I'm Dustin from Mid-Missouri and am fairly new to the long range game. I've been an avid hunter for years and love trophy deer hunting. I spend long hours in the woods just for a shot at a monster. I spend a lot of time bow hunting and gun hunting here in Missouri on my family land, and also get the privilege to hunt on our cousins land in Kansas which has produce 2 Boone and Crocket bucks in the last five years along with probably 10 other bucks over 150". That's what made me get into long range hunting. I had a .25-06 for years (Remington 700 SS with a Leupold Vari-X II on it 3-9x50). The first year I was there the crops had been killed off and the hunting was terrible. I had very little knowledge of long range hunting, but when a nice 10-pointer with a giant body (over 300 pounds) stepped into an old milo field at a very long distance, I couldn't help but take a shot at it. I held over its back and squeezed off the factory set trigger (Imagine my joy when I finally adjusted that thing). The deer dropped and I was pumped. I stepped it off at 450 steps. Now I realize this is pretty unethical to a lot of people and looking back it was pretty stupid of me but you don't think about that when put in that situation. From that point I got fascinated by the capabilities of a rifle. I first built a 7mm rem mag based off a Howa1500 action but it really wasn't any better (very uneducated at the time, as I am now but not as bad lol). So I sold it and started messing around with my .25-06. Long story short, it ended being a stock barreled action placed in a Boyd's Laminated stock that I pillar and skim bedded, with a Leupold VX3 CDS on top. My ammo was 115 VLD Bergers loaded by gunwerks (didn't have access to any reloading supplies). I didn't get to shoot it a lot before season but it would easily shoot .75 MOA consistently, the best being just under .5 at 100 yards. I practiced on milk jugs at 400 yards cold bore (longest shot on my place, lots of woods), and could bust them every time no problem in any wind. I had no luck in Missouri gun season (shot a nice velvet 8 with my bow 130"), but smoked an 8-1/2 year old buck at 431 yards, and had no doubt I would drop that deer. Zero wind that day (very uncommon in Kansas) made it feel like a chip shot.
That was the only deer I got to shoot with that gun. I had other plans for it as well including a new barrel, but in March we had a fire. You can see our gun cabinet to the right (yes I was too stupid to put the gun in the safe, even though they aren't much better).
I saved the action and cleaned it up as well as another 700 action that was a 300 RUM. For this year I got a great deal on a Winchester Model 70 270 WSM, and put the old Vari-X II on it (it survived the fire actually in the bottom of that cabinet, and cleaned up nicely). It shoots very well with factory 150 Power Point ammo, but haven't but a lot through it yet. Didn't have much time to get it ready before gun season. Now the fun begins, either building it or building one of the remington actions. I'll post some questions about it on the Beginners section as I'm unsure which I'll use at this point. Goal is to get a 1000 yard deer rifle.
That was the only deer I got to shoot with that gun. I had other plans for it as well including a new barrel, but in March we had a fire. You can see our gun cabinet to the right (yes I was too stupid to put the gun in the safe, even though they aren't much better).
I saved the action and cleaned it up as well as another 700 action that was a 300 RUM. For this year I got a great deal on a Winchester Model 70 270 WSM, and put the old Vari-X II on it (it survived the fire actually in the bottom of that cabinet, and cleaned up nicely). It shoots very well with factory 150 Power Point ammo, but haven't but a lot through it yet. Didn't have much time to get it ready before gun season. Now the fun begins, either building it or building one of the remington actions. I'll post some questions about it on the Beginners section as I'm unsure which I'll use at this point. Goal is to get a 1000 yard deer rifle.
