Looking at putting together another hunting rifle for long range big game, what are your go to caliber scope and rifle set up? Looking for something factory, not a build and I have no budget really. Post some pics and show off your long range rigs.
What’s your go to long range hunting rifle
- Thread starter langbanger
- Start date
i would consider anything over 500-600 yards for me pretty long range. I’m not looking to shoot at anything past 1000 yards….maybe 800 yards? I don’t know. I just know that I wouldn’t be comfortable shooting my 30-06 out there with a 2.5-10x42 Leica on top. I’ve shot my 6.5 cm to 1000 pretty well but that big bugger will never come hunting with me. What do you consider long range, and what do you hunt with at those ranges? What is your favourite caliber for killing big game?
I'd like to hear what others have to say about this subject.
For me , long range hunting would be past 350 yards, up to a max of 550-600 yards.
I'd choose a cartridge a step above the 308 Win. I like the 300WM with bullets 180gr are higher.
I like magnification at 20-24x for those ranges. A bolt action, 24-26" non-sporter weight barrel.
Flame suit on.
For me , long range hunting would be past 350 yards, up to a max of 550-600 yards.
I'd choose a cartridge a step above the 308 Win. I like the 300WM with bullets 180gr are higher.
I like magnification at 20-24x for those ranges. A bolt action, 24-26" non-sporter weight barrel.
Flame suit on.
The majority of the true long rangers I know are shooting big stuff like thd 338/378, 338 Lapua, etc.
Some are using 300 mags ans WSM's.
This is for what I consider long range , which is past 700 yards.
More important than the cartridge IMO are the scope, an excellent range finder, and shooter ability.
In the past I have made more than a few kills past 800, but no longer pursue that type of hunting due to several factors .
Cat
Some are using 300 mags ans WSM's.
This is for what I consider long range , which is past 700 yards.
More important than the cartridge IMO are the scope, an excellent range finder, and shooter ability.
In the past I have made more than a few kills past 800, but no longer pursue that type of hunting due to several factors .
Cat
Last edited:
on another forum there is a god, even got him to admit moderate amount of people regardless of their gear or prep are consistent killers to 450 and few to 600, and beyond that there's exponentially fewer and those that can spend more time a year in competition or at ranges etc. than they probably do with their own families, so for the purposes of discussion you gotta think about the 98% of us that aren't gonna live like that and more rounded outdoorsmen who fish and do all sorts of other things....in that 98% then hunting has become defined, indirectly, on that same forum, full of these alpha prs 'western' rockstars regular shooting competing to 1200 yards when polled what their limits on game are guess where most of them comment? yup 500-600....
now why is that? I ran up and down the ladder a bit and came to these same conclusions myself and no one really wants to verbalize or study why does it seem to cap out around 600 on the far end and 450 on the middle end? natural laws seem to be there, why? lets go into it then, I've been verbalizing this for awhile as that's how I tend to connect dots...and when I did since I came from a lot of bowhunting leading into my powder burner obsessions there are natural limits the majority there, 50-70 yards, like the 450/600 yards.....start looking at patterns in Time Of Flight (TOF), 0.5 to 0.75 seconds starts to emerge. Our projectiles have a certain velocity range and drop/wind drift range....there are natural limits there to observe, 2400-3200 fps, .4 to .6 bc type ranges. Live animals. Field conditions accuracy! and lastly wind reading ability...most choose to stay within 20" whether they call it mils or moa or whatever...it all maths back to their ability to read wind close enough and then drift into 12-18" ballon circular kill zones feeling confident enough you got the wind called close enough to make that drift, usually not holding much off fur at all for wind, no wind, easier to go 600, more wind....that 20" might be more like 400 yards on the prairies one day etc. most guys are gonna be about double their typical range moa in field shooting conditions, and of course live animals move as some of the factor into the TOF also
so hunting is 0-mpbr, long range hunting is mpbr to approx. 600 for the 98% of us....whew, glad we finally got that sorted out, and many of us won't be at the top of that 98% either lol, it's a curve, we're all on it somewhere, some years with more shooting and good set up we might be further up it, other years not so much
once you define it for yourself then see how much data you actually need to account for and you can boil your solutions down from there, you squeak more on your top ends with the higher bc and faster options of course, which most are choosing for this type of shooting anyway, I'd start from 6cm 108's and go up from there, 6.5cm, 6.5 prc is likely where'd I'd stop if I was trying for an 800 yard rig, a 6.5cm would hammer at 600 no prob and I'll choose low recoil with least powder burned necessary, but if 7mm on up you must carry on, to get those bc's the bullets/powder/recoil really start to climb jumping past 6.5's, do you need ffp/mil to go 600?, make up your own mind there, an old Burris ff2 3-9x40 ballistic flex can get you there too, one might be much faster, simpler and easier to use with just a regular rangefinder than the other...endless options in between
have fun, I shot my longer range builds really well with 14x on top end, good range to be in at 600 and bit more
now why is that? I ran up and down the ladder a bit and came to these same conclusions myself and no one really wants to verbalize or study why does it seem to cap out around 600 on the far end and 450 on the middle end? natural laws seem to be there, why? lets go into it then, I've been verbalizing this for awhile as that's how I tend to connect dots...and when I did since I came from a lot of bowhunting leading into my powder burner obsessions there are natural limits the majority there, 50-70 yards, like the 450/600 yards.....start looking at patterns in Time Of Flight (TOF), 0.5 to 0.75 seconds starts to emerge. Our projectiles have a certain velocity range and drop/wind drift range....there are natural limits there to observe, 2400-3200 fps, .4 to .6 bc type ranges. Live animals. Field conditions accuracy! and lastly wind reading ability...most choose to stay within 20" whether they call it mils or moa or whatever...it all maths back to their ability to read wind close enough and then drift into 12-18" ballon circular kill zones feeling confident enough you got the wind called close enough to make that drift, usually not holding much off fur at all for wind, no wind, easier to go 600, more wind....that 20" might be more like 400 yards on the prairies one day etc. most guys are gonna be about double their typical range moa in field shooting conditions, and of course live animals move as some of the factor into the TOF also
so hunting is 0-mpbr, long range hunting is mpbr to approx. 600 for the 98% of us....whew, glad we finally got that sorted out, and many of us won't be at the top of that 98% either lol, it's a curve, we're all on it somewhere, some years with more shooting and good set up we might be further up it, other years not so much
once you define it for yourself then see how much data you actually need to account for and you can boil your solutions down from there, you squeak more on your top ends with the higher bc and faster options of course, which most are choosing for this type of shooting anyway, I'd start from 6cm 108's and go up from there, 6.5cm, 6.5 prc is likely where'd I'd stop if I was trying for an 800 yard rig, a 6.5cm would hammer at 600 no prob and I'll choose low recoil with least powder burned necessary, but if 7mm on up you must carry on, to get those bc's the bullets/powder/recoil really start to climb jumping past 6.5's, do you need ffp/mil to go 600?, make up your own mind there, an old Burris ff2 3-9x40 ballistic flex can get you there too, one might be much faster, simpler and easier to use with just a regular rangefinder than the other...endless options in between
have fun, I shot my longer range builds really well with 14x on top end, good range to be in at 600 and bit more
Browning X-Bolt speed rifle seems to be a great choice for a lightweight rifle that is very accurate out of the box.
I love target shooting out to 1000 yards, but for hunting I would probably limit myself to ~350 yards. Can guarantee an ethical shot at that distance but not beyond it.
I love target shooting out to 1000 yards, but for hunting I would probably limit myself to ~350 yards. Can guarantee an ethical shot at that distance but not beyond it.
I've hunted big game hence 1975, killed well over 250 big game animals. Average shot is 125 yards. Longest shot was 489 paces. I hunt The Great Plains of North America. I won't wish you good luck at "long range killing". I'm not telling you how to hunt, because what you are pursuing isn't hunting.
Last edited:
long range target shooting is not long range hunting.
your bullet won't expand at under approximately 1800 fps (bullet type dependent). that puts a 400m cap on 308, 600m for 30-06, and say 1000m for 300 prc (bullet weight and load dependent).
further, you mention 'big game' which means you want a big bullet (vs say varmint hunting). you can hit big game with a smaller bullet and perhaps even have it expand, but it won't do enough damage to drop the animal immediately. at which point with a 1000m shot he's already got a 1km lead on you.
if you are just throwing terms like '1000 yards' and 'big game' out there without knowing the above i'd put myself firmly in agreement with the post above.
your bullet won't expand at under approximately 1800 fps (bullet type dependent). that puts a 400m cap on 308, 600m for 30-06, and say 1000m for 300 prc (bullet weight and load dependent).
further, you mention 'big game' which means you want a big bullet (vs say varmint hunting). you can hit big game with a smaller bullet and perhaps even have it expand, but it won't do enough damage to drop the animal immediately. at which point with a 1000m shot he's already got a 1km lead on you.
if you are just throwing terms like '1000 yards' and 'big game' out there without knowing the above i'd put myself firmly in agreement with the post above.
As you note, its bullet dependent. Things like the Accbuond LR, Barnes LRX, and Hornady ELD-X are designed to open at much lower velocities - 1300 for the Accubond for instance. That would get you to something like 700m with the lowly 308win.
I'm not suggesting the 308win has enough energy at 700m to efficiently kill game of course... Although in all honesty, it probably has over 1k ft/lb well past 600 with one of those high BC bullets designed for such ranges...
Get a good accurate bolt action rifle, in a somewhat flat shooting cartridge, top it off with a 2.5-10 good quality scope. (maybe like what you already have)
Practice a lot and learn your limits. Just because all the hero's on youtube are shooting 1000 meters doesn't mean everybody can....
I think 400 meters is a long shot, and I practice to that distance. At the bench on a steady rest, with a slow heart beat I am deadly. In the real world, with adrenaline, and not a shooting bench it is a different ball game. I pass up shots and try to get closer.
Practice a lot and learn your limits. Just because all the hero's on youtube are shooting 1000 meters doesn't mean everybody can....
I think 400 meters is a long shot, and I practice to that distance. At the bench on a steady rest, with a slow heart beat I am deadly. In the real world, with adrenaline, and not a shooting bench it is a different ball game. I pass up shots and try to get closer.
Attachments
everyone has an opinion and wants to express thier thoughts on long range rather than give sound advice.
Some guys live on the prairies and have the ability to shoot game that far away be they coyotes, wolves or ungulates or pronghorn.
If they can do it accurately and the animal gets a quick death..... I fail to see the problem.
I can hit targets with proficiency well past 600m with most of my rifles but I don't think I am proficient enough to take shots on game that those ranges or beyond. Part of it my skill level, the rest is the equipment and I shoot a very accurate 7mm rem mag.
Long range to 'most' hunters is past 300 and inside 500 ...... I think very few are out there purposefully trying to go further but far be it from me to tell a guy he shouldn't.
It all boils down to the amount of energy a projectile is still carrying when it hits the animal...... so select caliber/bullet accordingly.
Some guys live on the prairies and have the ability to shoot game that far away be they coyotes, wolves or ungulates or pronghorn.
If they can do it accurately and the animal gets a quick death..... I fail to see the problem.
I can hit targets with proficiency well past 600m with most of my rifles but I don't think I am proficient enough to take shots on game that those ranges or beyond. Part of it my skill level, the rest is the equipment and I shoot a very accurate 7mm rem mag.
Long range to 'most' hunters is past 300 and inside 500 ...... I think very few are out there purposefully trying to go further but far be it from me to tell a guy he shouldn't.
It all boils down to the amount of energy a projectile is still carrying when it hits the animal...... so select caliber/bullet accordingly.
not to go OT, but i personally would have some concerns with the softer bullets that open at lower energy (splattering of a shoulder blade at 1000 yards for instance) but hey i am running eld-x in my 300 prc and can report back if i ever get a shot on something. but ultimately my point was range and size of game is going to drive caliber choice.
If I could "like" that a lot more than once I would.
What you can do on demand, in the field, is what counts. Especially cold, tired, etc etc etc
Just for fun I checked out the 7mm-08 with a 162gr ELD-M at 2700 FPS. Its reaching 700 yards with 1847 fps and 1263 ft/lbs remaining. At 600 yards its basically the same as a 30-30 at 100 yards.
Better off with something that bucks the wind better. But it goes to show, you can take a relatively mild cartridge and reach out there with plenty of power left.
Last edited:
yup my latest pet sako 308 20" spits 168gr eld-m at 2592 fps and around 760 yards still 1600 fps, plenty for deer, but the only thing alive that may get lead sent at that distance, provided I actually put a scope on for that, would be a coyote, it's got all kinds of poke to handle elk to a little over 500, and pet 2 tikka 308 20" with 165 fusions rated to 1900 fps and starting at pretty quick 2676 fps is about out of gas for big game work by about 475 yards so bullets matter quite a bit, eld-m's work really good to 1700 fps by what I've seen others recover, I've impacted personally with them at 1800 fps and drt deer with an exit...but lots of reports eld-m work down to below 1600 fps if the odd guy really wants to play the extended long range target (elrt) game on animals, elrh some might call it but not really hunting imo so elrt is more like it, see how far you can consistently smash hung up called coyotes and maybe add 150-200 yards to that at most for deer....that distance is gonna be way closer than one 'wishes' for despite what heroes they think they will be because of their range performance in controlled conditions and no tag pressure 
Longest shot I ever killed game at was a touch over 400 paces, across a field from a rest (fallen log). That was a 7mm-08 if I remember correctly. Anything bigger than deer though, I'd pick either my 340 Wby or 8 Rem Mag. - dan
My “long range” limit has so far been only up to 300 yards.
Sako A7 stainless synthetic, 30-06. Handloaded 180gr Gamekings. It never lets me down.
From what I’ve seen of several generations of Sako both forward and backward, the form factors and anctions all seem extremely similar and the barrels are identical.
I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a 75, 85, T3x, A7, or several other Sako models if I wanted an accurate lifetime purchase.
Sako A7 stainless synthetic, 30-06. Handloaded 180gr Gamekings. It never lets me down.
From what I’ve seen of several generations of Sako both forward and backward, the form factors and anctions all seem extremely similar and the barrels are identical.
I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a 75, 85, T3x, A7, or several other Sako models if I wanted an accurate lifetime purchase.
Long range hunting and long target shooting are two different things and not to be confused together as one.
Long range hunting is very difficult, and one needs to be proficient at long range target shooting before they even consider long range hunting.
There are many who denounce it, but there are many who are proficient at it- they just didn't get there yesterday , however .
Purpose built rifles , cartridges and scopes that are very expensive, and range finders and spotting scopes need .
to be top shelf gear.
It's not for beginners and it certainly isn't for many of the cartridges some people think are okay
My advice has always been if a person wants to get into long range hunting , they had better have lots of dedication and deep pockets.
Cat
Long range hunting is very difficult, and one needs to be proficient at long range target shooting before they even consider long range hunting.
There are many who denounce it, but there are many who are proficient at it- they just didn't get there yesterday , however .
Purpose built rifles , cartridges and scopes that are very expensive, and range finders and spotting scopes need .
to be top shelf gear.
It's not for beginners and it certainly isn't for many of the cartridges some people think are okay
My advice has always been if a person wants to get into long range hunting , they had better have lots of dedication and deep pockets.
Cat
Last edited:
I shot a goat at 430 yards with a 6.5 Rem Mag and Leupold VX-3 4.5-14 with a 140 Accubond. Last year, I shot a cow moose at 500 yards with a .358-375 Ruger and Leupold VX-3 4.5-14 with a 225 Accubond. I just finished building a .375-300 WSM that is showing promise at 500-600 yards, but I have no intention of hunting at that range... but then again, if the circumstances are right and the stars align in creating the absolute assurance I need in order to squeeze the trigger, it could happen... it's just after four plus decades of bowhunting, I just prefer to get close.
