elk hunt

C

cowhand57

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ok i got a new 300 win mag wit scope for this falls elk hunt, where should i sight it in at being im going to be shooting long distance?? 3 inchs high at 100?? does anyone know wat a 300 wit a 180 grain bullet good out too??? pretty flat?
 
I shoot a 300 Win Mag and have Federal Power-Shok 180 grain Speer hot-cor soft point.

The info is written on the back of the box.
zero @ 100yds, -3.1 @ 200yds, -11.6 @ 300yds

Hope this helps.
 
My best advice is to figure out what the longest shot you can make comfortably is and stay inside that range. Zeroing your rifle 3" high at 100 isn't going to help you make that long shot. Once you find a load that groups well in your .300 Win then get off the bench and start shooting a paper plate at varying ranges and from different field positions.

Everyone is going to pull a shot from time to time but if you can't stay on the paper plate at least better than 90% of the time then that range is too far for you. You need to practice at the ranges you intend to shoot so find the a range that will at least let you get out to 300 yards. I haven't shot an elk past 250 but arouind 350 yards is my max comfort zone on my shooting ability off of shooting sticks, bi-pod or day pack. I'm much closer in if shooting from a sitting or kneeling postion without any kind of shooting aid other, and I'm under 100 yards for a standing off hand shot.

I just picked some 8 and 10" steel gongs for me to practice with. Plus I have areas where I can set them up out past 1K if I wanted. I like the gongs because I don't have to have a spotting scope or walk down range to see if I hit them. My goal this year is to get better with my unsupported shooting.
 
I have sighted rifles in high in the past. Lately I decided that I would personally rather have it zero'd at 100 yards. To each, their own. What really matters is that you know your drop at any given distance.
GAR
 
Sight it in at 100 3" high, then move that same target to 200 and shoot, them to 300 and shoot - you'll see exactly what your drop and groups are.

Depending on where you're hunting, elk shots might close or far. Prepare for the worst shot, hope for the best
 
I've never shot farther than approx 225 yards to down an elk. Zero your rifle for this distance and plan to shoot into the chest organs, TWICE.

Jack
 
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I live in the mountains of Colorado and distance can be very long with no way of approaching closer. While I usually say 350 yards is as far as you should ethically shoot at an unwounded animal. However to feed my family in the long winters I have had to make so more distant shots. Three inches high at 100 yards is the standard for most big game rifles here in this part of the world no matter what caliber. Most callibers are back on at @225 yards and only a few inches low at 300 yards. So any resonable range you shoot will require no figuring for trajectory, just shoot for the middle of the lung cavity.
 
Definitely no higher than +3" @ 100 yards. I hunted with a guy east of Grand Junction 2 years in a row. The first year, he set me up on a 350 yard shot on a nice bull. The second year with that in mind, I adjusted my scope for a 300 yard zero expecting a similar set up. The shot that year came at @225 yards with first shot a little high in the lungs. The second shot as insurance was an attempted neck shot that got only hair off the top due to the excessively high midrange trajectory. Before the third shot went off, the bull fell. The only good thing was that the miss prevented damaging the cape. With a 300 WM 180 grain at 3" high @100 yards, no holdover is needed past 300 yards. That's about as far as most hunters should shoot. I practice regularly at 300 meters(330 yards) on 12" steel plates which is about the size of target you get on an elk at 400 yards. With a rest and calm wind, that's not too difficult. Run 100 yards uphill and shoot from sitting and it's a challenge.
 
I sight my .300win mag at 2.5-2.8 inches high at 100yds. In the field i aim at the chest up to about 320yds with no problem. On deer that is.

After that distance i then start to hold over. This is using 180gr bullets with a verlocity of 3050fps approx.
 
With a 180 grain bullet at 3100 fps, a +3.3" zero at 100 yards should put you close to dead on at 300 yards. At that, you'll be around 10" low at 400 yards, which is about as far as I'd shoot at an elk. They're tough if you don't hit 'em right.

A 200 yard zero would put you 1.3" high at 100 yards, about 6" low at 300, and 17" low at 400 yards.

You should know your area well enough to know what kind of range you'll likely shoot at, and you should sight in accordingly.

Daryl
 
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