I tried doing exactly what you are wanting to try last fall. BC inconsistentcy made me severely limit my range when atmospheric conditions were changing. Accurately predicting first round hits wasn't precise enough for me to shoot at an animal past around 500 yards. I would have likely only...
I shot one last fall. Was having a frustrating day anyway on a load that was terrible and to top it off ended up destroying the chronograph. Was a good reason to upgrade to a magnitospeed. Should have upgraded sooner anyway.
If wind call isn't 100% I'm aiming for high shoulder. It offers a wide margin for error and most of the animals are going to buckle right in their tracks and never take a step.
If filters freeze they no longer work. If there is a possibility of freezing I use a steripen classic and a gsi microlite 1000 vacuum insulated water bottle.
I've hunted with mostly 6.5 for more than 10 years. I shoot them and smaller calibers more accurately and consistently than heavier recoiling guns. I cant stand breaks on a hunting rifle. I have never looked at a wound channel from my 6.5 and thought it needed a bigger caliber.
The worst splash wound I have seen was a 200 grain sst fired from a 45 cal smokeless muzzle loader. Guy hit a whitetail deer in the shoulder 10 yards away and peeled most of the meat right off the shoulder. They chased the deer around nearly the entire day before someone was able to put it down...
That would depend on the muzzle velocity of each load and I don't have time right now to run the numbers. Basically, as long as you keep your impact velocity above 1,800 fps the bullet will do the job. I wouldn't worry about fpe. With modern fragmenting bullets it really makes no difference...
I find less and less of the responses on this forum to be from a knowledgeable source. Read the name of the site people. If you don't practice enough to know your own limits you should not be on here trying to impose limits on others who do. Just look at the what scope threads. Non stop people...
My choice to shoot or not shoot at an animal has nothing to do with bore diameter or shot distance. I choose to shoot when I am confident I have an accurate wind call/range and the bullet will create a wound channel directly above the heart. I have never wounded a single big game animal with a...
I have killed elk out to 905 yards with the 140 vld from a 6.5x284 through the shoulder and still didn't recover the bullet. Hitting the front shoulder helps bullet expansion at lower impact velocity and the animal will go down quicker. Gunwerks is spot on with their advice. If you are worried...