.264 winchester magnum....

[pernicus]

i'm looking at getting a long range rifle for deer hunting, i stretch my .308 out to about 250-300 yds regularly but it starts to drop like a rock at 300 yds and i'd like something with a little better bc and flatter shooting( i have to aim about 2.5 ft high at 400 yds with a 100yd zero)


i'd like something i can comfortably reach 500-600 yds with, so it will be a custom rifle probably, my current tikka t3 .308 shoots about 5/8-3/4 MOA from a bench rest

 

[LeonCarr]

Sounds like you have that rifle already...Tikka T3 .308

Check your trajectory tables...there is not that much difference in drop between the .308 and the magnums, even at extended ranges. I personally would keep your current rifle, start handloading for it if you don't already (better powders for higher velocity, bullets with higher BCs), and if your don't have a good quality scope, get one (Leupold or higher) with target turrets to allow you to rapidly come up to extended ranges instead of having to hold high.

Do a search on Zak Smith's posts, he has forgotten more about long range shooting and optics than most folks will ever learn.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[skinewmexico]

Don't zero at 100. But the 308 is about the standard for long distance, with the most match ammo available. If I was doing a 6.5, I'd use a 260 or a 6.5X47 Lapua. I bet they have better ballistics, and I know they're easier on a barrel than a 264 WM. A lot easier. But I will defer to Zak.

 

[Zak Smith]

The quest for a long point-blank distance involves geometrically increasing costs for exponentially decreasing benefits. Search for other threads where I quote some examples. Your scope should have knobs-- they're there for a reason-- use them. If you are missing long-range shots because of elevation, you are doing it wrong.

 

[mudstud]

I'll go against the grain, and say, get a .264WM anyway! They are a lot of fun, and are definitely flat shooting. Check out the Sendero SF II on Remington's webpage. I see they are still listing those as available for 2008.

 

[Shawnee]

Get the .260 Remington. Study its' trajectory tables and sight it in so you minimize its' deviation (+/-) from "zero" at ranges out to 500 yds. (if you really want that). After studying the trajectory tables you may decide though that a "zero" of about 250yds. is a much more useful arrangement.

Good Luck !!!

 

[rangerruck]

I agree, unless you wanna go with say a 7 rum, or 7 stw or 7 wsm, or say a 338 lapua, you are going to have to pay a lot for less of a return. maybe a 7mag. In other words, if you just have to do this, get the hottest round you can, with the cheapest factory rounds, and the amount of recoil you can handle.

 

[Zak Smith]

unless you wanna go with say a 7 rum, or 7 stw or 7 wsm, or say a 338 lapua, you are going to have to pay a lot for less

I'd call those much more expensive than 308, which makes hits easy at 400 yards if you're willing to crank the elevation knob.

 

[Lonestar.45]

I've always wanted a .264 Magnum, the round just calls to me. My next deer rifle though will probably be the .260 Remington, just because of ammo/rifle availability, and the trajectory is phenomenal. Either one would serve you well.

That said........I really can't see shooting at deer more than 300yds away. If you're shooting your .308 regularly out to 300 yds for deer, that's one thing, but stretching a .26 caliber bullet out to 500yds to make a clean kill on deer.....just smacks of unethical hunting IMHO. I know I'll get flamed for that. SURELY you can get closer than that. I understand long range shooting is a challenge, and fun, but I cringe when someone talks of 500yd shots on deer.

Others are right though, that .308 is a great long range performer, zeroing at 100yds is what's killing you.

 

[skinewmexico]

I'd call those much more expensive than 308, which makes hits easy at 400 yards if you're willing to crank the elevation knob.

Next thing you'll probably tell us is that our scope should have a repeatable zero, huh?

 

[rcmodel]

Don't zero at 100.

+1
That's just not the thing to do with any centerfire rifle!

Zero it at 200 - 250 or so, and learn the trajectory tables.

IMHO: Buying a Range Finder will be far more productive for whaling away at 500 yard deer, then buying a .264 Mag.


rcmodel

 

[Art Eatman]

I think I'd spend the money on actually shooting at, say, 500 yards with whatever .308 I had, before I went to worrying about flatter trajectory.

The main thing is to learn to figure wind and holdover for "out yonder" shots. If you know the range--via laser, e.g.--and learn to figure the wind, life gets much easier. And it's not difficult to be fairly accurate in guesstimating the holdover: You can fairly easily figure what's two feet, when looking at a deer or elk through the scope at 350 to 400 yards.

And, really, it's not all that difficult. I finally got off my lazy butt and built a 500-yard range at my house. 22" steel plates. Just for fun, I dragged out the old '06 for a couple of shots. Zeroed for 200 yards, so a four-foot holdover at 500. That meant guesstimating a plate-and-a-half of daylight for holdover. I guesstimated for a foot of daylight off the plate, upwind. First shot, five or six inches low at 5:30. Second shot, one inch low at 6:00. Good enough, I figured, for starters.

You can do that kind of thing as easy as I can...

Lemme add that I've read a lot of Zak's posts, and seen him shoot. He definitely knows what he's talking about.

Art

 

[ottsixx]

Its amazing ,I took my 243 win with 85 gr. bullets and set it up dead on at 200 yds,puts it 2" high at 100 and all I need is 6" of holdover at 300 yds. and it hits dead on ,I just love it and its easy to remember in the field it works,calibration may be a bit different but you can set that 308 up the same way and youll like it.....................

 

[ottsixx]

Its amazing ,I took my 243 win with 85 gr. bullets and set it up dead on at 200 yds,puts it 2" high at 100 and all I need is 6" of holdover at 300 yds. and it hits dead on ,I just love it and its easy to remember in the field it works,calibration may be a bit different but you can set that 308 up the same way and youll like it.....................

 

[pernicus]

my tikka has a 6*24 bush 4200 and i use a range finder that ranges out to 400 yds

for ammo i generally use black hills 168gr matchkings, i'm considering trying hornady TAP's in 168 gr since my browning liked them so much

maybe i just need to change my zero and get a better range finder, the reason why i was looking at a flatter shooting cartridge though was so i could maintain the 100 yd for closer shots that present themselves, without having to hold 2.5ft at 400 yds and 4ft at 500 yds


and i do reach out close to 400yds with my current set up, i've shot 6 times this year at over 300 yds and one of them was 391 yds, 6 deer dropped

 

[pernicus]

and actually the sad fact, the only deer i've missed in my 22 years was this year, i was shooting at a yearling does head at ~130 yds and i don't know if she moved or i flinched(was shooting crouched off my knee instead of using a bipod like i do for the long ranges) but she just stood there dazed and i got her on teh second shot

 

[skinewmexico]

You biggest problem will be running out of adjustment with that scope. I have that 4200 with a 20 MOA base, and ran out of adjustment trying to go down to zero at 100. It's zeroed at 300 yards, and the bottom of the scope range.