Long Range rabbit shooting

[Christel]

What is the difference between shooting a rabbit at 175-200m with a 17HMR and shooting a rabbit at say 350m with 243 varmint load?
Both are at the extreme of their ballistics but no-one would bat an eyelid at the 17HMR.

I'm not going to begrudge someone who is capable of taking those long shots from doing so, but I wouldn't sit back say nothing if someone was wounding animals at thoses ranges and thought nothing of it, either.

Like I said before - the rights and wrongs of it are down to the individual and their skill level.

No matter how skilled one is as a hunter, one cannot account for the gust of wind and with a great distance between oneself and the rabbit one is less in control in terms of killing that animal if the shot fails to kill.

[meles meles]

One could enquire of Craig Harrison, he seems quite able to manage it...

[Sandgroper]

What is the difference between shooting a rabbit at 175-200m with a 17HMR and shooting a rabbit at say 350m with 243 varmint load?
Both are at the extreme of their ballistics but no-one would bat an eyelid at the 17HMR.

I'm not going to begrudge someone who is capable of taking those long shots from doing so, but I wouldn't sit back say nothing if someone was wounding animals at thoses ranges and thought nothing of it, either.

Like I said before - the rights and wrongs of it are down to the individual and their skill level.

No matter how skilled one is as a hunter, one cannot account for the gust of wind and with a great distance between oneself and the rabbit one is less in control in terms of killing that animal if the shot fails to kill.

That's why I mentioned the 17HMR, the wind is a factor with that round (and all 17's) but nobody thinks twice about using at it's max killing range. So why do we get all fired up about shooting a long range with ballistically better ammunition and rifles?

Wind is a factor for all shooters at whatever distance and at whatever target - it's down to the indiviual shooter and the rifle/ammunition combo. If you can read the wind it's less of a problem, than the animal moving. I've messed more shots with my air rifle due to the rabbit seeing me and moving than with taking a slightly longer shot at an undisturbed rabbit.

I tried shooting rabbits at 200m with a 223, but I wasn't good enough so I stopped. Given the right combo and the time to practice I'd go back to it and try again.

[Harrier1980]

I like the way you can see the bullet track in the video (2:45 in ) it is quite an arc.

[Dangermouse]

I am glad that these guys do not enter competitions as they claim to be consistently getting half MOA or there abouts at all ranges first time every time they should run wind reading courses etc,

DM

[Porcupine]

Within their chosen sport of making long range shots they do their best to make a clean kill. I won't judge another man's hobby - if this is just to show off then how is athletics any different? We all enjoy different things. If occasionally they end up wounding a bunny I think that's ok. They are only rabbits after all, and get wounded or die in protracted agony and terror at the hands of non-human predators, starvation, disease etc. It's a world away from setting cats on fire.

[tikkathreebarrels]

I am glad that these guys do not enter competitions as they claim to be consistently getting half MOA or there abouts at all ranges first time every time they should run wind reading courses etc,

DM

+1

Personally, I think they're lucky to have ground which accomodates these kind of distances: I'd love to have the facility to practice shooting at the kind of distances I have to go on a rifle range to find. But that's just my luck.

What's "too far" for a centrefire rifle for using relatively high energy ammunition to kill that which the law describes as vermin? I'm not sure I'm entering this debate without a point of view.

[Porcupine]

Impressive.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=L48Eok5hQZo[/youtube]

See the full episode here.

[Mike357]

Impressive shooting and a really clean kill.

However, funny how these guys never post pictures of runners or cases where they need a follow up shot. They'd have you believe it never happens.

[Porcupine]

If you watch the full episode the kill is a follow up shot. The first shot looked to miss by just a couple of inches and spooked the herd, but they stuck around and gave them the opportunity to correct and make a second shot which was the clean kill you see. By my eyes it looks like the miss was so small that if it had gone in the other direction it would have been a clean kill and not a wounding.