Lately there seems to be more posts about guys asking what cartridge they should get, alot of the posts have been targeted twards longer ranges. It seems these guys have a rifle that they've been using but for one reason or other they think they need something new (better) to make that 400+ yard shot. Like most of these guys I started out hunting with a rifle that I was able to cleanly take deer/elk out to around 300 yards, in my case it was a rem 700 bdl in 7 rem. mag. with a varii-x2 3x9. I started realy getting into shooting/reloading, sorta separate from hunting. A few years ago I started to use scopes with target turrets along with a laser range finder and all of the sudden I was shooting targets with my .224 fun guns at longer distances then I could with my big game rifles.
Here's a picture of my 22-250 that will consistently hit pop cans at 500 yards with 50gr V-max's
(the scope has been changed sense This pic. was taken)
I went through a few rifles looking for the "best" hunting/long rang rifle. I dont have a picture of the 30-338 that I had but that rifle is the one that changed my whole way of thinking and it was the first rifle I had that I shot to 1000 yards with. I do have a picture of my 300 RUM, this rifle was to be my ultimate long range elk rifle and I practiced past 1000 yards with it alot.
With the high BC 200 gr accubond this thing will hit crap wayyy out there.
One night I was sitting here at the computer reading about the Nosler accubonds, specifically about the 7mm. 160gr'er. At this point I had been shooting the 308/200's in my 300 RUM and was very happy with them. I ran the numbers through the ballistic calculator for a 7mm 160gr accubond at 3000FPS ( 7 rem mag), it showed the 7mm 160's running right with the 18-gr NBT I was using in the 30-338 so I bought some and started load work with my old 7mag. The load was surprisingly accurate so I gave my old blued/wood 700 a face lift.
Here it is with a mcmillun classic stock and a Leupold 4.5x14.
If the wind is calm a first shot hit on a soft ball sized rock at 1200 yards is the norm.
Right now my 7 mag is my favorite rifle and is playing the role of the "perfect" hunting rifle thats light enough to carry all day, Naturally points fast, and can kill at long range if I need it to. Looking back at my last 20 years it kind of funny that I'm using the rifle I started with. My first year hunting I carried my grampa's 30-30 but that doesn't count. I still have rifles that fill niches. like my light weight 7mm-08 for back packing hunts, it will hold under MOA until the scope adjustments run out of elevation at 950yards.
This rambling post just explains why when somebody asks what they rifle/cartridge they should get I usually want to say "the rifle/cartridge you have will be fine, just learn to use it to its potential" but I think that will sound rude. With whats available to us today in rifles, scopes, bullets, some of the old boring cartridges are capable of so much more then they were just a few years ago.
