Most long range calibers used for deer sized game at ranges out to a 1000 yds are usually in the 7mm size. With its high velocity and flat trajectory, with good foot pounds of energy this cartridge is a good choice for distances of 200 + yds.

Hey RR, would you use a Berger out of a .308 at that distance?

Absolutely!! Some moron makes a TV tape about shooting deer, etc., at some pie-in-the-sky distance and soon all the other turkeys think it's a good idea, and something they can do as well. Well, it ain't!! As you say, most will never even SEE a deer at 600 yards, and if they do, they won't have any idea how far it is or where their bullet is going to be when it arrives! At such ranges, even the flattest shooting round you can fire will need to have range judged accurately to within 10-15 yards! Otherwise the bullet will go high or low. This does not take into account wind drift, which is formidable at such distances.

1. Huh?? 7mm is a caliber-just ONE caliber! And believe me, there are a hell of a lot more calibers in use for long-range shooting thanjust 7mm. In fact, I'm willing to bet that there are MORE .30-caliber cartridges being used in the U.S. today for long-range shooting than there are 7mm's!

2. Which cartridge? There are just scads of DIFFERENT 7mm cartridges!

Eldequello I was going to leave the 7mm post alone, but you are absolutely right to react to the post. I also do not believe that the long range hunting caliber is a 7mm. It is a good cartridge for paper punching at 1,000 yards-but it is being replaced by the 6.5 by alot of paper puncher's.

As far as long range hunting is concerned I also agree with you about the 30 caliber big boy's. I will go a step farther and say that the .338's are a far better choice than the 7mm's for long range hunting(not shooting). the .338's have the better B.C. and they have more weight. Tom.

You are absolutely correct about the .338's. If I were to contemplate shooting at elk that far away, I would need a .340 Weatherby, or better yet, a .338 Lapua. But I'm not sure I could stand the beating I'd get just doing the required practice with it. Actually, you'd need to shoot it alot at various ranges in order to acquire an instinctive feel for the trajectory of the load you'd be using, so you'd know where it was hitting at various ranges. Most people don't have any recognition at all of how far a bullet drops beyond 600 yards!

For example, IF you took that .338 Lapuafiring a .338", 250-grain bullet of high B.C. at 3000 FPS MV and zeroed it dead on at 600 yards, it would drop 22 inches at 700 yards, 51" at 800, and be 137 inches low at 1000 yards-from a 600 yard, dead-on zero! Not only that, it would be 23" HIGH at 300 yards, and 14" high at 500 yards-enough for a serious overshoot at the shorter ranges. So much for "flat trajectory"!!

If you fired this round from a 10-pound rifle, the recoil energy will be 40 foot-pounds! It would be much worse if the gun was lighter-say 8 pounds:recoil = 50 foot/pounds! Yep. Lots of fun there, not to mention the COST of the ammo you'd have to fire to become proficient.

My choice would be a 7mm Rem Mag with the 300 Win Mag as a close second.

thanks guys! I did not mean for any of this to cause an argument (then again i shouldda seen it coming) As said, I have been bowhunting a long time and want a change of scenery. I owuld of course have a top end range finder and do all the practice and everything to assure myself that i can put a bullet where I want it. thanks for all the suggestions, and I will let ya all know what and when i decide on something! thanks again

There ain't nothing "deer sized" about elk.

I just threw elk in there. I have never hunted elk, but I have family in colorado and hope to eventually. If I were t hunt elk today I would be using my remington 700 in .30-06. For me that would be good enough for 250 yard shots, maybe more. Elk was just a thought, more like antelope and deer, also possibly coyotes. But I would not want to save any pelts or anything. So damaging the pelts would not be a concern