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Elk @ 600 yrds

hogpatrol said:
Getting closer is not always an option. What if you're on horseback or the game is way up a mountain, across a stream or river? How about twenty sets of eyes looking at you? Travel to a foreign country for sheep or plains game and try and get closer. Not going to happen. Take the blanket statement about getting closer and then argue we should be within five yards and using spears instead of high power rifles with scopes or compound bows with sights and mechanical broadheads. Where do you draw the line? On deer, on groundhogs, on prairie dogs and coyotes? Technology has improved everything we hunt with, from bullets to barrels and optics. It moves the game forward and long range hunting is part of it. Can this technology be abused? Sure, by guys like Fred's example but for those that are willing and able to put in the time and effort to become proficient like Adam's client, I have no problem with it. As far as ethics, I wish I had a dollar for each paper plate hunter I've seen at gun clubs the week before deer season. If they could hit anywhere on that plate at 50 yards, they were good to go in their powerline stands. I should have taken a photo of the last bozo I saw who had his scope mounted ninety degrees to the left and went through 35 rounds of 30-30 before he figured it out. But hey, he's ethical because he was only going to shoot fifty yards!
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Gun clubs in October is a hoot . You can see all the so called hunters brag on their one in gun shoot at a 20' shootnsee and miss the 6' bull at 100 with a rest . Smile Larry
 
Larry, the 600 yd shoot may be the 1 in your life time. You do need good equipment (rifle, ammo,scope) before you can practice and learn. I shoot a lot of 223 in a bolt sporter for practice. I do shoot my hunting rifle (7 mag/Berger bullet) practice closer to the hunts. I also have and shoot a F/TR 223 and a 6 Dasher at 600 yds they are not hunting rifles but shooting is good.
 
savagedasher said:
Gun clubs in October is a hoot . You can see all the so called hunters brag on their one in gun shoot at a 20' shootnsee and miss the 6' bull at 100 with a rest . Smile Larry
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It always cracks me up see guys shooting 7 and 300 mags at paper plates at 25 yards. And the guys teaching their wife's and girlfriends to shoot in September so they can deer hunt in October.
 
Have him place an elk size target at 1800 feet from his shooting position, shoulder the rifle and look through his scope. He might quickly change his mind. Shooting accurately at a distance of essentially 3/8 of a mile offhand isn't easy! Especially for a first timer with his heart pounding!
 
These people that got more money than common sense piss me off. They spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a rifle system that they can kill stuff at a mile and the hunting show shows it can be done. Yet they shoot the gun five times before huntin season and by god they hit their five foot target at 100 yds and now they are headin off to sling lead at a animal that I believe deserves a clean ethical kill and these wannabes are gonna end up wounding one or maybe more elk or deer or whatever and not have enough common sense to figure out how to track em. Stupid people. My self I'm shootin a 300 wsm for elk this year and I know for a fact I can nail a elk at a grand because I practice like hell but I ain't gonna try it. I'm hopein for my cow to stop broadside at a whoppin 100yds so there ain't no doubt one and done with no runnin and suffering. Just my thinkin. Call me crazy.
 
Alex Wheeler said:
3" groups at 800 with factory ammo and 600 yard offhand shots.... Not doubting you, but maybe your customer is exaggeration a bit?
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+2......
I shoot high power silhouette matches.At 500M.....a 50% hit ratio is VERY good...... that`s with a custom gun and handloads....
 
wapiti25 said:
Larry, the 600 yd shoot may be the 1 in your life time. You do need good equipment (rifle, ammo,scope) before you can practice and learn. I shoot a lot of 223 in a bolt sporter for practice. I do shoot my hunting rifle (7 mag/Berger bullet) practice closer to the hunts. I also have and shoot a F/TR 223 and a 6 Dasher at 600 yds they are not hunting rifles but shooting is good.
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I have 4 trophies hunting my first deer in 1954 second my is a deer I killed at 87 yards with a arrow. 3 is a 200 class buck I stalked for over a hour . 4 is a Osceola turkey I worked for over two hours .
Age changes your outlook on hunting.
A 600 yard shot is easy if you put the time and efferet in it .
I have a friend who worked all summer to shoot a speed goat . He had success at 1018 yards one shot . Could he do it again Yes
He wanted to do and put the effort into it .
Hunting is different for different people . Larry
 
billlarson said:
+2......
I shoot high power silhouette matches.At 500M.....a 50% hit ratio is VERY good...... that`s with a custom gun and handloads....
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+3, I was AAA smallbore many years ago. And horns, pecker, arse and shoulder all count the same unlike on a real animal.
 
This whole thread reminds me of the gunsmith that wanted to know what to tell a potential customer that wanted a rifle that would shoot to the same point of impact regardless of the ammo, temperature, clean or dirty bore, etc. He didn't mention the wind or distance, but apparently those wouldn't be a factor, either.

The people that believe this stuff are usually clueless in most facets of their life as well, yet somehow manage to raise children and pay their bills.
 
Well ok, I shoot a great big elk at 600 yards....and then have to chase his huge a$$ for 2 miles till he falls over dead.
 
Short answer... YES. A factory 300 mag can be purchased and is very capable of KILLING an elk at 600 yards. The real question is...Are you qualified to take an elk at 600 yards ? There lies the question in a nut shell. With weeks and months of practice at that range and preferably farther to accomplish this goal, I know it can be done and YES again with premium factory ammunition. Practice makes everything easy. My range is a 500 yard range and it's kinda like a chip shot when I decide to shoot on it. I own 3 factory guns that are .5 shooters and can keep 2.5 - 3 at 500 yards with premium factory loads. Obviously the perfect scenario is to build a gun and reload for that gun for optimum accuracy. It's no joke tho knowing some idiots go out and attempt these shots after only watching videos thatake it look easy. Stay home and keep watching videos if thats your plan. This requires much time on the range and endless hours in wind and at long long ranges.
 
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It's funny to hear that statement "Use enough gun". Years ago before dabbling in all this precision gun stuff and reloading, I had that same thought. Just figured using a magnum caliber cartridge would get the job done on any game animal no matter what. Hit the animal any place mid section and that Magnum would put that animal on the ground. Since then I have to honestly say there's no game animal in our country that cannot be cleanly and humanely killed WITHOUT a magnum caliber cartridge. With the 284, 30-06 and 35 whelen( plus some) and the ability to reload to impressive speed and energies, there really isn't much need to get beat up by the recoil of magnum guns. Moose and the biggest bears are killed cleanly by 7mm Rem mags and 300 win mags with factory ammunition. Todays 284s and 30-06s that are reloaded to top end performance have easily killed both these game animals in Alaska. Many stories told of this prove to me that magnums aren't necessary. Certainly they are for guides and dangerous stopping power situations or African game that dwarf North American game species. Use enough gun and shoot the right bullet definitely applies but magnum guns aren't any part of that equation for clean humane harvest. It all goes back to know your equipment and time on the range.
 
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