New long range hunting set up

[idratherbhuntn]

Hello everyone, looking for opinions for a moderately inexpensive long range hunting rifle for deer and elk being able to shoot an animal to 7-800 yards. I will be using factory ammo as I am not equipped to reload at the moment what ever rifle I use will be mounted with a leupold vx5hd. I’m pretty set on. 300win based on ballistics and energy at range. I’ve been looking at a weatherby vanguard, tikka t3x lite, or a Christensen mesa. What rifle would you suggest given the parameters. Thanks!

 

[JPickett]

Tikka, and with factory ammo I’d suggest staying 500 and in. Pretty much anything can do that. Things start to change after 500 yards.

 

[RookieWYhntr]

Must be a joke thread. Dude, don't do that. I need to quote Brandon now. "C'mon man!"

Go with the heaviest rifle and in your case it's the Weatherby. Really, though...don't.

 

[idratherbhuntn]

Tikka, and with factory ammo I’d suggest staying 500 and in. Pretty much anything can do that. Things start to change after 500 yards.

Do you own a tikka or shot one? I have a sako and love it. Hard to beat the action. I’m hoping whatever I decide on will shoot well with Barnes TTSX 180gr. We set up my dad 300wsm last year and he can shoot to 1000yds no problem with factory ammmo. Just can’t find ammo for the dang thing

 

[idratherbhuntn]

Must be a joke thread. Dude, don't do that. I need to quote Brandon now. "C'mon man!"

Go with the heaviest rifle and in your case it's the Weatherby. Really, though...don't.

This seems like a joke response….thanks!

 

[JPickett]

I own several and have built two customs off tikka actions. Every rifle can shoot 1000 yards. It’s hitting what you’re aiming at that’s the trick. If you’re winging factory ammo out of factory guns at 1000 I’d imagine it’s not real consistent results. It’s the first shot that matters. Not the 10th one you walked in there.

Tikkas are cut in the same machines as sakos. Never seen one not shoot

 

[idratherbhuntn]

I own several and have built two customs off tikka actions. Every rifle can shoot 1000 yards. It’s hitting what you’re aiming at that’s the trick. If you’re winging factory ammo out of factory guns at 1000 I’d imagine it’s not real consistent results. It’s the first shot that matters. Not the 10th one you walked in there.

Tikkas are cut in the same machines as sakos. Never seen one not shoot

Appreciate the info, hopefully in the next year or so I will have my reloading set up but I’m not there yet. Realistically I would never shoot an animal at 1000yds but I shoot very accurately with my sako 270 out to 500 yards and killed several animals at that distance with factory loaded ammo. However I would like something with more lbft of energy beyond that to shoot a deer and especially elk. Thats why I’m looking for something to get me an extra 2-300 yards beyond that.

 

[JPickett]

I’ve consistently gone 800 with factory tikkas. But I haven’t shot factory ammo in 20 years. Maybe I’m a little biased but I also just don’t trust it to be as meticulously loaded as I do for those ranges. Like I said, anything can do 500 now with todays optics. Stuff starts to change pretty fast after that

 

[idratherbhuntn]

I’ve consistently gone 800 with factory tikkas. But I haven’t shot factory ammo in 20 years. Maybe I’m a little biased but I also just don’t trust it to be as meticulously loaded as I do for those ranges. Like I said, anything can do 500 now with todays optics. Stuff starts to change pretty fast after that

Good to know, have you shot or had any experience with the t3x lite?

 

[JPickett]

My buddy had one, it was a shooter, all tikkas are pretty light so I don’t think your really giving anything up as far as how it will shoot but you do gain some ounces lost for packing. I wouldn’t hesitate to own one. I get what the other poster was saying about heavy guns and shooting long range. But you can take light guns long too. Just gotta know how to shoot them. And I’d suggest a muzzle break

 

[heywouldya]

I own 2 Tikka t3x lite's. Both are .270 win, for my daughters. They shoot great! Personally, I shoot a .270 Weatherby and like it as well.

 

[HikeHunt61]

It's a crap shoot to match a gun with factory ammo that would shoot 0.5 MOA- which would seem to me to be entry level accuracy for 700 yard shots.

Case in point- when I bought my 280AI Fierce- it was "guaranteed" 0.5 MOA. I was hot to try it out, but didn't have 280AI dies yet, so I bought some precision hunters off the shelf. Those factory loads never achieved 1.5 MOA. Fortunately, after dies arrived, it didn't take long with DOE efforts to find a load that consistently shoots 0.4.

Just saying that it's total luck that a factory load, with it's particular bullet, powder charge and COAL, would work well in any one gun, regardless of how amazing the gun is.

 

[HntHrdr]

Not sure why one needs to shoot further than 500ish yards when you are hunting, if you want to bang steel at 1000 cool but why not cut a few hundreds yards off with your feet? I know all the guys on here can hit a rat on the run a mile away, but funny how many times you see dudes banging away at animals during rifle season, not hitting chit or even worse wounding. If you aren’t reloading and shooting 100’s of rounds to get ready for hunting season, you are being foolish thinking you can walk out dial a scope and make clean 800 yard shots…

 

[HikeHunt61]

For me, 400 is "long range". Wind alone is such a factor at long range distances. I suppose a sniper capable hunter, with a sniper like position and setup, in zero wind conditions can make over 500 yard shots. I just don't know those folks personally- and don't hunt in many places where game walks out in front of me where I could set that up. But then again, my favorite hunting style is sneaking up on game in the timber

 

[HntHrdr]

For me, 400 is "long range". Wind alone is such a factor at long range distances. I suppose a sniper capable hunter, with a sniper like position and setup, in zero wind conditions can make over 500 yard shots. I just don't know those folks personally- and don't hunt in many places where game walks out in front of me where I could set that up. But then again, my favorite hunting style is sneaking up on game in the timber

I’m with you Hike, I know fancy equipment has come a long way, but hunting is far different than a sterile range environment. I led a sniper section in the army for a while and I have met guys that can flat out shoot, but they even knew their limitations

 

[idratherbhuntn]

I don’t neccesarily disagree with everything said. My goal is to get as close as possible but based on my previous shooting/hunting experiences a 700 yard shot is reasonable given the right circumstance. There are plenty of things to consider when taking that kind of shot. In the areas I frequently hunt sometimes 4-500 yards is as close as you can get if everything goes well. And I have made good clean kills as those distances, again the circumstances were correct for that shot. I’m just looking for that extra 2-300 yards. I’ll let you know how it goes once I get things dialed in. I decided on a Christensen mesa in a 300 win. I have a Talley picatinny rail with nightforce rings for my vx5hd. I have several boxes of ammo lined up to see what my gun likes, hornady precision Hunter 200gr, nosler lr accunoime 190gr, federal with a Berger 185gr and a Barnes TTSX 180gr. This is not my first long range gun but will be my first stock (non custom) hunting rifle. I’ll post a follow up once I get it sighted in and grouped.

 

[HntHrdr]

Good luck to you

 

[Chesterwyo]

Tikka for the win. Factory ammo will have you hamstrung however. The only work around is to buy a bunch with the same lot number and figure out how it shoots in your gun and make adjustments accordingly.

 

[KJW]

300 win will definitely get you there but from what Ive seen with mine, factory ammo greatly limits the performance of it. Just a suggestion that you may want to research the PRC as it seems like factory ammo might have a better selection to get more range. Any of the rifle models you mention will work. I’d also suggest watching some YouTube and bedding the action of whatever you end up with if it’s not done already