Ethical to shoot past 400 yards at elk w/AR15 based rifle? Yes/No

[Karl Blanchard]

So put a different scope on the 30/06. My point is it launches heavier bullets at higher speed than any AR cartridge. Why choose an AR for a long range elk rifle? Makes no sense to me.

Hell a 50 launches a bigger bullet than a 06. Why not pick a 50?
Different strokes for different folks.
I agree a 06 has more power. But a 6.5 at has plenty of killing force which has been proven in this thread.
A bad shot with a 06 isn't much better than a bad shot with a 6.5. Still a bad shot

I don't know diddly about AR rifles but it seems as though I can buy a .50BMG upper to fit an AR15 lower.
http://www.tactilite.com/Spartan-50-BMG-Upper-Receiver-p/s1.htm
That would probably kill an elk or 5 with one shot at 496 yards.
 

Hey that's pretty cool, why would do you bring and argument that nulls the original argument which is exactly what you just did.    that's almost as awesome as that one exchange.

Yes but my question is, can you accurately dope for wind, while shooting from a fence post, at a rock chuck, in a field situation, at 1500 yards? 186% of the time?  I submit that you cannot

[EmeraldBullet]

No one can shoot 186% of the time. Mathematically impossible. Now some peeps could shoot close to 100%.

[runamuk]

So put a different scope on the 30/06. My point is it launches heavier bullets at higher speed than any AR cartridge. Why choose an AR for a long range elk rifle? Makes no sense to me.

Hell a 50 launches a bigger bullet than a 06. Why not pick a 50?
Different strokes for different folks.
I agree a 06 has more power. But a 6.5 at has plenty of killing force which has been proven in this thread.
A bad shot with a 06 isn't much better than a bad shot with a 6.5. Still a bad shot

I don't know diddly about AR rifles but it seems as though I can buy a .50BMG upper to fit an AR15 lower.
http://www.tactilite.com/Spartan-50-BMG-Upper-Receiver-p/s1.htm
That would probably kill an elk or 5 with one shot at 496 yards.
 

Hey that's pretty cool, why would do you bring and argument that nulls the original argument which is exactly what you just did.    that's almost as awesome as that one exchange.

Yes but my question is, can you accurately dope for wind, while shooting from a fence post, at a rock chuck, in a field situation, at 1500 yards? 186% of the time?  I submit that you cannot

nope and I couldn't shoot that caliber of an ar at all.  But that doesn't change the fact that there in that link are 2 not 1 but 2 ar possibilities above and beyond the size requirements set forth by the bigger is better crowd arguing size as the reason ars cannot be used for long distance elk hunting.

[bobcat]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

[EmeraldBullet]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

I'm not an experienced hunter but I agree for what it's worth...

Just curious, on a side note, would my sig m716 with 185 grain .308 ammo be ok to hunt elk? I recently reconnected with my God father and he hunts elk and we talked about going together, just making sure what I have is adequate. I got my gun for personal defense, not hunting, but I would like to get into it eventually, especially after reading many of the posts on this forum.

[Curly]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

It's not necessarily inadequate as shown by some kill pics that prove it can be done.

[JDHasty]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

It is not for me. 

Some people here feel comfortable with it on elk at north of 400 yards.  I just don't see shooting at an elk a quarter mile away with a rifle of that terminal ballistics class as being anything that I would feel comfortable doing. 

I use my old 300 Wby almost exclusively, not because I don't have other very accurate big game rifles.   It is because if I have a 400 yard shot or a 500 yard shot, I know that things can happen that make a less than perfect shot placement happen and I want the additional tissue and bone destruction that that rifle/round offers me.   

[bobcat]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

It's not necessarily inadequate as shown by some kill pics that prove it can be done.

A picture of a dead elk proves nothing.

[JDHasty]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

It's not necessarily inadequate as shown by some kill pics that prove it can be done.

A picture of a dead elk proves nothing.

[Biggerhammer]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

It's not necessarily inadequate as shown by some kill pics that prove it can be done.

A picture of a dead elk proves nothing.

Neither  does a bunch of rambling from people who have just read about and discussed distance shooting on the Internet.

Most of these clowns are too busy fantasizing about Jack O'Conner in a buck skin thong packing his .270. Heck, even his wife out classed him with her 7x57 chambering she was so fond of.


Hahaha! Keep reading. I'll keep burning powder.

[Karl Blanchard]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

Not trying to be a wise crack but you stated yourself your farthest kill was 320, so your claim of inadequacy is purely speculation as you have no experience with this round, especially at mid range distances.

[actionshooter]

I have used an AR15 a time or for hunting big game and was going to offer up my opinion, because these are nothing but opinions.  Then I read through the entire thread and decided that I don't want to play the original posters games....... have fun guys. 

Just read this thread and am still happy I decided to stay out of this one......hahaha

[JDHasty]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

It's not necessarily inadequate as shown by some kill pics that prove it can be done.

A picture of a dead elk proves nothing.

Lucrative careers in bullcrappery have been launched based on pictures of dead deer and elk.  Kirt Darner is one example that comes to mind, but Don Lewis really took using photos he "killed with his bow" and raised it to an art form.  Not only were the animals shot with a... 7 mag I believe, many of them were shot inside Yellowstone National Park. 

Once the Paul Harvy version of events came out a lot of people felt pretty foolish in who they chose as role models.   

[bobcat]

This topic is about shooting elk, right? At 500 to 600 yards? If so, no matter how good the shooter is, a 122 grain bullet at 2,400 fps muzzle velocity is inadequate for shooting elk at that range. I'm pretty sure most experienced hunters would agree.

Not trying to be a wise crack but you stated yourself your farthest kill was 320, so your claim of inadequacy is purely speculation as you have no experience with this round, especially at mid range distances.

True, but I know enough that I'd never attempt such a long shot with a marginal caliber.

I've also never missed a shot because it was too far, or wounded and not recovered an elk because I took a long shot and didn't hit it perfectly.

[Biggerhammer]

Laughing... Laughing ...