1176 yard bull

[D$tring]

Beautiful rifle! Great shooting!! Congrats!!

 

[chav0_12]

Congrats on a wonderful shot and fine animal for the freezer! I would also like to tankls you for the details of the rifle specs and load analysis, especially the references to downrange velocity and energy. As you mentioned, This downrange data is most important in determining 1) the velocity available for efficient expansion(V-fps) and 2) the absolute knock down power (KE- ft.-lbs.).

Having said all this, Does anyone have a resource that supplies the retained velocity required for expansion??

I think, energy is a little over-rated (I'm sure I'll catch at least a little flack for that comment). Sure you need energy for some form of penetration. Ultimately, velocity and sectional density is what gets a bullet to penetrate. The recommended minimum velocity for a bullet to work properly is typically recommended by manufacturers, based on many aspects of how the bullet is made. For me personally, with most of the bullets I shoot, 1800 FPS is my minimum, erring on the side of faster is better, this is the number most manufacturers recommend as well. I know Nosler claims their ABLRs to provide reliable expansion at 1300 FPS, I haven't tested that theory yet though. For monos, from what I've read, it's typically best to stay closer to the 2k FPS mark. I believe Hornady recommends a minimum expansion velocity less than 1800 FPS for their ELD-X as well, I can't remember off the top of my head what their number was though, but I believe it to be similar to Nosler's ABLR.

 

[sturner]

Way to go

 

[Oryx_Official]

Awesome. Very nice bull.

 

[tuscan]

Great shot, and nice old bull! I took mine at 425 yards this year after a 45 minute stalk. If I had your set up and skill, I literally could have shot the same bull from my porch.

 

[trout004]

Congrats, COBrad! Do you recall how much wind and/or spin drift you held on the shot?

I have been running the Berger 210 HVLD's out of a stock Seekins Havak PH2 300WM with 75.5 grains of N565 at a velocity avg. of 2976 FPS. Holds about a 1/2 MOA out to 1000 yds. They were more than deadly on elk and mule deer this year, but I never got to test on an animal beyond 370 yards.

 

[diamonddave2]

I don't have the ability to figure this option out, but have you considered a monolithic lighter bullet? A Barnes 175 gr. LRX leaves a 300 WSM at 3100+ fps. It doesn't have quite the same BC as the 215 Hybrid (a target bullet), but the extra 400 fps might work out the same or better. The terminal ballistics requirements may also have a higher minimum velocity requirement than a cup in core like the ABLR. It is more suited for your occasional shorter range shot, for sure.

 

[oja0530]

Nice bull, and nice shot!

 

[LouisianaHunter]

Thank you all for your kind comments. I have a 1300 yard range on the ranch and spend a lot of time dialing everything in. Still, conditions have to be just right.

I would consider this " Applied Science " Congratulations !

 

[HRM Johnny]

Way to go Brad! Congratulations on a great bull, and a great shot. Thanks for posting this; and thanks for the great pictures.

 

[ButterBean]

There's a canyon I hunt in every fall, but with the brush the options are sitting in the timber patches or long range across the canyon. One shot from my .300 WSM did the job on this bull. Rifle was built specifically for hunting this canyon by West Elk Precision in Grand Junction Colorado. Defiance Deviant Hunter XM action, Trigger Tech, Bartlien 3b barrel, Manners EH1 stock, Nightforce atacr 5-25x56 scope. Load is Berger 215 grain Hybrid over 65 grains RL26 amd Federal 215 primers. 2817 FPS. Last two 3-shot groups fired before the hunt to confirm ballistic inputs measured just under .5 MOA at 1317 yards. Kestrel 5700 AB says 1675 FPS and 1340 remaining energy. Shot was quartering and bullet entered behind the ribs traveling length-wise, going up through a rib and coming to rest in the forward end of a backstrap. Weight is 152.9 grains. The bullets are very accurate but I'm going to look for a similarly accurate load with a bullet rated for a lower impact velocity. Thinking 210 grain Nosler ABLR or 210 gr Berger HVLD
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Cograts

 

[Lenny Foffa]

WOW VERY WELL-DONE Buddy !!!! Excellent shooting. and I thought 400 yards was a Long Shot!!!! Congratulations!!!

 

[orifdoc]

Really cool. Practiced 1/2 MOA at that distance is impressive. The dead elk is the end result of a lot of setup & work. Well done. Maybe give the Barnes TTSX monolithic a a try. They don't shoot well in every rifle but sometimes they really do. It's a little more work re copper fouling. They open up OK at 1800. The Bergers shoot well, but I'm still a bit leery of their terminal performance. There's no perfect bullet that does it all.

 

[Chico guy]

Great job on putting together a package to get the work done. Over 1000 yards on a bull is a ridiculous, unethical shot for the vast majority of hunters. I imagine there were many hours on the range that went along with the time and effort to put the right gear together to make it possible. Very impressive all the way around.