Your Ultimate 500 Yard Rig

[SD300]

Mine is an Xbolt stainless steel long range hunter in 300 wm. It bedded into a Boyds laminate stock. Has a Vortex Razor HD LH 3x15 scope. An Mcarbo trigger spring. The lugs are lapped and so are the scope rings. Everything is torqued and lock tite to specs. Comes in at 9.5lbs with out the sling. Bullet is a Hornady 220grain eldx going 2940fps. Hornady brass, win mag primer, 77.8 grains of retumbo, 2.770 ogiv, 3.45" OAL. Stacks bullets at 100 yards and doesn't open up much at 500. Generally around 1.5" at 500. Had some less. Had some 3". But most right around 1.5" from prone. Hopefully next year I get to head west. Thats the plan anyways.

 

[BrentM]

Interesting topic. I am just about to finish up a sub 8 lb rifle in a short action. It was designed for long range wolf hunting, not big game, but the platform I use is a fairly quick barrel swap to something more suited to big bear and moose. I suspect I would swap the bolt head and run a 7mm short magnum of some sort with 180 class bullets. Currently my light build is configured in a 6.5 creed running 147's. Good wolf poison for sure, decent on elk to 500 and under. I would not feel comfortable with 1500 lbs of energy on a moose at 500 though. I have only guided a hunt for moose, never shot 1.

 

[BLK]

I would stay with my stainless Winchester 7MM mag with browning adjustable boss and Leuopold 6.5-20 power target scope. I have killed many a white tail and black bear with it at 4-500 yards. Loaded with hand loads Sierra 160 grain Game King BTHP bullet. I have it sighted in for maximum point blank range and use my range finder with a list "clicks" to adjust for anything past 320 yards. It works beautifully. I shoot only clear and open shots rested on a sand bagged rest and never shoot at fast moving game. On slow walking or standing game it is awesome. Have killed everything I have shot at with it so far.
Knock on wood! I know some will say it is not practical to wilderness hunt like this but it is the only way I will shoot at game at those distances. Off hand is just asking to wound animals.

 

[John Spadaro]

Yes highdrum, Fierce makes it.

I would take my Fierce CT Edge in 300 win mag. 24" carbon fiber barrel, muzzle brake, carbon stock, 2# trigger, Vortex D'Back Tactical 6-24X50 FFP EBR-2C, weight 7.5 pounds.

I have been thinking about getting a Fierce Carbon Edge. It is about $1000 cheaper than a custom gun with a Defiance action and Proof barrel. How do you like the Fierce? Is it worth the money? Any negatives?

 

[Shoalwater]

Just got done building mine, although I haven't even fired a round through it yet. Will be probably April before I get a chance to start load development, just sold our house, and all my reloading stuff will be in storage until the new house is complete in March. Gun weighs right at 9 lbs ready to hunt. Up at elevation in the mountains, it should carry 1500 ft-lbs of energy all the way out to 1000 yds, with the 147's. Although I feel confident in the guns and my ability to shoot game much further than 500, I do plan to limit the range on Elk to 600ish being a 6.5.

Curtis Custom Axiom (Although might of done a Lone Peak Razor Ti action, would save about 10 to 12 ozs, if I was really trying to cut more weight)
Proof Sendero Lite 24"
Trigger Tech
Manners EH1
APA bottom metal
Alpha Mag (Probably go to a Curtis 3rd mag once available)
March 3-24-52
Seekins Rings
6.5 SS shooting ELD 147 until the Berger 156's come out

 

[darrindlh]

For me it would be a 257 Weatherby carbon mrk V shooting the 115 gen Barnes tsx aT 3450 fps. This is good enough for everything in the lower 48 500 yards and under. Where I hunt elk at 500 yrds it's traveling 2335 FPS and has 1392 ft lbs of energy.

Darrin

 

[257WTBY]

For me 6.5-300 Weatherby with leupold vx-6 should smoke anything inside 500yards easy

 

[338sniper]

Inspired by John Spadaro's thread found here:
https://longrangehunting.com/threads/help-chosing-an-elk-cartridge.211198/

What is your ULTIMATE rifle outfit for ~500yds on North American big game? Think packing WAY back/up in there with a shot of a lifetime on a trophy animal that has never seen a human.

Long/short action? Caliber? Action? Stock? Optic? Trigger? etc. Overkill is fine; what is your ULTIMATE dream rig for out to 500?

Easy... Because I built it a few years ago. Dubbed the "kill Stick"

Gradous rifles 6.5x47L
Stiller Tac30 action
16.5" bartlein #3 4 groove threaded 5/8"x24tpi
Badger mini brake
Jewel trigger
PTG DBM
McMillan A3 sporter EDGE
NF NXS 5.5-22x50 MOAR-T

Lapua 136 scenars @ 2704fps.
.0"s @ 100 yards
.75" @ 700 yards (personal best)

 

[Chopaka81]

Out to 500yds I would use the KISS principle. 3x9x40 VX2 Luepold on either a 300Win or 7mm Rem with a tailored handload. In the 300 I would use a 180gr boattail and the 7mm i would go with a 160gr boattail. Nothing fancy, just proven reliability. If i was going light weight I would go the a 7mm Rem.

 

[AD5GB]

My 2 pennies worth: my .270 Rem ADL fitted with a 26" Krieger barrel works very well at 500. So does my .300 WM Model 70 Winchester fitted with a 27" Brux barrel.

 

[Craveman85]

I want a custom built 700 in 300 win mag. 700 action with a 26" varmint contour hart barrel and a Remington vls stock. Even though they don't have the vls for long action. That's my absolute favorite stock . Pillar and glass bedded of course. A good steel one piece base, a jewel trigger and probably a vortex ffp 4-16 . Maybe one of Hart's muzzle brakes too . Some lead added to the butt so it's about 13.5# . Pretty much identical to my 260 with a brake

 

[AHoffart]

I have several i use on my mtn hunts--one is a Lex Webernick in 280AI --the other is a custom I had built this year..has a Defiance Action, Proof Barrel and Christenson carbon fiber stock.. in 28 Nosler..in my home state, the one I have used the most is a HS in 300RUM..all three are very accurate and more than capable to 500 and beyond..Here is my last hunt in Turkey a few weeks ago..

 

[Greyfox]

It would have to be my Cooper 52 in 6.5x284.....

 

[RH300UM]

7RBH weighs in at 8 lbs. 177 Hammer Hunter bullet going @3300 fps. Will deliver the power to 800+ yards.
You never know if there will be the need to go longer. I like to have the capacity to do so.


Rogue action
Trigger
3 port brake
24" sendero lite
Manners eh6
Bdl bottom
Rings
Nightforce scope