![]() ![]() While I realize that shots out past 500 yards can certainly be executed by a shooter who is highly experienced and knows his or her gear inside and out, the portrayal of routine shots taken out past 700 yards, at unwounded game, is not only unethical, but will result in a multitude of wounded game.Īs I demonstrated with the drop figures alone - saying nothing of the effects of wind deflection - a misjudgment in distance of as little as 25 yards can result in a wounded and/or lost animal. Long-Range ShootingĪs a side note, while all of this mathematical wizardry probably won’t make much of a difference to the hunter whose shots are taken within 200 yards (which I feel represents a great deal of the shots taken at game annually), there is a movement in the hunting world to take shots at game at distances that seem to increase with every television season. The same principals we discussed for rifle bullets apply to handgun bullets, except the scale shrinks a bit. That said, I like to take my carry guns out to distances where I see a definite drop in the trajectory of my group, so I know what’s going on. It’s very common for most folks to judge a slope as more severe than it truly is, so some practice will come in handy for reducing those distances to level.įor the handgun hunter, where velocities are significantly lower - coupled with using projectiles that traditionally have a much lower BC - knowing the distances even within 150 yards becomes paramount.įor personal defense guns, the distances at which you are likely to shoot are close enough to negate the major effects of gravitational pull. When things get to 30 degrees and more, you’ll usually find climbing requires a hands and knees position. If you don’t like the electronic gizmos, you can spend some time in the field judging some severe slopes where the level distance to the target will be affected most, and develop a good idea of what a 10-degree slope looks like in comparison to a 20- or even 30-degree slope. Many of today’s laser rangefinders, such as the Bushnell Elite 1 Mile, also provide either a level distance to the target, doing the mathematics for you, or will provide the angle from the shooter to the target. A good laser rangefinder is an invaluable tool for shots that require a specific amount of holdover. If I have a severe uphill or downhill shot, especially at the distances where the reduction in range becomes significant, I should have time to use my phone to observe the angle and make the necessary adjustment to the trajectory. Many of today’s smartphones provide an app that will act as a level, providing a measurement of the angle up or down from level I use one that acts as a clinometer (I’m a mild-mannered land surveyor by day) and is rather accurate. There are a couple of methods I recommend. Now, perhaps that would still be a lung hit, or maybe it would not be a vital hit at all. However, I’d hit the target about 4 inches higher than I aimed. The above information will indicate that I need to hold 19.1 inches above the bullseye, in order to allow for the drop in trajectory over that distance. 300 Winchester to shoot at a target 400 yards away, but at a downhill angle of 20 degrees. If you raise or lower the target, the amount of drop necessary will appear to change.
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