Antelope to mule deer at 500 yds

[Don McDowell]

Well good luck and have fun with picking your rifle and cartridge. There is just about an unlimited number of combinations available that will work just fine.
Don't be to surprised if you end up actually taking your animal at 35 yds...

 

[Bio-Chem]

If you aren't a reloader I'd probably go with the 7mm. I'd probably go with the 7mm anyways because i'm biased. I just like the 7mm more than the .270. But at least I admit my bias. Without reloading you'd probably only lose about 100fps or so by going with a 24" barrel instead of the 26" you can determine how important every last drop of fps is to you, but i've always thought the 7mm brings plenty of horsepower naturally without having to milk it for all it's worth.

Personally I think the unleaded variety of these two cartridges is more my cup of tea. Those being the .280 rem, and the .270 win. I guess i don't feel Magnum velocities and recoil are needed for antelope and deer, even out to 500 yards. Cheaper to shoot, with less barrel wear especially for a non reloader are enough to tip the scale for my needs.

I certainly wouldn't fault someone for choosing the extra oomph the magnums provide however

 

[CB900F]

CMDC;

See that rig that Ridgerunner posted a picture of? Mine's somewhat similar, kissin' cousin anyway. It's a stainless USRAC model 70 left hand bolt .30-06 with a closed BOSS. It's a gun I've spent a lot of time on.

Took my 2001 antelope at 470 yards with it & put the bullet in about 2" from my ideal POI. Recovered from recoil & he was layin' on his back with all four legs in the air. Used my handload with a 150 grain bullet at 2860 fps. The gun is in a McMillan stock, not the one that came with it. Now, I had pretty much an ideal situation to make the shot also. Wind was only about five degrees off my left shoulder moving to the right & a steady light breeze, not gusting. And I had a very steady rest that allowed me to position myself to where I was satisfied with pullin' the trigger.

900F

 

[eastbank]

with this win 70 in 7mm-mag with a 4.5x14 veri-3 that has a custom TDS turret from leupold calibrated for the 154gr hornady SST at 3000fps and a good range finder and solid rest you can hit a cement block from 1-5 hundred yds just by turning the turret to the range your shooting and holding dead on. i also have the same rifle in 300 win mag that i going to have the same scope set up on it. eastbank.

 

[cmdc]

Amazing rifles and amazing shooting, guys. I found a Remington SPS 7mmMag and a Browning x-bolt medallion in .280 Rem. Both left hand. I already have rifles in 7mm-08, .270 Win and .30-06, so I thought if I was going to get another one I should move up to the magnum.

 

[snakeman]

308, 30-06, 270, 257 weatherby mag. I love the wby. I took an antelope at 516 laser measured yards with mine.

 

[sage5907]

Quote: "I already have rifles in 7mm-08, .270 Win and .30-06, so I thought if I was going to get another one I should move up to the magnum."

cmdc, why didn't you say right up front that your already owned 7MM-08, 270 and 30-06 rifles and you were practicing at distances of 500 yards? You wouldn't have got all the lectures.

 

[Art Eatman]

I built a shooting table by my house, and hung a 22" steel plate at 500 yards. With my '06, I was surprised to learn that the trajectories were within two or three inches for Sierra boat-tails of 150, 165 and 180 grains. When zeroed via 2" high at 100 yards, I needed four feet of holdover.

I zeroed for 500, just for fun. (Heh. Used up a bunch of ammo. ) I got two sub-MOA groups from the 165s. I called two fliers from a ten-shot string with the 180s and had eight hits in a six-inch group.

Likely, a .270 would have done as well, and probably a 7mm08 also.

Seems to me that the main thing in today's world of laser rangefinders is doping the wind. With what seemed like a mild breeze, I had to hold off two feet from center for centerline hits with the 150s.

 

[X-Rap]

Wind is going to be a critical factor in shooting antelope in their natural surroundings. Once the OP gets his outfit set up and zeroed I would advise him to not run from the wind when he is practicing. 30-40 mph gusts will not be unusual.

 

[Bio-Chem]

Well if you already have the rest then I think a 7mm Rem mag makes perfect sense in that scenario. It's always good to add to the calibers in the collection. 24" barrell, 140 grain BT.

Oh yeah, start reloading as well. Once you start you'll never go back.

 

[cmdc]

I ordered a Tikka in 7mm rem mag. Any other rifles/calibers I might look at? They also had one in 300wsm.

As to reloading, I would like to do that but my wife keeps us bouncing around among several residences we have in different parts of the country and I'm not in one place long enough to get a start on it. I just buy premium factory ammo for now.

 

[cmdc]

I'm also left handed so that does somewhat limit my factory options. For example, I really like Browning x-bolts but can't find one in stainless/synthetic left hand. I'm thinking about getting another in wood/blue anyway. Have one in 7mm- 08. I'm sure they will hold up in the elements well enough. I found one in 280 rem and one in 300wsm.

 

[Bio-Chem]

If the .280 Rem was more readily available i'd say it's the best all round lower 48 states round out there.

.300WSM is quite the nice round. not my first choice on antelope for sure. the 25-06 is quite well known for taking antelope. it's very flat shooting and packs enough to take antelope even at long range


cmdc - i'm jealous of your collection right now.

 

[cmdc]

Hey man don't hate me. I've been fortunate in life to be able to afford lots of toys. I have a lot of firearms, I've just shied away from the magnums 'til now. But when I decided I wanted to start hunting after a long absence, and hunting in areas where longish shots are possible, or maybe the only shot available, I decided I should start looking for the right tools.

I'm not thinking of the 300wsm for antelope, just as a round in general.

 

[dvdcrr]

I like 270 wsm over 7 rem mag because it comes in a lighter handier short action, especially in my Kimber classic. That thing is so sweet, no way Ill ever pine for a 7 mag. 500 is hard to do with any kind of point blank zero, but if you were steady and zeroed for 400, no reason it couldnt be done. Ive shot high at well over that distance.

 

[Woolecox]

7 mm rem mag 168 grain vld

+1 and,

- a good range finder
- a good ballistic turret scope
- rifle and and load capable of .5 MOA 5 shot groups.
- enough rounds (custom handloads) down range at that distance in varying conditions (wind) until you can put each shot into a 5 inch circle.

I have a custom 7mm Rem Mag that can ring a 5" plate shot after shot at 500 yards. But I have never had to take a shot that long on a game animal. I would certainly have to be "benched up" solidly over a bipod, bag, hay bail, etc., to even think about it.

Last year I took a big Kansas white tail that ranged 303 yards. I was sitting in a grain field over a long bipod. Grass was too high to get prone. Light wind, it was a pretty easy shot but 500 yards would have been exponentially harder.

The day before I was benched over a round bail standing when a bigger buck crossed the field at 425 yards. He was walking at a pretty good pace and I could not get him to stop so I passed. Just could not get still enough.

Edit: Oh yeah, another reason for my fondness of the 7mm Rem Mag is the fact that the Remington actions/magazines are the same length as the 300 Win Mag. This allows for the 7mm VLD bullets to be seated out to the lands and still function in the factory magazine.

 

[Bio-Chem]

cmdc let me just clarify that my jealousy is not leading to hatred. I don't begrudge you your toys at all. I'm sure you've worked quite hard to be in a position where you can do that.

My jealousy is one of polite envy where I hope to be able to do what you are doing one day.

I actually love the WSM line and think all of them have a great place in covering bases. I own a .325 and love it. The WSM is an efficient case that yields Magnum energy and velocity using less powder and providing a more comfortable recoil than other magnums. If more guns were chambered for it, and you could find brass, I'd probably seriously consider the 7mm WSM

 

[CB900F]

CMDC;

I'm with Bio-Chem on the 7mm WSM. I don't own any WSM, but if I were to get one, that'd be the one.

900F

 

[cmdc]

Hey BioChem, I was just kiddin too..

Woolecox, nice shooting. I'm originally from Kansas myself. Nice looking rifle. How long is that barrel?

The 7mmWSM does look very good, but ammo is really scarce as I understand it. That 325 should be a real thumper.

 

[Bio-Chem]

yeah, the 325 provides as much energy as I feel I could need here in the 48 states. It's certainly a reloaders round though as a box of ammo is about $50, or more off the shelf. ouch!

I've been able to develop a load that will place 3 shots in one raged hole. I'm very happy with it haven't used it on game yet, but hopefully this season

 

[Lloyd Smale]

ive killed my share out to 500 yards and ill say this and some will no doubt not agree. The standard rounds like the 270 280 06 and especially rounds like the 308 708 ect will kill way out there but prepare to do alot of tracking. At those ranges bullet expansion can be iffy and wound chanels tend to be small and deer tend to run off to die. Especially if you combine a non magnum round with a bullet like a barnes or any of the bonded bullets. When I know the range gets over about 350 youll see some sort of a magnum in my hands. That extra couple hundered feet per second can do wonders for bullet expansion and quick humane kills. Thing is you have to be able to shoot them. A 2506 is much better in the hands of a guy that shoots a box of shells a year and hasnt mastered recoil in a magnum then a 300 ultramag. First thing you have to master is actually putting a bullet in the boileroom. But if your capable of shooting a magnum rifle accurately there hands down better at long range at making quick humane kills. Ive made a few real long range kills with the 06 280 ect but it was because thats the gun i had at the time the shot presented itself. But given a choise theres no such thing as to much gun at 500 yards unless maybe your talking the 50bmg.

 

[Woolecox]

Hey BioChem, I was just kiddin too..

Woolecox, nice shooting. I'm originally from Kansas myself. Nice looking rifle. How long is that barrel?

The 7mmWSM does look very good, but ammo is really scarce as I understand it. That 325 should be a real thumper.

The barrel is 26". Just looks longer. Goofy camera angle I guess. I had put that McMillan stock with Badger Ordnance bottom metal, and detachable magazine on it the year before. My buddy's dad has a big ranch in SW Texas with a hog problem. We would get into big herds of hogs and run out of ammo before they were out of site. So the detachable mag was the answer to that problem. I can simply bolt the other stock on if required.

That configuration was a pain to carry around and made it so the rifle would not fit into my Eberle Stock back pack. So this year I got another stock with internal mag. I have a Elk hunt booked in N Idaho this October. Now it fits the scabbard.

The barrel is a #5 Shilen fitted at their factory. I currently have it with Pete Piper in Hempstead getting the action trued. I have also Cerakoted the metal since that photo. It has a Jewel 1.5# trigger. The scope is a Swarovski Z-5 3-5-18 with Ballistic Turret and a 4W reticule.

The 168 Berger VLDH's carry great energy at long range and expansion is not a problem. Energy is in excess of 1500 ft/lbs out to 750 yards. You are not going to do that with a 270 (although I love my 270). Load work yielded great accuracy for this hunting rifle. These are two consecutive 100 yard, 5 shot groups with no cooling or cleaning in between. The tenth shot flew out but I will take it. Do you think I like the 7mm Rem Mag?

Edit: Oh yeah, I hate wounding animals. I despise lost animals due to bad shot placement or excessively long shots and poor marksmanship. So I probably lean a little to the conservative side when taking and talking about long range hunting. I want a clean quick ethical kill even when bow hunting.

 

[oneounceload]

7mm mag with a 160 Sierra, but personally I know I am not taking any shot past about 350 - that's just me.....

 

[cmdc]

I agree. Once past 350 or so, energy an trajectory go downhill with the non-magnums. That's why I am going the magnum route. I will say again, I am not looking to make a 500yd shot just for the sake of doing it. The shorter the better. Buuuut, where I am going t go hunting, a long shot is definitely possible, and I want to make sure I have the equipment/skills to take advantage of it. If I don't feel like I can, I won't. I am very conservative when it comes to shooting at any animal. Paper, not so much.

Swaros are fantastic scopes. I have a Z6i and a Z3. There are a lot of scopes that can compete with and even best the Z3 line, but I have yet to look through a scope that beats the Z6 as far as clarity, distortion and eye box.

 

[Bio-Chem]

another potential offering for this scenario could be the .264 win mag. it's starting to make a bit of a comeback with a few rifles being chambered for it now. it'll certainly take mule deer and pronghorn at exceptionally long range