Why Not...A Long Range Rifle?

[Upstate43]

Most of the state lands (NY) i"ve hunted in don't offer shots anything over 100 yards. You'd really have to search hard to find an area where you'd take a shot that qualifies as "long range." Private land, there might be more opportunity for that due to the farm fields. But even there, 200-300 yard shots seem to be more likely than a 600-700 yard shot.

I also don't go looking for opportunities to extend my range when hunting; I'm looking for the way to get the most accurate and most humane shot.

As for carrying your 17lb rifle at the ready on long hunts, well I don't know if I believe you. If you truly do that, kudo's to you. Most hunters carry far lighter rifles and have them slung up until they're ready to shoot in order to focus their energy and attention on other issues (like finding the animal).

 

[Big John]

It doesn’t sound to like you ever been on patrol, carrying a rifle of any weight is generally done in the ready position as far as “ finding the animal “ I am not sure what you mean but, if you mean after a shot that has yet to be a problem for me.

 

[Jaywmustang]

I have a 17 lbs rifle but I don’t hunt with it. My current hunting setup comes in at 11lbs unloaded.

 

[Big John]

Ok enough talk about how heavy my rifle is, the plain and simple truth to the original question is this in the case of hunting deer if you can take a deer at 1000 yds with one humane shot do so If you please. If you want to pay the price of a rifle the can shoot that distance accurately do it! And no one here or anywhere else has the right to you you can’t!!

 

[Upstate43]

It doesn’t sound to like you ever been on patrol, carrying a rifle of any weight is generally done in the ready position as far as “ finding the animal “ I am not sure what you mean but, if you mean after a shot that has yet to be a problem for me.

I have been on patrol actually, though I try to avoid bringing that up because anecdotal war-stories are a-dime-a-dozen on the internet. I carried a lot of weight on patrol and had my firearm at the ready because I had to.

Hunting isn't the same as combat. Lighter weight is preferred because it allows the hunter to stay focused on other things (being quiet, looking for sign, ect.). I actually have carried around my target rifle in deep woods hunting (~15-16lbs). 1-2 excursions lugging that thing around convinced me to go get a lightweight rifle. Tree-stand hunting is one thing; a multi-day backcountry trip in the ADK's is something else entirely and a +15lb rifle would not be my first choice for such applications.

Ok enough talk about how heavy my rifle is, the plain and simple truth to the original question is this in the case of hunting deer if you can take a deer at 1000 yds with one humane shot do so If you please. If you want to pay the price of a rifle the can shoot that distance accurately do it! And no one here or anywhere else has the right to you you can’t!!

Why? Why tell people to take 1k yard shots on live animals especially when you can easily get to within 100-200 yards in a place like NY? I guarantee that most shooters, even those who practice religiously, aren't proficient enough to take that shot in a humane manner.

 

[Big John]

Just so you can ask over, over and over and over again and again etc etc infinitely.......

 

[Big John]

Lighter weight is preferred because it allows the hunter to stay focused on other things (being quiet, looking for sign, ect.).

Well I hate to think that everyone is like you, that the weight of your rifle somehow distracts you from the hunt. If that is the case maybe you/ they (like you) shouldn't hunt if thing that small are a distraction. I am distracted by VERY little my objective every single time I pull the trigger is to kill something before it has a chance to kill me ( I have made this clear in a number of posts check it out) that is my edge over others, if I see prey my hands don't shake, my heart rate doesn't go up and so far after 42 years of hunting I have NOT missed an animal that I have fired on! So you do your thing and we who can will do ours.

 

[Upstate43]

All right. Next time you go for a multi-day backcountry hunting trip with that 17lb target rifle of yours, please post a video. I'd like to see some action backing up all this talk.

 

[Big John]

All right. Next time you go for a multi-day backcountry hunting trip with that 17lb target rifle of yours, please post a video. I'd like to see some action backing up all this talk.

Well first of all it is NOT a target rifle, it is a hunting rifle and if I were going back country I would pack in my stand as well so it isn't just a 17 lb rifle but a 23 lb climbing tree stand as well! Which I have a number of pictures of this one happens to be 2.5miles from the road. I grant you it was before my heart attack but I am confident I can repeat the performance next season.

 

[NY Leatherneck]

Any rifle, no matter the weight, is a pain in the ass when your doing "the drag". Add a pack or like @Big John said, a tree stand, and it really doesn't matter at that point imo.

 

[Upstate43]

Any rifle, no matter the weight, is a pain in the ass when your doing "the drag". Add a pack or like @Big John said, a tree stand, and it really doesn't matter at that point imo.

Weight does matter. In fact, if John really has the military experience that he claims to have had, I'm surprised that he never learned that lesson earlier.

It might not matter for a short jaunt to a tree stand. For a backcountry hunt, where are you carrying lots of gear in addition to a harvested animal, a 17lb rifle, target or otherwise, is not preferred. You can easily find hunting rifles that are half that weight.

 

[NY Leatherneck]

Weight does matter. In fact, if John really has the military experience that he claims to have had, I'm surprised that he never learned that lesson earlier.

It might not matter for a short jaunt to a tree stand. For a backcountry hunt, where are you carrying lots of gear in addition to a harvested animal, a 17lb rifle, target or otherwise, is not preferred. You can easily find hunting rifles that are half that weight.

Everyone has to learn their limits then make whatever decision from there.

 

[Big John]

Weight does matter. In fact, if John really has the military experience that he claims to have had, I'm surprised that he never learned that lesson earlier.

Now that's funny, what I learned early was just how far I could carry enough gear for a forced march (everything that would fit in my full pack) as far as I had to, let's see Ft. Jackson, 5 miles out to Tank Hill spend the afternoon shooting at the range and 5 miles back slept like a baby. Bivouac march into the woods 10 miles with the afore mentioned gear sleep on the ground no tent, get up sore and still tired make breakfast repack gear march back to barracks. Yes I know I am 58, I had a heart attack, but by this hunting season I will be more than ready to carrying the rifle, ammo, various other gear and Treestand into the woods again. Ustate43 if the weight bothers you don't carry it! It doesn't bother me!