[ROW]

Range of 7 mm mag

On You tube I see where the guys with the skills kill deer at 1000+ yards. But if you were really good say sniper trained by the government how far could the extreme max. possibly be for a effective deer kill be?

It would be cool for someone to be able to lay claim with video to such a record.

[rcmodel]

It would be cool for someone to be able to lay claim with video to such a record.No, it wouldn't.

It would be a video of an unethical hunter showing off.

A deer size "target" can be easily hit at 1,000 yards by a skilled rifleman.
Who knows the exact range, the wind direction and velocity between the firing point and the target, the exact trajectory of the load, etc.

But the thing with targets is, they don't step out of the way while the bullet is getting there 1 1/2 seconds after the shot.

The problem comes when you miss a little bit, and wound the deer.
A follow-up shot on a wounded deer bounding off is next too impossible at that range.

Or say you do make a fatal shot.
And then can't find the body or the blood trail when you get done hiking across 1,000+ yards of rough country.

And nothing looks the same when you get where you think it was, but isn't.

BTW: A 7mm Mag load that starts out with 3,110 FPS velocity and 3,221 ft/lb of energy has only 1,571 / 822 left at 1,000 yards.
It's hard to get good bullet expansion and game killing penetration at 1,571 FPS with most 7mm Mag bullets going that slow.

rc

[MCgunner]

I'm not a long range guy. 400 yards is my max even with my 7 mag. Too many variables and I don't get to practice at over 300 yards, so I limit myself in the interest of a clean kill. It takes more than training, takes practice. The big 7 is the tool, though. I've taken a rocky mountain mulie across a canyon at just over 350 yards with it. Took a nice 8 point 150 lb whitetail at 150 out in west Texas. It's a bit of a cannon, but it can get the job done and recoil is relatively mild, no worse than a .30-06 by my calibrated shoulder. :D Mine's a Savage 110. Got a Weatherby Supreme 3x9x44 on it, good, bright glass, but no elevation adjustment. I just estimate hold over, so that limits me, too.

Lately, though, I've been using a big 50 cal inline. So, whadda I know. :D

[Art Eatman]

The Utoobers don't show misses or woundings.

I know from experience on my 500-yard range at my house that it doesn't take much of a breeze to require two feet of windage to have a max load '06 hit on center. But I knew that the target was at 500 yards, and the hit/miss deal didn't really matter. On a deer, it matters.

[Rampant_Colt]

1,000 yards? That's just plain irresponsible and unethical.
YouTube is chock-full of nitwits

[jbkebert]

I have taken deer in 7 states with a bow. Most of which were taken at under 20 yards. Personal best 4 yards. So why in the world would someone need to take a shot at a animal at a grand. Put down the joysticks, hit the woods and learn to hunt.

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

LOL!!! These threads crack me the hell up. ROW, I AM one of those "trained" and my limit is under 400 yards on white-tail or elk. RC nailed the reason too. It takes time for that bullet to get there. You can have a top of the line range finder, accurate to +- 1 yard, wind flags down the range to dope the wind, years of practice, the perfect rifle/cartridge/bullet combination, the best glass money can buy, BUT if you don't have your handy dandy A.C.M.E. animal mind reader gizmo, you can't know that that animal is going to take a step while peacefully grazing and put that perfectly lined up shot dead in the guts!!! Animal never to be found because you were to damn lazy to get close enough for an ETHICAL shot. Stop the chest thumping mentality and dreams of grandeur and learn the fine art of getting close enough to make a clean and ethical shot.

[Arkansas Paul]

It would be cool for someone to be able to lay claim with video to such a record.


I have to disagree there. It would be the exact opposite of cool.
All it would do would be to make young, gullible people want to go out there and try it. The thing is, even if you double lung one at that distance, the bullet is going to be travelling so slow by then, it will not expand, and as a result will leave almost no blood trail. You could quiet possibly loose the deer, even if hit perfectly.
You do what you want to, but if it's past 300, I'm gonna just watch it and hope it comes closer.

[beatledog7]

One of the most critical aspects of training--in any field of endeavor--is discipline. IMHO, a trained and therefore supposedly disciplined shooter doesn't take a 1,000-yd shot that he could turn into a 250-yd shot.

[Sav .250]

I read your post. That`s it. :)

[ROW]

Wow didn't know I would stir up such a mess.. I don't hunt just target shoot, haven't hunted in 30 years. What made me think of the long shot Video in the first place was the you tube longest kill shot of 1.1/2 miles of Talaban terrorist. Then I saw the 1000+ yard shot of deer. I was impressed.

Elk 1000 yards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L48Eok5hQZo

longest kill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbzVpcTrQb4

Sorry I was thinking from a non hunter point of view.

[nathan]

As hunters, we need to advocate closer is better. We have a duty as ethical hunters in this sport to make ethical shots, not bravado shots unless you were trained to do it. These long range hunting shows are nice to watch but its not what it is . It takes a whole lot to achieve that sure kill shot.

[MtnCreek]

kill shot of 1.1/2 miles of Talaban terrorist
Commendable!!! Even gut shots count there.

1000+ yard shot of deer
Shameful.

[Art Eatman]

There is no concept of "clean, ethical kill" in warfare. In hunting, it's of the highest importance.

[hardluk1]

I am not trained but have shot at 1000 yards. I have 7mm rem mag custom hunting rifle to do so . I also draw a limit at 400 yards for hunting. As covered , it is hard to find a quality range finder that will reflect on game at over 500 yards, trees yes ,not game. Also at 400 yards it hard with good binos or scope to deside if a buck is nice or not. If a does is indeed a doe or a small spike buck. Or really even a decent doe and not a yearl'n. Even the bullet than works well at up to 400 yards my not be good at 600+. Its the same the other way around too. Even setting on a c500 yard lear cut you my have a deer walk up 20 feet off. use the right bullet. I use a 300 yard zero and know what it will do out to 400. After that those bullets are heading to ground in a hurry so you really have to be spot on with yardage at ranges over 400 yards. You have got to know where that bullet will hit and many rifles are not capable of shooting good enough groups from a bench at 400 yards much less in a field setting. Today finding place to shoot 400 yards for practice can be very hard to do.

[nathan]

If the game is within 12 yds, i can grab my .357 mag sidearm and aim for the head. I dont need a magnum or what not.

[hardluk1]

nathan 12 yards!!! Thats all you can get out of it. haha So whats up, you have no skills beyond up close . Kill'n up close ain't hard. 357s maxed around 75 to 100 yards, 40 if your ethical. Bow ,40 yards. You don't hunt at longer distance with bp, sluguns or centerfire? I grew up hunting with buck shot, revolvers and bows . Doesn't mean I got to stay in such a confined way of hunting. You just have be smart enought to know when to let something go on by if all ain't just right. Even at 12 yards.

[spclpatrolgroup]

Hunting is having the ability to get close enough to make a good shot on an animal reguardless of if you are in a stand or on a stalk. Many of the best hunters I know are not good shots, some use guns incapable of 3 MOA as their rifles are 3 generations old and only shoot during deer season, however they will put just as much meat on the pole as anyone else. Shooting an animal from so far away they have no chance what so ever of detecting you isnt really hunting, its just shooting at a living target, a differnt skill set to be sure, but I dont think I would call it hunting.

[MCgunner]

Hunting is having the ability to get close enough to make a good shot on an animal reguardless of if you are in a stand or on a stalk. Many of the best hunters I know are not good shots, some use guns incapable of 3 MOA as their rifles are 3 generations old and only shoot during deer season, however they will put just as much meat on the pole as anyone else. Shooting an animal from so far away they have no chance what so ever of detecting you isnt really hunting, its just shooting at a living target, a differnt skill set to be sure, but I dont think I would call it hunting.

That's your opinion. I don't make shots that far, especially now days, but I avoid blanket statements like this, calling this and that "unethical". I've come to understand that not everyone shares my idea of ethics. Hell, I hunt with a feeder on MY place. Nuf said? But, I also hunt occasional public land that's restricted on baiting, just find sign or a trail and sit.

I'm a good rifleman. I've prided myself in my marksmanship, I just don't get any practice at ranges past 300 yards, so I don't stretch it. I agree with you in that I pride myself much more in my ability to get close, either with a stalk out west or on a stand back here, than I do in my marksmanship skills. I don't use all the whiz bang scent blockers and such on stands either, just sit still and don't make noise. When I spot and stalk hunt, I try to get inside my comfort zone with whatever weapon I'm carrying, be that front stuffer, stick and string, or 7mm Rem Mag. Lately, I've been all off into black powder, took one this year at 30 yards with it, nothing special, but venison never-the-less.

I won't berate someone anymore that's truly skilled at long range marksmanship if they're "inside their comfort zone" when they take the shot. I won't shoot over 400, though, and it's got to be windless and no down or uphill incline for me to take a shot THAT far, perfect conditions. I know my limits. A man's got to know his limitations.

I think all these sniper vids from Afghanistan have brought about this long range stuff. I see it on TV outdoor channel shows, taking game out 800-1000 yards. Not me, but more power to 'em. I think all the mid east wars have brought on the popularity of all the tacticool stuff, too, mil dot reticules, rails, pistol gripped stocks, folding stocks, 1000 round magazines, etc. Too many mall ninjas running around. Most of 'em don't hunt, though, I'm guessing.

This is all just MHO. Don't get excited, i'm not saying all this is so and I can't be wrong, just that's how I see it.

[TNboy]

If the game is within 12 yds, i can grab my .357 mag sidearm and aim for the head. I dont need a magnum or what not.

Please educate yourself and do not take head shots on big game. You are just going to wind up taking a deer's jaw off and having it starve to death.

[paintballdude902]

im not a bowhunter but im more impressed by someone that kills adeer at 7 yards than someone that shoots one at 700

[hardluk1]

The distance you kill at is all about developing the skills to kill at different ranges and conditions. We all have to find our real limits and know when to pass on a shot no matter if at 5 yards or 350 yards. If all are honest we all had to make some chices growing up hunting and you learn by them.

There is also nothing better than getting away with a shot when a deer knows your there at very close range or haveing the time ,the weapon and the skill to make 350 yard shot in a clear cut or field.

Those that keep preaching on killing up close ?? How about a deer with a bow or handgun at 20 yards in a thick brushy area. Do you know when to NOT shot. Do you pass on a great deer at 40 yards in the clear. You have to know when to just watch and it's just as important at very short ranges as it is at 400. Some of us that hunt with bows, handguns, slugguns, black powder all have to learn its and your limits.

I am not one that thinks shooting at game at longer distance ,over 400 yardsin any condition even where land allows is a ethical way to hunt. I have let so much game walk just because of conditons, terrain, timeing, Sunllight in the scope, legal light. To often all you get is a memory.

[snakeman]

rc nailed it

[7mmstalker]

Estimated longest shot from my 7 mag on a Dall sheep.... 275-325 yds.
After more than 3 hours of stalking, creeping, watching, waiting.
(Management tag-had to be a Ewe- not the easiest thing too see from above!)
Was 99% sure the one (of 6) I had chose was a Ewe, not a young Ram, after a long loop to get above and ahead of them, distance ~75yds. Just needed to see it stand up to be 100%. Waited, and waited, then waited some more for the low clouds and flurries to stop. When the crud lifted, and revealed the sheep, they were about 200 yards farther away.

Not a record-book bragging-shot distance........But, my personal best for distance and start to finish kill. The 175 gr went into the front shoulder and was recovered in the opposite side rear hindquarter. The sheep fell like a sack o' taters and that was it.

[chuck plissken]

WOW! lot of haters on longrange hunting.

so...correct me if i sound wrong but why hunt with anything more than a 243? It will get the job done up close all day... why drive nothing more than a toyota prius? We shouldn't drive past the speed limit anyways. So who needs a Mustang GT,Camaro or similar?

If you have a 338 laupa and want to shoot elk at 800yrds is that bad? Is it bad to stretch the legs of your 2005 corvette past 80mph?

Im saying why hold that potential back if you own something that has so much more? If your a good seasoned shooter/marksman,why not reach out if you can dial it in? Theres alot of hunters that shoot short ranges that miss and wound an animal just the same.

I agree,7yards is impressive v.s. 700yrds. Im a fan of longrange rifles but stalking is fun!

[csa77]

There are hunters who make bad shots at FAR less range. If you know your limits and 1000 yards is something you can do, I see no problem with it.I agree with chuck.


A 1000 yard kill is very impressive

[Davek1977]

What theoretically can be accomplished, and what most people would consider ethical, are far from being one and the same. Even if i had the skills (i don't) to take deer beyond 500 yards, the margin of error for all but the absolute most elite of shooters makes such long shots on game animals a bad idea. You'll get many arguments considering what is ethical and what isn't. That said, I've 'made meat' every deer season since I was 13 (35 now), have some nice horns on the wall, and have never taken a deer an inch beyond 300 yards. I've always thought of myself more of a hunter than a "sniper" when it comes to game animals, and have no interest in finding out at what range my killshots become misses or wounding hits. A record means nothing to me, as the memory of a single wounded animal that got away would stay with me far longer than any pride in setting that particular record, and I'd almost guarantee anyone attempting to set such a record would lose animals in the process.

If you have a 338 laupa and want to shoot elk at 800yrds is that bad? If you only have the ability to put kill shots in the vitals 100% of the time at 300 yards, yes, it is bad. A high-powered cartridge cannot and will not make up for shooter error. If you can consistently put the bullet in the vitals at 800 yards day in and day out, that's one thing. the vast majority of even life-long shooters, myself included, simply don't shoot with that level of precision. "Is that bad?" is a question I cannopt possibly answer without seeing one's shooting skills....and that doesn't mean a photo of one's best group ever at a given range as "proof" of one's skills. If its not repeatable, its a fluke, and no indication of real skill.

[Dthunter]

Everyone chimes in at the same time "its unethical to shoot at 1000yards"! It is truly funny how most posters never even think of how many people shoot at moving/running game!
Without question, there is many times more animals wounded by moving/running shots than longrange shots!
Its hunting! People take too many chances at times, yes.
Do your best,work hard to get a good shot that your very competant at. Shoot, and hopefully you get your animal. Everyones ability is different to shoot different Yardages.
Shooting at longrange isnt ALWAYS a result of laziness.
I can shoot MOA groups well past 1000, but I dont shoot much past 500 when hunting.

Hopefully the OP doesnt feel too bad to ask more questions!

Keep it fun, and dont ATTACK people for asking questions.

[jmr40]

im not a bowhunter but im more impressed by someone that kills adeer at 7 yards than someone that shoots one at 700


I am actually impressd by both. It is the guys who claim to limit shots to only 200-300 yards who are neither hunters or shooters. Anyone who cannot hit a deer at 200 yards has no business shooting at 20 yards either. A 200 yard shot is a zero skill shot that anyone can make with only a limited amount of instruction and practice. Going to 300 only requires a modest amount of practice and anyone with quality equipment and dedicated practice should be able to learn how to hit at 400. Beyond that requires great skill, lots of practice and expensive equipment. But those who dedicate themselves to learn how, spend the money for the equipment, and burn the powder to develop the skills can make a 700+ yard shot look easy. I know several guys who regularly take elk and deer at those ranges and have yet to have one take a step after being hit.

Interestingly those same guys are dedicated archery hunters who have taken deer at 7 yards. Developing both sets of skills takes time and dedication. They don't take any animal at ranges any longer than necessary. If they can get closer they do, but having the skills to make the long shots allows them to do so when there are no other options.

Some guys like to pound their chests and claim it is not hunting unless you get within 200, 300 yards. I've got news for you. Unless you are getting within 25 yards you are not hunting either, only shooting, just like the guy shooting at 700 yards. The difference is you have neither developed the skills to get close or shoot at long range.

[Art Eatman]

Aw, jmr40, you're being a bit arbitrary with the numbers. Lots of guys impose certain limits deliberately, even those who are skilled. Too easy to misjudge the range or the wind, among other things. Or the animal takes a step just as you pull the trigger.

And, for all that some guys can shoot the eyes out of a gnat, they hunt in country where it's extremely rare to even see a game critter beyond a hundred yards.

[Freedom_fighter_in_IL]

I can regularly hit my 24" steel at 1000 yards 10 for 10 on pretty much any given day with a couple of my .300WM's but there is a vast difference between hitting a non-moving steel target and a live game animal that can take a step at any given time. No amount of practice or skill can account for that step. As I said before, it takes TIME for that bullet to get there. Above 400 yards, and that little bit of time between trigger press and bullet arrival can mean the difference between a gut shot and a perfect heart/lung shot. It's not about the rifle or anything else. It's about that animals MOVEMENTS. Little gust of wind goes across halfway there right as you shot, gut shot. Just too many variables in the field for people to truly account for to be taking those long shots. The game animals deserve our best efforts to take them with as little suffering as we can.

[CountryUgly]

My average range on downed deer is inside a hundred yards. I do make the occasional exception and take deer at about the 300 to 350 yard mark in one field I hunt. My longest kill was a witnessed and measured no joke 690 yard shot +/- a foot or two. I originally guessed it to be in the 400 yard range and my first shot landed way short. The deer acted like nothing happened so I readjusted and the next round hit on the money. It was lower in the chest than I liked but was a DRT hit no tracking need, the heart was obliterated. I do however routinely practice shooting at 500 yards and am comfortable shooting anywhere inside that distance and if I had of known the distance was closer to 700 yards I would have passed it up. The only deer I've ever had to put a finishing round in was one I shot with a 30-30 at about 40 yards. I hit between the shoulder blades directly in the spine it dropped I walked over thinking it was a done deal but when I approached It raised it's head so I put another in the chest which finished the job. Point being short or long distance the hunter and the bullet both have to do their job. BTW the long shot was with a Savage 111 in '06 with 150gr Winchester Supremes and the redux shot was with a model 94 in 30-30 using 180gr Reminton Core-lokt.

[ApacheCoTodd]

Brings to mind my first Big Horn hunt... "Holy Cow... Look right over there, how about that one?" To which my uncle says to see how far I'd have to go to reach it if I were successful and how long it would take me to get back. It probably woulda been about a 280 yard shot but if I were lucky in reaching it, recovering it and returning - I'd be out all night.

A lot can happen between an animal disappearing after the shot at 1000 yards and you getting to the site if you can even accurately determine the site upon approaching it. It's deceptively harder than it seems to walk directly and correctly to the exact point unless the animal is co-located with a significant land-mark.

So, I'm not saying it's wrong, unethical or dumb as a practice but I will say that for most folk it is ill advised and likely irresponsible.

[beatledog7]

The issue here, to me, is machismo. If it makes somebody feel like more of a man to be able to say he made a 500- or 1000-yd kill, then there's nothing any of us can do to change that.

As many have said, in any long-range shot there are many variables, and they vary more and more as distance increases. A 1000-yd clean kill is at least partly luck--luck that the animal stayed put while your round covered the distance.

Even if you have mastered all the other factors, you can't will the critter to stand still. But if the critter is still when you pull the trigger at 200 yards, it probably can't move fast enough to make you miss.

[MachIVshooter]

That's too dang far. My absolute max is 600, and that's only if I'm positive I can't get closer. As well, I'm doing it with an 8mm mag, which carries quite a bit more oomph to that range than a .30-06 or 7 mag.

I really prefer to keep my shots on game animals under 300 if possible. There's no need to account for range or a stiff breeze inside of that when using 180 gr. boat tail pills starting out at over 3,300 FPS; Zeroed at 200, it's MPBR on a 12" diameter vital zone is 312 yards (holding dead center of the circle, bullet still landing inside). It's still going 2,700 FPS and carries 2,900 ft/lbs to that range, and a 10 MPH 90* crosswind will only push it 4-1/4".

But at 1,000 yards, I'd have to hold over 19 feet and it's velocity would be down to 1,600 FPS with 1,000 ft/lbs. And the same crosswind would shove it a foot and a half.

I have a 220 gr/2,965 FPS load that would fair better in the energy deprtment at that range (1,400 ft/lbs) with similar hold-over, but it doesn't matter, 'cause I ain't takin' a shot on a big game critter that far out!

[Mr.454]

Me personally I would love to try some of those long shots, but from what I've heard that's more common in Alaska. In Ohio you can't hunt deer with a rifle anyway. I could understand 700 yard plus shots in an area with no cover on group of elk or deer. Some situation where getting closer would be very hard, it would be fun. With the right equipment.

[41 Mag]

Referring to the OP, one scenario might be a necessity and warranted, the other isn't. While I am sure there are times when someone somewhere with the proper gear and skills to use it might be more inclined to shoot out past 800+ yards on a critter, the question in my mind, would have to be, is it necessary to begin with. On the other hand reaching out to longer ranges in a case where it can save lives, is completely rationalized in my mind, and the further the better.

There are areas of the country, where putting a stalk on one or more animals is not going to happen, and areas where seeing something even to 50 yards is a slight proposition due to the cover. It comes down to the person who is doing the hunting as to the ethical restraints they impose upon themselves.

To me having someone who doesn't know me, my situation, skills or beliefs, tell me I'm not "ethical" simply because I don't do something the way they think I should, makes about as much since as California banning the way a plastic gas can spout can be made there, and it effecting me being able to purchase one here in Texas that has worked fine for over a decade. Or being told that lead bullets are hazardous to use.

While I DO freely admit, reaching out beyond 500yds is not something for everyone, there are quite a few who can and do shoot quite well enough to make one shot kills at this range and beyond. They have put in the time, effort, and cash to build the skills, load, and rifle package capable of the energy and accuracy to do so. I do not hold anything what so ever against these folks and they are just as free to do as they please as the fellow who just bought a 30-30 to hunt in his back 40.

Myself, I have been there with the long range rifle, and after a year of honest work with it, I managed to dial it in to a 9" group at 1175yds. This said, the longest shot I have made with it on anything other than paper or steel has been just shy of 500yds. Not because I didn't have the skill to do so, I just never have had the chance when the opportunity presented it's self. I don't specifically set up just for a shot like that, and I also feel like most if I can easily get closer I will.

In my lifetime of hunting, some 40+ years, I have tracked plenty of deer and other critters which were shot by myself and other good hunters at ranges less than 100yds. These were mostly all good shots, and the deer were mostly hit solidly. Some were found after a bit of tracking, some weren't found until later, or not at all. I have also had deer at 20yds or less duck when the arrow was released only to hit them high or have them turn and shoot through them length wise with a bow. So the argument about them moving at range verses up close resulting in a bad hit is simply BS. They can and do move at either, so if that is the only argument you might as well quite hunting all together. Two deer in the last 10 years, one with a rifle, one with a bow, I have shot under 40yds were lost initially but found after the yotes and spoilage had occurred. Both were hit solid through the lungs and neither left more than a couple of drops of blood in the hundred or more yards they ran. The cover was simply too dense to follow exactly where they ran, but in both cases we were within several yards of find them both.

Myself, I strive for the utmost accuracy from myself and all of my hunting rigs, be it bow, rifle, or handgun. While many feel pie plate accuracy is plenty good for hunting, I look for, and work for quarter sized or better groups from them all. Every year I watch plenty of folks sight in at 100yds and to me some of their groups, are far from what I would call a group, but they are happily patting themselves on the back and saying that's minute of deer any day. Some of these same folks will argue all day long about shooting past 200yds being unethical and have plenty of "facts" to back them up. Yet all the while do not put in any more time behind the trigger than is necessary to foul the barrel and see that they actually hit the paper. Yet these same folks go out and kill plenty of deer every year, where I may or may not even pull the trigger on one.

All this said, the "ethics' portion of one mans hunt is his business, and while there is a code by which we should all strive to uphold, it simply doesn't apply across the board the same from the thick eastern woods, as it might in the flat mid western plains. There is no getting around the time of flight be it bullet or arrow, or the time between when your brain says to shoot, and your finger actually squeezed the trigger. Some are faster some are slower, but in that brief span of time, things can and do happen no matter the range, and once either is on it's way, there is no way of changing the outcome good or bad. IMO, You either have to live with knowing this and accept the consequences, or simply give it up and move on to some other past time. Either way don't simply judge one another based solely on your abilities or conditions, as they may or may not apply to their circumstance. If they are within the law and doing the best of their ability, that's good enough for me

[Art Eatman]

I guess we can agree that there are some people who can make hits and ethical kills in the "way out there" arena. But I think that they are pretty much few and far between when thinking of "most hunters".

I'm fairly-well skilled with a rifle, and certainly have a bunch of experience--but I think of the odds. Odds are, for me, thinking about 600 yards and more, a bad hit is more likely than a clean kill. Simple enough; I won't take that shot.

If the conditions are right (wind, e.g.), some folks with proper gear might well be successful.

I'd generalize that these extra-long shots are a bad idea...

[j1]

Ranges like that are subject to windage. Shooting steel is fun shooting deer is not an option in my set of values. Deer bleed and feel pain steel targets do not.

[aerod1]

To me it is more fun to see how close I can get before taking the shot. My longest shot on a Whitetal is under 200 yards. I did shoot an elk at 316 yards with my 300 win mag. That was my longest shot ever at an animal.
I prefer the closer shots. Most of the time I shoot whitetails with my 243, 250-3000 or 6.5x55 Swede (my favorite).

[CountryUgly]

As many have said, in any long-range shot there are many variables, and they vary more and more as distance increases. A 1000-yd clean kill is at least partly luck--luck that the animal stayed put while your round covered the distance.

.

The shot I mentioned fell into this catagory..... It didn't flinch after the first round fell short. I've had the time behind that gun to be confident with hits at those ranges on stationary targets and the deer wasn't moving so I figured what the heck. I sent the next round down and bingo I got lucky. It was a clean kill. Will I ever try it again? No. I'll tell you why. My ego has been fed and I've got nothing else to prove. I made the shot once and If anyone ever ask I'll tell them I could make it everytime. I never intend on trying it again so I'll never be proven wrong. :neener:

[j1]

I watched the video and I guess it is hunting but WOW it sure is long range hunting.

[H&Hhunter]

I done shot a critter so far one time I had to have two spotters set up on ridges down range just to tell me where to hold. We had to wait three days for the buzzards to start circling before we could even find the critter. Heck even then we needed a good map just to get to him!

[hardluk1]

J1 But those deer taste sooo good.

[Kachok]

One key factor to consider even if you can accurately place your bullet at 1,000 yards bullets have a minimum expansion speed below which they often punch a very small clean hole and do little damage to the vitals. Even a double lung shot with such poor terminal performance will lead to a slow death for the animal, and you loosing your dinner for sure. Yes there is a bullet for the 7mm rem mag that will in fact expand at 1,000yd speeds (with a stout load) which will remain namelsss here since I don't want to give any wannabe snipers any ideas, but even with that you are in the realm of marginal terminal performance given the low impact speed and energy. Minimum expansion speeds usually range from 1,600-2000fps depending on the bullet and caliber, and when they say minimum them mean minimum, as in that will slightly deform the tip of the bullet on ballistics gel, ideal expansion is often 2200fps or higher.
Moral to the story kiddies is know your game, know your gun, and know how your bullet performs at the point of impact. I am not going to judge anyone who makes long shots because that is a subjective term, but me personally I like to get as close as possible not as far away as I can, to me that is more of a skill then any crazy long shot.

[Texan Scott]

A man needs to know his limitations. Personally, I know from experience that I shoot WAY better at paper when I'm calm than at a moving animal when I've got a bit of adrenaline going. In theory, I'd be happy with a .30-30 out to 150 yards. In practice, I'm better off getting a close as I can get without spooking the animal. I'm not good enough to get within 7 yards of a deer; i'm DEF not good enough to hit one at 700; my last deer was 20-25 yards away, and DRT. Not fancy, but humane, easier to retrieve, and my family ate well for a good long time off that doe.

[Art Eatman]

H&H, you ever salt your bullets so the critter won't spoil before you get over to him?

[H&Hhunter]

Don't you know it Art!

[Clark]

I hand load; 19 Badger,.222, .223, 22-250, 6mmBR, .243, 25acp, 25/35, 250/3000, 257 Robert Ackley Improved, 260Rem, 6.5x55, 270, 7x57mm, 7mm Rem mag, 32acp, 32sw, 32S&WLong, 32-20, 7.62x25mm, 30-30, 303Sav, 300Sav, 7.62x39mm, 308, 7.5Swiss, 30-06, 300WM, 303Brit,7.62x54R, 8x57mm, 338WM, .380, 9x19mm, 9x23mm, 357 Sig, 38 sp, 357 mag, 38sw, 40sw, 10mm, 10.4mm, 401 power mag, 44mag, 45acp, 45Colt, .410, 45/70, and 12 ga.

I have been putting all my efforts for big game hunting in the 7mmRemMag in 2010, 2011, and probably 2012.

In 2010 I shot 3 mule deer, the furthest was at 380 yards.

I have been practicing at 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 yards.

In 2011 I arrived to hunt a few days early and really practiced hard.

I thought I had all the accuracy I needed for 500 yards, but my 600 yard probability of a clean kill was at 50%.

Antelope season was open 10 minutes and I shot my antelope at 60 yards with the 7mm. The placement was good, 50 feet of staggering and fell down dead.

Deer season opened and In 2 hours I shot a mule deer at 440 yards with the 7mm. The animal went down, but the placement was high. I had to finish the animal off with a neck shot at close range.

It never works out as planned.

[j1]

I seem to go along with the crew. Steel targets super, or cool. Things which bleed no way.

[hardluk1]

jI take up fishing then. catch and release. I like wild game ,they taste gooood. I know if i did not eat game animals I would have no need for long guns.

[HGUNHNTR]

The longest shot I've made on a deer with the 7mm is 440 yards. It was an unusual circumstance where I was really "waiting" and not "hunting". I was set up on the edge of an alfalfa field and had sandbags, so it was really as easy as shooting from a bench. I wouldn't do this anymore as I've grown up quite a bit and prefer hunting to sitting and waiting.

[jrdolall]

I fully understand the "coolness" of long range shooting and I have a buddy that built a shooting plat that is 1000 yards long where they can and do shoot deer. I think their max is just over 800 yards.

I do not personally have the desire, the equipment or the skill to shoot at that range. I have shot steel targets at 1000+ and was as good as the agents I was shooting with, using their equipment, in the mid-1980's. Is it more exciting to hit an animal at that distance compared to hitting steel?

I do a lot of bow hunting. Back when I could shoot a bow with an 80# pull it was normal for me to practice at 100 yards when there was no wind and I could hit a 10" target every single time. Theoretically i could have been as accurate shooting at an animal but I never tried it. I like to hunt whitetail in thick hardwoods. It is common for a deer to be within 15-20 yards before I ever see them. i am successful if I can draw my bow and get the pin on the deer inside 20 yards.

To each his own. If you can shoot 1000 yards in normal hunting conditions then more power to you. Try it on a deer target a few times first please. Kind of like a hunt&release deal.

[Clark]

If I compensate for distance by screwing on the elevation turret or using hold over, and carry a kestrel and make simple wind adjustment, I can kill out to 500 yards consistently.

But I try and try at targets at 600 yards, but I cannot get consistent first shot hits in a kill zone sized area.

That is with either the 270 or 7mmRM.

I think what is holding me back is estimating wind speed at different distances between me and the target.

I was on a bench at the range next to a guy who said he had been a sniper instructor. He was getting 1/2" groups @ 100y with a Rem700 223 on a day I was getting 1" groups with a better rifle. I think he was adapting to the wind better than I was.

[ZeroJunk]

If you live where deer are scarce and might get only a very long shot then attaining the capablity and making such a shot might be OK.

But, shooting a deer at extremely long range just because it is extremely long range seems like a little too much testosterone.

[Art Eatman]

ZJ, that's as good a closing summary as I've seen in a while. :D