iloveto4x4innc

I have a Ruger M77 MkII 300 Win. Mag. that I bought to hunt elk in CO. Since I sold my 270 to help pay for this, I've been shooting 150g CoreLokts in it for whitetails. I sighted it in at 200 yards using this ammo. I took it to KS to hunt whitetails last week. I had a buck walk out in front of me at 250yrds and stand there broadside to me and I missed him 3 times! It was pretty windy (20+ mph winds out of the South), but I was shooting into the wind. I had a solid rest on the round bales that made up the blind I was hunting out of. I didn't see where the first 2 shots went, but the 3rd shot went into the dirt at his heels. I was aiming at the top of his front shoulder. Could the wind have been swirling as it came over the trees and cause the bullet to go that far off course? Would I have had better luck in the wind with a heavier bullet? Should I have just stayed in the house that afternoon and drank beer instead of going hunting?

charlie brown

Did you shoot the gun to confirm zero before you went off hunting?Or have you shot the gun since? Are all of the screws tight on the scope and mounts? I would go to the nearest range and check that zero again. Also, check all screws. One little bump could have set those crosshairs off enough to miss.

salty

something is wrong.. it should only drop about 1 or 2 inches at 250 yards.

salty

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/results/default.aspx?type=centerfire&cal=32

iloveto4x4innc

I checked the zero when I got to CO and it was fine. I didn't check it when I got to KS, I figured if it made it 2000 miles from NC to CO and was fine, it should make the 600 mile trip to KS ok. All of the guns were in padded cases in the car and I am very careful not to bang them around when I put them in the car. I haven't been to the range yet since getting home. I spent the weekend trying to recover from the drive back home. I'll try to get out sometime this week and see if the zero's still good. I double checked the screws when I got to KS and they were all tight.

Thanks for the input so far.

salty

did you tighten the screws before the hunt? That could be a world of difference.. It only takes a slight movement to throw off your zero.

salty

any chance you got buck fever and pulled the trigger instead of holding steady and squeezing??? I got a case of buck fever this season and also missed a long range shot.

iloveto4x4innc

I checked the screws when we went out that morning and they were all tight. I haven't had a case of buck fever since I was 16 shooting at my very first deer. I never miss at that range, so when I did, it made start thinking about why I missed what I thought was an easy shot. My only guess is maybe the scope got knocked out of whack a little during the trip or the wind was doing some weird things to the bullets. As soon as I get the chance, I'll check my zero again to eliminate that possibility. Would a heavier bullet fared better in the wind?

salty

Heavier bullet? I have no idea.. I just got a ruger MK 2 in the 300 win mag this season.... anyone else have any ideas?

bronko22000

http://www.eabco.com/Reports/report03.html
this page shows a 30-06 150 gr moving at just over 2900 fps would have a wind drift of 3.3" at 200 yds and 7.9" at 300 yds in a 10 mph crosswind. I would suspect that if you were using factory ammo, your result would have been similar. So if it was a 20 mph crosswind that would have put your bullet about 7" - 15" downwind.But not at his feet. The wind would have to have been blowing about 50 mph straight down???? A 180 gr bullet bucks the wind a bit better than a 150. I suspect that either your scope was off or your "solid" rest. If you had your barrel resting on a solid surface your POI would change dramatically at that range. But you said you rested your rifle on bales? It had to be either your scope or you. Sorry about your miss.