5-7 shots to be ready to kill game at 400 yards?

[thewoodsrunner]

With a good steady rest i've zeroed (or close enough to zeroed for hunting purposes - "minute of buck kill-zone") - sights that have needed filing as adjustment. In three or four shots, applying the file-in-between, been hitting where i want it. Then two or three more shots to make certain. From thereon in any ammo expended is going to be offhand at various rates of fire to simulate field conditions.

400 yards is sniping, not hunting in my books. It's where you spot the animal and the stalk begins, the actual hunting skills start. I admire a good sniper, and appreciate a technically excellent sniping rifle. But that's a different subject from that part of general bushcraft that includes hunting and killing game. We owe it to a living creature to take the least risk possible of wounding. 400 yard shots are not taking this into account. Fun on the range, 400 yards plus? Absolutely! See what you and your rifle can do.

 

[Dogleg]

I generally hear bullets hitting if there is at least a little distance involved. I cant hear copper expanding or any solids hit unless major bone is hit for a crack not whomph. Copper bullets make less sound on steel too, don’t know why, quit careing a long time ago. It just is.

There’s a German word, or at least I think it’s German for the sound of a bullet hitting. Spelling is probably way off but something like kugelslag.

 

[Thunderhog]

I generally hear bullets hitting if there is at least a little distance involved. I cant hear copper expanding or any solids hit unless major bone is hit for a crack not whomph. Copper bullets make less sound on steel too, don’t know why, quit careing a long time ago. It just is.

There’s a German word, or at least I think it’s German for the sound of a bullet hitting. Spelling is probably way off but something like kugelslag.

More like Katong!....

 

[iron cat]

With a good steady rest i've zeroed (or close enough to zeroed for hunting purposes - "minute of buck kill-zone") - sights that have needed filing as adjustment. In three or four shots, applying the file-in-between, been hitting where i want it. Then two or three more shots to make certain. From thereon in any ammo expended is going to be offhand at various rates of fire to simulate field conditions.

400 yards is sniping, not hunting in my books. It's where you spot the animal and the stalk begins, the actual hunting skills start. I admire a good sniper, and appreciate a technically excellent sniping rifle. But that's a different subject from that part of general bushcraft that includes hunting and killing game. We owe it to a living creature to take the least risk possible of wounding. 400 yard shots are not taking this into account. Fun on the range, 400 yards plus? Absolutely! See what you and your rifle can do.

There are lots of hunter that think unless you are shooting jron sights , or a patched round ball with a flint lock you are not hunting "properly " either, ad these same hunters are looked down upon by many who think unless you are shooting a bow you are not "properly" hunting.
Then there are some primitive bow hunters who think unless it is a self bow instead of a compound you are not "properly hunting.

Everyone has their own idea, and fortunately , many do not get a damn about how someone else hunts. Remember ,you are not the law maker or ethics police , your opinion is just that simply your opinion.
Cat

 

[Rman]

There are lots of hunter that think unless you are shooting jron sights , or a patched round ball with a flint lock you are not hunting "properly " either, ad these same hunters are looked down upon by many who think unless you are shooting a bow you are not "properly" hunting.
Then there are some primitive bow hunters who think unless it is a self bow instead of a compound you are not "properly hunting.

Everyone has their own idea, and fortunately , many do not get a damn about how someone else hunts. Remember ,you are not the law maker or ethics police , your opinion is just that simply your opinion.
Cat

Probably one of the best responses ever concerning “ethics” and “hunting” choices.
R.

 

[DGY]

There are lots of hunter that think unless you are shooting jron sights , or a patched round ball with a flint lock you are not hunting "properly " either, ad these same hunters are looked down upon by many who think unless you are shooting a bow you are not "properly" hunting.
Then there are some primitive bow hunters who think unless it is a self bow instead of a compound you are not "properly hunting.

Everyone has their own idea, and fortunately , many do not get a damn about how someone else hunts. Remember ,you are not the law maker or ethics police , your opinion is just that simply your opinion.
Cat

I agree! But to be fair he did say “in my book”.
Ethic is such a perception thing, 30 years ago not many would have thought of shooting at games much past 600m and now it is not in common I guess. Still too far for me. I limit my self to 300m but ten years ago I limited my self to 200m and 20 years ago to 150m….
All that said I don’t think I would try my self at a game animal past 300m, so far I always been able to close the gap to inside that distance and to me the stalk and getting “close” is part of what I like. Every one is different and that is alright as long as we make clean kills. But hunt enough and you will most likely wound and loose an animal cause it is never 100% guaranteed that you will have a clean shot and the odds are getting bigger the further you shoot.

 

[Rman]

It has been strongly suggested several times that the percentage of game lost at 100 yards is significantly higher than game lost at 400 yards plus. A trip or two to the local range just before season opener would certainly make that statement appear to be accurate. One fellers 300 yard limit is another fellers 600 yard limit, and that should be just fine, for both of them.
These conversations, if had openly and honestly, are great. One should never tell another how to do anything, unless asked. And if asked, facts should be provided as answers. One should have the choice to make decisions on their own without any judgement or inferred superiority by another.
The later tends to be quite a trait on most forums, and unfortunately creeps into more than a few a conversations.
Opinions are not facts.

R.

 

[EJG]

Big part of my hunting is removing deer from fenced in plantations. Sometimes gloves off approach at short range running game in dense terrain or high grass. That is where I mess up the most. Complete misses or deer hit with more than one shot. We have dogs along and can track. The other option that I actually prefer is longer shots across a valley into the fenced in area. Mostly 300-600yds. Animals are calm and we have very few bad shots. Often drop more than one deer and then collect. Our Sika deer are quite small.

edi

 

[DGY]

It has been strongly suggested several times that the percentage of game lost at 100 yards is significantly higher than game lost at 400 yards plus. A trip or two to the local range just before season opener would certainly make that statement appear to be accurate. One fellers 300 yard limit is another fellers 600 yard limit, and that should be just fine, for both of them.
These conversations, if had openly and honestly, are great. One should never tell another how to do anything, unless asked. And if asked, facts should be provided as answers. One should have the choice to make decisions on their own without any judgement or inferred superiority by another.
The later tends to be quite a trait on most forums, and unfortunately creeps into more than a few a conversations.
Opinions are not facts.

R.

It’s all about being honest with your self about your capabilities/limitations. Can be hard for some people to realize they need to keep it inside a certain distance and then there is the ability to judge such distances. No to much of a big deal now a day with range finders. And then there is the turrets twirlers that needs to twirl there turrets the right way and at the right place….

 

[Rman]

It’s all about being honest with your self about your capabilities/limitations. Can be hard for some people to realize they need to keep it inside a certain distance and then there is the ability to judge such distances. No to much of a big deal now a day with range finders. And then there is the turrets twirlers that needs to twirl there turrets the right way and at the right place….

Results usually should speak for themselves, as do the consequences of those results. Aways up to the individual as to if they listen. or not.

Is it better to be a turret twirler than a holdover guesser, a Max Point Blanker, an open sighter, an arrow flinger, a flintlocker, a road hunter, a walker, a sitter, a spot and stalker, a reticle referencer?

Lots of ways to get things done. Who gets to decide which one is better? Is any one way truly better than the other if the result is the same?

R.