600 yard rifle

I don't see guys at my local range practicing for long range, might have to do with there only being up to a 200yd line and that is it.

Same problem on our club range. I believe that that has also lead to a bunch of shooters who desperately want to believe that tiny 100 yard groups translates into long range precision loads, and that eighths of inches are somehow significant when drift is measured in feet.
 
This year at our private range, iv'e shot
250 rounds at 300 metres...
50 rounds at 400 metres...
60 rounds at 500 metres...
100 rounds at 600 metres...
60 rounds at 800 metres...
60 rounds at 1000 metres...
All informations relative to elevation and windage are wrote down on a waterproof cardboard, atttach with tie wrap to the Nemesis ghost frame... Within a few seconds i can get exactly on target, a high quality range finder is mandatory for exact settings, my Leica Rangemaster 1600 is a very precise tool... JP.
 
"...a dedicated long range rifle..." Nobody should ever take a 600 yard shot on large game. No hunting cartridge has the energy for a clean kill at those distances. And the bullet drop is enormous.

you must not shoot enough to be confident at that range. nowadays 500-600 yards isn't not considered long range. telling someone they should never take a shot at that distance is stupid. my 300 winmag has more than enough energy to knock down a moose or elk at 900 yards. if the shooter can consistently nail a 12" gong at those ranges on a cold bore shot confidently theres nothing wrong with hunting long range. 12' being the vital region of large game. the only thing that I would be conserned about is bullet choice. at 900 yards using something like a barnes ttsx would not be a good choice due to the fact that solid bullet wont have the speed to expand and do the proper damage. I use a 210gr berger vld hunter which is designed to expand at those ranges.
 
350 yards is a little far for a hunting shot.

depends entirely on shooter and rifle ability

That would depend on the shooter, equipment and the circumstances. For many its a moderately challenging shot at a gopher.
Check out my post of my whitetail buck in the "show your 2013 whitetails" thread. 364yds on the rangefinder. Only one single shot. Destroyed one lung, half the other, exit completely blew out the off-side shoulder and some brisket. Not a hard shot at all.

Dogleg, would that be an Ontario gopher? Because a Richardson ground squirrel out here might take me a couple of shots at 300+yds with my existing equip. Although, I would be close enough to stun it with shrapnel, but an inch is a miss with those. Usually by the end of gopher season, there is no problem hitting them with a .22 at 125yds. That's when I open up the big guns if I can. Shooting ground squirrels at 250-300yds with a .308 or an '06 means hitting anything you WANT with that rifle whenever you want. Nothing like reactive targets to make you learn to aim small, miss small...
 
The stars have to be in alignement for a 600 yard shot, everything has to be spot on including the guy behind the trigger.
Assuming that you can reliably hit targets at that distance many calibers are suitable, I would set the minimum
at 180 grains with 2000fps @ 600yds. for reliable penetration with a premium bullet.
BB
 
I don't see guys at my local range practicing for long range, might have to do with there only being up to a 200yd line and that is it. The woods are far closer than any range where you can practice at anything further.

Again, you misunderstood what I was saying.

My point was that you need to master the fundamentals of marksmanship before you will get any real benefit from shooting longer ranges in the field. It doesn't have to be at a CFO approved range, but controlled conditions are important.
 
Again, you misunderstood what I was saying.

My point was that you need to master the fundamentals of marksmanship before you will get any real benefit from shooting longer ranges in the field. It doesn't have to be at a CFO approved range, but controlled conditions are important.

There are definitely some fundamentals to be learned off the bench but for long-range hunting, you need to move on to the real world pretty quickly to become proficient. Too many guys are too reliant on the bench and think that somehow what they do there transfers to hunting. Some of it does no doubt but not as much as most think.
 
It's actually quite simple if you know your firearm and cartridge intimately...........after that, it's sight alignment, trigger control, breathing and follow through........quite simple actually, after several thousand rounds from the same rifle at ranges from 20 mtrs to 700+ mtrs, on game ranging in size from a 15 lb duiker to 150 lb Dall sheep to 1500 lb moose. The reality is it isn't the moose or bison that present the long shots normally, it's their much smaller buddies from the sheep and goat families that are the most stand offish in my experience.
I'm going to repeat the important part for those who missed it......SEVERAL THOUSAND ROUNDS FROM THE SAME RIFLE !!!!!
 
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You are not going to get several thousands of rounds of life out of the same rifle/barrel in the real long range calibers like 338lapua, 50bmg, etc.
 
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Again, you misunderstood what I was saying.

My point was that you need to master the fundamentals of marksmanship before you will get any real benefit from shooting longer ranges in the field. It doesn't have to be at a CFO approved range, but controlled conditions are important.
all I originally said is that you have to get out in the woods and actually try making the shots you intend to try taking game with.

Maybe I have to try explaining a different way, take a shooter that only ever shoots of a bench out hunting and point out a target 600m away and see if he can hit it, I suspect not many will be able to unless they bring that bench and rest with them from their local range.

Maybe you have been able to adapt without any practice in the woods, but I have yet to see anyone be proficient at long range hunting without practicing in the field.
 
Again, you misunderstood what I was saying.

My point was that you need to master the fundamentals of marksmanship before you will get any real benefit from shooting longer ranges in the field. It doesn't have to be at a CFO approved range, but controlled conditions are important.


Actually, controlled conditions are important to learning the basic accuracy fundamentals at all ranges with any rifle.

Then, get away from controlled conditions and learn to shoot the real conditions of the area you are hunting in. Wind, rain, sunlight, cloud cover, rate of twist effect on bullet path over all of the ranges to be shot, bullet drop etc. All are extremely important. Especially the further you reach out.

Let us not forget simple things either, like fore end rest, cant etc. What looks good at 100 yards, just isn't good enough at 500 yards etc.

As was mentioned before, if you want to shoot extended ranges, it really isn't all that difficult. It just requires lots and lots of practice on and off the range. The best glass you can afford and the best range finder you can afford.

You can use the ranging tables for bullet drop and wind drift in the books as a reference but don't take them as gospel. Most of those are computer projections and don't take real ranging conditions into account. That only comes with experience, like learning how a tree or bush or grass leans with the wind and being able to judge bullet drift from such observations. Good glassing practice also makes you aware of wind changing direction a couple of hundred yards past your shooting position. Then there is that darned mirage effect that can happen at any temperature at any range.

It's all about getting out there and learning to read conditions, then figure out how to shoot those conditions. Personally, I have issues judging wind effects and direct sunlight effects over open ground. I usually take a long time to make such a shot, preferring to wait for calmer or less dynamic conditions.
 
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