950 yard shot...

[DannyNoonan]

A freind sent this to me. I'd never take this shot... To be completely honest, I'm not real sure taking a shot this long is an ethical thing to do. (I promise I'm not looking to start an arguement thread with that statement, just my opinion)

But it's an amazing shot and video...
[signature]

[Theekillerbee]

That's quite the shot!

Most hunters should not take that kind of shot, however there are people who regularly compete in 1000 yd shoots, and for those that do, taking that shot should not be a problem.
[signature]

[RILEYFISH]

Yes, LIke the be said, There are some folks hat can. If you know your gun, Your loads, and have spent the time to cronograph it and know it you can.

We have the technology in Law enforcement to take 600-700yard shots with 30 cal rounds, But usually shot s taken that far out are with a 50 cal.

There are also wildcat type loads that can do that.

Heck of a shot.
[signature]

[CROSSINEYES]

it was 700 yrds. the guys sister shot the bull. he went like 380 ish. the part was they could not find the bull that night. didnt gut it out till the next mourning. they said the meat is fine but i know better. the neck hide is so thick that it bones spoils in 4 hrs or less if not removed from the carcas. happend to me one yr and my bull was gutted. lerned a big lesson. i lost alot of roast,s. o im sorry guys this is a differnt hunt. check out this long shot.
[url "http://muleymadness.com/forum/files/elkinterent_159.wmv"]http://muleymadness.com/forum/files/elkinterent_159.wmv[/url] this is bull i was thinking of.
[signature]

[Brainamus]

700 yards and a bull? That sure looks like a deer in the video to me. I don't know how anyone could question if it was ethical or not..... he didn't even take a step, dead on impact, how can you get anymore ethical than an instant kill? Nice shooting.
[signature]

[cadresults]

I think a 950 yard shot is ridiculous at best. Not only the slightest wind change will throw it off, but you also must take in to account the lost energy of impact at this distance.

I understand that there are people that can and do make great shots. However, most would have a difficult time making a 400 yard
shot.
[signature]

[ajensen83]

remember that Ethics are personal... I dont have a problem with that shot at all.. it would seem to me that whoever took that shot knew what he was doing and 950 is definately do-able if you know what you are doing... I used to have to hit a 2' by 2' steel plate at 1600 meters after a 100 meter sprint,

my problem is some of these other guys that talk about shooting their first shot and hitting at the animals feet so they raise a little higher and end up hitting the animal at 750 yards, only because of luck....

if you dont know what 750 yards looks like, you have no business shooting that far...
[signature]

[Brainamus]

[size 1]"but you also must take in to account the lost energy of impact at this distance." [/size]
[size 1][/size]
[size 1][/size]
[size 1]Yes the bullet loses energy at that distance, and it sure looks like they took that into account. There was plenty of energy left in that bullet, look what happens to the deer when he gets hit, no question about it.[/size]
[size 1][/size]
[size 1][/size]


[signature]

[wiperhunter2]

The 700 yd bull that Crossineyes was talking about was on the link that he put in the body of his reply. It looks like he attached the link after your reply. WH2
[signature]

[Mc_Lennon]

Seen it done. 7mm, mulie 940 yards away(Leica range finder proven, too.) One shot from my pappy, and the buck went down. And not running 50 or 100 yards. Strait down.

To me, and my family, shots under 400 yards are a rarity. We've all killed bucks both better than 30" wide, and better than 180" B&C. From better than 400 yards, and on the General Season Deer hunt to boot. It all has to do with practice, and skill. If you know your gear, it's do-able. For sure. Then again with a 7mm, there's not a shot I wouldn't try. But, that's just my humble oppinion.

[cadresults]

Again, the thread asked ones "opinion". It does not matter how seasoned or experienced hunter is, they should never be taking 950 yard shots. Has it been done? Yes, however, who can say wind will not change and throw the bullet off?

There is about a 3 foot drop with a 7mm at 500 yards. I would guess at 950 it would probably be in the 10' range.

I think this author says it best:
[url "http://mikehanback.blogs.com/bigbuckzone/2006/03/shooting_deer_h.html"]http://mikehanback.blogs.com/bigbuckzone/2006/03/shooting_deer_h.html[/url]
[signature]

[Brainamus]

Don't hate because someone else can do something that you can't. Everybodys effective range is different, if he can shoot deer all day at 950 yards and kill them with one shot....... More power to him, wish I could be that steady. Of course wind can move the bullet and at 950 yards that is taken into consideration or nobody would ever make that shot.
[signature]

[cadresults]

Brain,

I don't know what your problem is, but quit putting words in my mouth. I never said I hated the guy nor did I say I could or couldn't
make the shot. I never have tried and most likely I never will.

I did state that I think it wasn't smart to take the shot and I believe that with any change in wind conditions that these guys
would miss. That is my OPINION. Whether I am right or wrong, it
shouldn't matter to you.

This is why this is called a FORUM; do discuss ones advice and
opinions.
[signature]

[Saberfish]

[black][size 3]I'm not calling BS on anyone who has posted on this thread, but having been a rifle and pistol nut all of my life, some questions come into my mind when I see this video.[/size][/black]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]Who would go on a deer hunt with his rifle sighted in for a shot at that distance?[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]Where does he hold his cross hairs if he has a shot at 250 yards?[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]Has anyone considered the effects that wind/breeze have on a bullet?[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]My personal feelings are that taking a shot at that distance for anyone, even competitive distance shooters, is a crap shoot.[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]Just my two cents worth of what I consider common sense.[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[signature]

[Brainamus]

They use scopes with turrets on top and side and adjust the clicks from there so they can hold the crosshairs dead on target.
[signature]

[Mc_Lennon]

[left]Adding my experiences is as good as adding my oppinion. You have yours. And I'm glad it's that way. I have mine. Contrasting? Oh yeah. You bet ya.[/left]

Those distance shots? Forced. Big bucks are smart. Desert deer? Even smarter. Most years the DWR even says shots out in the west desert are long, so be prepaired. No offence, but I don't know of too many people who've killed 30" bucks the last 10 years, and multiple 30"ers at that. Not you, nor anyone else I know. And these are legit 30"ers, all taged and taken durring those magic two weeks at the end of October.

400 yards is the average. That's with any wind, any conditions. 600? Pushing it, even for me. Wind kicks bullets around, about 1" per mph of wind. 800 or above? Ideal conditions. For sure. But again, seen it done. Done it myself. The buck in question my dad hit at 940. Want the specifics? We spotted him from a cliff line. Pretty much dead down hill(kinda helps with the drop, too.) The buck was bedded down. No wind, bright, clear morning. One shot, the buck never moved. End result?

[center][inline "dad's 33.jpg"][/center]
(I'd post kill pics, but I don't have a scanner, and I'm in no hurry to show my hunting area off, either.)

Compensation for drop? Easy. About 1 1/2' high at 100 yards. At 500, around a 1.5' drop. 800+, 5.5'. Exact. Nice little decending cross hairs inside the scope for easy marking. Dead center is 100, first down is 300, 500, 700, and finally 900. Exact. Perfect. No 'test' shots. Just one shot, or two if the first didn't do the job. Usually does, but still.

If I wasn't confident about killing a buck, not just wounding it and letting it get away, I wouldn't take a shot. Last year for the first year EVER I had an animal get away. The first year ANY of my hunting party has had ANY deer we've hit get away. I didn't take another shot at any other animal. I looked for that one buck. Found his skeleton this year about 2 1/2 miles away while I was chukar hunting. Took out a right front shoulder, and he still went that far.

So go ahead. Bash away. But I'm still going to take my shots. Because I know I can do it, and ethically.

[petty4life]

i say if you have the confidence to make a kill shot at long range take it. Back in my younger days i used to shoot alot and could shoot a quarter at 300yds with open sights, but i havent shot anything in years it would take me alot of practice to do that now.
[signature]

[Brainamus]

Well said. Congrats on some great deer and more power to you. That is just awesome shooting. I am jealous. Don't let the bashers get to you. They are just jealous too but won't admit it.
[signature]

[Saberfish]

[black][size 3]I made my post, not as a criticism, but as a result of a personal experience.[/size][/black]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]Shortly after I started hunting, I had several good years hunting the Crawfords (Ut/Wyo line). Deer there were found in large herds, as they migrated from Wyo. for wintering.[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]I was jeeping down a road, and a large herd crossed the road in front of me. By the time I got stopped, and glassed them, they had stopped up on a hill several hundred yards from me. Three of them were standing facing me, back to belly, three in a row, stacked up.[/size]
[size 3]I figured that I could hold high and hit one of them. I held over the back of the top one, and fired. The center deer backed out like a freight train. He was hit, and I went after him.[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[size 3]I had gut shot the deer, and spent an hour chasing him for a finishing shot. From that experience, I vowed that I would never take a marginal shot again, and I haven't. Yes, I have passed on a good many bucks, but I have never had to go through an experience like that again.[/size]
[size 3][/size]
[signature]

[Wyobraz]

[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]Very nice shot! Those guys definately knew what they were doing.[/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3][/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]I understand why some people would think that this shot is unethical and if it were attempted by the average weekend warrior hunter that doesn't shoot more than a couple rounds a year I would agree. [/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3][/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]But with that said people that have the calibers and practice with them at those distances are are not unethical at all. Technology has changed so dramaticaly over the last 10 years alot of guess work has been taken away from the shooter, not only with rangefinders to tell you exact distances for calibers but also with scopes that can be sighted in for many different distances. I also doubt these folks were shooting factory loads either. People also have the ability with reloading to push the envelope with "Hot" loads that will never match any balistic chart that manufactures put out, but like Rileyfish said that is what chronographs are for.[/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3][/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]Wind is a factor when shooting these distances but it also should be a factor when shooting any distance. Wind will affect a bullet at 100 yards also, and can move a bullet as much as a foot, but I doubt many people take wind into consideration with a shot that close.[/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3][/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]In the Salt River and Wyoming Ranges in Wyoming that I have hunted my whole life 4-500 yard shots are normal ranges to be shooting. Most guides in this area will also tell there clients to make sure they are have a caliber and the comfort to be able to shoot these distances. Although I have never taken a shot at 950 I have shot deer at 800 yards and elk at 600 yards, but I was not shooting a .243 or .30/06 either![/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3][/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]I also would be willing to bet that there are more animals injured and lost that were shot at close distances by inexperienced shooters than by people that shoot long distances.[/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3][/size][/#808000][/font]
[font "Tempus Sans ITC"][#808000][size 3]Thanks for sharing the video![/size][/#808000][/font]
[signature]