Caribou at over 800 yards ???

[roundball]

This is not a muzzleloading incident, it involves a .338 centerfire rifle so it may not be allowed on this forum at all...delete if that's the case.

Guy says he shot a Caribou at "over 800 yards with a .338".
Scope or not, can you even "see" a Caribou well enough at 800+ yards to hit/kill it?

 

"If" such was the case, I'd say thet was one "damned lucky" shot!!!!

YMHS
rollingb

 

[jtmattison]

Maybe he shot into a migrating herd and got lucky.

Huntin

 

[Gary]

Provided he could see it, provided he estimated the range correctly, provided he read the wind, provided he figured the drop, provided he was a good enough shot, why not? Sharpshooters have slain human targets at greater distance that 800 yards. Even though Metcalf's mythical mile shot was proven to be fiction, there are no shortage of long range kills.

 

Maybe he shot into a migrating herd and got lucky.

Huntin

..... or, if he'da "stepped-off" thet 800 yards, it might'a only take'n 200'er so paces. :crackup: :crackup:

.... I had a "measured" 100 yd. range set up in my back yard, and had a fella argue with me once, thet it was 300 yds.!! :youcrazy:

YMHS
rollingb

 

[buckknife]

Roundball i saw a program here a while back that involved a 575 and as 650 yard shot on elk i think is what they said.One guy calls out the yardage and wind and the other guy makes the shot.They parcticed this yardage and longer for a long time to be able to make these shots.They even make a vidio that gives a run down on this long range shooting at exstreamly long yardage.Take a heep of paractice and sum very excepensive rifles an scopes and gear.These people are baisclly snipers who shoot targets and game instead of an enemy.They seemed to have it down pretty darn good.

 

Provided he could see it, provided he estimated the range correctly, provided he read the wind, provided he figured the drop, provided he was a good enough shot, why not? Sharpshooters have slain human targets at greater distance that 800 yards. Even though Metcalf's mythical mile shot was proven to be fiction, there are no shortage of long range kills.

...... and, provided thet they practice alot at thet range!!

Billy Dixon's "shot", even surprised "Billy"!!

YMHS
rollingb

 

[Flint50]

Very few people are that good. I have a 30.06 that will drive tacks at 150yds,and is accurate far beyond that, but personally I would never take a shot that I wasnt reasonably sure of a clean kill. There are simply too many variables for the average hunter to risk a 800yd shot. I think that if you are going to take an animals life, you owe it a clean kill. Dont get me wrong, I have made meat many, many times. Its just the ethics thing that makes me only shoot when I am reasonalbly sure :m2c:

 

[BrownBear]

If I'd been with him he would have packed out the bou all by his lonesome. Kinda awkward when he was wearing that rifle like a tail. He'd have been sortin out camping by himself too, because in the time it took him to make his first load, I'd have packed my kit and cleared out, too. Luck, skill or gear, there's no place for that kind of stunt on my hunts.

 

[roundball]

Roundball i saw a program here a while back that involved a 575 and as 650 yard shot on elk i think is what they said.One guy calls out the yardage and wind and the other guy makes the shot.They parcticed this yardage and longer for a long time to be able to make these shots.They even make a vidio that gives a run down on this long range shooting at exstreamly long yardage.Take a heep of paractice and sum very excepensive rifles an scopes and gear.These people are baisclly snipers who shoot targets and game instead of an enemy.They seemed to have it down pretty darn good.

If nothing else, based on the belief that anything is possible, I have to accept that it could be done.

800yds is a half mile. Ballistic charts stop at 500yds.
The most powerful .338 Ultra Mag drops 4 feet at 500yds even with a 200yd zero.
At 800yds, the drop would be exponentially far greater...maybe 10-12 feet.

This is not talking about trying to hit a big 18" x 24" human torso...we're talking about hitting an 8 x 10" vital area on a Caribou a half a mile away...a half a mile away...that would be some shot.

 

[flaming canvas]

Provided he could see it, provided he estimated the range correctly, provided he read the wind, provided he figured the drop, provided he was a good enough shot, why not? Sharpshooters have slain human targets at greater distance that 800 yards. Even though Metcalf's mythical mile shot was proven to be fiction, there are no shortage of long range kills.

Billy Dixon's shot wasn't mythical, but he always said it was luck.

 

[Stumpkiller]

In 2002 a Canadian sniper killed a man in Afganistan at 2,657 yards (7,972 feet!) with a single deliberate shot from a MacMillian .50BMG bolt-actioned rifle! Un~@&#%^$~believable. He had to compensate for a bullet drop of 146 FEET over that range! Carlos Hathcock held the record prior to that, with a .50 BMG from an M-2 loaded single-shot with a 10X scope at 2,460 yards during the war in Vietnam. He had a specific man in mind and spent the day prior getting the gun and range figured out. Patterened him just like a deer.

If you practice, and you have enough eyesight or scope, I believe a .338 would take a caribou at 800 yards. Not this puppy, but some could I'm sure.

Next question is whether that is sporting or just good shooting. :hmm:

 

[olgriz]

According to the official Marine Corps web page, Sgt. Herbert B. Hancock, chief scout sniper, sniper platoon, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines reached out and touched one of those bad guys at 1050 yards. He was shooting a M40A3 in 7.62 caliber. I don't know what type of rifle that a M40A3 is, but it was in the fight for Fallujah that they were helping spot for some inderect fire. When those guys quit shooting back they continued looking and his spotter picked out one dropping a motar round into a tube. Hancock got him and then he got the guy that was with him. They used a laser GPS to get the range on him, and they think it is the longest succesful sniper shot so far in Iraq. Tell you what, Hancock is a hero of mine.

 

[rabjr]

M40A3 is basically a Remington 700 bolt action on steroids.

 

[iainofulva]

According to the official Marine Corps web page, Sgt. Herbert B. Hancock reached out and touched one of those bad guys at 1050 yards. He was shooting a M40A3 in 7.62 caliber.

According to http://www.snipercentral.com/m40a3.htm :

Caliber 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win)
Length 44.25" (1124mm)
Weight 16.5 lbs (7.5 kg)
Barrel Schneider Match Grade SS #7
Barrel Length 24 inches (610mm)
Trigger Weight 3 to 5 pounds
Magazine Capacity 5 rounds
Sight Unertl 10x with Mil-Dots and BDC
Stock McMillan Tactical A4
Max Effective Range 1000 yards (915 meters)


In 1996 the USMC started on the design for the replacement of the M40A1, the result was the M40A3. It uses a remington 700 short action, with a steel floorplate assembly and trigger guard built by D.D. Ross. The Unertl rings and bases have been replaced with D.D. Ross base and G&G Machine rings. The rifles also come with a harris bipod and an accessory rail, also built by G&G Machine. The stock is a new McMillan A4, with adjustable cheek and length of pull.
As the M40A1's rotate in for service and repair, they are replaced by M40A3's. All M40A3s are built by USMC armorers at Quantico Virginia. The M40A3 is an outstanding replacement for the aging M40A1's. The rifles are extremely accurate, very rugged, and are designed from the ground up to be a superb sniper rifle. Combined with the new M118LR ammo, it makes a system that is ranked with the best in the world.


Jon

 

According to the official Marine Corps web page, Sgt. Herbert B. Hancock, chief scout sniper, sniper platoon, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines reached out and touched one of those bad guys at 1050 yards. He was shooting a M40A3 in 7.62 caliber.

Billy Dixon, buffalo hunter, used a 45-90 for his historical "long shot",....

Distance was "surveyed" later to be 1538 yards.

Computer analysis indicates,....
Bullet drop,... 3823.8 inchs
Time of flight,... nearly 5 seconds
Windage adjustment,... 337.8 inchs

YMHS
rollingb

 

[shmrck1]

roundball,
how well did you know this guy who told you
that and what was your reaction when he said it??? did you
say :bull: or say really that would be a decent shot for some but let me tell you about the shot i made...........
............. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
snake-eyes eace: :thumbsup:

 

[roundball]

roundball,
how well did you know this guy who told you
that and what was your reaction when he said it??? did you
say :bull: or say really that would be a decent shot for some but let me tell you about the shot i made...........
............. :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
snake-eyes eace: :thumbsup:

Dunno...he posted on another board...I asked him if he really meant to say he shot a Caribou over 800 yards or was it a typo and did he mean 300yds?

He replied "it was exactly 802 yds, I hit the caribou both times, and I needed to understand that he was a competition shooter"

 

[Hota]

In 2002 a Canadian sniper killed a man in Afganistan at 2,657 yards (7,972 feet!) with a single deliberate shot from a MacMillian .50BMG bolt-actioned rifle! Un~@&#%^$~believable. He had to compensate for a bullet drop of 146 FEET over that range! Next question is whether that is sporting or just good shooting. :hmm:

The funny thing is Stump, the US government wanted to award the Canadian shooter just to recognize the skill and the Canadian government apparently refused to allow him to accept the award stating that this was not an accomplishment that deserves encouragement. In that case circumstance won out. If it were the olympics, he would have won gold and gotten a $10 million endorsement by Remington!

 

[BLAHMAN]

There are some folks in Nescopek PA that not only can build you a rifle capable of doing that, but they will train you to do that, that shot is do-able. They participate in 1/4 mile competition shooting...as I understand it, they make 3-4 inch groups at that distance.