What’s your go to long range hunting rifle

I'm not a "long range hunter" but the rifle I have that is best suited to open country hunting is my 280 Ackley

Defiance Rebel action, Gunwerks Clymr stock, Benchmark 8 twist barrel, Triggertech

It's currently topped with a Vortex Razor 4.5-22x50 FFP. Shoots really well with most bullets, but I mainly hunt with 160gr Hornady Cx for larger game, and 165gr Sierra Tipped Gameking for deer

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todbartell said:
I'm not a "long range hunter" but the rifle I have that is best suited to open country hunting is my 280 Ackley

Defiance Rebel action, Gunwerks Clymr stock, Benchmark 8 twist barrel, Triggertech

It's currently topped with a Vortex Razor 4.5-22x50 FFP. Shoots really well with most bullets, but I mainly hunt with 160gr Hornady Cx for larger game, and 165gr Sierra Tipped Gameking for deer

LN0dVyE.jpeg
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Now that’s a good looking Rifle in a sensible cartridge.
 
tactical lever said:
He mentioned deer a few posts down, but not that he was only after deer. Just big game that I saw.

The 8 RM I picked up was for elk, or other stuff. If a fella wants to hunt Yukon griz, wood buffalo or other big stuff it'd be good for that too. For buffalo in the Yukon, the minimum is 30-06, roughly speaking. Minimum .30 calibre, minimum 180 gr. bullet, and minimum 2800 ft/lbs muzzle energy. Premium bonded or controlled expansion bullets recommended. And while 30-06 meets the legal minimum, it's not recommended.

A better rangefinder than you think you'll need is a smart move. The range listed is usually the maximum for a metal building or similar and when getting a reading on fur, you might only get half. It's helpful to be able to get a farther reading than you'd ever shoot, so you know how far you have to close.
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My bad coulda swore he was all about deer. No replacement for placement. I’m sure he’s got a good spectrum of gear and ideas to look at now. This is the fun part. Setting it up and building proficiency is the next fun part. Filling tags the boring part. I lean to funner easier to shoot off the shelf resale etc. And sending more lead quickly and seeing things solo are super max fun! So whatever keeps me to not losing picture or barely losing it, no extra fat. My current mental list would try the maven on a 24” 6cm with some weight. My long range wouldn’t be that long. Coyotes and practice yeah but on big game the long rangers would call my limits midrange.

Op, let us know what you end up doing.

And check out the sig kilo6 for ranging power, watch for sales, good value. It’ll suit well beyond where I might go, if I go, down the road again. You can get that part out of the way and start having fun with it while you plan the other hardware solutions out.
 
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langbanger said:
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.
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I like my 6.5 creedmore but I am sure most people would KBR love the stopping power and go with larger 300 win mag or something
 
todbartell said:
I'm not a "long range hunter" but the rifle I have that is best suited to open country hunting is my 280 Ackley

Defiance Rebel action, Gunwerks Clymr stock, Benchmark 8 twist barrel, Triggertech

It's currently topped with a Vortex Razor 4.5-22x50 FFP. Shoots really well with most bullets, but I mainly hunt with 160gr Hornady Cx for larger game, and 165gr Sierra Tipped Gameking for deer

LN0dVyE.jpeg
Click to expand...
That’s a darn nice rifle, I like it.
 
langbanger said:
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.
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7-6.5 PRCW shooting 175gr Bergers at 2900 fps
Pure Precision SKLTN action, Triggertech trigger, Gunwerks Clymer Stock, 26 inch Benchmark 1-8 twist barrel, Leica Amplus 6 3-18x44 scope.
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I have a custom built 6mm Creedmoor weighs 19+ lbs and strictly bench gun it will comfortably ring steel to 1,000 yards, fun to shoot and easy to load for and in that heavy gun the recoil is like a 17HMR. it has 1 kill and that was a coyote at 647 yards.
For hunting big game I have a pair of CA mesa long range rifles in 6.5 PRC and 7mm PRC topped with nightforce NX8 - 2.5 - 20 x 50mm scopes, I have rung steel out to 1,400 yards with both of them. I also have a Remington 700 sendaro in 300 RUM pushing a 190gr LRAB at close to 3200 fps, I have had it out to 1,000 yards also very comfortably and have take a ton of game with it, I believe the longest shot on game was just over 350 yards. I know if I have time to get set up and range the animal do the dope and dial I could hit them well out beyond 600 yards but for me hunting situations are much different than ringing steel off a bench with a spotter.
Hitting a animal at 800 yards is not the thing really, it's where you hit them, the margin of error is small and a poorly hit animal makes for a very long day tracking, in my 50 or so years of hunting if I can't get close enough to an animal to make a nice clean ethical kill well I just pass. I have take 4 really nice antelope over the years and had many opportunities to take a shot at 600 yards but never really felt comfortable doping the constant gusting winds that are prevalent in good antelope country, in the end all were shot between 200 and 350 yards, lots of stalking and crawling but all were 1 and done.
 
waldo54 said:
I have a custom built 6mm Creedmoor weighs 19+ lbs and strictly bench gun it will comfortably ring steel to 1,000 yards, fun to shoot and easy to load for and in that heavy gun the recoil is like a 17HMR. it has 1 kill and that was a coyote at 647 yards.
For hunting big game I have a pair of CA mesa long range rifles in 6.5 PRC and 7mm PRC topped with nightforce NX8 - 2.5 - 20 x 50mm scopes, I have rung steel out to 1,400 yards with both of them. I also have a Remington 700 sendaro in 300 RUM pushing a 190gr LRAB at close to 3200 fps, I have had it out to 1,000 yards also very comfortably and have take a ton of game with it, I believe the longest shot on game was just over 350 yards. I know if I have time to get set up and range the animal do the dope and dial I could hit them well out beyond 600 yards but for me hunting situations are much different than ringing steel off a bench with a spotter.
Hitting a animal at 800 yards is not the thing really, it's where you hit them, the margin of error is small and a poorly hit animal makes for a very long day tracking, in my 50 or so years of hunting if I can't get close enough to an animal to make a nice clean ethical kill well I just pass. I have take 4 really nice antelope over the years and had many opportunities to take a shot at 600 yards but never really felt comfortable doping the constant gusting winds that are prevalent in good antelope country, in the end all were shot between 200 and 350 yards, lots of stalking and crawling but all were 1 and done.
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With the Right scope on it you could compete in F Open class easily - Guys do all the time with Dashers . 👍😀
 
I think every hunter ought to be able to make a kill shot out to 250 yards. We used to shoot fist size rocks off of the roof of an old van that was abandoned in a pit. It became routine and was good practice for shooting. Also we would set-up loonies at 100 yards and shoot those... Which was also, good practice. It was good to use objects rather then target paper all the time. Now my thoughts on long range is probably much shorter then some shooters. I consider 450 yards to be a long shot and 600 to be about my maximum range. I'd be using my 300WSM for the longest shot at around 600 yards and a 30-06 for 450 yards and below; and a 270 for 400 yards and below.
 
todbartell said:
I'm not a "long range hunter" but the rifle I have that is best suited to open country hunting is my 280 Ackley

Defiance Rebel action, Gunwerks Clymr stock, Benchmark 8 twist barrel, Triggertech

It's currently topped with a Vortex Razor 4.5-22x50 FFP. Shoots really well with most bullets, but I mainly hunt with 160gr Hornady Cx for larger game, and 165gr Sierra Tipped Gameking for deer

LN0dVyE.jpeg
Click to expand...
Very nice and its a lefty!
 
I would say it depends on the game for me. I have a 300 WM, 6.5 PRC, 338 RCM currently that could all be used at the 5 to 600 yard range depending on the load chosen and game being hunted.

Easy buttons are any factory magnum offering. 300 WM, 7 RM, 338WM, 7PRC, 300PRC and 6.5PRC. All offer factory options for ammo that will get you out to range and most companies are chambering rifles in these cartridges at this point. An ammo is pretty easy to find. You can also get into cartridge like 6.5CM, 270 Win, .308 Win, 7mm/08 and a few others.

It really comes down to the rifle itself. If you went the custom route and hand loaded you could get a .30-06 built that handles it all no problem just not worth the exercise these days.

Personally I like Tikka rifles and find them very accurate for a factory rifle. The don't offer the 7PRC or 300 PRC right now and likely wont ever offer the 300 PRC due to action length. However you can find them in other cartridges mentioned. So that would be my easy button. I have also heard good things about ruger americans and the gen 2s. They come in 7 PRC.

B
 
We had two Danish visitors with us last week. They brought their rifles along which are of similar build and same stocks as ours. Danes had a 7-08 and 7x64 T3 based rifles with medium weight barrels and carbon fibre stocks. My son and I have two 6.5CM. Mine on a remmy action and Hardy 20" carbon barrel my sons a T3 action and proof 22" carbon prefit, both with ultra light carbon stocks. My rifle has taken deer to a bit over 600m. My sons rifle is new.
After the morning hunt with three deer down, we scanned a valley but saw no deer and decided to do one test shot with each rifle at a 3.5" black dot on a rock at 442m. Luckily there was no wind. First up my son who had never fired his new rifle yet, hit the outside edge of the dot. Second the Dane with the 7x64 who hit the bottom edge of the dot. The 7-08 Dane hit almost centre with his shot. My shot went an inch right of the dot and I was the only one to fire a second with one click left which hit centre. We were delighted that especially the two lightweight rifles that weigh bare 6.2 and 6.4lbs were that capable. The Danes used forend hold technique whereas we used hand under buttstock loose hold. One of the Danes is a LE weapons expert and works together with us since years. We have similar rifles in 22-250, 308, and 300wm that shoot to the same accuracy. We also test/plink our 6.5's and 300wm to 1200m with good results.
If one follows a few rules I believe one can achieve good and consistent accuracy with lightweight rifles.

The 4 rifles. scoped with 3-20x50 Ultra Short PMII, Leupold 3-18 ??, 4-16x56 Schmidt Bender Polar, 4-16x50 PMII Schmidt Bender. All FFP.

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The black dot of doom on the rock where the small arrow points.

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langbanger said:
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.
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My brother really likes his Christensen 28 nosler. Got his mulie buck this year 628 yards
 
And now guys are breaking both shoulders of elk at 900 with 115 dtacs from some hotter 6mm’s.

It’s quite a range. Pardon the pun. I am not going there and no plans currently but all the credit to those who do it. I’ll get into midrange and push what I have to closer to its potential and that’s me. I never say never. Seems like a while nother level of understanding and potential has occurred so it’s interesting to sponge it and apply some of it. Ballistic rangefinder I’m warming up with and by near accident I’m into ffp mil scope as I solve for reading glasses and plan to use two optics only that both can focus internally to my eye. So I’m down with the benefits of all the lessons learned and shift into more hunt friendly equipments. Still sound rifle and modern factory ammo guy so no custom elr desires. Guess gunwerks and others noting you can do a lot with off the shelf match and will sell guns to that. One guy got a 65prc gunwerks and from zero to ~650 did 3 into 3.5” factory 147 eldm right out of the gate, prolly a solid 1000 yard set up there without reloading and wildcatting.

I just wanna lob 168 eldm’s out of a 308 around moa and never even think about barrel life. So that’s what I be up to for awhile now. And it’s 3/4 scale version the 123’s from 6.5 grendel which has been a real killer for 7 years now. It’s still doing more drt’s than the 308 lol. 308 a bit much for deer size game but the Grendel just flattens em at an awesome rate.
 
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