Precision rifle for hunting

wpala said:
I agree with You 100% I just got so cut-up with paper punching that I have never developed a hunting load with the proper hunting bullet, most of the target bullets are no good hunting; just wondering if the weight of the hunting bullet is the same as the target would it behave similarly ? shape is different though
Paul.W
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Some times you get lucky with a hunting bullet and a match bullet of similar weight working well with the same load. Not always but it is worth trying.
Start slightly under your target load and paper will tell you quite quickly whether you can use the same load or not. Trajectory will be different for sure, but how much different and at what distance it really becomes an issue is what you need to find out.

I have found that I can interchange the 208 Amaxs with 200 gr Partitions in my 300 win mag. The point of impact/ point of aim is identical out to 200 yards and plenty close enough for 400 yard shots, but after that the trajectory difference is greater than what I find acceptable.

The other issue is bullet construction. An Amax or Matchking is a great target bullet at all ranges, but they only work well as a hunting bullet at extended ranges, conversely the typical hunting bullet like a Partition works extremely well at closer range but become very unpredictable in performance at extended ranges. At long range they do not always open up reliably, which makes sense, they were not designed for LR hunting.

I normally use Partitions for shots under 500 yards and then swap ammo to use either an Amax or Matchking for shots exceeding 500 yards.

Personally I tend to not take close range shots, mostly because of my rigs and hunting style. I have shot a large number of game animals with both Amaxs and Matchkings and have had great success with them despite both makers claims that they are a target bullet only.
They both NEED distance to work well.
 
cam1936 said:
Weight - come with me on a sheep hunt and then tell me how much weight matters. This coming from a young 20's guy who climbs up 11 000 ft peaks on days off in the summer.
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I think most movement while hunting these days takes place with some form of vehicle; there is very little walking involved anymore. I will give it to you that sheep hunting, once every decade or so that you get drawn, would involve more footwork. But plenty of soldiers have carried a C6 or C9 machine gun along with a lot more weight up and down mountains at a fast set pace - and they were not carrying them hanging on a sling over their shoulder either. Doable, but not fun - however when you are out for leisure purposes and at your own pace I don't mind the weight. Living in the country I sometimes carry my heavy .338 several miles at a time looking for anything worth shooting, and I don't even own a sling for it. Come to think about it the first rifle I ever hunted with was a heavy .303 British fitted with a scope and bipod; not exactly a precision rifle, but certainly getting up there in weight.


cam1936 said:
Muzzle break - great for the range, unscrew it for the hunt. Not too bad for the guy shooting, but it can cause serious hearing damage to the guy standing beside the shooter.
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2 Words - hearing protection! You should both be using some form with or without a break; if you are then this is not a problem.
 
I haven't used eith of my precision rifles for hunting yet, but I intend to. My 10FP LE2B 308 would be fine (if heavy) for caribou or deer and the ATRS 300WM would be stellar for anything else, particularly far away things which is why I built it.
 
Just for fun I took some 180 Gr hunting bullets to the range and tried them in my PGW Coyote and surprisingly I got 1 and 1.1/2 groups so I think I will take this gun and give it a shoot for hunting it will be from the stand mainly so just few miles walk to the stand and wait for nature to unveil ....
Let You guys know how it went
Paul.W
 
Just got back from a hunting trip with my son(his first) His only gun was his Savage .308 tactical model with a 6-20 power scope. I held it a few times for him during the trip and it was heavy. I had a Sako Finnlight in 7mm-08 and I would never go hunting with his gun. But he is younger and stronger but already talking about a hunting rifle. Cheers
 
LloydM said:
I think most movement while hunting these days takes place with some form of vehicle; there is very little walking involved anymore. I will give it to you that sheep hunting, once every decade or so that you get drawn, would involve more footwork. But plenty of soldiers have carried a C6 or C9 machine gun along with a lot more weight up and down mountains at a fast set pace - and they were not carrying them hanging on a sling over their shoulder either. Doable, but not fun - however when you are out for leisure purposes and at your own pace I don't mind the weight. Living in the country I sometimes carry my heavy .338 several miles at a time looking for anything worth shooting, and I don't even own a sling for it. Come to think about it the first rifle I ever hunted with was a heavy .303 British fitted with a scope and bipod; not exactly a precision rifle, but certainly getting up there in weight.



2 Words - hearing protection! You should both be using some form with or without a break; if you are then this is not a problem.
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Once a decade when you get drawn???? You can hunt sheep on a general tag every year! (Unless you get a ram down, then you have to skip next year) Also, military guys bogged down with equipment do not travel at a fast pace.
Hearing protection is not always viable. You need your ears when your hunting! Sometimes the shot presents itself too fast to be fumbling around for your hearing protection.
I'll summarize my opinion. In limited applications a target rifle is not only useful, but ideal for hunting. The issue is those applications are far too limited to exclusivly hunt with a target rifle. Well at least in my neck of the woods.
 
cam1936 said:
Hearing protection is not always viable. You need your ears when your hunting! Sometimes the shot presents itself too fast to be fumbling around for your hearing protection.
I'll summarize my opinion. In limited applications a target rifle is not only useful, but ideal for hunting. The issue is those applications are far too limited to exclusivly hunt with a target rifle. Well at least in my neck of the woods.
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Totally agreed with.
To set up and still hunt at distance, the target rig works GREAT, but not so well for stalk and shoot scenarios. Especially in the mountains where alot of walking is required.
 
all depends, if I can stay close to the truck and access the animal from close to the vehicle love using the Sako TRG with Bipod and heavy scope, otherwise like the Sako 85 finnlight with fixed 6 power scope for walking. 10 lbs makes a bit of a difference. over time.
 
I had a purpose built long range hunting rig built recently( Ian Robertson arranged the entire build ).Sure it's heavy but nothing I can't manage for a carry to my blind/stand( anywhere from 100-800 yards). It is a 7mm rum( 0.317 straight neck) built on a Barnard action,Robertson composites stock,32 inch Trueflight barrel with Vais muzzle break added and topped off with a Sightron SIII 8-32 MD.
I am shooting a 162 A-max at just over 3600 fps( 91.2 grains RL25, fed 215 match primer, sorted and neck turned remington brass to 2.5 thou clearance) . This is one extremely accurate long range rig...
 
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