Winchesters New Long Range Hunting Cartridge

[Smellydog]

Hmm after years of shooting varmints over hundred and hundreds of yards when I was young I learnt plenty.
It's fun but can go very wrong.

There are plenty good enough cartridges already in existence to achieve what this new thing will do. If there is an advantage it is splitting hairs!

Learn a thing or two hmm. There are folk up in them hills or mountains of America doing it with, through choice, flintlock muzzleloaders!

They are just better hunters I guess...

 

[Smellydog]

400 yards is as common there as 70 is here

I use to shoot rabbits at 400 plus all the time on a plantation.
Heck, I use to shoot my 357 at rabbits beyond that. Didn't get many but it was a good job they were tiny.


I think if rifle owners actually shot more, they would be quite surprised not just what their rifle can do but what they themselves are quite capable of.

 

[Bo Diddley]

Pushing the boundaries and advancement are what mankind is all about, it's why we are where we are in the big scheme of things, instead of scratching about with stone axes or a spear.

Look how far air rifles have advanced in the last few decades. 100-yard shots with a PCP are nothing to shout about. Heck, you can kill a deer with one in some countries, gone are the days of needing a .270 for the job.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Look how far air rifles have advanced in the last few decades. 100-yard shots with a PCP are nothing to shout about.

Indeed. Until I purchased a PCP the thought of shooting tiny groups at 50-yards struck me as only achievable from behind a keyboard. How wrong I was! Had to pick my jaw from the bench after shooting the first 10-shot group on the BSRC 50-yard zero range.

K

 

[Foxyboy43]

500 yards at a deer is a step way too far for me - not for fear of missing but for fear of hitting badly - my call of course.
I recommend watching Eric Cortina’s series of Blackjack challenges where contestants, armed with some very expensive ordnance attempt to hit plates ranging from 12 to 2 inches at that distance. Some very impressive shooting but notably not with your average stalking rifle - I would love to see it tried though…

 

[Heym SR20]

The market outside the US is largely irrelevant, 99% of bullet sales in the US are toxic/lead I suspect; Apart from California.

Why the need for a 600-900yds hunting bullet is beyond me. Just makes some people think it’s acceptable to give it a whirl

We forget that California is as big as many European countries. Many parts of the US elsewhere are already lead free. Indeed any Wildfowl has been lead free for decades.

There are many ongoing initiatives promoting use of lead free ammunition by the likes of NFWS etc. an article from Meat Eater a back in 2023.

What Hunters Should Know About the New Lead-Ammo Ban

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a proposed rule this week to phase out lead ammunition and fishing tackle on eight national wildlife refuges by September 2026. If accepted, it would impact the Blackwater, Chincoteague, Eastern Neck, Erie, Great Thicket, Rachel Carson, and Wallops...

www.themeateater.com

 

[NP435]

The rationale was in the video - long, long ranges needed out West. Hope some of the US SD members will enlighten us? I do like Ron Spomer - seems a knowledgable gentleman and articulate too.

I live in the west, and so far, I have found no reason to shoot over 350 yards for unwounded big game. Some of course do so and having seen pronghorn with 5 bullets in them being processed that is very telling. the majority of my deer or pronghorn were shot under 200 yards with 1 deer at 350 and that one I had to track and shoot again. If you have the skill have the skill and get the wind call right do what you feel is ethical, I prefer being closer and I have the skill to shoot very long range.

 

[Camdig]

500 yards at a deer is a step way too far for me - not for fear of missing but for fear of hitting badly - my call of course.
I recommend watching Eric Cortina’s series of Blackjack challenges where contestants, armed with some very expensive ordnance attempt to hit plates ranging from 12 to 2 inches at that distance. Some very impressive shooting but notably not with your average stalking rifle - I would love to see it tried though…

Agreed, when live animals are concerned I like to get as close as possible.
Eric Cortinas Ethical challenge is a good watch too, cold bore shot at a deer size target with only a heart shot counting as an impact.

 

[Smellydog]

I live in the west, and so far, I have found no reason to shoot over 350 yards for unwounded big game. Some of course do so and having seen pronghorn with 5 bullets in them being processed that is very telling. the majority of my deer or pronghorn were shot under 200 yards with 1 deer at 350 and that one I had to track and shoot again. If you have the skill have the skill and get the wind call right do what you feel is ethical, I prefer being closer and I have the skill to shoot very long range.

Thank you.

 

[tarponhead]

I live in the west, and so far, I have found no reason to shoot over 350 yards for unwounded big game. Some of course do so and having seen pronghorn with 5 bullets in them being processed that is very telling. the majority of my deer or pronghorn were shot under 200 yards with 1 deer at 350 and that one I had to track and shoot again. If you have the skill have the skill and get the wind call right do what you feel is ethical, I prefer being closer and I have the skill to shoot very long range.

That’s the difference between a hunter - what you do and a shooter - whoever took five shots on the pronghorn…Backfire did a good challenge on hunters who claimed to be able to do a one shot kill at various long ranges. Very few did it first time. Must be fascinating to hunt where you are.

 

[tackb]

can you take your 'laser' flat 40 year old parker hale 270 that you fire 12 shots a year with and it's 6x42 scope and consistently kill deer at 500m plus ? - no not really !

can you get your modern built highly accurate set up that you shoot 1200 rds a year through with a good scope and ballistic set up and be way more able at 500m than mr fudd above ? yes , yes you can !

should you ? - well thats entirely your own personal choice , nobody else knows your ability's so they just apply their skill levels to you when saying you shouldn't.

but if you are going to shoot long range please practice , a lot! (and not just gravel belly at known ranges , try PRS comps for example)

 

[bluesako]

shooting deer at 600-700tyds, doesnt impress me, what does impress me is a shooter who stalks a deer at 50 yds and drops it on the spot clean kill, its called stalking . bs.

 

[Rafter]

shooting deer at 600-700tyds, doesnt impress me, what does impress me is a shooter who stalks a deer at 50 yds and drops it on the spot clean kill, its called stalking . bs.

I don't shoot deer to impress you - or anyone else. If learning to shoot at longer range puts more deer in my freezer, I'm doing it. I'll also shoot them at spitting range with a .54 flintlock, and if anything else strikes my fancy, I'll give it a go.

 

[6pt-sika]

The market outside the US is largely irrelevant, 99% of bullet sales in the US are toxic/lead I suspect; Apart from California.

Why the need for a 600-900yds hunting bullet is beyond me. Just makes some people think it’s acceptable to give it a whirl

There was or is a hunting/shooting show on the boob-tube about extreme range hunting their big thing was taking this 15 or 16 year old kid that had some rifle with a big Nightforce scope and some high tech range finder . They’d enter some stuff in their palm pilot or phone crank on the scope turrets a bit and the kid would shoot typically 600-900 range . I never thought much of this it gave the casual observer the idea that if he bought x rifle in z cartridge with this scope and that range finder instantly they were capable of perfection in their shooting/hunting and I’m sure many animals were most likely gut shot etc by these tv watching hunters that were never found . I used to like playing with new cartridges as well but I never got into this shooting into the next state so to speak 200-300 yards is plenty long for me and honestly 90-95% of my shots are under 100 yards

 

[Taff]

Ok we did this for fun, target is 1050 yds 10mph wind, guns used 6.5-284, and 6.5x55, roe deer target,