Getting into long range hunting

[Buckfever34]

The caliber, at the end of the day, for long range shooting is not nearly as important as the other factors. Your 7mm WBY will go the distance.

If you are really trying to get out that far (and 2k is FAR), you will need a scope that you can dial and dial well...and a scope with the elevation adjustment to get you there. There is nothing wrong with the scope you have for "traditional" hunting ranges, but it would not be my choice for the distances you are talking about.

You need a great rangefinder. Not a good one; a great one. As well as a wind meter.

 

[Slick8]

Lots of good info on this thread and possibly some wishful thinking by some or just bad info.

I'm not saying you can't meet your goals with your equipment but it's a stretch. You'll likely need to upgrade your scope to reliably shoot that far. A range finder and wind meter is needed as well.

As mentioned above one of the critical factors to your rifle is the barrel twist rate. It's likely a 1:10 twist which will limit you to the 160 class bullets. Ideally, you'd want to shoot a 180 in that round.

If your action isn't bedded and the barrel free floated you need to do that as well. Any competent gun smith can do this. If your a diy'er you can do it as well. Lots of great info on web about it.

I did a quick ballistic calculation and a 168 berger at modest 7 WBY speed will get you to about 900 yards with elk killing power. Doing that with 223 inches of drop and 45 inches of drift with a 10 mph cross wind.

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

The twist rate of my barrel should be 1:10, but I haven't checked it. I figured a scope upgrade was in order to go beyond 1000. I plan on working 1000 and in for now while I save up some money. Thanks for all the great info. It makes me feel better that I have a capable gun and can just focus on the accessories and practicing.

 

[Slick8]

Many many thing to list but I will add, don't get too caught up with 100 yard groups. They're great fun but can be lacking in info.

You need a good chronograph and I'd start with a 300 yard ladder test. When shooting that far, removing all the vertical component from your groups is a must.

 

[tomsd]

Like the title says, I'm wanting to get into long range hunting, but I don't have a ton of cash to drop into a new hobby. What I do have is a Japanese made Weatherby Mark V lazermark chameberd in 7mm Weatherby Magnum. It is completely stock, outfitted with a Zeiss Conquest HD5 3-15x42 scope with the z800 ballistic reticle. I also have a place on my land that I can stretch out and shoot out to 2000 yards.

What I really want is a gun that is capable of taking elk out 1000 yards, but also capable of hitting steel out to 2000. Is my weatherby going to get me there? If so, what work will need to be done with it? If not, point me in the right direction. I've been researching different rifles and calibers for days, and that's just left my head spinning.

Currently, I don't reload but I'm in the process of buying the equipment I need to get started doing that. Oh, one other thing, if my current setup won't help me reach my goals, and I do need to go in a different direction, I'm kind of old school. I don't like the tactical looking guns or the composite stocks. I like the wood stocks and traditional looking guns. With all that being said, what is y'alls advice?

 

[tomsd]

I have not read the other responses - but it's real simple. The old formula - for Elk - you want something like $1,600 ft lbs of energy at contact (better yet 1,800) - and for big Deer - around 1,200. Many hunters consider it unethical to shoot at animals at long distance unless you have the perfect rest, have practiced and are confident you can hit where you are aiming - and know what your bullet will do when it hits the vitals. As for shooting 2,000 yards - suggest you use your current rig to get out to 1,000 - and then see if you still want to stretch it that much further. 2,000 is a LONG way to shoot.

 

[Good]

Here is a great tool for you to mess with. Input all your information then hit calculate and it will spit our your numbers.

https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmtraj-5.1.cgi

 

[Danehunter]

hunter is correct, your 1" tubed scope does not have enough interior room for the needed elevation correction to 1,000 yards given a 200 yard zero.

You could try a 20 or 30 MOA Pic. rail and the compatible rail-type rings to get some more distance from your reticle but sooner rather than later you will want something with at least a 30 mm tube.

I have a Bushnell 34 mm tube ERS 3.5 - 21 x 50 scope for my 6.5 CM Ruger Precision Rifle competition gun. Excellent scope W/O breaking the bank. My buddy has the very similar XRS 4.5 - 30 x 50 scope. We both use Horus H59 reticles. But they may be too much for you for hunting.

**DO NOT GET A "BDC" RETICLE. They "lie" beyond 300 yards due to being calibrated for sea level and 60 F. temps. Go higher or colder and they are useless.
Get good MOA or mil reticle WITH matching turrets, natch, and learn how to use a hash marked reticle. Even a "small" Xmas tree reticle (like a G3) is better than a plain reticle.

Eric B.

 

[Barrelnut]

Seems you have a nice setup for a 5 ~ 700 yard elk rifle. And that depends on the terrain you hunt.

How well and how far will the rifle shoot now?

If the main goal is hunting at say 700 yards max. I would keep that rifle as it is and learn to shoot it that far. I have the same scope with the RZ800 reticle and like it a lot. It has some advantages and disadvantages. The user manual for it tells about how to calibrate it to your load, once that is done the hasmarks will align with the yardages surprisingly well. You can calibrate to the elevation you hunt also. Sounds like you hunt on your property, so it should be real easy. You can get to 1000 yards with the scope, but it would be kinda kludgy. For example, once you know the scope to say 700 yards. Use the 700 yard hash mark and then just dial the rest. Guessing that you have the standard caped turrets. The turrets dial very accurately, but are in inches, not MOA, and are not marked. Would not try to shoot an elk like this, but it will allow you to target shoot further.

You can wear the barrel out quickly, on a rifle like that, while learning to reload and shoot long range. It gets expensive to shoot it too. If I were wanting to start reloading and shooting for 1000 plus yards. I would get a non magnum rifle and cartridge designed more for that use. learn to reload and practice with it.

 

[Morrison]

Like the title says, I'm wanting to get into long range hunting, but I don't have a ton of cash to drop into a new hobby. What I do have is a Japanese made Weatherby Mark V lazermark chameberd in 7mm Weatherby Magnum. It is completely stock, outfitted with a Zeiss Conquest HD5 3-15x42 scope with the z800 ballistic reticle. I also have a place on my land that I can stretch out and shoot out to 2000 yards.

What I really want is a gun that is capable of taking elk out 1000 yards, but also capable of hitting steel out to 2000. Is my weatherby going to get me there? If so, what work will need to be done with it? If not, point me in the right direction. I've been researching different rifles and calibers for days, and that's just left my head spinning.

Currently, I don't reload but I'm in the process of buying the equipment I need to get started doing that. Oh, one other thing, if my current setup won't help me reach my goals, and I do need to go in a different direction, I'm kind of old school. I don't like the tactical looking guns or the composite stocks. I like the wood stocks and traditional looking guns. With all that being said, what is y'alls advice?

Your 7 Weatherby is more than enough to do what you ask. In the most critical sense you may at sometime want to open the throat in order to accept the longer heavy 195g bullets, and at some point you may want a different piece of glass (Maybe FFP). In the mean time there are some things that you can do; first buy yourself a bubble level to attach to the scope ($25 Vortex or cheaper) I found that without the level I can drift up to 4 inches in either direction at only 200 yards. Next you need to reload in order to be consistent and use heavy bullets such as the 175 LRAB from Nosler. This should put you out to 800 yards with practice and development of the load that your rifle likes. You said that you wanted to leave the stock alone but I would also recommend a cheek riser pad to help stabilize the sight picture; I use a Super Soft Cheek Pads - 5/8 inch tall from God'a Grip for $20.

Please remember that long range is not speed, the answer is in predictability and consistency.

 

[Gregg C]

Your 7 Weatherby is more than enough to do what you ask. In the most critical sense you may at sometime want to open the throat in order to accept the longer heavy 195g bullets, and at some point you may want a different piece of glass (Maybe FFP). In the mean time there are some things that you can do; first buy yourself a bubble level to attach to the scope ($25 Vortex or cheaper) I found that without the level I can drift up to 4 inches in either direction at only 200 yards. Next you need to reload in order to be consistent and use heavy bullets such as the 175 LRAB from Nosler. This should put you out to 800 yards with practice and development of the load that your rifle likes. You said that you wanted to leave the stock alone but I would also recommend a cheek riser pad to help stabilize the sight picture; I use a Super Soft Cheek Pads - 5/8 inch tall from God'a Grip for $20.

Please remember that long range is not speed, the answer is in predictability and consistency.

Man, that hit me in the gut. I keep thinkin its gotta be fast!!

 

[Rich Coyle]

The factory twist will most likely not accommodate the heavier bullets.

 

[rbcowboy]

I offer an introduction to long range shooting class called intro to long range 1000yds and beyond.
I'm located in Weatherford, TX
The class covers wind reading, app setup, rifle setup, scope adjustments, reloading techniques, etc.
The class is approximately 8 hours and is a one on one session and will include an average of 100 rounds sent down range with chronograph data recorded for every round.
You can find information about it on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/224157374654803/posts/482285322175339/
Or on my website:
Www.asteroidprecisionrifles.com

 

[Blackdirt Cowboy]

Ok, I'm working on setting my range up. I'm going to use 1/2" AR500 plate. My backstop will show me my missed well, so should I go with 1 moa targets(6"@600 yards, 8" at 800 yards, etc.)?