I am qurious about what range people is comfortable hunting at.
And I would like to hear how often people practise at the actual ranges people list as their max range.

Question:
At what range do you feel comfortable at shooting at non-vounded animals?

Choices:
Inside of 100 yards
Inside of 200 yards
Inside of 300 yards
Inside of 400 yards
Inside of 500 yards

 

Bent,

No one seems to like my Bushnell 550 RangeFinder. Since I'm part Scottish I realy liked the idea it cost $149.00 (back then). All my buddies have the High End 1200 meter jobs - Ugh, O.K.

Oh, Yeah; the Rangefinder. If I measure 500 meters (I already know before pinging the Beast it's too far away anyway).

Let's me organize the stalking because I know after that I gonna cut the range in half for sure and closer than 250 is better yet.

I'll qualify my "inside 200 yards" vote by saying that is with a scoped rifle only. And maybe only another year or so as my vision sure isn't getting any better.

100 yards is still OK for me with iron sights in full daylight and open ground, no offhand shots.

Feeling comfortable at any given range has to do with practice,practice,practice! Get out and do some varmint sniping! Theres no better way to understand something than to GET OUT THERE AND BANG OFF SOME ROUNDS! Here in WV. groundhogs are abundant. They have helped me hone my shooting skills more than any bench session! Using range finders and knowing your range will be some of the best schooling you could ask for!!!

I voted at 500 yds.But if I had voted 2 yrs ago it would have been 200 yds.I got into the steel silouette game in '07,off-hand ,220 yds to 550 yds.When I did my very first match,I didn't care how well or how bad I shot,just as long as one of those 550 yd. rams fell over.Couldn't believe I was really gonna shoot that far.It was a 40 round match,and I hit 4 targets.Good for 2nd-to-last place.But, yes, I knocked over 1 of those rams.I felt like I had won the match,all warm and fuzzy inside.And have gotten at least one ram in the 7 matches since.Last match I hit 3 550 yd.targets(out of ten)Remember, this is all off-hand.If I had a broadside shot with minimal wind and a rest,be it a tree, rock, bags,etc.and was not rushed,you bet I'll take that shot.I've proven I can hit it.Before y'all flame me on 3 for ten off-hand,using a rest is the only way I would shoot at a live animal.With practice and a tuned load,550 yds. is definitly do-able.Last time at the practice range,using bags,hit every ram every time.Was a lot of fun!

i couldn't really answer the poll because the terrain here varies so much.
that durind a deer and elk season i will use 3 different rifles.
a short carbine length lever action up to 100 yds, my 7ackley out to 300 yds with one load and to 450 with another load and bullet.
my 25-06 for across the canyon hunting[with 24 power scope] and my 8 mauser rem 700 classic
for my heavy elk gun.
all these rifles see at least 100 round a month.
a lot of it is cast shooting but it is offhand and bench,sitting,laying etc.
if i have to grab just one gun and go hunting without knowing the terrain it's the ackley and a box of both types of bullets,when i see where were going i can dial in the corrections,if the animal is a bit far, i can just walk a bit closer.

1,000 yards is my limit if conditions are right.

I took the Doe Antelope with 1 shot at 777 Yards

If I can't hold on hair I don't shoot.

actually, about 250 yards... anything beyond that is highly question given my eyesight...

That, and quite frankly my 200 yard zero is just about perfection to 250 yards...

Sorry, I can't vote on this one. There's too many variables for me to pick just one range at which I'm comfortable taking the shot. I depends on the rifle I happen to be carrying too. I have one or two that are capable of accuracy and thump at 500+ yards, but the others I don't truat that far. I don't trust my ability that far either, so the other variables for example are whether the animal is standing still or moving a lot, whether I have a good rest, whether I'm relatively sure of the range. A range finder is on my wish list.

KB

I voted <200yds, but that was because 250 wasn't there and 300 is too far. Even 250 is damned far, but 250 is is about point blank for those rifles I would shoot that far.

Of course, there are rifles I wouldn't shoot that far with... Almost all of my local deer fall well within 100yds, in fact, most fall within 35yds, I'd guess.

As far as practice at 200 or 250yds, well not enough! And that is but one reason that I limit my range and keep it within point blank range of my rifle and load combo. I do shoot a bit at shorter ranges, and well enough to keep within a killing zone at 250yds, using a good field expedient rest or crossed sticks, or go prone when possible.

JPK

I've shot 'roos at over 1000 yards. Off a bipod, prone.........

But on game in Africa my longest shot was a Mountain Reedbuck at 450 and a Klippie at 430. You can't set up for ultra long shots there...sticks are too unstable.........

quote:

Originally posted by Blair338/378:
I've shot 'roos at over 1000 yards. Off a bipod, prone.........

But on game in Africa my longest shot was a Mountain Reedbuck at 450 and a Klippie at 430. You can't set up for ultra long shots there...sticks are too unstable.........

Exatly

I voted 400 yards but it comes with qualifications. Everything has to be right (perfect), target exposure, wind, stable shooting position, last but not least the gun and ammo capable of power and accuracy. And the animal has to be worth it! Generally though, 200 yards is my comfort zone.

About 350 yards. I practice out to 300 when I get a chance, so 350 is a pretty easy shot to compensate for on medium game in terms of ability/confidence. That being said, I normally shoot game in and around the 250 area. Hoping my new .257 Weatherby can stretch it out a bit more.

I use to practise at 200 and 300 a LOT with some practise at 400, and i have taken game at 350 or so... But these days i like to keep my shots to 200 or less, even though i voted for 300...

DM

MickeyB
I would check the ballistics chart, and figure out at what range that 257 Weatherby becomes a 250/3000, ballistically, and call that max range, with the best of conditions, regardless of how much it booms at the muzzel.

KB

Under 300. I have a couple of rifles that are capable of much more then that but I am not. I practice regularly at 200 yds and occassionally at 300. Anything farther I have to use the long range area which is open on weekends but appointment only otherwise.

Ken....

Well, it depends on what and where but a general max is about 300.

Elk: Only shot one, a cow, in the last 10 years at over 100yds, it was in a field, last season on a cull. The rest of the time I hunt in heavy timber areas and the shots seem to be under 100 or "over on the next ridge line" (1000+?). I would feel good with my 9.3x62 out to 300yds on elk though if the opportunity presented itself, it just hasn't.

Deer: Whitetails in valley bottoms and fields or mulies in the hills, can be anywhere from 100 to 400+, I've only shot a few (out of literally hundreds) over the years over 400 yds. Wind. A 130gr 270 will drift nearly two feet in a 20mph wind at 400yds. Gusty, varible winds, please, try it some time on paper.

Antelope: Mostly around 250 but more over 400 than I would have expected. Wind in antelope country can be extremely hard to deal with. My wife holds out for 250 or less and generally will get her shot, not always a great buck and she doesn't always fill every one of her tags (one buck two does for a lot of areas in MT). But then again we haven't had to chase any of her animals miles because she gut shot them by misjudging the wind.

Practice: Gophers with a 22LR at long range (out to 150yds) is something you need to try on a windy day. PD's at 300 to 500 with a 223, my 223 reacts about the same at 300 and 400 as my 270 does at 400 and 500 with similar wind speeds, VERY instructive.

Our little range here, actually quite nice, can be windy as anywhere and I like to shoot my practice rounds with my 270 at 300 and 550 "vital area" sized gongs. Again what's easy at 300, even with a bit of wind, is completely different at 550. I've had days with high varible winds that I'd be lucky to hit the gong at 550 one out of ten times from a prone, bi-pod rest.

i voted 300 that is all i have to shoot. i have never had a chance to shoot much more than that. killed 2 deer at 312 & 318

I voted " inside 300 ", but that vote needs to be qualified. 300 IF: I know the ballistics & bullet performance at the estimated range, I am rested & comfortable, the rifle is supported, there are no obstructions between me & the target, there is no crosswind, the animal is broadside & standing still, & a partner is spotting for me as I pull the trigger. Come to think of it, those conditions rarely exist in the colorado high country. I should have voted " inside 200 ".

I voted inside 300. I practice enough that this is comfortable on standing game with a rest or sitting. In practice, I very rarely have a shot at over 150 yards where I hunt.

I practice out to 300 yards, but have never shot anything at over 250. I almost always try to get closer than 200 yards. Average shot is ~80 yards.

I practice shooting out to 350 yds. I'm comfortable at this range, but would not hesitate a shot at 400. Only at non-spooked animal, though. This would only be from a rest and proper angle. Though, last years elk at 37 yards was alright with me.

I can practice at ranges up to 300 yards, so I limit my field shooting to that range.

Anything with in 200 meters for me

Depends on the cartridge and the game and the conditions and the terrain and...
Generally inside 250 for non DG although for elk with the RUM 400yards is easily doable. In most cases, I try to get inside 150

I voted inside 400 yards. I hunt pronghorn every year and sometimes you just run out of terrain where I hunt. I mean I've belly crawled for a few hundred yards just to keep under a slight rise where the pronghorn couldn't see me to get within a hundred yards or less. Believe me it was worth it to do that to not have to take a long shot.

I'm confident in my ability to take a 300 yard shot from a sitting position or off sticks. 400 yards is about my max for most of my rifles with sticks or bi-pod. Most of my shots are not much over 200 yards.

However I would love the ability to shoot much further than that on a consistent basis. I just don't have the time or money right now to dedicate myself to that endeavor. I don't know if I would big game hunt if I had the skill or not, but if I could consistently shoot prairie dogs and coyotes at 600 and beyond that would be quite fun.

A good accurate rife and laser range finder a good soild rest 500 yards for me.

But then I have a 700 yard range I can shoot on any time I like. paractice is what it takes.

Interesting. Rodents are one type of target (anything goes). Deer, elk, moose, and antelope, are a different type of target. 500 yards is a long ways away.

Watched a fellow out at the range the other day (varible winds), 300 Win. Mag., heavy barrel, very nice competition rifle, Nightforce scope, bi-pod, shooting mat, had a friend spoting for him. He was whacking clays at 550yds. I've seen him out there doing the same thing several times before.

Just pulverized them very consistantly...until the wind picked up. Now this guy was more than good enough to kill damn near anything even with the "misses" since he was rarely off by much, a couple of rounds were caught by errant gusts and might have missed or wounded. The point is the wind gremlins still got to him even though he was a skilled marksman, had excellent equipment, fired repeatedly at a known distance and was under no pressure.

Watching someone who is actually compident at that range makes it even funnier to hear the morons on sight in day tell you they shot their elk or whatever at 750yds with a rifle they can't hold a 3 inch group with off a bench in the shade on a dead calm day.

I voted <200 assuming you mean big game. I have shot chucks out past 300. I have never in 49 years of killing deer needed to shoot one past 200. Had the opportunity often enough, just never the need.

I haven't practiced long range now in about 30 years.

I would say inside of 600 I can guarantee a vitals hit with low wind or no wind. I wouldn't shoot if the wind was blowing hard left or right but under 10 mph wind I say <600

I hope to stretch my range further after practice this summer, and especially when my 338 Lapua AI is done.

I have been befuddled with wind a few times and will walk away from a 300-yard shot that doesn't feel right, even if it's the last day of the season. Pronghorn shots seem to get shorter every year anyhow...

I'd feel comfortable with a 4-500 yd shot under the right conditions, but I've passed up shots much shorter because I didn't feel I could make it with certainty. I used to shoot milk jugs and coke bottles filled with water quite a bit with my buddies and we had an area where we could place them out to just under 600 yds. That was excellent practice, but in the real world you may have wind or rain, or no good rest to use. I'd say first of all, you must feel comfortable with the shot and your equipment, and then you must be fairly certain of the actual range. 450 yds. doesn't look that much different than a slightly larger animal at 600 yds. but the drop is very different. All that being said, I don't think I've ever shot at a deer or hog at much over 200 yds.

Maybe I interpreted the question differently than the rest of the responders.

I feel fairly comfortable at anything from 0 to 300 yards with any of my rifles, and I don't really practice that much.

I have killed some stuff beyond 300, but those can be counted on one hand with a finger or two left over.

If I don't think I can make the shot, I simply don't take it regardless of the range.

I prefer closer shots 100 yards or less, but those are not always available.

I know that with the calibers I use and the bullets I use in those calibers, the guns are much more capable of surpassing the 300 yard mark, and being adequate for the job out to 500 yards, but there is just too many variables over that distance that I don't like to have to take into consideration.

To me trophy quality has less to do with antler size and more to do with how close I was when I shot and how far I have to drag the critter to load it into a vehicle.

I voted <300 even though I have made a few one shot kills out to 350 yds. I just couldn't get closer on those animals. Out of over 150 big game animals that I've shot, most were shot at less than 200 yds.

Last fall I passed on a 370 yd shot at a big male mountain lion (I watched him through my spotting scope for almost 5 minutes, and lasered the distance), so this summer I will be practicing at our 450 yd range.

Crazyhorseconsulting,
+1, ditto 300 yds.
Thanks for writing my post for me. Couldn't have said it better with two exceptions. Topography and daylight. I shoot in the Texas hill country where the brush and juniper is very thick. I find that unless I can pick out a particular landmark and mark it with both the scope and eyball, that at ranges exceeding 200 yds. or so, if the animal isn't DRT, its hard to even find the point of impact from which start looking for a blood trail. Its doubly hard if you're shooting in the gloaming. I hate losing animals. Many times these two factors will prevent me from taking a longer shot. Longest shot to date lazer ranged 590 yds. Do 300 yds or so occasionaly. 200-250 a couple of times a year. 100 a lot.
GWB

I just did not mention it, but the things you listed come into play when I decide whether or not to take a shot.

Getting away from the range issue, it becomes one of shot placement for me, and if topography/brush are a consideration, I hold for shoulder shots and try to break the critter down and then go in for a finisher.

25 yds.... 22 LR Midnight poaching rifle....