Shooting at 250

[Donziweasel]

Got my rifle out today and went to the range to dial her in. Took these shots at 250 yards. First four were high, then got her right. Took 5 shots at the 400 yard plate and hit 4 of them. Setting up hunting camp this week.......

[mrfixxall]

Nice shooting,,heres my targets:biggrin.:

[cutwater]

John -

What are you shooting there? What round do you prefer for elk?

I was hoping to make it to Jackson this fall for backpacking and elk hunting, but I just started a new job and couldn't take that much time off. I'm hoping for next year :crossfing:

John

[Donziweasel]

Hopefully next year! We would love to hook up with you and show you Jackson.

I shoot a meat and potatoes Savage .30-06 with a 165 grain bullet. I use Winchester CPX bullets for target shooting. For actual hunting, I use a Federal boattail stainless jacketed teflon tipped bullet. This is not a high end rifle, but I have been shooting it for 13 years with 13 elk to show for it. I know the ballistics on this rifle very well and although I can afford a much nicer, let's say, synthetic Win Mag .300, but if it ain't broke, then don't fix it. Both rifles are set up with mid-price range Leupold Scopes.

My wife shoots a .270 with 150 grain for Elk and deer. Got her a .270 becuase of the flat trajectory. I had it cut down and balanced just for her with a muzzle brake added. I can't shoot it worth a damn since it is balanced and set up for her, but yesterday at the range, she hit 4 out of 4 at 300 and 1 out of 2 at 400 (only reason she didn't hit both was she had forgotten ballistics. She asked how much it would drop between 300-400, I told her, and bang, she hit the plate. It is only her second year of shooting and I am really proud of how good a shot she has become, must have been the teacher!:)). My .30-06 drops like a rock over 300 (up to 18 inches), hers barely drops at all and still has huge energy at that distance. A lot of people don't think much of a .270, but I think it is one of the best long range calibres avialable and just fine for Elk. Your average shot out here is over 300 and my elk I shot last year was an honest 425 and Boo Boo's 350. Seen guys with a 7 mag not be able to hit the broad side of a barn over 300. It ain't the size of your bullet, it's how you use them.

Hunting with a freind who is going to try an open sights .30-30 lever action. I think he is crazy, but, hey, what ever floats your boat. I think he has a little western fever going on, just got his first Cowboy hat and boots. Seen it happen before, put on a cowboy hat, and you think your a real cowboy. I think he said he was going to buy a lasso today. God, what have I gotten myself into?:bonk::bonk::wink::eek!::)

[Cuda]

Debbie can probably outshoot me with a rifle. She once fired two shots offhand at 100 yards with her 35 Rem that she put about an inch apart. I'd be lucky to do it on a rest most of the time, with a much flatter shooting cartridge. :(

[Donziweasel]

Cuda, you need to have her put in for a permit next year. Then ya could have 400 pounds of Elk meat, and I know how much you like it!:)

[Cuda]

My cousin, who was originally from Florida, but spent 29 years here, the last few working for me, but moved back to Oregon two years ago, was here last week, showing us pictures of Roosevelt Elk on his property in the coast range of Oregon. Unbelievable how many are out there. They don't have as big of racks as Rocky Mountain elk, but have bigger bodies. I just emailed him to send me some pictures.

[Donziweasel]

A good trophy elk in our area is around 800 pounds, with some brutes topping 1000. Elk have been a success story in many ways. They have been re-introduced in Tennessee and Kentucky with limited hunting. Hard to believe. I would have fell over laughing ten years ago if someone had told me they were heading to Tennessee for an Elk hunt.

Not sure about other area sizes, but I here the Southwest Elk are smaller than ours. Makes sense the Pacific Northwest would be bigger, not as harsh a climate, longer summer, springs and falls, milder temps. Wyoming is a hard place for game to make a living, especailly these last few years with the drought.

I am serious about any members ever wanting to come hunt. You just have to put in for a permit by Jan 1. We have a very nice hunting camp, each wall tent has a stove, we have four wheelers, generators, horses, tack, cook tent, gear tents, corrals, etc..... It is about 3-4 of us who hunt out of it and there is plenty of room and extra horses. We are right on the Gros Ventre river with some outstanding fly fishing for those warm afternoons. It is about and hour and a half from Jackson to our hunting camp. I just love the riding, scenerary, etc... Would love to hunt a few of you flat landers!:)

We set up this Wed. Deer opens Sat. Elk opens Sept 26th. Antelope tommorrow. Not sure about cat, bear, moose and buffalo as I did not draw a permit (bear is general and I will buy one of these, been bear everywhere this year and there are currently no limits on males and 6 females for harvest in our area this year).

Let me know if anyone would like me to send them out of states regs, liscence draw dates, etc.... All I can guarantee is it is an experience you will never forget.:)

[Carl C]

We shoot my friends 30.06 at long range too and it's also dead on. We shoot liter pop bottles full of water. You can't even see it without the scope but you sure know if you hit it because it explodes! I'm surprised you don't need something bigger for elk.:fire:

[Donziweasel]

.30-06 is a pretty good calibre, along with .270. Everyone shoots something different. My freind with .30-30 also shoots a 300 win mag. Another buddy also shoots a .270 and another a .308. .30-06 seems to do everything pretty well.

[Carl C]

.30-06 is a pretty good calibre, along with .270. Everyone shoots something different. My freind with .30-30 also shoots a 300 win mag. Another buddy also shoots a .270 and another a .308. .30-06 seems to do everything pretty well. I like the 30.06 a lot and it's good to know that it is powerful enough for big game. I like the 30.30 for shorter range. I don't hunt; just target shoot.

[cutwater]

.30-06 is a pretty good calibre, along with .270. Everyone shoots something different. My freind with .30-30 also shoots a 300 win mag. Another buddy also shoots a .270 and another a .308. .30-06 seems to do everything pretty well.

That's cool. I prefer 308 simply because it's such a venerable cartridge in the target shooting world, easy to get match ammo, etc and I target shoot much more often than I hunt. It surprises me that a .270 or .308 are acceptable rounds for northwest elk, but like you said, it's not what you shoot it's how you can shoot it.

I'd love to buy a rifle chambered in .338 Lapua if I had the money. Talk about downrange ballistics :eek!:
http://demigodllc.com/articles/military-338-lapua-rifles-trg42-awsm/
Lapua also makes a nice hunting round in .338 (from what I've read)

John

[Donziweasel]

The .270 has a much higher velocity than, lets say, a .30-06. I would rather have a smaller bullet that hits harder than a bigger bullet, especailly at long ranges.

[Cuda]

My favorite rifle to hunt here in Florida, for hogs and deer, is an old Remington 760 pump that was originally chambered for a 35 Rem. It's been rechambered for a 358 Winchester, which is a 308 necked up to 35 caliber. I used to like lever actions best, for the quick action when hunting swamps, or thickets, but I found it's a lot easier to work the pump action when laying on your belly crawling under vines, or palmetto bushes. Debbie's brother found that out a couple years ago. He was on his belly, shot at a big hog, and didn't drop it. He rolled out of the way just before the hog ran over him. He couldn't chamber another round in the lever action, laying on his belly.:eek!:

[Cuda]

Screw tents... I'll bring the motorhome... :) :) :)


I wanna see it get up some of those horse trails.:eek!::wink:

[BUIZILLA]

I wanna see it get up some of those horse trails.:eek!::wink: don't dare him...

[Donziweasel]

Bring on the motorhome. It would be ok, at least until it rains or snows. Is it four wheel drive?:):)

MP- That nice Ford would look good up there.:bonk:

[DeepSouthF33]

I have a .50bmg that will kill,clean, and cook an elk at a mile:)

[Rootsy]

The .270 has a much higher velocity than, lets say, a .30-06. I would rather have a smaller bullet that hits harder than a bigger bullet, especailly at long ranges.


you can make that '06 zippity duda if you want John...

Hell I'm pushing a 225 grain Nosler BT out of my 35 Whelen AI @ just a tick over 2700 fps through the chrono...

My 700 Mountain Rifle is my back-up gun chambered in 280 Remington... which, personally, IMHO takes the best from both the 270 and '06 and puts them together in one cartridge... I have 2 loads developed for it... first one packs a 175 grain Nosler partition and is my big game round... If i needed the uber long range you can drop back to a 160 or 150... My second load flings a 100 grain Hornady HP at right around 3450 through the chrono... it's a coyote killing SOB... I have more glass on this rifle than I do elevation adjustment...

[Donziweasel]

Jamie, 3400? Damn thats a lot of energy, way above the 2400 or so my .30-06 is pumping.

If you ever come out, bring the 160 grains. With the kind of energy you have in the 700 you could drop an elk at 800, provided you could hit it!:wink::)

Last years Elk was my farthest shot ever on an Elk at 425. I almost took a500 two years ago. It was a good shot, but the Elk dropped off the back of a ridge before I pulled the trigger. I have had a lot in that 350-400 range though.

I really like my .30-06. I know it is not the nicest or biggest rifle out there, but we have an understanding, I pull the trigger, it drops the Elk. Out of 12 Elk taken, I have shot 14 bullets. I always make sure I have a good shot before pulling the trigger. One day I might get a synthetic version (one major advantage to synthetics in my opinion, is that wood tends to expand and contract due to air moisture content and temp much more than synthetic. It throws the scope more. The reason my first 4 shots were high was becuase I haven't shot it in a year and it was off. Boo Boo's synthetic ,270 was not nearly as off as mine after a year of not shooting.)

So Jamie, want me to send ya the regs for next year?:wink::crossfing::eek!:

Hunting camp goes in tommorrow. Will post pics!

[Rootsy]

Jamie, 3400? Damn thats a lot of energy, way above the 2400 or so my .30-06 is pumping.
If you ever come out, bring the 160 grains. With the kind of energy you have in the 700 you could drop an elk at 800, provided you could hit it!:wink::)
Last years Elk was my farthest shot ever on an Elk at 425. I almost took a500 two years ago. It was a good shot, but the Elk dropped off the back of a ridge before I pulled the trigger. I have had a lot in that 350-400 range though.
I really like my .30-06. I know it is not the nicest or biggest rifle out there, but we have an understanding, I pull the trigger, it drops the Elk. Out of 12 Elk taken, I have shot 14 bullets. I always make sure I have a good shot before pulling the trigger. One day I might get a synthetic version (one major advantage to synthetics in my opinion, is that wood tends to expand and contract due to air moisture content and temp much more than synthetic. It throws the scope more. The reason my first 4 shots were high was becuase I haven't shot it in a year and it was off. Boo Boo's synthetic ,270 was not nearly as off as mine after a year of not shooting.)
So Jamie, want me to send ya the regs for next year?:wink::crossfing::eek!:
Hunting camp goes in tommorrow. Will post pics!

FPS (Feet Per Second)... lot of velocity....

35 Whelen AI load with that 225 grain pill @ 2700 is right around 3600 ft-lb of energy at the muzzle...

Kinetic Energy = 1/2MV^2 so... .5 x 225 / 7000 / 32.2 *2700^2 = 3639 ft-lb

on the other hand... for that 100 grain zippy pill from the 280...

.5 x 100 / 7000 / 32.2 *3450^2 = 2640 ft-lb of energy... BUT the bullet is so fragile that it expends ALL of it's energy within the body cavity... as it literally explodes upon penetration... I have yet to find more than shrapnel. Nothing I have ever shot with it has move more than the distance to the ground... this is on small critters... it is in no way a medium to big game round and would do nothing but cause a nasty shallow wound. This round will literally cause a woodchuck to explode like carl's water bottle if you hit the critter COM.

On the other hand... on whitetail.. I have yet to be able to recover a 225 BT as any broadside lung / heart area impact results in a complete pass through... But beyond 300 - 350 the trajectory is falling so quickly that you would have to compensate severely with elevation adjustment...

[Donziweasel]

I also put a lot of stock in the ammo I use. For example, I have seen more injured Elk over the years from friends shooting Remington Core-Loks. The bullet hardly penetrates and fragments to pieces very shallow. Freinds look at me and say "that was a perfect shot" and I say "try a different bullet". Core Loks are junk IMHO.

If anyone thinks there is not a difference in ammo, then they are sadly mistaken. That is why I spend almost 50.00 a box for the Federal boattail stainless jacketed teflon tipped. Nothing I have ever hit with this bullet takes another step. The teflon helps penetration and the rest is history. Bullet doesn't seem to drop as much as some of the others either. My .30-06 drops about 18 inches at 400 and almost 28-32 at 500.

Still didn't answer my question, how about a set of those 2008 regs? Patti could come and hang out, fish, ride the four wheeler, enjoy the fall foliage, shop in Jackson, go for a horseback ride, etc... Family fun for all! You could stay in MP's motorhome!:bonk::bonk::bonk:

Seriously, I should send you some just so you get an idea how the lottery works for Wyoming and each area. I hunt in a wilderness area and you have to be with a WYoming resident to hunt there. Keeps crazy out of staters from running amuck in good areas, but anyone with me can hunt in there. When was the last time you were on a horse Jamie?:)

[goatee]

i started way off,(3o'clock) dropped in at 4 but tighter, then 6, then started to curl around the 10/11 area before i got it dailed in. (30-30)
the 50 cal. however,,,iron sights. (shot from right to left)
god i love that gun!!! (omega- thompson center)

[goatee]

100 yards.
not the best but,,,,certainly not the worst