• If you are being asked to change your password, and unsure how to do it, follow these instructions. Click here

What is long range to you?

yardage an caliber/cartridage


  • Total voters
    157
Long range for me is about 400 to 500 yards. It's as far as I can shoot on the 151 Acre farm where I have crop damage permits. I currently have 20 tags, but that will change come October (and when they start making 130 grain Accubonds agian!).
 
I checked every box. 300 yards for the 30-30 is a long ways and a 1000 for the 300win isn't all that bad to get to. I think a major factor is shooter ability and training/practice to shoot to "long range". I like the conversation guess I could have just said yes all the above and some other factors not listed.
 
Just thought this would make some fun conversation. Do you judge long range by yardage, the cartridge you are using at the time, the terrain your hunting in, or a combination of all. Lets have a fun clean conversation and share our views.
i think it all depends on the terrain and the situation ! if you can only shoot offhand 2-300 yards is a long ways but if you have time for a solid rest then 600 would be comfortable for me !
 
I checked every box. 300 yards for the 30-30 is a long ways and a 1000 for the 300win isn't all that bad to get to. I think a major factor is shooter ability and training/practice to shoot to "long range". I like the conversation guess I could have just said yes all the above and some other factors not listed.
Great topic 35whelen. Since this is a long range forum it's interesting to hear what other people's ideas of long range are.
Josh P, Mustang72, You guys and the others have got the idea I had in mind. I thought we would all have fun comparing notes. When hunting for me it depends on a lot of things. What rifle/cartridge I'm using, were I'm hunting, wind an weather, and the game animals, are they standing, grazing, running, ect.
 
I think that where you live has a large impact on what is considered long range. I am from WI, where most whitetails are shot at less than 100 yards and for sure less than 200 yards on average. My longest shot was 294 yards off hand with a Rem 700 Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08. However, other than that 1 time, everything else was under 150 yards and far more closer to 50 than 200. There are more Marlin 30-30's in the woods here during gun season than there are $1000 rifles. I personally have found my sweet spot in the $2000ish range with Remington LTR's with Swarovski Z3 scopes or the like.

I feel that in today's day and age, there are many people that feel money spent dictated how far they can take animals. A $6000 rifle with a $2000 scope does not mean the average Joe can shoot game at 1000 yards.

To me, I enjoy getting as close to game as possible! I practice with my bow at 100 yards probably 80% of my time. However, I stalked and shot my mule deer at 10 yards (ranged afterwards). We only have a 9 day gun season and I have shot most all of my bucks at probably 75 yards on average, again, I wouldn't change that.

One last thing, something that bothers me regardless of reading it on a forum, hearing it on TV or just in general conversation with hunts is ethics differences between Trophy or Meat situations. IT SHOULD NOT MATTER! I am a "trophy" hunter by definition. With a pile of big whitetails taken with my bow. My requirement on shots I take for a 170 whitetail or a doe are NO DIFFERENT. They are both deer and and should be treated the same. What is on there heads is for our own justifications, but a wounded/unrecovered doe should bother us just as much as a "trophy" buck.

Sorry, that got a little long winded.

Steve
 
Josh P, Mustang72, You guys and the others have got the idea I had in mind. I thought we would all have fun comparing notes. When hunting for me it depends on a lot of things. What rifle/cartridge I'm using, were I'm hunting, wind an weather, and the game animals, are they standing, grazing, running, ect.
I've enjoyed the read and have always liked questions that don't have one answer or any one right answer. This is a how long is a piece of string type question. Grandpa would ask me that when I asked him a question with way to many possible answers or no real right answer. He would then ask where the white goes when snow melts just to mess with me.
 
I think that where you live has a large impact on what is considered long range. I am from WI, where most whitetails are shot at less than 100 yards and for sure less than 200 yards on average. My longest shot was 294 yards off hand with a Rem 700 Mountain Rifle in 7mm-08. However, other than that 1 time, everything else was under 150 yards and far more closer to 50 than 200. There are more Marlin 30-30's in the woods here during gun season than there are $1000 rifles. I personally have found my sweet spot in the $2000ish range with Remington LTR's with Swarovski Z3 scopes or the like.

I feel that in today's day and age, there are many people that feel money spent dictated how far they can take animals. A $6000 rifle with a $2000 scope does not mean the average Joe can shoot game at 1000 yards.

To me, I enjoy getting as close to game as possible! I practice with my bow at 100 yards probably 80% of my time. However, I stalked and shot my mule deer at 10 yards (ranged afterwards). We only have a 9 day gun season and I have shot most all of my bucks at probably 75 yards on average, again, I wouldn't change that.

One last thing, something that bothers me regardless of reading it on a forum, hearing it on TV or just in general conversation with hunts is ethics differences between Trophy or Meat situations. IT SHOULD NOT MATTER! I am a "trophy" hunter by definition. With a pile of big whitetails taken with my bow. My requirement on shots I take for a 170 whitetail or a doe are NO DIFFERENT. They are both deer and and should be treated the same. What is on there heads is for our own justifications, but a wounded/unrecovered doe should bother us just as much as a "trophy" buck.

Sorry, that got a little long winded.

Steve
I agree
 
I watched an episode on Gunwerks where Aaron Davidson had a desert bighorn at 900 yds. The wind conditions weren't all that harsh, but he sneaked to 600 yds because the wind made the shot less confident.

I once missed a wolf at 350 yds because I had to shoot standing and had to thead the bullet through some tall reeds growing at 250 yds.

I took a yearling doe this past year at 808 in near perfect wind conditions. I set my wind dope far enough forward so that I would either miss her or take out the neck and front shoulders.

I once read a post that stated, "anything is long range which requires an adjustment beyond your zero"

IMO, the term "Long Range" is defined by the hunting conditions, the fire arm being used, the body position required for the shot, and shooter history of being able to consistently
make ethical shots at the known longer distance.
 
This morning, I asked my wife what she would consider long range (maximum distance she would take the shot) on a big game animal, under ideal conditions from her shooting sticks. She said 500 yards. I feel that's pretty accurate, as I've seen her go to 400 yards several times, with the expected results! I couldn't make a second vote.....so add one to the 500 yard survey section! memtb
 
Most will consider this weak sauce, but for me, 300 yds is long. We simply don't have many scenarios around here that allow for much longer of a shot on an animal without them being behind a tree or hill.
 
I don't consider it weak at all. I think it's much better to have a shorter range than to blast away hoping you make a decent shot! I would prefer all my shots on game animals to be 300 and under. In the right conditions I m comfortable out to 700. That said I let a Big 10pt walk not long ago because the shot just didn't feel right. Range---less than 100 yards! 10 minutes later I dropped a big 8 at 300+,but it felt right!
 
Warning! This thread is more than 6 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top