distance

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distance

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jun 2017, 5:07 pm

I have just gone outside with my rangefinder to plot a few ranges.It seems to be stuck in yards however some of the distances that get casually mentioned like 200-300 metres I have to ask do you have a rangefinder.The longest shot I have ever made was off an Adjustable plastic benchrest and my buddy had sent the roos my way and one big male crossed the creek and stood under a tree.I had a big hill backdrop and no haze and I was using a Sendero in 7mm Rem Mag with 100gr doing 3300fps.I aimed for the top of the skull and brained it.I took a reading of the tree to get 270 metres.I have seen Elmers rabbit footage and that impresses me no end.So my question is does everyone shoot ferals out to 300 plus metres cos my crew struggle to hit foxes at 70 metres with a .243 under spotlight or are some of the long shots claimed perhaps not as far as they seem.Example this guy was saying how he hit it in the eye at 330 metres on the hop.Truth It was 180 metres and standing side on.Still a good shot for a .223 at night.I prefer my closest shot.Up north doing it pro and I saw a super big male red behind some thick bush so I drove around to where it would come out and sure enough it hopped out and stood level with my bullbar on my side.All I could see out the 6 x 40 on my .222 was eyelashes.Now that is what I am talking about.Love to see some genuine long shots and proof.I am going to the farm this week and I have switched the 7mm to 168gr Sierra bthp which should go straight through everything and I am zeroed at 275 metres with a 52 mm Leupold at 13.5 magnification
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Re: distance

Post by bladeracer » 04 Jun 2017, 5:21 pm

duncan61 wrote:So my question is does everyone shoot ferals out to 300 plus metres...



Longest accurately-ranged shots I've taken at a fox was 310m and missed both times.
I was prone on an open hillside and didn't want to move in case I spooked him so I figured it was worth the shot.
Pretty sure both .204's evaporated hitting grass as neither left any mark on the ground behind him and neither of them scared him off. He just looked up at the bangs and went back to foraging. After he moved on I went down for a look and got him when he wandered back :-)

As a kid I had a beautiful spot for sniping rabbits and foxes with the .222Rem.
I've always believed it was 300yds but I can't recall why as it was on a cliff edge overlooking a creek so I couldn't have paced it. I probably scaled it off a topo map.
In hindsight, I'm sure it was under 300m but I still think it was at least a good 250yds. I shoot 200m here very regularly and it was certainly a lot further than that.
Haven't been able to find the spot on Google Earth despite many hours looking :-(
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Re: distance

Post by Oldbloke » 04 Jun 2017, 6:12 pm

All my foxes have been taken up to about 100 meters. Would have a crack out to 200. But that would be the limit. It would depend on the situation.
Field conditions are not the same as off the bench to state the obvious.

Edit: I always use rests or shooting sticks at every opportunity.
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Re: distance

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jun 2017, 6:14 pm

The 204 is something else.Many wildcats are tried and some are winners.I know heaps of dairy farmers who got them as soon as they were available to keep in the ute for foxing.I have never used one but I can see how they do the job.Back on the distance thing.I have seen some good long range shots with other people using 22/250 The boy I am thinking of used to let the foxes get a long way out before dropping them.His dad was the damage guy for a 1200ha plus sheep farm so he would go up the hill 2 times a week to look for pigs and foxes.I would go with them and process all the head shot roos but the boy found it too easy and got bored of it.
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Re: distance

Post by albat » 04 Jun 2017, 6:15 pm

I honestly think that theres alot of waffle with long range hunting 90 percent of the time im pulling the trigger at under 80 metres might be something a bit further then i simply get closer sitting set up for varmints with a good rest and rangefinder would be the exception just my 2 cents worth
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Re: distance

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jun 2017, 6:34 pm

The reason I have a 7mm Rem Mag is because I went to a range with my brand new .222 that I was all excited about and the target was at 400 and my first shot made about 250 before hitting the dirt I wound the scope all the way and hit about 350.To land on the 400 I had to aim for a fir tree branch about 600mm above the top of the target.Even as a beginner I knew I would probably never be F class world champion.At work on Monday the builder asked how I went.Not good was my reply.At lunch I wandered into my LGS and checked the ballistics chart and was happy with 7mm Rem Mag for making 1000 metres when I shared this with the builder the electrician piped up and said I have one of them and he did now its mine.When we do the ambush thing all the roos scatter however after about half an hour a few start drifting back in to the area cos they want to go home.I am hoping if one pulls up at 400m or less I can allow for drop and plant a 168gr target bullet in its boiler room which should turn it off without blowing the animal to pieces like the 100gr does
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Re: distance

Post by bladeracer » 04 Jun 2017, 6:39 pm

duncan61 wrote:I am hoping if one pulls up at 400m or less I can allow for drop and plant a 168gr target bullet in its boiler room which should turn it off without blowing the animal to pieces like the 100gr does


Don't you have to take head shots and a maximum of 200m range on 'roos though?
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Re: distance

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jun 2017, 7:16 pm

The Kangaroo industry is nearly dead in West Aust so we are down to drop and rot.Having said that a small doe still makes for a good meal and if I wish to take some meat I will.Hunting bullets out the 7mm hydraulic Kangaroos and turn the whole animal to mush.I could be wrong but a 7mm 168gr pill should go right through the chest area and limit the damage to the butt area and tail which is what I am after.The humane destruction of Kangaroos set by the world standard applies to wild game taken for sale by professional licensed Kangaroo shooters which is done by head shots with a minimum 50gr .224 bullet doing plus 3000fps to the brain.I got in the Industry as it was dying off It is still big business from S.A. to South Queensland with Macro meats.A bunch of us considered set up a box and transporting east.I have not renewed my reg 6 this year as there is no where I can sell the product.I am bored of watching the crew send round after round at a 400 metre roo with there .243 rifles so now its my turn.I have a new benchrest and I am zeroed.
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Re: distance

Post by bigfellascott » 04 Jun 2017, 7:38 pm

I have and do use a range finder when needed, longest shot on a fox so far is 340m under the light. Knocked a few bunnies in the head around 300m in last light conditions - all using a 3-9x50 Nikon Scope on top of my Howa 204 shooting off the bonnet using a sandbag.

These 2 fell at just over 270m within a minute of each other - shooting off a bipod resting on my feet for more elevation. :lol:

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Re: distance

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jun 2017, 8:49 pm

great shooting
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Re: distance

Post by brett1868 » 04 Jun 2017, 8:57 pm

Longest kill was at 1248m but that was under perfect conditions and not a shot I'd normally attempt. I have a favourite corner up the farm where I setup to shoot from, I use a range finder, dope card and the ammo is match prepared .375 Cheytac. Most shots are around the 300-400m mark with the occasional 500m unless something is stupid enough to pop its head up closer. Out spot lighting with the .257 or .243 we rarely shoot more then 150m as that's about the limit of positive target ID.
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Re: distance

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jun 2017, 10:07 pm

This planet needs people like you.375 what the f.
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Re: distance

Post by Gwion » 04 Jun 2017, 11:00 pm

223rem usual range is 140-150m. Longest measured head shot was around 240m, still evening on dusk. Wouldn't try further than 150 with any sort of wind. I'd probably be happy to take 200m shot if I was shooting flat but have found I'm not very good at compensating for up/down hill shooting and miss too many shots with any sort of steep incline or decline.
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Re: distance

Post by duncan61 » 04 Jun 2017, 11:41 pm

yes hills are weird its like taking a golf swing when you are above or below the ball
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Re: distance

Post by bigfellascott » 05 Jun 2017, 6:52 am

If it's a steep angle up or down you aim low, if the angle isn't too great you don't need to compensate. :thumbsup:
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Re: distance

Post by Gwion » 05 Jun 2017, 7:20 am

Yeah. But what is 'steep'? 10, 15, 25 degrees?

I get the theory but putting it practice is another matter. You allow the drop based on horizontal distance only (the distance that Gravity is acting on the bullet). Not on the total distance the bullet travels.
Think I need to set up some targets to practice.
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Re: distance

Post by Archie » 05 Jun 2017, 8:13 am

Gwion wrote:223rem usual range is 140-150m. Longest measured head shot was around 240m, still evening on dusk. Wouldn't try further than 150 with any sort of wind. I'd probably be happy to take 200m shot if I was shooting flat but have found I'm not very good at compensating for up/down hill shooting and miss too many shots with any sort of steep incline or decline.


Out of curiosity, what range do you zero for? I have all my rifles zeroed at 200m, but what I've noticed with my 223 is that while its a five-shots-is-one-ragged-hole 200m on the bench, when i actually use it in the field I almost never shoot out to 200m and more often I usually underestimate the bullet rise closer in, and hit high (or miss). For bigger animals it doesn't matter but on rabbits it does. Wondering if a better option would be to zero for 100m and dial up on the longer shots where you usually have a little more time.
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Re: distance

Post by Gwion » 05 Jun 2017, 8:28 am

100m zero and a bdc reticle. You really need to know your bullet velocity, study your drop charts, know the stadia in minutes on your reticle, have a way of accurately estimating range, etc..

You can also get your DOPE by setting targets at various set ranges and recording drop. If you have no way of reliably estimating range in the field you are going to be in trouble. If you zero for max point blank, you need to know your kill zone and what range your zero allows for and keep your shots within that range. Again, you need a decent idea of velocity and range or you can set targets and record drop. I do most of my shooting in my own paddocks so I have a good idea how far things are from point to point and am not relying entirely on guess work for range estimation.

As suggested previously, most people can't estimate range in the field or fish size on the river bank. :lol:
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Re: distance

Post by bigfellascott » 05 Jun 2017, 8:35 am

Gwion wrote:Yeah. But what is 'steep'? 10, 15, 25 degrees?

I get the theory but putting it practice is another matter. You allow the drop based on horizontal distance only (the distance that Gravity is acting on the bullet). Not on the total distance the bullet travels.
Think I need to set up some targets to practice.


Yeah it's a hard one to work out alright, if I think I need to aim low I make sure the X-hairs are still on the target (Ie I don't aim lower than the animal I'm wanting to shoot) that way I hope if I get it wrong I still hit the target so to speak.

I had this trouble when I first go the 204 and was shooting from the top of a hill down into a gully at a rabbit warren, first shot went over quite a bit so I had to actually aim at their front feet to ensure I was close to hitting them but once I worked out where I needed to aim it was all over for em - the shots ranged from 220m out to 255m from memory - I couldn't tell you want angle it was other than the hill was steep and you wouldn't get a 4wd up it from the direction I was shooting.

I would definitely set up some gongs or similar at diff distances and see how you go :thumbsup:
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Re: distance

Post by Archie » 05 Jun 2017, 9:36 am

Gwion wrote:100m zero and a bdc reticle. You really need to know your bullet velocity, study your drop charts, know the stadia in minutes on your reticle, have a way of accurately estimating range, etc..

You can also get your DOPE by setting targets at various set ranges and recording drop. If you have no way of reliably estimating range in the field you are going to be in trouble. If you zero for max point blank, you need to know your kill zone and what range your zero allows for and keep your shots within that range. Again, you need a decent idea of velocity and range or you can set targets and record drop. I do most of my shooting in my own paddocks so I have a good idea how far things are from point to point and am not relying entirely on guess work for range estimation.

As suggested previously, most people can't estimate range in the field or fish size on the river bank. :lol:


Makes sense. I have a decent laser range finder. I probably need to use it more often than I do.
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Re: distance

Post by bigfellascott » 05 Jun 2017, 11:13 am

For me I generally zero my rifles to be pretty much spot on at 100m.
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Re: distance

Post by Bent Arrow » 05 Jun 2017, 11:21 am

I zero centre fire hunting rifles at 100 m. Most of my hunting shots are less than, or not much further than that so I don't need to think too much about hold over. My 25-06 has a BDC reticle for longer shots.
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Re: distance

Post by bladeracer » 05 Jun 2017, 11:26 am

bigfellascott wrote:For me I generally zero my rifles to be pretty much spot on at 100m.



I generally want to be 30-40mm high at 100m. Still well close enough to not need any holdover.
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