400 Yard Elk cartridge . what's your Pick
- Thread starter Spruster
- Start date
What is the distance? Curious.
! JMO RJAwesome. I put an lr duplex into a vx3 2.5-8 without knowing exactly how that would work out and on a 24" barrel .270 win with 140 ab's big game only rig (no coyotes planned for it) it turned out on 8x with 250 yard zero the first hash lined up with 350, the second one at 450 and the post thickening at 550 so that was a fortuitous match up and made for no charts required easy to remember set up. Nice to see how it lines up with stuffed into a 6x and set closer to a 6" mpbr zero (~200-235).
You're mpbr is actually covered with your set up and main crosshair, even though the main crosshair isn't right at a nice round number like 200 or 250...if you ran a 6" mpbr on most of the cartridges you'd find the zero point would be 213-235 yards so going backwards from the 400 or starting the main at around 200 and learning the others both work great. What a great pure hunters bombproof setup.
for big game? about 1/3rd further than how far you can consistently kill coyotes at
if you don't know that yet you can learn from how well you shoot in controlled conditions on the range, find out how far you can maintain 2 moa or less from field positions for 3 shot groups and that will give you a good starting point
most people don't put in enough time and prep or attention to appropriate gear to go much beyond the majority cartridge/bullet choices limits so you don't have to worry about that, but for the guys that do, then they have to consider also where the bullet falls out of the velocity window to perform for game intended, this could exceed their abilities or not, so the theoretical ability to kill efficiently is most often way beyond peoples abilities to shoot well enough to see that, but there are guys out there that can drive their choices to their full theoretical limits...it's an individual thing so this is the only way to answer your question, you have to put the rubber to the road now and go figure out your own limits
for deer size game you want to be able to land .2 sd bullets above 1600 fps, you can figure out your theoretical range from there and then with practice at the range you'll find out your practical range, then applying in the field you can fine tune what is your actual range potential
for elk size game you want to be able to land a .25 sd bullet above 1800 fps
get crackalackin, you gots some shootin to do
for big game? about 1/3rd further than how far you can consistently kill coyotes at
if you don't know that yet you can learn from how well you shoot in controlled conditions on the range, find out how far you can maintain 2 moa or less from field positions for 3 shot groups and that will give you a good starting point
most people don't put in enough time and prep or attention to appropriate gear to go much beyond the majority cartridge/bullet choices limits so you don't have to worry about that, but for the guys that do, then they have to consider also where the bullet falls out of the velocity window to perform for game intended, this could exceed their abilities or not, so the theoretical ability to kill efficiently is most often way beyond peoples abilities to shoot well enough to see that, but there are guys out there that can drive their choices to their full theoretical limits...it's an individual thing so this is the only way to answer your question, you have to put the rubber to the road now and go figure out your own limits
for deer size game you want to be able to land .2 sd bullets above 1600 fps, you can figure out your theoretical range from there and then with practice at the range you'll find out your practical range, then applying in the field you can fine tune what is your actual range potential
for elk size game you want to be able to land a .25 sd bullet above 1800 fps
get crackalackin, you gots some shootin to do
Does 2 moa for 3 shots even matter? or just 1 shot cold bore on target? First shot is the only one that matters on game.
westcoaster
CGN Regular
- Location
- Central BC
When I decided to take game past 200 yards I studied up on it some and then practiced...a lot. I am not ashamed to admit when I first started shooting even at 300 yards I felt good to print on an area the size of a pie plate.
A couple of thoughts that have helped me:
1. I always shoot the same weight and profile of bullet regardless of the game. I'm just not smart enough to memorize the drops, quirks, and performance of every bullet that can shoot out of my rifle. 338 bullet weights range from 180 to 275 in my experience. I settled on 250's because they have a relatively good bc and sd, I think a heavier bullet is more wind resistant, and it ambles out of my rifle barrel at around 2800. This has given me very good results on everything from deer, moose, elk on to grizzly. Eat up to the hole.
2. Practice, practice, practice.
3. Now practice from different positions, not just at a bench.
4. I was fortunate at the time to work with a gentleman who had been in the Canadian military who had shot - a lot. In the coffee room I would be describing the latest progress to consistently hitting a target at 500 yards. He never said too much until one time he gave me what turned out to be some excellent council on how to address the trigger, breath, and my heart rate. This narrowed the gap.
Other things that help are: very consistent handloads, I have a superb #4 weight Pacnor super match grade barrel on my rifle, and I have good glass with a MOA incremented ballistic reticle.
For anyone wondering what super match grade is, as I was, the guy at Pacnor said, "...well every now and then on our barrel run we get one that we can't measure variance on. Seeing as how we already have match grade we call it super match grade. I said, "How much more?" He said, "$50" and I said, "Done." I don't know if he was stringing me a line but I can say this rifle shoots better than anything I have owned.
The fact that I can reliably hit a coffee cup at 500 yards doesn't mean I kill at 500. I'm not good enough to dope wind or critter movement. If he is not moving and the wind is calm I can and have taken game at distance. All bang flops.
Nothing ###y about a wounded animal getting away, practice and make the first shot count.
A couple of thoughts that have helped me:
1. I always shoot the same weight and profile of bullet regardless of the game. I'm just not smart enough to memorize the drops, quirks, and performance of every bullet that can shoot out of my rifle. 338 bullet weights range from 180 to 275 in my experience. I settled on 250's because they have a relatively good bc and sd, I think a heavier bullet is more wind resistant, and it ambles out of my rifle barrel at around 2800. This has given me very good results on everything from deer, moose, elk on to grizzly. Eat up to the hole.
2. Practice, practice, practice.
3. Now practice from different positions, not just at a bench.
4. I was fortunate at the time to work with a gentleman who had been in the Canadian military who had shot - a lot. In the coffee room I would be describing the latest progress to consistently hitting a target at 500 yards. He never said too much until one time he gave me what turned out to be some excellent council on how to address the trigger, breath, and my heart rate. This narrowed the gap.
Other things that help are: very consistent handloads, I have a superb #4 weight Pacnor super match grade barrel on my rifle, and I have good glass with a MOA incremented ballistic reticle.
For anyone wondering what super match grade is, as I was, the guy at Pacnor said, "...well every now and then on our barrel run we get one that we can't measure variance on. Seeing as how we already have match grade we call it super match grade. I said, "How much more?" He said, "$50" and I said, "Done." I don't know if he was stringing me a line but I can say this rifle shoots better than anything I have owned.
The fact that I can reliably hit a coffee cup at 500 yards doesn't mean I kill at 500. I'm not good enough to dope wind or critter movement. If he is not moving and the wind is calm I can and have taken game at distance. All bang flops.
Nothing ###y about a wounded animal getting away, practice and make the first shot count.
Don't bring common sense into a spirited discussion...you'll put out the literary dumpster fire. Just don't, k?
That’s a great point but figured maybe this question was coming from potentially a newer shooter perspective? So leaned more to get the fundamentals down then you can pay even closer attention to the first shot of the day as you are correct...it is the most important one. But one has to have those fundamentals reliable or one may not be able to really tell if it’s them or the rig if things not landing right on that first cold bore of the day. You can definitely do some of the best prep with very few rounds down the pipe if it’s the right kind of prep.
When you pull that rig out before season and send one at 200 and know you broke a beauty and you see that loonie dead center of the gong you put the gun away and go home. Or pull out the other guns that aren’t quite set up and yet and get to work lol. The goal should be to have a rig in your safe that is set up that well and you shoot it that well. Or at least bullets land where you felt the crosshair was when you touched off. You can definitely over prep and erode your confidence. Less is more when doing right kind of prep for task.
Ya its easy to overthink/over do it.
I was just thinking if a guy was at the range shooting a bunch of groups and his rifle is warm, gets scope zeroed, all is good.... Except that first shot from a cold bore possibly doesn't land in the same place the next morning. Or the fellow goes home after and thoroughly cleans bore and oils it up so hes good to go for opening morning....
There is so many variables.
Once I zero a rifle for hunting season the only thing that goes into the bore for cleaning is a dry patch!
I don't touch the bore with any type of cleaning solution until after the season is over .
Cat
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Same. Simply no reason to...but people do as they do lol
I'll cop to having taken one shot on game with a bore I forgot was oiled though. Years back, had to leave in a hurry to go back to the big city and university right after a hunt. Passed some oily patches down the rifle barrel, dried the exterior and off i go. I'll remember to dry it when I get back in a week or two.
Yeah...not so much.
At least the one shot fired was still in the vitals and killed quickly but it dipped a few inches below point of aim and took out the bottom 1/3 of a whitetail's heart. Left a very gnarly 70 yard trail of blood, bone and whatnot.
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pete dobinson
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Courtenay BC.
Same as above, after my last practice session before hunting season I don't clean my barrel, I tape up the muzzle and thats it till the end of the season.
ya, you gotta pump one into the ditch after a cleaning and dry patched if you need to get hunting after it's been cleaned, I'd rather put away with at minimum one fouling shot and ready to go than not, so tend to make a point after cleaning to get out and get one in the ditch before I put it away so I don't have to find a ditch on way to hunt
Here is what I usually do-
I stop in at the local hunting store, and buy 2 boxes of ammo. Whatever is the cheapest.
Then I head to the range, and set up a target at 200 yards, because "that's how far away the deer will be when I shoot at it"
I go back to my truck and grab the case of beer out of it. This works well for a rest. I've bought bottles instead of cans, because a bottled beer box is sturdier than just piling 2 six packs on top of each other.
I crack a beer, and lay the rifle over the beer box. Taking careful aim, I take a shot at 200 yards. I notice that it is 4" high, and to the right about 3". I make the appropriate adjustments on the scope, shoot again, and then notice that the bullet is low and to the left. I make more adjustments, and continue shooting and adjusting.
Pretty soon it's time to take a break and let the barrel cool down, since I have fired up the first box of ammo.
I cool the barrel while swilling another beer.
Once I'm finished my beer, I get back at it, shooting and adjusting. When I get half way through my second box, I realize that I need some ammo for hunting, so I proclaim "Well, that's good enough for deer hunting" and "I'm not much of a target shooter, but I am a excellent GAME SHOT!"
Then I pack up and go home. I leave my 30-06 brass on the ground, because some crazy reloader will want it, anyway.
Gatehouse
I stop in at the local hunting store, and buy 2 boxes of ammo. Whatever is the cheapest.
Then I head to the range, and set up a target at 200 yards, because "that's how far away the deer will be when I shoot at it"
I go back to my truck and grab the case of beer out of it. This works well for a rest. I've bought bottles instead of cans, because a bottled beer box is sturdier than just piling 2 six packs on top of each other.
I crack a beer, and lay the rifle over the beer box. Taking careful aim, I take a shot at 200 yards. I notice that it is 4" high, and to the right about 3". I make the appropriate adjustments on the scope, shoot again, and then notice that the bullet is low and to the left. I make more adjustments, and continue shooting and adjusting.
Pretty soon it's time to take a break and let the barrel cool down, since I have fired up the first box of ammo.
I cool the barrel while swilling another beer.
Once I'm finished my beer, I get back at it, shooting and adjusting. When I get half way through my second box, I realize that I need some ammo for hunting, so I proclaim "Well, that's good enough for deer hunting" and "I'm not much of a target shooter, but I am a excellent GAME SHOT!"
Then I pack up and go home. I leave my 30-06 brass on the ground, because some crazy reloader will want it, anyway.
Gatehouse
PERFECT ! You are a Genuine PERFECTIONIST tb ! RJ
RJ
