Whitetail hunting 450 yards

[CollinLeon]

in a post like this you will allways get the neysayers who say its not ethical. Most of them are guys who just wont put the time in to practice to become good shots to begin with. I shoot probably a dozen deer a year at those ranges and it with a good gun and a good trigger man behind it its very doable. In my opinion though when the range gets out past 350 its time for a mag rifle. Not so much for the trajectory as even your 308 will hit deer out there if you know your gun and know your loads trajectory but the mags will just put down deer better at extended ranges. I like something like a 257 wby, 264mag, 7mag or a 300 mag for doing it. If its your land or you can get permission before season put out some targets at various ranges and see EXACTLY where your gun and load it hitting.

Awh, come on... Make it a bit more interesting... Use a .45-70...

 

[pwillie]

As for the "Ethics" stuff,when you pull back a bow at full draw and the deer jumps the "string"...and you stick it in a ham,and it runs off to fester and die in a snake ridden swamp....??????I have seen this many times,after deer is "stuck" and they walk out on a field and an arrow is protruding out a side of a non vital hit...my opinion is,if you have qualms about humane hunting you don't need to hunt!A 40 yd shot with a pistol is no different than a 400 yd hit with a well tuned rifle...The thread is about long range shooting,not long range humanity....

 

[UNCC Grad]

Nothing wrong with taking that shot, IF and a big IF, you are up to the task. Almost any caliber from 25-06 on up can make that shot, including the 270 WSM. The biggest thing with long range shooting is learning to dope the wind. I'd suggest some flagging tape to be able to judge what the wind is doing at the target.

Other than that, range time and lots of it is all that is required. 4.5-14 magnification should be enough at that range. For strictly deer at that range, the 257 Wby would be a great choice if you decide to buy another rifle for the task. It's as close to a laser beam that your going to get in a "deer" caliber. 264 Win Mag is another good one....it shoots the high ballistic coefficient bullets that are better at wind doping than the 25s or 270 pills.

 

[mdauben]

Whitetail deer at 450 yards? The deer can't see, smell or hear you. That's not hunting, that's shooting.

I have a friend who's 6' 4" and weighs over 350lbs. This last season he took a nice Antelope with his recurve bow at about 35yds. THAT's hunting. (The boy does have stealth, yes he does!)

I would tend to believe that your friend's deer didn't "see, smell or hear" him, either, so why is using incredible stealth to avoid the deer's notice more admirable than using incredible marksmanship to do so?

 

[benzy2]

The 30mm tube on a "Long Range" can let a little more light through.

No they don't. Typically a larger tube gives more adjustment in the turrets which is why they are used on long range setups but they do not let in more light.

 

[sugarmaker]

450 is not unrealistic IF you have a good rest or can do prone with a military sling, the gun / ammo combo is well tuned, you can judge range to within 20 yards or so, and can read / correct for wind. Any reasonably slippery bullets are plenty lethal at that range. I'd be careful of the A-bolt, mine isn't worth a plug nickel for 1st shot accuracy and i don't think it would hold vital zone at that range.

 

[pwillie]

My model 70-257 Weatherby topped with a 4X16X50 Swarovski with a 117 BST Weatherby ammo by Norma,is much of a match for that type of hunting.30MM tube is the way to go....Neck shot and they don't walk...

 

[CollinLeon]

No they don't. Typically a larger tube gives more adjustment in the turrets which is why they are used on long range setups but they do not let in more light.

That is not what I would expect... I've definitely noticed binoculars with 50mm objective lenses seeming brighter at night as compared to smaller diameter ones, given the same magnification power...

 

[mdauben]

That is not what I would expect... I've definitely noticed binoculars with 50mm objective lenses seeming brighter at night as compared to smaller diameter ones, given the same magnification power...

Larger objectives (say 40mm versus 50mm) will definetly gather more light, resulting in brigher images. The size of the tube in between the objective and the eyepiece (1-inch versus 30mm) has no impact on light or brightness, however.

 

[CollinLeon]

Larger objectives (say 40mm versus 50mm) will definetly gather more light, resulting in brigher images. The size of the tube in between the objective and the eyepiece (1-inch versus 30mm) has no impact on light or brightness, however.

OK... I see what you are talking about... Nice to know that my preconceived notions weren't wrong...

It all boils down to size of input and size of output...

With binoculars, there's supposedly an issue with pupil size after you get 70...

 

[dampoo]

450 yards is nothing for some people.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxuV0VuK8Vc

 

[TwoEyedJack]

I would say you are good to go with your current set up. I have killed deer at over 400 yards with a .270 Winchester bolt gun off a Harris Bipod using a 4X scope. One was paced at 425 yards and the 130 gr. ballistic tip went though both shoulders and exited. The deer moved about 24". Down. Of course I had used that rifle for a year shooting rock chucks for practice and was very confident.

 

[LeonCarr]

Speaking of flags, a good way to start is simply hang a 3-4 foot long piece of orange surveyor's tape at equal distances from trees limbs, stakes, etc. between your porch and the feeder. I would even hang one off the feeder if it is a tripod type. When all of the tapes drop straight down from lack of wind, drop the hammer .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Kachok]

I don't think you would have any issue using a 270 WSM at 450yds. I would get a quality Nikon BDC scope and some Ballistic tips. You will be shooting super flat and maintain about 1600 ft/lbs at 450, that is more then enough energy and speed to put any deer down. Make sure of your zero and have some fun There are bullets with higher BC then the BTs but to be honest with you I have never seen better better terminal performance on deer sized game then what Nosler brings to the table. I use them in every single caliber I load for and have never been less then thrilled with their accuracy or terminal performance.

 

[steven58]

If you are going to be changing the settings on your scope frequently, then my recommendation would be to get a scope with target turrets. Unlike capped turrets that are usually designed to be "set and forget", these are designed to be "cranked on" every time you are using the rifle.

I decided on a Vortex Viper PST 4-16x50 FFP Riflescope for my .308. I have shot it out to 600 yd. and would have no problem shooting a deer at that range if the proper shot presented itself.

I bought mine through Liberty Optics. I think They have a member discount for THR.
http://www.libertyoptics.com/index1.html

 

[D*N*R*]

1 it's no worse than hunting inside a fence, just missing the hunting experience.

2 off season shooting from that place (same shot) will tell you if it's to far. You will be less accurate when a deer is standing there.