How Many Are True "LR" Shooters?

[Dooner]

I lost the private range I had been shooting steel out to 1000+ yards. I think the biggest problem that many of us face is lack of opportunity to practice beyond 200-300 yards. Now, if I want to shoot beyond 200 yds, I have to drive 2.5 hours. I'm looking at moving.

 

[blvette75]

I lost the private range I had been shooting steel out to 1000+ yards. I think the biggest problem that many of us face is lack of opportunity to practice beyond 200-300 yards. Now, if I want to shoot beyond 200 yds, I have to drive 2.5 hours. I'm looking at moving.

My experience as well, I would have to say the lack of the ability to practice at long range inhibits many of us from taking game at long range. As I won't shoot at game any further than what I can confirm my drops at a range. Can't even zero at 400 yards anymore, 300 yard maximum.

 

[VLD Pilot]

Over time, it seems I am reading more and more posts from members who have never shot true LR, and for the purposes of this discussion, I will refer to "rough" NRA standards of SR (0-300yd) MR (400-600yd) and LR (800-1,000), but some of us use the 1/4 mile rule of SR: 0-440, MR: 441-880 and LR: 881-1320 yards. Yes, there are gaps between those NRA, so lets say 601-1,000yds is LR.

With that said, I read a fair amount of posts were the shooter claims to never shoot beyond 300yd, 400yds or 500yds, and from time to time, I read posts of shooters/hunters that are critical of others for shooting beyond "their" self determined limits.

So, since this is a LR/ELR hunting and shooting forum, I am just curious how many actually shoot LR (601-1,000yds) and then how many actually shoot game or even varmints at same?

+1 here for running a few of my rifles out to 1800. Wish I had more room to stretch out last a mile but I don't. Built a couple 338s for the 1.5 mile (2500 yards) but yet to find a place to get that. My normal LR shooting is 1000-1200.

 

[K.E.C.]

I have been working my way out to 1000yds. Last year I joined Harry Jones Memorial Range. Been practicing out to
1000yds. Taking up 600BR there next year. WOW what a learning curve.
My longest kill on a whitetail 360yds.
Groundhogs 500ech a hand full of times.

So call me what you want.

 

[Tyler25246]

Lucky enough to have a private place to shoot out to 965 at the moment will be 1100 pretty soon.
600 yard mule deer is my farthest attempt and kill, the wife has me topped at just under 800 on a speed goat.

 

[quigley257]

We are blessed to have so much wide open public land to shoot on here in South Dakota. We are also fortunate to have so much technology available nowadays to make long range shooting much easier including range finders and ballistic apps. I grew up hunting in northern Minnesota where 200 yards was a long shot. Out on the Dakota prairies, you may not be able to get within 200 yards without being spotted. Longer shots tend to be the rule versus the exception. I got started long range shooting in the early 90s when we made our annual varmint safari to western North Dakota each year in pursuit of Prairie Dogs and other targets of opportunity. Back then, the really good range finders would only read reliably out to maybe 5 or 600 yards on PD size targets. Lots of paper calculations and drop charts once you got beyond that. We have a new public shooting sports complex being built north of Rapid City that will cater to many different shooting sports, with long range being a large part of the shooting complex. It will allow for easier training for those that don't have access to land, steel targets, etc.

SDSSC info here... https://gfp.sd.gov/south-dakota-shooting-sports-complex/

 

[LRNut]

When I am at my CO place, I shoot every day. So far today I shot at 1047 and 760 and both would have killed a deer. I typically take one shot at 910 early in the morning and then one at 760 when the wind picks up. If the wind is strong enough for a 3 MOA wind hold at 760, I move to 625.

When I am in Arizona, I shoot at the Phoenix Rod and Gun Club 500 yard range on Sunday and Wednesday afternoons. Shooting at a range is better than nothing, but if that is the only place you are practicing, you are deluding yourself - on a range you have wind flags. When other guys miss a gong at 500, you see the dust plume drift and know the wind. So when there is no fire prohibition, I go out to the desert and shoot at 784 and 1183 (and sometimes 1400) about every 4 or 5 days.

In my opinion, the best practice is your first shot, shooting where you have no wind flags or other shooters. You either make a good wind call or you don't. Going to the range and shooting 10+ rounds at long range doesn't really interest me because anyone can apply a correction after their first shot.

As for shooting animals, I think the max range for me is 625 - I hit my 10X12" gong no matter what the wind is doing. With the calibers I shoot (28N, 300 RUM, .338 Edge, .338 LM), a 3 MOA hold will put me in the kill zone in a howling wind. I don't even practice that range unless the wind is blowing. I do shoot my .338 WM (225 Hornady SP) at 500 and miss more at 500 with that gun that I do at 760 with the high BC bullets moving fast. (But then again, I am using a B&C reticle in a 3.5-10X scope.)

The reason I say 625 is max is simply the wind. I don't miss my 10X10" hit zone much at 760 especially if I can see mirage, but if the wind is blowing hard from 11 to 1 O'clock, it is pretty dicey. Not so at 625.

As for shooting game at 1000 yards, I really don't have much respect for anyone who talks about doing it, for the simple reason no one can put 90% of their first shot initial wind call bullets into a 10x10" target, and that is my personal litmus test. I view any game animal shot at 1000 yards as having a healthy dose of luck and frankly, a bit of disregard for probability of wounding it. Even when the wind appears to be calm, a 1 mph wind is enough to blow half your bullets out of the vital area. A 1/2 MOA rifle is going to shoot a five inch group at 1000 yards, leaving only 2.5" for wind error on a perfectly centered group. That means you need to get your wind call within 1/2 mph shooting a 300 Berger at 2900 to have a 100% chance of a hit. I had a nearly perfect call today at 1047 - 28N 195 Berger at 2977. Wind barely bent my lighter flame. No mirage. Held 1 MOA for wind and spin, and hit about 4" right of my aim. But even then, the TOF at that range is enough that an animal can move and if the wind is blowing much over 5 mph, the wind speed itself will vary enough during the TOF to destroy a 100% chance of a hit.

I find it interesting that I can't recall a single 900+ (or even 700) yard shot made by someone here on a guided hunt in the US. Most of my hunts are guided, and nowadays guides will tell you your hunt is over if you wound an animal. So go ahead and take that 900 yard shot, but if you wound it, you are done. Outside the US, Canada, and Europe, they might say this, but the reality is you will get a second chance. And some Asian hunts are pretty notorious for letting you blaze away until you put something down, range be damned.

 

[airohunter]

I was lucky enough to have some great places to shoot when I started my LR journey more than a decade ago. I have take probably a dozen animals between 500-1000yds, only one beyond 800.
Although I shoot a lot less these days good fundamentals and upgraded equipment have helped me remain competent.

 

[bsnyder]

Which range in CO were you shooting 1,710? I've shot 2,000 at one southern CO range and at the Grand Junction/Palisades range. Locally, we have a 1,000yd and I take my gongs out to the BLM/NF lands and shoot 1,000yd - 1 mile.

Wasn’t CO. Moved out of there 4 years ago.

 

[Huntnful]

I shoot out to and beyond 1200 yards fairly often. Kills on game animals at 605, 630, 840 & 975 yards. Lots in that 4-600 yard range.

And honestly, the more I shoot long range, the more I realize that I'm absolutely rolling the dice on nailing the environmentals beyond about 700 yards. It's just an educated guess with no guarantee of outcome. My guns shoot better than ever, I reload better than ever, I shoot more than ever and I almost want to hunt at even closer ranges now to guarantee favorable outcomes hahahaha.

 

[HARPERC]

I like the definition that LR is different for everyone based on their abilities. I feel like that's largely true in the context of this site

I remember a few of these discussion over on the ELR subforum, and there it seemed like 500+ was considered 'LR' and 1000+ was 'ELR', but with technological improvements I understand these definitions may be changing a bit.

I agree long range is best self defined. Goal should be maintaining, and/or improving skills.

Most of what range stretching I have done has been on varmints, and dynamite shoots. Not that I'm opposed to those that do, as I have seen more lost game up close than far away. Just be honest about the results.

Technology may have improved, but certainly my physical abilities have declined dramatically. I recently missed a 40 yard shot on a small bear. Looking at assistive technology compatible with my side by side.

 

[sp6x6]

I ran into a guide with a dude this spring.They where going down ,and across to get a shot at bear. Know from archery lot times down in you get winded, often with bear. On way back I saw bear and thought I could shoot him from where I was.As I shot one in same spot few years earlier.I lazered bear and it said 251 yrds and it was 1/2 way up, my guess 600ish.Thats when my Sig 2400 went on blink.Anyway ,smaller bear.Did send my unit in and got a Sig 8k in return that I have been loving so far with bdx.Fast reads and hits at 2000 pretty easy.I hunt a lot of thick timber so I have shot lot came close and im a tracker, but when I ridge run I stretch it out in that 6-800 type.I shot 2 bulls off hand rifle gripped to tree at that range, nice 6x , both those with my 340wby.Shot lot game resting on tree or back to tree sitting, go prone for long stuff with my atlas

 

[LRNut]

I shoot out to and beyond 1200 yards fairly often. Kills on game animals at 605, 630, 840 & 975 yards. Lots in that 4-600 yard range.

And honestly, the more I shoot long range, the more I realize that I'm absolutely rolling the dice on nailing the environmentals beyond about 700 yards. It's just an educated guess with no guarantee of outcome. My guns shoot better than ever, I reload better than ever, I shoot more than ever and I almost want to hunt at even closer ranges now to guarantee favorable outcomes hahahaha.

You nailed it with the comment "educated guess." Perfect characterization. Yes, the more you practice the more educated you become, but at some point, perhaps 700 yards, that the increasing size of your group, the odds of having terrain impact the wind, the ever increasing wind drift and consequently ever more accurate wind calls, create a situation in which it is impossible to put 90% of your shots in a 10X10" target.

 

[RichCotte]

I shoot targets out to 1400 and my personal limit for game is 800 yards. My longest shot to date on an animal is 600 on a hog back home in TX a few years ago.

I'd also say that the numbers to define range are dependent on a lot of factors including caliber, weapon, and game/target size. That 600 yd shot on a large feral hog with 7mm Magnum was a chipshot compared to some of the shots I've taken on prairie dogs and gophers at half that distance with much smaller calibers. But for the purposes of big game hunting, I'd say they're fair enough.