Originally Posted by
Sheridan
Wheh I googled "long range" shooting this is what I found;
There are always exceptions, of course. Jack O'Connor himself killed big game animals at over 300 yards, and other masters like Bob Hagel, Warren Page, Elmer Keith, Pete Brown, Francis Sell, and Townsend Whelen did likewise. But these men had the skill and the experience to justify such shooting. They lived at a time when game was much more plentiful than it is today, and when bag limits were generous or nonexistent. As full-time professional gun writers, they had the opportunity to shoot an enormous amount of ammunition through a very wide variety of rifles, and to spend a great deal of their time hunting. Such opportunities were rare then, and are almost nonexistent now. The times have indeed changed, and not always for the better.
I would like to conclude by pointing out that long range shots are less common than might be inferred from reading the sporting magazines. Most big game animals in North America are killed at under 200 yards; in fact, most are killed at less than 100 yards.
Good for Google. Now ask people with real experience.
RR has regularly made good shots on animals beyond 700 yards. My longest is an elk at 683 yds, also solid.
Just because you don't understand the ballistics and calculations of long range shooting personally, does not mean it is not routine for others. I shoot animals over 300 yds with a muzzleloader compensating for over 4 feet of bullet drop. To date all have dropped where they stood.
Someone wanting to shoot 700 yards should come to the table with more specific questions, skills and knowledge should be coming before shooting that far, however.
The primary concern is that you have a scope with repeatable target/tactical turrets so you can dial in your elevation and windage. The lowest-end scope I would consider for this is a Bushnell 6500 Tactical in the $600 range. I have seen $300 Nikon Buckmasters used but I would not trust one to do it regularly on such a large magnum due to potential repeatability issues.
On a gun meant for 700 yards, your budget should really start at $900 for a used tactical scope and go up from there.