Colorado Luckydog

The bullet I use in my 300 drops 12 inches at 400 yards. The bullet I use in my 30.06 drops 24 inches at 400. Can I make the shot with 30.06? Sure i can but why would I?

I live in middle of a huge metroplex. Practicing at distance is not an easy thing for me. I have to drive over 100 miles to practice at the rang where I can shoot out to 540 yards. I get out there a couple of times a year if I'm lucky.

I don't care what other people shoot but why should you guys care if whe choose a magnum. This kind of thread always cracks me up.

VAhuntr

Personally I prefer close in and personal and do a lot of bowhunting. However, if someone has the skill, equipment, and the place to hunt at long range it is none of my business. If I had the chance I would love to hunt at long ranges. To me it would be a heck of a challenge.

Colorado Luckydog

Now you're a better hunter because you don't shoot a magnum??? LMFAO!!

I've killed 4 bulls that if you added up the total distance of all 4 shots it would be less than 100 yards. My longest kill on an elk was 175 yards with a 30.06.

If I had to give up every kind of hunting but one, I'd put the rifle down and do it with my Bowtech.

I like getting close but still like to carry a magnum.

You guys have no idea how stupid you sound when you bash other guys for the way they hunt or the tool they choose to do it with.

Colorado Luckydog

X2 I'd love to have the skills Ridge Runner has.

I'd love to go to one of the long range shooting schools but I don't have the time.

Sfury

I can't even grasp the concept of long range hunting. The longest shot I've ever taken was last year. It was a mere 120 yards.

Most of the shots I've taken have been 50 yards or less.

I can't even imagine what some of the heavier hitting rounds would do at those ranges. Nothing pretty unless they would be through and throughs which would be bad.

I get the short range shots while hunting public land to boot. I cant imagine trying to hunt the wide open spaces of the west. When hiking out there, the distances you can see...

cayugad

The purpose of this thread was not to tell anyone what to shoot or hunt with. I could care less what you use. But when my friend showed up with a caliber made to drop elk, moose, bear at some extreme distances .... when he might get a 150 yard shot where we live.. I was surprised. He's willing to put up with the recoil, the cost, and would it cause more meat damage? Now I hunt with a muzzleloader, and am often told I am crazy. But that is what I hunt with, even in the modern season. So like I said.. hunt with what you like.

I have shot some extreme distances with the 7mm mag. And it kind of amazed me I could shoot that far. I have taken game at over 500 yards with the 7mm mag. But it was not something I would recommend or do every day. But do those that hunt with the large magnum calibers do so for longer distance capabilities, more knock down, both, or is it just because its a newer and ballistic better cartridge?

homers brother

The load I use in my .308 presently drops 118" at 600 yards. We shoot tennis balls in full-value winds up to 15 mph. At 800 yards, it drops 230", but I can still hit a 10" steel gong in the same wind. It doesn't go subsonic until a shade past 1300 yards. Can I make the shot with .308? Sure I can, and why wouldn't I?

Here's why I wouldn't - in spite of what a lot of people think, the west isn't necessarily one vast beanfield. There's this thing called terrain. On this terrain are often trees. Lots of trees. The combination of the two often leave you with practical shots of 200 yards and often significantly less than that. Yes, there are exceptions, particularly when you're hunting pronghorns. If you think you need a "magnum" to kill a speedgoat, ... well, Im not even going to say it.

If you don't care about what other people shoot, you shouldn't be all that concerned about what they think about what you shoot, should you?

mw_Guerilla

I feel like caliber is just a "pissing contest" nowadays. I have many friends who have to have the newest best rifles and gear and they never kill deer. I am only 21 years old but very experienced whitetail hunter. I have used a Marlin 336 .30-30 since I started treking the woods. I have never had a problem harvesting a deer out to 160 yards. It all comes down to marksmanship I think really. Be comfortable shooting your rifle and practice long range shots.

homers brother

Well, you do have to use a bit of common sense in selecting a caliber and projectile, but for the most part, good marksmanship will consistently contribute more to successful hunts than will simply opting for a larger caliber. A guy who gut-shoots a deer with a .243 will gut-shoot a deer with a .30-378. Chances might be higher that the deer will trip on its own intestines and fall down faster with the .30-378, though.

It's one thing to be a competent marksman with a larger-caliber rifle. It's another if you're picking your caliber for "wow factor" at the range or because you THINK it's going to cure what you've been unable to do with "lighter" chamberings. You don't go chasing moose with a .22 Hornet necessarily, but you don't need to pulverize whitetails with .300s (exc Savage) or .338s, either - unless you can TRULY exploit their long-range advantages. What lots of guys consider "long-range" (400-500) is often chump change for those calibers, though - and often well within reach of boring old standards like the .30-06, .270, etc.

Don't just practice long range shots, practice shots at all ranges you expect to shoot from, and practice from the position(s) you most likely think you'll find yourself in. I think you have this covered.

Blackelk

I've seen an ugly trend too. It's not that some calibers are too big. There's really no such thing. But when you have 20 clients a year and maybe one or two show up with a standard caliber they use where they live and the rest are packing a brand new Ultra Mag, Warbird, or some other super sized magnum case it's a bit depressing. They either can't shoot them very well or have no practical knowledge of the cartridge it's self. I'm standing right here telling you guys I've seen more animals wounded with magnum calibers than standard ones because 1 they can't shoot them as well or 2 they don't practice with them as much. I love my standard calibers as much as I love my magnums.

I don't like it when people tell a newbie hunter they need a super magnum to hunt or moose. These people have no practical knowledge of true marksmanship. That is what I call a bad trend. It's not that large caliber's are not a great thing but a lot of hunters that have no experience shooting them need to familiarize themselves with them before hunting with them. But isn't that true with any rifle or caliber. No the worst trend out there today is not the caliber choice it's the simple fact that not that many hunters use a caliber enough to know the trajectories or the personal feel of the rifle, trigger and useage of the optics. That is the bad trend not the caliber size.

You don't need a new rifle to hunt a new species just more time on the range. Unless your talking Kodiak's or Cape Buffalo that's pure common sense.

For a lot of use 500-600 yards is a far piece of shooting. For those that go beyond that range I think a few are capable of pitting the ace at 1000 yards but most are just blowing hot air. That's a whole other world and equipment set up. Any one that has done a lot of cross canyon shooting in the Rockies knows that what the wind maybe doing on this side of the mountain may not hold true on the other side 700-800 yards away.