what gun to use?

[Dirty Toad]

If you wanted to hunt a large animal (over 200 pounds) at long range, what gun would you use?

I really don't want to spend more than I have to, so keeping that in mind, what would you use?

[Trunk Monkey]

Need a little more detail than that, but we'll start with a Rem .30-06.

[usmcruiser]

I use my grandfathers old Sprinfield 1911. It's a 30-6 and heavy as hell (12 lbs it think) but i've never had a tigher group with any other gun at 400 yards.

[calico kid]

What is long range to you. A Yugo 8mm mouser is about 129.00

[Mace]

mossin naggat..

$56.00 at Big 5

[Dirty Toad]

Originally Posted by calico kid

What is long range to you. A Yugo 8mm mouser is about 129.00

I am thinking over 100 yards.

type of animal would be Elk, or something about that size.

[ranger]

300 Winchester Magnum.

[Brian in Oregon]

Define "long range".

[Dirty Toad]

Originally Posted by Brian in Oregon

Define "long range".

read post 8

[CJF]

Weird thread.

You got invited to go hunting, or are heading to Alaska, or...?

[Dirty Toad]

Originally Posted by CJF

Weird thread.

You got invited to go hunting, or are heading to Alaska, or...?

I am just a weird dude.

I have never been much of a hunter, but lately I have wanted to learn to shoot long distance real well, it just seems like a neat thing to be able to do. I figure that hunting is the way to do it. That or take some military training class for civilians, but those classes are a lot of money.

[calico kid]

Originally Posted by Mace

mossin naggat..

$56.00 at Big 5

good choice it's range is a minimum of 100 yards
I have a turk and a K31 the turk was $49 two boxes of ammo $40
bouth good to 500+ yards

[Brian in Oregon]

Originally Posted by Dirty Toad

read post 8

You mean post 6? And it wasn't there when I replied.

Be that as it may, 100 yards is not long range.

If I was hunting elk, and 100 yards was the range, I'd go with a 30-06 or a 35 Whelen for a bolt action, or a lever gun in 45-70 (heavy load) or perhaps 450 Marlin if you want everything off the shelf.

The main thing is - you want to put the elk down hard without destroying a lot of meat. Sure, a magnum will definitely get the job done at 100 yards, but at that range it's a meat waster. If you were shooting at 200 yards I'd skip the lever guns and beyond 200 yards I'd start looking at magnums.

As far as magnums go, I'm kiinda old fashioned. I like the time proven 375 H&H. But the 300 Win mag will work OK with heavier bullets.

Another question here is - how much shooting experience do you have? These guns do kick, and as you step up in power, they kick harder. If you're going to hunt, and be able to hit your target, you can't be flinching when you light it off. Out of these guns, the 30-06 will have reasonable recoil. The 45-70 and 450 Marlin will kick harder because of their light weight and stock design. The magnums just kick period. While muzzle brakes reduce recoil a bit, they also tend to increase the blast effect, and that just plain rattles some folks.

You need to be able to practice until you can put three bullets every time into a paper place at 100 yards standing. You want a heart/lung shot and your kill zone ain't much bigger than that. Yeah, you can inflict fatal wounds over a larger area, but it's amazing how far elk can go before they expire.

Scopes are good, but don't buy into needing high power. A fixed 4x, or a 2-7x is more than enough power. Leupold makes a 1-4x that's ideal for this kind of work. I'd suggest you might want to make sure the rifle has iron sights, and you practice with them before mounting a scope.

My best and fastest brush busting rifle is an old (1970;s vintage) Marlin 45-70 lever gun topped with an old 3x Leupold scope. It's just flat fast. I bought it from a buddy who used it to hunt elk in dense mahogany thickets. A friend borrowed it and took it to Canada for a bear hunt. Did him proud - dropped the bear like it had been pole axed.

Whatever you get - practice, practice, practice.

[Brian in Oregon]

If you want to learn to shoot long distances well, you should try varmint hunting and start with a relatively small and cheap cartridge, like the .223 Remington. You'll learn a heckuva lot about bullet drop, wind drift, and holding over or under targets. Savage makes some decent no-frills heavy barreled 223 rifles to fit most budgets.

[OregonCruzer]

Long distance for meat hunting or for people shooting? you want the free military shooting class, good out to 400 meters (or 800 if you're using an M249 or an M240)?

Sight picture, stock weld, breathing, trigger squeeze, steady position. Aim center mass (or low and left on an auto). 6-9 round burst. Use good iron sights. get to know the gun and its quirks. bullet drop is minimal out to 400 yds with 5.56 and minimal crosswind. If you're shooting out farther, start handloading or buying premium match ammo.

[Dirty Toad]

Originally Posted by OregonCruzer

Long distance for meat hunting or for people shooting? you want the free military shooting class, good out to 400 meters (or 800 if you're using an M249 or an M240)?

Sight picture, stock weld, breathing, trigger squeeze, steady position. Aim center mass (or low and left on an auto). 6-9 round burst. Use good iron sights. get to know the gun and its quirks. bullet drop is minimal out to 400 yds with 5.56 and minimal crosswind. If you're shooting out farther, start handloading or buying premium match ammo.

Next time I am in Oregon you will have to give me some pointers. My Dad had an old bolt action M1 than he killed some big ass elk with, but I never understood how to work the sight. And he died well before he could teach me about it.

[stinkyfj60]

7mm Remington Mag. Plenty of punch, flat trajectory, and easy to find used.

I like Savage rifles, and Remington of course...

[JJS]

Originally Posted by ranger

300 Winchester Magnum.

x2. You won't find a much better overall hunting round.

[apeterson]

Start out by taking a gun saftey class... In MN everyone has to take one, I assume most states have similar. you will not only learn safty stuff but also alot of other good things :-)

[Atticus]

lol at the suggestion that the newbie shooter/hunter who wants to know what cheap rifle he can buy to hunt elk should buy a .375 H&H. Like, "I'm teaching my nephew how to shoot, so I need to buy him a .375 Holland & Holland, maybe in side-by-side, for him."

.270 Winchester, .30-'06, .300 Win. Mag., .338 Win. Mag., 7 MM Win. Mag. would all work for your application, Dirty Toad. .270 may be a little light, but it's flat shooting and will kill with a good shot.

[Skillet]

Originally Posted by stinkyfj60

7mm Remington Mag. Plenty of punch, flat trajectory, and easy to find used.

I like Savage rifles, and Remington of course...

I am for the stinky option.


Love my 7mm mag. A little too much for coastal deer but it knocks the piggies on their collective asses.

Now take this shit to F&H before you get banned.

[inthewall]

Originally Posted by apeterson

Start out by taking a gun saftey class... In MN everyone has to take one, I assume most states have similar. you will not only learn safty stuff but also alot of other good things :-)

x100

[yooper]

Originally Posted by inthewall

x100

yep.

Most states now require you to take a hunter safety course to get your hunting license. That's your first step.

[yzftaco]

How about a .308? Is that enough? Or does it have to much drop out at 200 yards?

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by yzftaco

How about a .308? Is that enough? Or does it have to much drop out at 200 yards?

I would be comfortable with a .308.

[nat]

Shoot out at the range, or set yourself up to safely plink somewhere first.

Practice, practice