2rocky
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2010
- Messages
- 5,137
Long story short. Any belted or new age magnum of .27 caliber or larger with have sufficient energy to kill an elk beyond the distance you will be able to shoot accurately (5/5 in an 8 inch circle).
Your job as a marksman is to be able to shoot accurately, CONSISTENTLY as far as possible.
Your job as an elk hunter is to get to a position that is a FRACTION of that Maximum distance. Think of that denominator being as large as possible as your goal. Don't confuse the two.
Out of 10 bull elk killed I've never shot at one over 400 yards. My average distance may well be around 130. I've missed entire elk at under 400 yards, mainly due to poor rests. I've also put three premium bullets through the lungs of a rutting bull with a belted magnum under 100 yards and he stayed on his feet for an astonishing long time.
Guiding hunters, I've started to think, the nicer the long range rifle and scope system a hunter has, the less likely he or she can shoot it. The guys shooting a pre-'64 with scratches on the stock, and a fixed 4x or 3-9x seem to be killers...
Your job as a marksman is to be able to shoot accurately, CONSISTENTLY as far as possible.
Your job as an elk hunter is to get to a position that is a FRACTION of that Maximum distance. Think of that denominator being as large as possible as your goal. Don't confuse the two.
Out of 10 bull elk killed I've never shot at one over 400 yards. My average distance may well be around 130. I've missed entire elk at under 400 yards, mainly due to poor rests. I've also put three premium bullets through the lungs of a rutting bull with a belted magnum under 100 yards and he stayed on his feet for an astonishing long time.
Guiding hunters, I've started to think, the nicer the long range rifle and scope system a hunter has, the less likely he or she can shoot it. The guys shooting a pre-'64 with scratches on the stock, and a fixed 4x or 3-9x seem to be killers...