What’s your go to long range hunting rifle

"Good marksman, good rest, good scope, good zero, good rifle."

That's a good starting spot. If you don't have those things there's not much to talk about, but its still just the beginning.
 
esquif said:
On course but for me at least its easier to take a 600 yard shot from a tripod with a trg-42 in 300 norma mag then a 200 yard off hand 308 shot using a light weight hunting rifle in a swamp but its a cumulation off Life expérience and hunting style. Here in Québec I hunt overlooking a lake in a blind that looks moré like a small cabin
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Agreed, 600 Yards is practically a gimmie for a good shot with decent equipment in reasonable conditions. I thought we were talking about 1000. Ooops
 
I think that thé main take away is chose a rifle that can shoot far, that sako can do 2km in the right hands and cut thé distance. At 600 it feels like cheating. Other guns can be a Réal challenge inside 300. Get sommeting that over performs and stay inside thé super confortable zone.
 
Also be smart about it. Long range hunting is not for you if you cant easly décide to not shoot. When I was younger I had to shoot if I saw a buck. Today I can let them go easy if everything is not just right or if its a Younger one.
 
I have a Sako BlackWolf 7RemMag that can reach to 1000 metres, a Sako Finnlight 270WSM at 700 metres, a Sako Stainless 270Win that groups amazingly tightly at 600 metres, and a custom Rem700 35Whelen that reaches 500 metres, but that is all on paper and shooting from a rest at known distances and no wind. For shots on game I will never try to stretch any of these rifles to those distances. The longest hunting shot with any of this group was the 270WSM at 457m with a 140Accubond for a nice Mule Deer out in the open. I would trust the 7RM out to 600m on big game but that would still be a stretch depending on all the other factors, especially me at the moment of the shot. Despite having what I consider long range hunting rifles, my reality is the majority of my shots are between 50 and 350 metres and most of those in the 150 to 200 metre range. I appreciate knowing that rifles like my 7RM can reach out but I would rather carry the 35Whelen or 270Win and do some belly crawling to close the distance for what I consider a practical shot.
 
If you want to shoot long range either go with a 7mm PRC or a 300 PRC, not that other cartridges can’t shoot long range but they are properly throated and have heavy for caliber high BC bullets loaded in factory ammo for this very purpose.

Both those cartridges need a brake for recoil reduction if you shoot lots.

I’ve been shooting the 6.5 PRC necked up to 7mm and it’s proving to be an excellent cartridge
I’m shooting 175gr Berger’s at 2900 fps out of a 26” barrel.

6.5 PRC is another excellent option.
 
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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Fierce 338 lapua with nightforce shv, weatherby mark 5 arroyo in 338-378 wby Leupold scope, weatherby mark5 arroyo in 340 wby leupold scope, and my pride and joy Gunwerks Magnus in 28 nosler with Burris veracity ph scope, all ring gongs at 600 yards which I practice at a lot at home, would like to try farther but that’s what I’m limited to at home, only ever shot at coyotes at that range twice, deer size animals or moose probably longest I have ever shot comfortably is 500 yards from a good rest not freehand. Can never have to much gun is my thinking, but that’s me , whatever you decide shoot lots and have fun.
 
I had ATRS build me a 300WM on a Model 70 Action with an RKS barrel and a 5.5-22 NXS. Unfortunately I live in the land of the "Eastern Woods Rifle" so I still haven't hunted with it yet.

I had pretty good success with my cousin's 28 Noslers a couple of years ago. He has two...one is a Christensen and the other I'm not sure (similar though...Carbon fiber barrel, high-end synthetic stock).

If we were talking real serious long range then I would probably step up to an ATRS Maverick in 338 Lapua.
 
A few which fall into the "long range big game" category:

Tikka T3X Stainless in 7mm Rem Mag
Bergara B-14 Wilderness Carbon in .300 Win Mag
Weatherby Mark V Hunter in .300 Wby Mag

The Weatherby is waiting on a new scope but if I had to pick one to head out the door right now, despite my handloads not being fully worked up the Bergara stacks 175gr LRX into nice, small clusters pretty easily. Those are only moving along in the mid-2800's currently though over a 78.0gr charge of Magnum so there is still a ways to go to get the most out of that one (82.3gr book max). It is also waiting on a new scope but has one currently which would be good enough.
 
270WSMXBolt said:
Have you made any loads? or what factory ammo are you using?
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So far I've just been using the 165gr and 170gr factory loads from Winchester.

The 165gr seems to be the best of the factory options for downrange energy and ballistics. 1,856 ft-lbs at 500 yards with 36" drop. It maintains 1,000 ft-lbs until a hair under 1000 yards.
 
John_B said:
What do you think about the Burris Veracity PH? Which one are you using?
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It’s a great scope, once I got it set up and input my reload info and a 200 yard zero its bang on, very user friendly, I have the 4-20X50mm with the C4 wind moa, Omar at Precision Optics sold me on it and I am very happy he did
 
westcoaster said:
For me long distance hunting is 400 to 500 yards. This is easier said than done and for me required a lot of practice. I could probably shoot longer if I put the work in but for what and where I shoot that is about as far as I would have to shoot. At this point I can repeatedly hit a coffee cup out to 500 yards.

I've taken a couple of deer at 450 plus, both one shot bang flops. I wont hesitate up to 500 as long as the wind is soft and the animal is not moving much.

I saw the "flat shooter" term surface in this thread; I would offer that most modern cartridges are flat shooting and the difference between a 3006 and 300wm is not significant, whereas the difference between a 4570 and a 300 wm there is a significant difference.

Mt goto rig is a customized Winchester New Haven Model 70 Classic. It's chambered in 338wm. I use a 2.5 - 10 Nightforce with the MOA reticle. I have the gradations charted so when I know the distance I just pick the right line and pull the trigger. I also only shoot one load; 250grn Swift AFrames at about 2800fps.

I have a feeling this thread could grow legs of it's own so here are a couple of parting thoughts...

IMO any "modern" bottleneck cartridge from 6.5x55 swede, 7mm08, 270, 280, the fast 7mm's, 308, 3006, the fast 300's, 338wm, 35w, 375H&H, etc, and even Gatehouse's 375 Ruger will all work up to 500.:)

A tuned trigger (less than 3lbs breaking clean), Alpha glass in your scope (Swaro, Leica, Zeiss, Nightforce, USOptics, etc) with either turrets or hashmarks, and a good rangefinder are absolutely required.

And your diligence to practice until it's routine to smash that coffee cup at what you consider long range.
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One important thing I neglected to mention is a reliable and accurate rangefinder. What I found was that after 300 yards the drop every 50 yards becomes a material consideration. It seems nowadays that most rangefinders are pretty good but after 300 yards knowing the distance in 50 yard increments is critical. With my rig I know the drop every 50 yards out to 500 yards and I use my hashmarks in my reticle.

I know the drop in 50 yard increments every time because I use the same powder, brass, primer, and bullet all the time. If I did change the bullet weight, or style of bullet it would complicate things after 300 yards.
 
I’ve shot deer at long range, for me, between 4-500 with a 25-06(120gr), and a 280(154&175gr). Many cartridges able but the practice and equipment ie: range finder, are needed. Lots of practice!
 
westcoaster said:
One important thing I neglected to mention is a reliable and accurate rangefinder. What I found was that after 300 yards the drop every 50 yards becomes a material consideration. It seems nowadays that most rangefinders are pretty good but after 300 yards knowing the distance in 50 yard increments is critical. With my rig I know the drop every 50 yards out to 500 yards and I use my hashmarks in my reticle.

I know the drop in 50 yard increments every time because I use the same powder, brass, primer, and bullet all the time. If I did change the bullet weight, or style of bullet it would complicate things after 300 yards.
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Out a bit farther and 25 yards, or even 10 yards makes a difference!
 
Did we forget he’s just after deer with this addition to the collection? Holy howitzers! Good advice but he’s not a rookie and doesn’t need ethics just gear choices and why. Also good advice on rangefinders. Grabbed a sig kilo6 compact on sale the other day, wow that little booger can range! Not a primary animal finder (blue tint) but pretty sharp enough and usable in many situations but it can range like lightning and far. Impressed as a two handed rangefinder. Be around neck likely when getting out of truck but primary glassing will be my usual alpha glass.
 
blakeyboy said:
Did we forget he’s just after deer with this addition to the collection? Holy howitzers! Good advice but he’s not a rookie and doesn’t need ethics just gear choices and why. Also good advice on rangefinders. Grabbed a sig kilo6 compact on sale the other day, wow that little booger can range! Not a primary animal finder (blue tint) but pretty sharp enough and usable in many situations but it can range like lightning and far. Impressed as a two handed rangefinder. Be around neck likely when getting out of truck but primary glassing will be my usual alpha glass.
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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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