Furthest hunting shots?

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The longest shot I've made successfully through irons is 390 yards, but that was a gong at the range and it was not my rifle. I've taken elk at about 100 yards through iron sights; that's about as far as I'd want to make an attempt without optics.
 
I'm a 3 MOA shooter with my low power scoped hunting rifles. I feel confident and practice out to 200 yards. 200 yards would be the furthest I'd take with a low powered scope rifle and I'd like to keep in under 150 yards. I do have iron sights as a back up. With the irons. I'd prefer to shoot at 50 yards but would shoot out to 100 yards.
 
Farthest shot on elk was 325 yds with my .264 Win mag. The 140 gr. hit just inside the left front shoulder, bull was almost facing head on, came out behind the right shoulder, taking out the left lung and blew heart to smithereens.
 
I shot an elk that was so far away once that by the time I got to it there was nothing there but dried bones and old memories.
 
FIRST, I always get close enough to see if they are indeed worth my time.
As well , it depends on the day and the way, the weather and the animals themselfs,........some are "Educated" and not as easy as others....
In Summer, most shots are well under 100yards, as I am able to use Tundra and shrubs to get very close, but the other 9 monthes of the year, when we have ice and snow cover, I am usually in the 100-400 yard range, as barren Snow offers little to keep Caribou and Muskox from seeing me first or taking note and leaving.
Fur is another matter. i will shoot Wolves and such out to 500 yards, simply because I want to put a bullet anywhere in them and get at them, but Meats are always shot in the head.
My spring Brown Bear was a "Lookit over, wait till it calmed and then shoot", and I double tapped his head from 400yards, as he was exceedingly fat and I know my rifle well enough that I did so off hand, 'cause he was walking fast, and I needed to keep up my "Swing".......
 
deer- 481 yards hunting power lines in south alabama with a 270 ruger/redfield 3-9 with some home brewed ammo
bear- 210 yards same set up as above
yote- 659 yards kimber 8400 tactical with a mark 4 leupold 6.5-20x50.... god i miss that gun, a old boy here on thr owns that nail driver now!
 
I took two antelope last year (both does), both over 400 yards (laser rangefinder). One was at 434, the other 420. Both one shot kills. Having said that, I practice out to 400, and wouldn't take the shot other than prone with a bipod. Wind dead calm. Gun was Browning A-bolt .300 win mag shooting handloads of 150 grain accubonds at roughly 3300 fps. Scope was bushnell elite 5-15.
 
The furthest shot I've ever seen made on a live animal was on a feral hog. My buddy who is a studied rifleman killed him at 682 lazed yards with a custom .338 RUM and a Leopuld 4.5 by 14 scope with a target turret on it.

The day was dead calm and he had time to set up the shot off a solid tripod rest.

I've killed a couple of critters out past 400 yards but they are few and far between. If you can get closer get closer if you can get steadier get steadier. I believe that axiom of shooting at game to be true.

I've seen lots more folks try long range shots on critters and either miss or wound than succeed. Elk especially. I don't know what it is about elk that brings out the stupid in people. I guess they all want to brag about that "cross canyon" shot they made on a huge bull in a howling snowstorm. "There I was with my 7 mag and hot loaded 140 gr ballistic tips!":rolleyes: I can't tell you how many times I've heard that/seen guys screw that one up!!

Now where can I get some of them butcher paper wrapped, salt soaked bullets?;)
 
I've seen lots more folks try long range shots on critters and either miss or wound than succeed. Elk especially. I don't know what it is about elk that brings out the stupid in people. I guess they all want to brag about that "cross canyon" shot they made on a huge bull in a howling snowstorm. "There I was with my 7 mag and hot loaded 140 gr ballistic tips!" I can't tell you how many times I've heard that/seen guys screw that one up!!
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Same here H&H!!! I am a supporter of getting close and make SURE you hit the right spot!!

I see all these "long range" videos and these guys all bragging on how they made that 750, 800 yard shot on a live critter and it really makes my blood boil plumb over. What some of these people fail to realize is one MAJOR thing about ballistics. That is, it takes TIME for that bullet to reach the point that you are aiming at. Now, here is the crux of the problem at hand, you have no wind, check, you have a firm and steady rest, check, you have a good range finder and know the exact amount of holdover or where to set your turret, check, you have your animal mind reading devise, OOPS not check! I do not care how well you think you know an animals posturing, an elk can move a yard in a single step when feeding. Now you have all your things checked off and your trigger is breaking, that animal takes that step right as it breaks and what you had set up as a perfect heart shot just centered the poor animal in the guts and you would be hard pressed to ever find it.

Of all these guys talking about all these outlandish long range shots, I would bet 90% at LEAST fail to tell you the 75% or more of the live animals they fired at were either missed or wounded and un-recovered. Lets leave the over 400 yard shots where it belongs folks. The RANGE and learn to get closer to your quarry. It's called HUNTING. Learn it, live it, love it!
 
Whats the furthest shot you'd be comfortable taking with your rifle on medium-large sized game?

What about with an open sighted gun?

What caliber/power scope?
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I lasered the bulls below at 514 yds. It was very tempting as the bull on the right was very large, but common sense took over. I'd have had to shoot over a shallow canyon which affects trajectory, and to me the winds in the mountains at 11,000' feet are extremely shifty and difficult to judge.

bulls1.jpg

Minutes after these bulls fed into the timber, another came out at a hair over 350 yds. I don't have a bipod, shooting sticks or any other such aids, so I hesitated to shoot. But I assumed the prone position, wrapped up in my sling just like I do when shooting prone in High Power, allowed for the 16" or so drop and let fly:
P1010072.jpg

35 Whelen, 4X Burris scope, 225 gr. Barnes TSX a little under 2700 fps. NEVER felt like I needed more magnification. Given that this particular scope is extremely clear and the rifle incredibly accurate, I have tons of confidence when shooting it, but I still realize its limitations.

Last year I took a shot at a buck right at 400 yds. with my .308 Scout rifle and its 2.75X scope. I could easily see the buck though the scope though it's "underpowered" by todays standards. I missed due to the fact that I really rushed the shot.

I have a 600 yard range/target here at the house and it's really no big deal to hit the 36" gong with open sights at that range provided the wind is steady. If the wind is gusty or variable, it's quite another story.

I think if people actually did more shooting at long range OTHER than from a benchrest, they'd be better able to understand just how difficult shots over 300 yds. can be.

35W
 
I think if people actually did more shooting at long range OTHER than from a benchrest, they'd be better able to understand just how difficult shots over 300 yds. can be.
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That's it in a nut shell!!
 
I don't do well with open sights. But with Leupold glass and a 7mm RM I'm deffinitely good to go with 500 yds. and have actually made a shot on an antelope at over 600 yds. with a .270 win.. Shooting hand loads from all my weapons is what really gives me mroe confidence. And in my opinion, it is confidence that inspires us to make long shots that have been well practiced during the off season on coyotes and other small fur bearing game.
 
305 stepped-off yards on a pronghorn a few years ago. That's as close as I could get. I DID have a bipod and made sure I let my heart rate slow down so I wouldn't rush the shot. This was with a 25-06 I built in the early 80s and am extremely confident with.

About a week later there was a coyote at a lasered 500 yards away north of the house. I missed the first shot with the same rifle. Led him by a foot, and he was moving so slow the bullet went right off his nose. Second shot gutted him on the spot.

A week or so later, there was a coyote just a little farther out, maybe 550 yards. Just as I was squeezing the trigger, he turned directly away from me. I center-punched the target I was presented, with the expected result.

I had spent a month or so before the pronghorn hunt working up a load, and all that shooting definitely paid off. The load is a 100 gr Nosler Ballistic Tip at 3300 fps. The rifle is zeroed at 300 yards, so the drop at 500 is about two feet.
 
But with Leupold glass and a 7mm RM I'm deffinitely good to go with 500 yds.
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I think it would be prudent to qualify that statement. Your are good to go at 500 yards depending on weather conditions and other variables that are actually within your control.
 
My 308 has a 500 yards scope. The farthest ive hit with it is 300yard gong. Hunting wise i have taken in the 200 yard range. Open sights with my shotguns i can go about 70yards with a slug
 
It is good to hear people practicing at distance.
I recently videoed myself confirming my drops out to 1000 yards (100 yard increments) on steel with one of my specialty pistols.
After that, I ran from 200-600 on steel quickly just using the ART reticle (no turret adjustment).
My chronograph got hit last year and has been giving me readings a little slow so I expected some correction.
It is not an exciting clips as I am just doing what needs to be done to get drops confirmed.
I usually go to 1200 yards, but only went to 1K on this day.
I was shooting off of a bi-pod, but on a bench.
If anyone wants to see it, I would post it.
 
I bust steel out to 800 yards with boring regularity my Swarovski Z-3 sitting on top of a custom M-70 in .270 Wthby and a BRX reticule. I can also do it with several other rifles I've got set up with target turrets on them.

Boring regularity that is, until the wind starts blowing and gusting. As Art mentioned wind is the devil in the details at long range. And what guys who don't shoot long range don't get is that just because the wind is blowing one direction here steady doesn't mean that it's blowing the same direction down there cross canyon or down valley or up valley steady and you don't get to find out about it until after you miss, or gut shoot, or blow a leg off your critter.

The further your shot the more perfect the atmospheric conditions need to be.
 
I've taken whitetail at 1050, elk at 600, grizzly at 300, and rag heads up to 1500. The preparation in long shots is very very important, as is the cartridge and its design. I do not suggest the normal Joe attempting game shots at over 400 yards for the simple fact that most folks can't group less than 6" at 400. Here's what u should be able to do at long distance: 400-4" 500-5"" 600-6" 700-6" 800-6" 900-6" 1000-6". See the trend? To be able to group like that is one thing, the next is to read wind, angle, trajectory, and finally anticipation of movement. If the things above don't sound like ur cup of tea then don't take the risk of a bad shot on a game animal. With open sights I kinda just keep it to within a couple hundred yards. Hope this helps. Oh I forgot. All of these were with 300wsm and 300 Wm with bullets such as 190smk, 210 vld hunting, 208 amax, and 200 partition. All bullets were at or above 3000fps.
 
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I killed a deer wounded by someone else at just over 300 yards using a 300 WSM and a Zeiss Conquest 6.5-20 scope, a hog at 258 (lasered) yards with a 9.3x62 and a Swarovski 1.25-4 scope, and a hog at 80 yards with open sights, but I prepare my stands where most of my shots are within 50 yards. I really hate the term "ethcal" used in hunting message board posts, but in my opinion, having to take a shot on game at over 400 yards shows a lack of preparation by the hunter. I know that there are folks who regularly practice long range shooting, but in my experience, most shots taken by average hunters over 300 yards are "Hail Marys".:rolleyes:

I shoot weekly year around and regularly practice out to 500 yards, BUT I wouldn't even consider a shot on game at that distance. Not that I can't do it, but there is alot that can happen between the time you pull the trigger and bullet impact.:cool:
 
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