Long range deer hunt

[Mcraig]

Yesterday my buddy and I went deer hunt and I spotted a deer up on a rocky bluff at 658 yards he was about 500 ft higher than we were so we hiked up to the same elivation he was at and ranged home still at 658 I was shooting a Remington model 700 7STW with 162 grn hornaday SST ammo I shot at the deer 5 time hitting it
3 out of the 5! Two shots were in the from shoulder and one in the back of the head it seemed that if the bullet ricoshaed off the back of his head. The buck ran around for long enought for my buddy to get a shot with his 7mm using 140 grn nosler partitions and he hot the buck 1 time in the chest dropping the buck where he stood. Not really sure why my gun didn't bring the deer down considering I shot a bear a week before that @ 350 yards with the same gun and ammo and the bear dropped where he stood!??? Can anyone help me on trying to figure out why the deer wouldn't go down? Thank you.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Yesterday my buddy and I went deer hunt and I spotted a deer up on a rocky bluff at 658 yards he was about 500 ft higher than we were so we hiked up to the same elivation he was at and ranged home still at 658 I was shooting a Remington model 700 7STW with 162 grn hornaday SST ammo I shot at the deer 5 time hitting it
3 out of the 5! Two shots were in the from shoulder and one in the back of the head it seemed that if the bullet ricoshaed off the back of his head. The buck ran around for long enought for my buddy to get a shot with his 7mm using 140 grn nosler partitions and he hot the buck 1 time in the chest dropping the buck where he stood. Not really sure why my gun didn't bring the deer down considering I shot a bear a week before that @ 350 yards with the same gun and ammo and the bear dropped where he stood!??? Can anyone help me on trying to figure out why the deer wouldn't go down? Thank you.

I would scrap the SST's....I've never had too good of luck with them on deer sized game. Try 160 Nosler Accubonds, 168 Accubond Long Range, Berger 168 VLD, 168 Classic Hunter, Berger 180 VLD, or 180 Hybrid. Those should help your deer hunting game.

That's weird how they exploded like that. I've had the same thing happen with a 7RM with 139gr SST's years ago on a whitetail. I thought I was the only one who had had a weird experience with the SST's disintegrating on impact. After that I shot them all up at the range, and found something more reliable. The SST's are more of a thinner-jacketed bullet for varmint hunting (I found this out later on down the road), and were not the best option for large game.

 

[Mcraig]

Thank you for your help. I'll keep u posted on what I try!

 

[MudRunner2005]

Thank you for your help. I'll keep u posted on what I try!

No problem, sounds good.

The Bergers shoot excellently out of my STW, but I have not shot anything with them yet....Rifle season is about a month away, so I'll be able to let you know sometime this winter.

I have shot plenty of deer with the NAB's (Nosler AccuBonds) in .257 & my various 7mm calibers. They have always functioned flawlessly for me.

Haven't tried the new "long range" accubonds, (gray tip), but I suspect they will function well like the original Accubonds.

 

[Mcraig]

My buddy shoots the 168 grain berger bullets and they lay the critters down I'm thinking about trying them or the Barnes TSX 160s but I'm not really sure yet I'll let you know what I'm gonna go with and how they work! I'm new to the long range shooting but it's very addicting so any information will help and I appreciate it!!

 

[MMERSS]

Can anyone help me on trying to figure out why the deer wouldn't go down? Thank you.

Sometimes the brain doesn't stop right after the blood quits flowing.
Look at this picture of the antelope doe and size of the hole blown through the chest.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f17/rl-33-first-blood-122542/


This antelope ran 80 yards before tumbling. An animal can live for some time after being hit in the chest, regardless to what we think should happen.

 

[MudRunner2005]

My buddy shoots the 168 grain berger bullets and they lay the critters down I'm thinking about trying them or the Barnes TSX 160s but I'm not really sure yet I'll let you know what I'm gonna go with and how they work! I'm new to the long range shooting but it's very addicting so any information will help and I appreciate it!!

I forgot about the Barnes 160 TSX's....After my SST incident, I swapped to the Federal P7RK ammo, which was the Federal Premium 7RM loaded up with the XLC coated (blue) Barnes 160gr Triple-Shocks...I still have 3-4 boxes of them stashed in the safe. I'll never forget that product number as long as I live because of the pain it used to be to find ammo, so I used to have to Google search and buy it online. Federal quit making them back in probably 2002-2003, but I found some online in 2005, and bought every box they had, because of how good it shot out of my 7RM rifles.

They were some awesome whitetail stompers. I shot one about 275-300 yards away and those Barnes hit ao hard it violently flipped him on his other side. Never moved again. Those Barnes were great bullets. I would still be shooting them if Fed hadn't disconti ued them. They say that XLC coating was super slick and unlike moly, it didn't burn off into your rifling or bore.

After the Barnes got low I had started reloading by then, so I was loading the Nosler 160 Accubonds in my 7RM's, and haven't looked back since.

 

[Mcraig]

That's good shooting on her part its crazy what that gun can do at that distance! I'm not sure what the problem was I had but the buck I shot was the biggest body blacktail I've ever shot! He could pack a punch for sure!!

 

[Mcraig]

Ill be headed to Eastern WA tomorrow to chase some muledeer around I'm gonna try to shoot over 600 yards to try out those Barnes TSX 160s I reloaded. I have 20 rounds and they seem to shoot out of my STW pretty good I'm excited to see what they will do I'll be posting next week on how the trip went and I'll be be posting pictures I appreciate all of the input you all have givin me. I'm new to the long range shooting and any info will help me out!! feel free to tell me whatever you want or feel is needed all is good to know. Thank you.

 

[WildRose]

I would scrap the SST's....I've never had too good of luck with them on deer sized game. Try 160 Nosler Accubonds, 168 Accubond Long Range, Berger 168 VLD, 168 Classic Hunter, Berger 180 VLD, or 180 Hybrid. Those should help your deer hunting game.

That's weird how they exploded like that. I've had the same thing happen with a 7RM with 139gr SST's years ago on a whitetail. I thought I was the only one who had had a weird experience with the SST's disintegrating on impact. After that I shot them all up at the range, and found something more reliable. The SST's are more of a thinner-jacketed bullet for varmint hunting (I found this out later on down the road), and were not the best option for large game.

Yep, the SST's tend to go to pieces and I mean LOTS of pieces at these velocities.

The NZ Accubond and Hornady Interbond are much better choices.

 

[WildRose]

That's good shooting on her part its crazy what that gun can do at that distance! I'm not sure what the problem was I had but the buck I shot was the biggest body blacktail I've ever shot! He could pack a punch for sure!!

Wrong bullet choice and you just didn't hit him "right".

Keep in mind though even a deer shot through the heart or both lungs can run 200-300yds.

If you don't break the shoulders and/or sever the spine they are generally going to run some distance before cratering.