Max range

[Harrynsw]

Hi folks
What would be the max practical range out of a tikka t3x lite 6.5 creedmoor 20 inch barrel, as is ?
Deciding on magnification of scope to accompany the rifle.
Cheers.

[in2anity]

What sized target?

[Harrynsw]

What sized target?

Smallest would be a small pig and anything upwards of that

[in2anity]

Are you into long range hunting? Put it this way, say your setup was more than capable than you are - what’s the longest distance you’d feel comfortable targeting a “small pig”?

[Harrynsw]

Are you into long range hunting? Put it this way, say your setup was more than capable than you are - what’s the longest distance you’d feel comfortable targeting a “small pig”?

I would like to eventually be proficient at 500m.
Took me 6 months to pay the rifle off, so happy to work towards a qaulity scope, even if it take a year.

[in2anity]

Not that I’m advocating long range hunting (far from it), but simply from an accuracy perspective 500m is quite doable with a 6.5cm. Silhouette shooters consistently hit the 500m rams from standing unsupported - the 6.5cm is currently popular in that world largely due to the “lower-than-308” recoil.

You’ll have to practice quite a lot to become proficient at varying distances inside 500m though, under differing windage (to get a feel for how windage affects your load) . With a practical hunting rifle, once I have my ACTUAL drop figured out, I like to make a custom dial which represents distances instead of minutes or mrads. The leapold CDC service is good for this, but you can diy on any scope - I print onto label paper and then stick it onto my elevation. Either that or have a dope sheet to refer to.

Getting back to your question - if it’s any guide, silhouette shooters like to use at least a 20x, usually more for high power (i.e. 500m Rams). Nonetheless you don’t want something too bulky out in the field - I wouldn’t go too crazy.

[bladeracer]

What sized target?

Smallest would be a small pig and anything upwards of that

Max range for me on live game is no further than I'm prepared to run to finish it off if I mess up the shot, across open farmland about 300m is as far as I'll shoot game.

[Harrynsw]

Not that I’m advocating long range hunting (far from it), but simply from an accuracy perspective 500m is quite doable with a 6.5cm. Silhouette shooters consistently hit the 500m rams from standing unsupported - the 6.5cm is currently popular in that world do to the “lower-than-308” recoil.

You’ll have to practice quite a lot to become proficient at varying distances inside 500m though, under differing windage (to get a feel for how windage affects your load) . With a practical hunting rifle, once I have my ACTUAL drop figured out, I like to make a custom dial which represents distances instead of minutes or mrads. The leapold CDC service is good for this, but you can diy on any scope - I print onto label paper and then stick it onto my elevation. Either that or have a dope sheet to refer to.

Getting back to your question - if it’s any guide, silhouette shooters like to use at least a 20x, usually more for high power (i.e. 500m Rams). Nonetheless you don’t want something too bulky out in the field - I wouldn’t go too crazy.

Yep great. Thanks for your feedback.

[TassieTiger]

Or Run 27m up hill eh BR lol. I hunt in some cliffy terrain. I’ve shot a wabaly that tumbled almost near my feet. Lol,
My 260 rem was built to take cape Barron geese - couldn’t get inside 6-700m stalking. 140+ gn bullet...

[bladeracer]

Or Run 27m up hill eh BR lol. I hunt in some cliffy terrain. I’ve shot a wabaly that tumbled almost near my feet. Lol,
My 260 rem was built to take cape Barron geese - couldn’t get inside 6-700m stalking. 140+ gn bullet...

Yes, hills suck like that
I try to stay up high and shoot downwards wherever possible, lots of good reasons for it, but then I have to drag the carcass uphill - can't win.

[Farmerpete]

In all my years shooting stuff on a farm I've never had to make a shot over 200m
That being said your 6.5 should be quite flat for most of 500m distance
it comes down to where your avg shot distance lies. Rather than trying to shoot everything with one gun maybe set the tikka up for longer range with a higher power scope and get another cheaper one for closer in
I got a sporterised 303 with a cheap tasco 3-9 x40 for 450 dollarbucks it does the job just as well as my in laws 308 tikka at 200m (and I don't think the pigs can tell they weren't shot with a 2000$ gun)
I doubt I could compete at 500 with it but I've never had to either

[TassieTiger]

50 inches or thereabouts of drop at 500 yards with 260. (Similar to 6.5) That’s some 9-10 moa of adjustment. If selected scope is 1/4 moa per click - you’ll need 40 clicks of elevation. Depending on rifle/scope - sight in requirements, you can lose 30-50% of elevation adjustment (or gain, as the case may be) - so if, you are dedicating one rifle / scope for close hunting as well as 500+ yard hunting - choose a scope with More than enough adjustment range.

[marksman]

IMHO
the creedmore is very capable for hitting something at that range but hitting something and killing something can be 2 completely different things
the tikka's are very capable as well but l think for shooting at that distance consistently you want the varmint rifle and a decent optic
l am a big fan of the 6.5 pill and have taken animals at further with 140gr berger hunting projies and 130gr accubonds although l dont anymore because l hunt for the freezer and dont like the waste from the chest shots at longer distance
probably be good to get a decent scope and just try it out for group at the distances you want to hunt at

[Blr243]

A mistake at 300 m is a wounded animal crawling away into some bushes to die a slow death if not found ...200 m is a long shot for me Nothing wrong with somebody trying to hit paper at 2000 m ...

[Harrynsw]

50 inches or thereabouts of drop at 500 yards with 260. (Similar to 6.5) That’s some 9-10 moa of adjustment. If selected scope is 1/4 moa per click - you’ll need 40 clicks of elevation. Depending on rifle/scope - sight in requirements, you can lose 30-50% of elevation adjustment (or gain, as the case may be) - so if, you are dedicating one rifle / scope for close hunting as well as 500+ yard hunting - choose a scope with More than enough adjustment range.

Gold.

[Harrynsw]

Thanks all for the wise perspectives

[Archie]

What sized target?

Smallest would be a small pig and anything upwards of that

Max range for me on live game is no further than I'm prepared to run to finish it off if I mess up the shot, across open farmland about 300m is as far as I'll shoot game.

I hear you. Half a kilometre is a damn way longer than you might think over any ground less flat than a footy field when that’s when you start the tracking of what you didn’t quite drop...

Also the terminal ballistics can change a lot (in a bad way) past 300-400m because of the velocity you lose over that sort of distance.

[solarpak]

Hitting something at extended range and killing something at the same range are two totally different things!!!!

The internet is awash with heroes shooting animals at crazy distances.........wonder how many they shot and not recovered???

There is ethical hunting done at sensible ranges and sheer stupidity at nonsense ranges....

C.

[SCJ429]

The 6.5 CM has the energy to make a good 140 grain bullet expand out to 800 metres. Hitting your game in the right spot is the hard bit. For me 300 to 400 is a long way even in good conditions to make sure you get an ethical kill. A 6.5 is no giant killer so bigger game at longer range should probably be left alone.

[in2anity]

Also the terminal ballistics can change a lot (in a bad way) past 300-400m because of the velocity you lose over that sort of distance.

I think this a particularly pertinent point also. In my experience, once you start reaching out there, i.e. beyond 300m the data generated by the generic ballistic calculators us laymen use starts to fray... slight errors in variable judgement or even input parameters can easily blow out. Not to mention those coefficient values are imperfect. Not a problem for target shooting (where you can subsequently correct, or better still just know the clicks) but when you’ve basically only got the one chance, things start to get dicey. I guess my point is, if you do want to be precise at such distances, at least make sure you build up the data and experience to back it beforehand.

[knowsnothin]

Ignore all the posts about 'ethical hunting' small game. Vermin (pigs/ foxes etc) can hang at any distance. give em lead

[TassieTiger]

I recently watched a video on Standard deviation and extreme spread (Related to differences in feet per seconds of the projectile) and to be honest It un nerved me...
Don’t quote me, but it was along the lines of - even a 20fps difference can mean large changes (a foot Or more in point of impact) at a thousand yards...I know we are talking half that Distance, but 20 FPS ain’t a lot to all but very careful and pedantic reloaders.
Then I watched another video that sought to prove the Corriellis effect on a bullet - shots were due west vs due east...added another 6-8 inches of potential impact point...not to mention high / low pressure zones, wind and gusts, ranging discrepancies, animal movements, etc.

[Harrynsw]

Also the terminal ballistics can change a lot (in a bad way) past 300-400m because of the velocity you lose over that sort of distance.

I think this a particularly pertinent point also. In my experience, once you start reaching out there, i.e. beyond 300m the data generated by the generic ballistic calculators us laymen use starts to fray... slight errors in variable judgement or even input parameters can easily blow out. Not to mention those coefficient values are imperfect. Not a problem for target shooting (where you can subsequently correct, or better still just know the clicks) but when you’ve basically only got the one chance, things start to get dicey. I guess my point is, if you do want to be precise at such distances, at least make sure you build up the data and experience to back it beforehand.

Totally agree, I want to know my outfit, will be spending time at the range

[Harrynsw]

Ignore all the posts about 'ethical hunting' small game. Vermin (pigs/ foxes etc) can hang at any distance. give em lead

I can admit I know jack s**t, but 1000 ftlb of energy from a 140grain projectile at 500m on a fox. He won't be running to any bush

[bladeracer]

I recently watched a video on Standard deviation and extreme spread (Related to differences in feet per seconds of the projectile) and to be honest It un nerved me...
Don’t quote me, but it was along the lines of - even a 20fps difference can mean large changes (a foot Or more in point of impact) at a thousand yards...I know we are talking half that Distance, but 20 FPS ain’t a lot to all but very careful and pedantic reloaders.
Then I watched another video that sought to prove the Corriellis effect on a bullet - shots were due west vs due east...added another 6-8 inches of potential impact point...not to mention high / low pressure zones, wind and gusts, ranging discrepancies, animal movements, etc.

Just ranging the target incorrectly, or not allowing for the ten meters it walked toward you while you swapped back to the rifle can be a miss or a nasty wound.

I play with the .22LR at extended ranges. At 650m the bullet is essentially coming into the target at 45-degrees. That means that if you have a paper target two-meters above ground level, the bullet will go through the bullseye and hit the ground two-meters behind the target. Range the target wrong by just one meter and you miss by one meter high or low. With a 147gn ELDM at 500m in my 6.5x55mm that's more like 5m range error for one meter of elevation error - about 200mm elevation per meter distance.

Sorry, I mixed up my mils and inches there. At 500m it's about one-foot elevation over 50m distance. Thought it didn't look right

[in2anity]

So long as you put in the practice, IMO your quest will be challenging but not completely unreasonable.

I have a bull-barreled 223 sporting a 20x Leuie shooting 69gr SMK handloads. I use it quite a few times a year in prone-bipod Telescopic Sight matches at 200m, 300m and 400m, where targets pop up anywhere in a 6ft region for around 3-4 seconds, before disappearing again for a random amount of time. The targets are often dinner plate sized, and that gun+load will consistently put them in there (if I’m doing my part). It’s a hoot, but surprisingly challenging because of the short snaps.

With my 223, If I had the luxury of a nice lay-up + a bit more time, under reasonable wind conditions, anywhere up to 400m (laser ranged), I’d be pretty confident of hitting a dinner plate first shot.

That boat anchor is probably the only gun I own which I’d be comfortable making such a claim with - and that’s purely because I’ve spent so much time “behind the wheel” with it shooting with infamous coastal windage.

One comment, if you have a thin barrel, that might make gathering your data a bit more tedious. Just keep an eye out for a wandering zero if you practice with a hot barrel.

[TassieTiger]

I know a lot of ppl who argue .5 sec bullet flight is their max hunting range. Equates to approx 400m. But as above - I Personally think every Situation presents a range of conditions that needs to be managed - perfect conditions and a grazing fallow that isn’t aware? I’d push a longer shot with one of my rifles that I’m intimate with.

[Bugman]

I stick with a max range of 300m with my 243. That is my own personal limit. The Creedmore is a real long distance flyer, but it also depends on the ability of the shooter.

[Harrynsw]

I stick with a max range of 300m with my 243. That is my own personal limit. The Creedmore is a real long distance flyer, but it also depends on the ability of the shooter.

Agreed, long range shooting is a long range goal

[Franks]

To hunt up to 500m medium-large animals scope needs to have spot on turrets or good bdc or mildot & a retice u can see that dont obscure the target. Then lots of practice to make accurate quick kills at that range. High bc ammo would help a bit. Good sharp glass = less magnification, cheaper lesser glass = need more magnification. 500m is past what im comfortable hunting