunowner101
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- near Prince Albert
pisces-guy
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- West Kelowna, B.C.
Exactly, a rifle for a novice shouldn't be too light, or the calibre too powerful. I believe the bare Ruger Compact is 6 pounds, and the rings, Bushnell Elite 3-9X40 scope, and light bipod get it into the 7.5 pound class, which is good for the 7mm-08 calibre.
Purple shoulder
Regular
- Location
- Winnipeg MB
Well in the "1/2 moa at 300 yards challenge" he did 5 five shot groups ranging from 1.6" to 1.1" at 330 yards. The pictures are there. Not quite 425 but one could argue a crows head is an inch and a half. If he could do 100% in an inch and a half at 330 I bet 70% of the time he would be in there at 425. Just sayin. Not sure I'd call it a hunting rifle though.
