I still remember the fool at your range that zeroed his Huskemaw scope at 25 yards, and never shot farther than that. When the guy with him asked if he was going to verify at longer ranges, he told him that it was a waste of time and ammunition, and that is why he had a Huskema.
6.5 PRC for elk.
- Thread starter rjefferies
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Yup, they walk among us!
Last year one of our RSO's had the shotmarker targets set up at 300 and 500 Meters . A guy shooting a 6.5/300 WTHBY took out the lower left microphone on the 500 meter target, because in his words," it only drops 3 inches from 300 to 500"
The microphone is right around the same distance as it indicates in most trajectory charts
Here is a pic of our target frame. You can see the orange microphone base in the lower left
The fella in the picture is about 5'8" so the drop , even from a fast 6.5 is a
" little more" than a few inches! LOL
Wind BTW was also a factor.....
Cat
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Tallcooldrink
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- Riding the wild, wild West, baby!
Since most of the people responding are “experts”, and want to tell you how to shoot without even knowing you, I would say a Bergara is a great option. A little more coin and possibly a Tikka or Sako would be great as well. I almost picked up a Sako S20 for only a little more than that, but timing wasn’t right. That being said, I don’t have a lot of experience with Browning or Weatherby, as they maybe solid options as well.
As for ammo, that can be tricky as you need to find what works best with your rifle, and then see how it performs at distance. It could be an intense and lengthy process but you will certainly know your file by then, and be prepared for almost any opportunity that arises.
Happy exploration!
This may work out to 450 yards with a 6.5 PRC. 800 yards not so much.
Everybody should contact you for caliber and bullet selection plus what gun as long as its a Ruger BLAH BLAH BLAH. Like Clint said "A LEGEND IN YOUR OWN MIND" FFS
This EXACTLY.
You don't have to split hairs at all. You could open up a manual and look at every load for the given bullets/cartridges and compare them yourself.
Once you start stretching it out to 500 yards or so, the high BC bullets start to shine. I can have a 500 grain bullet in a 460wby, over 7000ft/lbs at the muzzle and at 700 yards the ft/lbs are basically the same as that Hornady 6.5prc load.
Bullet placement, and bullet construction is number one in my book. Use the right bullet for the right job, at the right distance. And take what you are most comfortable with, and can make that shot all day with. Using a largeer cartridge is always recommended if you are able to shoot it well. A crap shot with that big 460 even on a deer at close range is way worse than that PRC in the right place.
Almost all cartridges can be loaded to outperform another one, with the right bullets compared, at certain distances. Unless your comparing a 17 hornet to a 375 cheytac...or things as dissimilar as that.
I know more than few hunters who have killed elk at the longer distances but they
killed them using hand loads , in fact I don't know anyone who has killed animals at those distances that uses factory ammo.
Cat
Any personal experience making poor shots with safari rifles on deer?
Absolutely none. Biggest rifle I have is a 375 Ruger, with 350 grain woodleigh bullets as the largest bullets I run.
But I can one hundred percent guarantee you that a heart shot on a deer from a PRC is better than a shot in a leg from a 460.
I also hunt elk with 6.5 PRC & I'd never go much beyond 500 yds even under ideal circumstances.
As general rules for anyone:
1000 fpe for deer sized game
1500 fpe for elk or moose sized game
Know your ammo and shooting ability.
This will truly determine how far you can ethically shoot game.
As general rules for anyone:
1000 fpe for deer sized game
1500 fpe for elk or moose sized game
Know your ammo and shooting ability.
This will truly determine how far you can ethically shoot game.
"Ethical kills" is somewhat misleading , because the shooter has far more to do with that catch phrase than the cartridge or caliber used.
I have killed a number of animals at distances many automatically dismissed as " unethical" for any number of reasons, from too small a caliber to too far. The fact remains that none of people admonishing me for it had ever done it before, or even shot that far on targets ( or at least hit the targets) and where I was hunting , I had been practicing on the same river breaks for the whole year as well.
The wind , TOF, and visibility along with the shooter's ability to call those conditions has far more to do with it.
I have passed far more shots at long range than I have tripped the trigger on because of of the weather conditions.
At the same time, I am not one who tries to make a somewhat obstructed 50 yard shot because I have a " brush buster" cartridge either, which is very common , from what many hunters tell me they do.
Cat
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Yup ! No doubt You could if you hit it perfectly in the lungs .6.5 PRC loaded to RemJim PSI and you can kill an elk at 1000
RJExactly, the percentage of hunters able to consistently make clean kills at 800 yards with any cartridge would be single digit, low single digit. Unfortunately, that won't prevent many people from attempting shots way beyond their capabilities.
lol I misunderstood you, figured you meant a poor shot from big gun = worse for the deer
