Deer at 500 Yards?

[Tyson C.]

so this is where i am going to say it, because i will be part of a 500yrd shot @ a deer>>>>>

if things work out this rifle season a friend and i will be setting up on my shooting bench to see if his trigger time has paid off. the bench sits right behind my shop and just a walk over to the house. we will be sitting up my sand bags or in his custom rest, a range finder will be close by along with my camcorder. his rifle will be set up and left sitting from early morning to evening. we will be in the shop or in the house coming in and out and watching the area looking for movement. do i call this hunting...NOPE, this is what i would call: live target shooting. (i started out with a rifle, but i experience a greater rush/hunt when i get out and bow hunt)

my friend has been a 1000yrd long range competetive bench shooter for a little over 3yrs and will be working his way into the what they call the "hunter class" (shooting from prone position). in my opinion he is good at what he does..hitting his target(s) with a good solid grouping. he is not breaking records or the best there has ever been, he is just a very modest simple shooter and loves to learn. the distance we will be shooting at from the bench is roughly 450-550yds depending where the deer come out with in this open neck. also in use we will be useing a new load that is tried and tested that he got from an experienced loader who works with these types of rifles and shoots just about all his game with these types of rifles.

so whats the "type of rifle" you might be asking. our gun of choice will be the Armalite AR50, yep thats right. are we the first to ever do this NOPE, do we care about what some people think NOPE. why are we doing this, simple, because we can, and he and i are done with the "i wonder what will happen". we will zero the rifle in at 500 with the new rounds being used and see how things unfold. the loads will still be a very reliable effective round, but not what your RAMBO movie imagination might be thinking. overall it will be very interesting to see what happens in the this outcome.

DEER AT 500yards to me means you need to be very familiar with the right gun/ammo combo at that range, know your ballastics, know the weather, know your surroundings to and beyond the target, and good luck!

"ethnics"--what about this= your falling off a 50 story building and know that death is certain, your going crazy and insane on the entire plunge or maybe you make piece within yourself and close your eyes. SPLAT on the concrete you go. do you consider it ethnical? i mean atleast you died fast when you hit the pavement, maybe you mentally suffered on the way down its just the fall that might have sucked.

later.........

 

[257wby]

With favorable wind, a good rest, my 257wby loaded with a 115 grain Berger vld...absolutely.

 

[Buzzgun]

Those that have the ability and equipment required to do it aren't likely to be bothered by the rants of those who can't, telling them that they shouldn't!!


As to whether it's "hunting"??

Hunting is the part that happens BEFORE you pull the trigger! When it gets to that point, it's all "shooting", regardless of the range or weapon used.

 

[h4everything]

I see nothing wrong with it. I've made poor shots at 50 yards with a rifle and killed them stone dead at 500. Its all practice and capabilities.

 

[MoBoost]

Ethics has nothing to do with the result of the action; ethics is concerned only with intent.
What that means, that the ability of the shooter is applied only to personal morals, but has nothing to do with hunting ethics in itself.

You don't need to get involved in flexi-ethics and "Ethics Police". Tell us why you chose 500 yard shot instead of 150 - and ANYONE will be able to tell you if it was ethical hunt or not.

 

[Okie4570]

With favorable wind, a good rest, my 257wby loaded with a 115 grain Berger vld...absolutely.

Sorry off topic but, what rifle is your 257wby chambered in? I reload for a friend who has a 257wby in a markV and it's impressive.

 

[ElkStalkR]

I'm so glad I have people to tell me what "real" hunting is otherwise I wouldn't know.

I love the "if you can't get closer than X number of yards you shouldn't be hunting/your not really hunting/your not a good hunter, etc....." posts.

Its this simple. I hunt with a crossbow, over bait (where legal), lots of it and one of the biggest bucks I have ever killed (151") was taken with my .270 at 425 yds. If you in the closet PETA members can't wrap your mind around different styles of hunting then you need to be vomitted out of the hunting community.

I get so tired of reading this "my way is better/correct/more ethical than yours" BS on these hunting forums. Rant off.

 

[tran]

What??

REALLY???

That's the biggest load of nonsense I've seen posted here in a LONG time!!

Really... Buy you some books and learn to read. You might learn something!

 

[MoBoost]

I wonna learn about "bullet too fast"! Poor bullet construction I understand, but too fast? I can sorta see how a bullet can zip through without opening, but still properly placed shot would drop it.

Here is what happens when you go hunting with 7mm Mag in Oklahoma:
- You think you need a mag because you are not a good shot - "more power" for marginal shot per Glocktogo
- You are not a good shot because you don't practice - and mags kick HARD
- So there you are with barely sighted in rifle, that makes you flinch, with heart pounding cuz there is a deer there.
- Now, nobody knows where that bullet went - hence, perceived poor 7mm mag performance at short range.

On the other hand - long range shooter practices a lot, doesn't flinch and actually sights the rifle in - boom dead deer.

 

[264Magnum]

I wonna learn about "bullet too fast"! Poor bullet construction I understand, but too fast? I can sorta see how a bullet can zip through without opening, but still properly placed shot would drop it.

Some bullets don't expand at all at close range, while others practically explode. I shot a deer several years ago at less than 10 yards with a 120 grain ballistic tip out of my 264. The vital organs literally poured out of the cavity like spaghetti sauce.

I think that's where a lot of the misconceptions come from. Bullets back in the day weren't stout enough to handle the velocity those new fangled magnums were getting.