What’s your go to long range hunting rifle
- Thread starter langbanger
- Start date
- Location
- WMU247 near Edmonton
I use 25-06 and 300WM for my hunting and I am comfortable with shots out to 400m and even stretching it to 500m, (laser range finder required)
but if you really want to stretch out I think you need to look at perhaps one of the 7mm ultra magnums with a VLD bullet ~195grn
from my point of view it can be done, 600-800m, but I question why? I'm a bit lazy and dragging game more then 20m is getting harder on my old body. The deer I took at 400m 2 years ago took me 2 hours of dragging to get it across the cutblock over all the slash. I won't do that again.
but if you really want to stretch out I think you need to look at perhaps one of the 7mm ultra magnums with a VLD bullet ~195grn
from my point of view it can be done, 600-800m, but I question why? I'm a bit lazy and dragging game more then 20m is getting harder on my old body. The deer I took at 400m 2 years ago took me 2 hours of dragging to get it across the cutblock over all the slash. I won't do that again.
Haha. Flip side is putting on more miles trying to find one in a better spot. Just gotta break out the knife and start packing em out a piece at a time. May take more trips and similar amount of time but be easier on you than pulling out half the stuff you won’t be eating anyway in one sweaty swear fest.
Just have a pack, some game bags, knife and some lightweight knee pads, shooting sticks handy for holding legs up doing under cuts. I’ve even boned out and bagged up then hiked first load out and walked a kids toboggan back in for the rest with lacing crisscrossing the toboggan and better drag handles installed. So there are options for certain places you can employ to get the meat out and not kill yourself.
Just slow down and let the knife do the work.
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Toyota Tundra, then a Polaris side-by-side or Honda quad so that I can get to a better hunting spot.
Kidding. You didn't really say what "long-range" means to you. Up to about 6 or 700 yards, a 300wm or 7mm rem mag will work just fine.
DancesWithEmptyCasings
CGN Regular
- Location
- The Wet Coast
Most of my shots have been under 125m. Thus I use my Marlin 1895 in 45-70. But when using a platform or when coyote hunting. I use my Savage 12FV heavy barrel in 308. Beautiful rifle but very heavy.
One thing not mentioned in this thread is smaller calibers and neck shots.
Not long range and large caliber, but with a conventional rifle at a distance that you would feel safer for a lung/shoulder shot, but instead with a rig setup that your now more comfortable to make a neck shot and feel comfortable about not missing.
Much of the focus has been putting copper out further, as opposed to putting it in a location that saves the shoulders and mess a magnum caliber often makes but with a smaller caliber.
Not saying a smaller caliber is superior, but that there are other benefits to these style of builds.
Not long range and large caliber, but with a conventional rifle at a distance that you would feel safer for a lung/shoulder shot, but instead with a rig setup that your now more comfortable to make a neck shot and feel comfortable about not missing.
Much of the focus has been putting copper out further, as opposed to putting it in a location that saves the shoulders and mess a magnum caliber often makes but with a smaller caliber.
Not saying a smaller caliber is superior, but that there are other benefits to these style of builds.
I never really look at neck shots as a target area for the most part , even at closer ranges .
I have always either taken a lung shot or in some circumstances a high shoulder shot, regardless of the distance or cartridge I was using.
Cat
TriggerHappyHippy
Regular
- Location
- Edmonton AB
Here's mine. Bergara b14 in 7mmPRC.
Attachments
In 38 years of hunting big game, my average shot distance is just 132 yards. I have taken just 5 animals at 300 yards or more, and only 1 past 400, at 475 yards which I seriously underestimated the range at 400.
My local shooting ranges only have rifle ranges out to 400 and 500 yards respectively. I regularly practice out to 500 so I can verify the B&C reticle hashmarks for the various cartridges I am shooting and will be hunting with. This just builds confidence in my shooting form and ability, for typical shooting distances on game.Typically, I have kept my shot distances to less than 400 yards, as demonstrated above.
I have a number of rifle/scope/ammunition combinations fully capable of taking elk or bison out to these distances, even if I will never take a shot at these animals at this distance, unless required to for a follow up shot on wounded animals.
I have and enjoy the following rifles that are capable of taking a range of big game out to 500 yards (even if I choose not to), and all will produce MOA or better groups with their preferred loads (factory and handloads):
My local shooting ranges only have rifle ranges out to 400 and 500 yards respectively. I regularly practice out to 500 so I can verify the B&C reticle hashmarks for the various cartridges I am shooting and will be hunting with. This just builds confidence in my shooting form and ability, for typical shooting distances on game.Typically, I have kept my shot distances to less than 400 yards, as demonstrated above.
I have a number of rifle/scope/ammunition combinations fully capable of taking elk or bison out to these distances, even if I will never take a shot at these animals at this distance, unless required to for a follow up shot on wounded animals.
I have and enjoy the following rifles that are capable of taking a range of big game out to 500 yards (even if I choose not to), and all will produce MOA or better groups with their preferred loads (factory and handloads):
- Antelope, Deer, Mountain Sheep and Goats, Caribou, and Black Bear (retaining 1,000 ft. lbs of energy w/ preferred ammunition):
- LH Browning X Bolt All Weather in 6.5 CM w/ Leupold VX-3HD 4.5-14x40 B&C
- LH Browning X Bolt Hunter in 6.5 PRC w/ Leupold VX-5HD 3.5-15x44 B&C
- Moose (retaining 1,500 ft. lbs of energy w/ preferred ammunition):
- LH Browning X Bolt All Weather in 270 WSM w/ Leupold VX III 4.5-14 x 40 B&C
- LH Rem 700 XCR in 280 Rem w/ Leupold VX III 3.5-10 x 40 B&C
- LH Browning X Bolt All Weather in 7mm Rem Mag w/ Leupold VX-III 3.5-10x40 B&C
- LH Rem 700 in 300 WSM w/ Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 B&C
- LH Rem 700 in 338-06 w/ Leupold VX 3 3.5-10 x 40 B&C
- Elk and Bison (*retaining 2,000 ft. lbs of energy w/ preferred ammunition):
- *LH Fierce Carbon Rogue in 7MM PRC w/ Leupold VX-5HD 3.5-15x44 B&C
- Should note that I have only tried one factory load in the 7MM PRC so far, and am waiting for warmer weather tog et back out to the range to try 4 other factory loads to determine preferred load
- LH Sako AV in 7MM STW w/ Leupold VX III 4.5-14 x 40 B&C
- This is the most accurate so far, and will produce 1" groups @ 300 yards with factory ammo, and I have taken more game with this rifle than any other to date, incl/ 4 of the 5 animals taken at 300 yards or more, incl/ the 7x7 bull elk taken @ 475 yards
- *LH Fierce Carbon Rogue in 7MM PRC w/ Leupold VX-5HD 3.5-15x44 B&C
Longest distance kill shot for me to date was a moose at 415 when I had a Ruger M77 .338 mag in hand, topped with Leu 1.75-6x32
so that I guess is my lr hunting rig
Dozens of other kills have been closer with the -06, 243, 30-30, 308
Only kill with the super 7 STW was at 80 yds lol
so that I guess is my lr hunting rig
Dozens of other kills have been closer with the -06, 243, 30-30, 308
Only kill with the super 7 STW was at 80 yds lol
Learned that lesson long ago with a moose my brother shot. - dan
Funny how that goes!
Of the 30 animals taken with my 7MM STW, 10 of those have been less than 100 yards!
Two of those were at 30 (mtn goat and whitetail), 1 at 35 (whitetail), and 1 at 40 yards (moose); should have had my bow!
tactical lever
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Fox Creek, Alberta
Not very often that a guy actually needs a rifle for a 300 yard shot even; but go ahead and pack a .44 Mag carbine or 45-70 into the bush and see what happens! 
