Merits of 7mm Rem Mag Vs 338 Win Mag for long range Elk/Moose/Bear cartridge?
- Thread starter Northern Shooter
- Start date
Hopefully either 350 or 400 yards, Rman. I can't see myself ever needing to shoot past that.
Then again I have no qualms with just shooting my chosen cartridge to 400 and marking that position on the turret with a paint pen (or doing that for 300, 400, anything else really) and seeing if the trijicon is a reliable enough dialer to make that happen too. From what Blakeyboy and others who use em a lot tell me, shouldn't be a prob.
Kind of a home made CDS.
Kind of hard to imagine not having time to do that, but then, I really haven't shot game at those distances either so I can't much say lol. Watched em tho.
If memory serves (and it's been a fair while since I've played with this), the most common power setting for range verification was 6x. I think I would start there, but verifying and making notes for each power setting is a good idea. - dan
1” high is very useful for a varmint rifle when the animal targets you are shooting are only a couple of inches tall, and the bullet is going over 3500 fps at the muzzle. As the animal gets bigger or the velocity slows, you can go up to 4” high at 100 imo with no real concern of missing the vitals up to and possibly over 250 yards.
The longest shot I have ever taken on a game animal was 560 something yards. I literally had seconds to make that shot. I determined range, used on old willow trunk as a rest and shot him through the vessels/arteries above the heart. I used a reticle, 270, 130 gr TSX’s and a CRF rifle. Talk about the gods conspiring agains you!
Lol max point blank range zero. Painful to type this out but you do agree the closer you are to the animal the less time you have right? So if you’re not doing mpbrz and always all over the place you will get caught out, forget where you were set, moved into a different spot, second guess yourself, etc., reach for that unnecessary extra step, may as well stand on your own nutz. After Mpbr the time you generally get increases anything works. Guys will be notching tags while you’re heading back to the truck reevaluating life and your gear choices and methods.
My first kids first deer might be an ideal example. Set blind up overlooking one crossing point inside 100 with secondary chance they cross left side of blind along a fence line around 200 but obviously hoped for the closer crossing. Last 10 min little buck crosses the far spot, got him stopped but couldn’t get settled for shot deer started moving again, bleated him one more time and kid got it done, there was no time and no more chances. Ranges back to the blind at 238 after. You do not reach for the dial in the zone of death, you don’t even want it optional or non locked turret and try to play that game. Kids are awesome, great eyes, no time to dial up scope magnification either, dropped little whitetail buck at 238 on 2.5x in last 10 min. We would have easily found out if not set up properly. With a 6.5 Grendel that’s close to the tail end of Mpbr. Big moments...carry on with you’re extra steps. Bonus is you’ll get more time afield. ��
The longest shot I have ever taken on a game animal was 560 something yards. I literally had seconds to make that shot. I determined range, used on old willow trunk as a rest and shot him through the vessels/arteries above the heart. I used a reticle, 270, 130 gr TSX’s and a CRF rifle. Talk about the gods conspiring agains you!
Pics or it didn’t happen.
Not quite a simple yes or no answer, as it really was depended upon the state of mind and energy of the elk a the time of the shot (from quietly grazing and unaware, to alert and sneaking in to investigate calls, to full on rut-crazed bull in your face), and then of course shot presentation and bullet placement. Then there is the individual animal's tenacity for life. While elk have more tenacity than a moose, just like people, some are just plain tougher than others (physically and mentally). You only find out after pulling the trigger! These variable account for the various reactions of the elk and how far it ran after the shot. (Using 160-165 gr ammo)
Some travelled a few feet, others travelled up to a couple hundred yards into the thick and nasty, down into a creek or ravine, or into the swampy/muskegt type terrain, of which posed their various challenges in recovery. After a few longer/tougher recoveries, learned to wait a little longer for a better shot presentation, or place the bullet where it ensured a quicker kill with limited travel distance after the shot (double lung and/or higher shoulder shot that broke both shoulders). Double lung hit animals have all run less than heart shot animals. This leads to working smarter vs harder rather quickly! LOL
The 338 recoveries were definitely shorter. (Using 210gr ammo)
Not mentioned earlier, but I also found an improvement in on game performance with the STW vs the Rem Mag, where Roy would be proud to say "velocity kills!"
I do not have a 7mm Rem Mag or a 338 Win Mag anymore, as I now have LH STW, 338-06 and 338 Federal. THe first being used for more open terrain with potential for longer shots, and the latter 2 for thicker terrain where shorter shots won't require the extra punch of the magnum. Still need to take elk with the latter 2, but have been working on getting a bull with the bow first.
Awesome...Thanks again BR. Appreciate getting into the variables and exactly what happened in those cases.
Think with the same presentations/angles/hits as the 7mm shots that went badly (animal moved hundreds of meters etc) the 338 WM would have made recoveries much shorter?
Your willingness and attempts to be more right, is interfering with your ability to get a clue...
You're also comparing apples to Bud Light in an attempt to do so.
If you can't read, count to six, and have short term memory loss, that doesn't mean that others can't/do as well... it's exactly the opposite, really.
Your inexperience is showing.
Just keep doing the alphabet shooting... The wise will continue to put zeros where they need to be.
R.
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Well... having the ability to read, and count will certainly make this easier for you! You'll not have any scope issues, either. It's good stuff, with repeatable and accurate clicks.
Give it ride and post up the findings. Interested to see where it comes out at. What rifle and cartridge again?
R.
It looks (for now) like its going to be a Tikka T3x with 24.3" barrel, 6.5 Creedmoor, 130gr Hornady CX, H100v, trying for as close to 2900 FPS as I can get. Manual says its doable, but guns be their own individual beasties, as we all know.
From a hundred meter zero on the dot, that becomes 12, 19 and 27 inches at 300, 350 and 400 yards.
From two hundred meter zero its 7, 13 and 20.5 inches at same.
In theory lol
Dangle that 130 as long as possible, and the 2900 should be easily achieved. What powder? Drop numbers looks good as well.
It's all theory... until it isn't!
R.
Hybrid 100v will be the fuel I try. Its available and at this moment, cheap. Would try RL17 but its powdered unicorn horn right now lol
If Federal's 130gr Terminal Ascent was still available as a component, really wonder how fast that could be pushed with safe handloading. Had an even better BC.
If Federal's 130gr Terminal Ascent was still available as a component, really wonder how fast that could be pushed with safe handloading. Had an even better BC.
