Non-dialing 300 Yard Deer Caliber

Gila

WKR
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Apr 25, 2020
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270 win with a 130 grain. If custom build, and you want to hunt elk or moose with it, then I would get a barrel with a 1:9” twist for shooting a bullet heavier than 150 gr. If shooting 120-150 gr. then the standard 1:10” twist is perfect. If you pick your shot just right, a 130 gr. will knock an elk or moose down at 300 yards no problem. No reason you can’t sight in at 275 yards and be almost dead nuts on at 300 with the .270. I am sighted in at 225 and 300 is only about 4 inches holdover.
 

Rich M

WKR
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Jun 14, 2017
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3006 w 150 gr sierra pro hunter works out to 350 for me. Zeroed at 250, 3 inches high at 100 yds.

I have a 350 Legend and its a 300 yard gun if youbreliad.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2021
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408
Location
Clifton Springs, NY
What’s your process for this?

As I mentioned, it’s pretty straight forward, all you need is a target (can just be a piece of cardboard), a tape measure and your favorite ballistic calculator.

If your rifle isn’t already zeroed, zero it at 100 yards. With a clean target fire 3-5 rounds and get a good group (I am about a 1.5 MOA shooter) aiming at the center of the target. Then move the same target back to a known distance, 200 yards works. While aiming at the same center of the target as before, shoot another 3-5 shot group. With your tape measure measure from the center of the first group to the center of the 2nd group.

With your ballistic calculator plug in all the known values (for weather specific values I guessed). It will ask for a muzzle velocity, start what the advertised muzzle velocity on the box. You know your rifle is zeroed at 100 yards and you have now measured the drop between 100 yards and 200 yards. In your ballistic calculator, fine tune the muzzle velocity to match the measured bullet drop at 200 yards. You now know your muzzle velocity.

The hash marks on the rifle scope are set at a specific distance apart. Your owners manual should tell you what that measurement is. Now that you know your muzzle velocity, you can fine tune the yardage to match the bullet drop values to your scopes hash marks. Match up all the hashmark to the specified yardage and shoot!

So for my rifle. I confirmed my zero at 100, moved the target back to 200 yards and shot a group. I measured the distance to be around 3-1/4”. I went back to my bench and calculated the muzzle velocity to be 2,975 fps. From the owners manual I knew the first hashmark correlated to 3.5” of drop, 2nd to be 13.5”, 3rd 30” and top post is 55”. Running my calculator I found that the first hashmark is 210 yards, 2nd 331 yards, 3rd 437 yards and the top post to be 547 yards.

I confirmed this with 4 steel targets at 100 yards, 200 yards, 300 yards and 400 yards. First 4 shots were all on target…. Now you’re going to ask how being that I don’t have a hashmark at those specific yardages. And you are correct. You have to do a little bit of interpolation in your head, knowing the distance each hashmark represents and what distance you are shooting.

If you don’t follow, maybe the podcast Vortex put out will help.
https://youtu.be/L909CxvOfSo

EDIT: These values can only hold true on a 2nd focal plane scope at maximum magnification.

6de5a8c67d70e35f26f0f82c2d6e2770.jpg


8141c12bd3f87933e8e5099db517b84e.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Reburn

Mayhem Contributor
Joined
Feb 10, 2019
Messages
2,927
Location
Central Texas
As I mentioned, it’s pretty straight forward, all you need is a target (can just be a piece of cardboard), a tape measure and your favorite ballistic calculator.

If your rifle isn’t already zeroed, zero it at 100 yards. With a clean target fire 3-5 rounds and get a good group (I am about a 1.5 MOA shooter) aiming at the center of the target. Then move the same target back to a known distance, 200 yards works. While aiming at the same center of the target as before, shoot another 3-5 shot group. With your tape measure measure from the center of the first group to the center of the 2nd group.

With your ballistic calculator plug in all the known values (for weather specific values I guessed). It will ask for a muzzle velocity, start what the advertised muzzle velocity on the box. You know your rifle is zeroed at 100 yards and you have now measured the drop between 100 yards and 200 yards. In your ballistic calculator, fine tune the muzzle velocity to match the measured bullet drop at 200 yards. You now know your muzzle velocity.

The hash marks on the rifle scope are set at a specific distance apart. Your owners manual should tell you what that measurement is. Now that you know your muzzle velocity, you can fine tune the yardage to match the bullet drop values to your scopes hash marks. Match up all the hashmark to the specified yardage and shoot!

So for my rifle. I confirmed my zero at 100, moved the target back to 200 yards and shot a group. I measured the distance to be around 3-1/4”. I went back to my bench and calculated the muzzle velocity to be 2,975 fps. From the owners manual I knew the first hashmark correlated to 3.5” of drop, 2nd to be 13.5”, 3rd 30” and top post is 55”. Running my calculator I found that the first hashmark is 210 yards, 2nd 331 yards, 3rd 437 yards and the top post to be 547 yards.

I confirmed this with 4 steel targets at 100 yards, 200 yards, 300 yards and 400 yards. First 4 shots were all on target…. Now you’re going to ask how being that I don’t have a hashmark at those specific yardages. And you are correct. You have to do a little bit of interpolation in your head, knowing the distance each hashmark represents and what distance you are shooting.

If you don’t follow, maybe the podcast Vortex put out will help.

EDIT: These values can only hold true on a 2nd focal plane scope at maximum magnification.

6de5a8c67d70e35f26f0f82c2d6e2770.jpg


8141c12bd3f87933e8e5099db517b84e.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So what happens if you make a 3k density altitude change in where you hunt?

Wouldnt it just be easier to use strelok pro?

Any faster round will do just fine. 257 weatherby would be my point and click 300 yard choice. 270 not far behind.
 
Joined
May 22, 2014
Messages
1,230
25-06 is probably what I’d go. I need to own another 25-06 now that I think of it. The 257 Roy seems like it would be sweet too, I don’t know much about the cartridge but I’m gonna have to do a little research now.
 
Joined
Jan 18, 2021
Messages
408
Location
Clifton Springs, NY
So what happens if you make a 3k density altitude change in where you hunt?

Wouldnt it just be easier to use strelok pro?

Any faster round will do just fine. 257 weatherby would be my point and click 300 yard choice. 270 not far behind.

Obviously an adjustment would have to be made. But if 90% of your hunting is made at relatively the same elevation. This works. You know all of the others parameters. Quick, easy recalc.


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Last edited:

DropTyne

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
102
A limit of 300-350 yards with a non-dialing non-ballistic reticle scope? The 270 Win or 25-06 Rem are your huckleberries.

Both have the capability of easily providing a MPBR of 350 yards when sighting in somewhere around 3 inches high at 100 yards depending on the load. No hold over required. Just simply aim for the center of vitals for deer sized animals for all shots anywhere from the muzzle to 350 yards or so.

If one limits shots to 350 yards, things get pretty simple. 😎

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Joined
May 9, 2019
Messages
471
Alrighty my turn....I'd like to add to the many awesome choices mentioned by the rest of the guys and throw the 270wsm and 270 Weatherby mag into the mix.
 
OP
E
Joined
Apr 2, 2019
Messages
328
The reason I got this thread going …..was to point out that the majority of shots taken at game can be done with a basic setup and a basic caliber. I really like to push the limits of rifles but man some of these long range gear crazed times have just killed the fun in hunting. I miss the times when I didn’t know any better than a factory rifle, factory ammo, and a 2” group. Stuff still died…..let the fire bombing begin
 

Wrench

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Aug 23, 2018
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WA
One of the cheap tricks for rocking the 257roy is to use 7mm rem brass which is as cheap as it gets... one pass through a 257 die and rock on.
 
Joined
May 3, 2020
Messages
542
.270 would be the easy answer, 25.06 would be cooler, .257w would be even cooler still and probably easier for what you said you want to do without messing around with scope settings or really even a bdc reticle since it’s shoots so flat. I’ve been lusting after a .257w for blacktail deer and antelope myself for awhile. Another consideration would be if you reload and want to mess around with it too much. If not, a .270 might be easiest for finding a factory load that you like and really is an all around great caliber.
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2015
Messages
5,834
2“ high zero at 100 makes me .75 inches high at 200 and 4 inches low at 300 on a 129 grain 6.5 creed. Still in the boiler room with no diailing.
 
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