By temperament I am relationship oriented, but when it comes to shooting, especially at long-range I change. I become very analytical & task oriented. I am probably a worse shot at 100 yards or less than I am beyond it, since the further the animal is away from me the less emotional or excited I become. I am a perfectionist almost to a fault to where I won’t shoot when I could have (at closer ranges) because everything was not “just right.” My hunting buddy, Steve Hugel doesn’t have this problem. He will let the trigger go at closer ranges faster, which is due to years of coyote hunting. He probably feels I will never get around to pulling the trigger at times. At short ranges this trait cost me a nice whitetail buck last year because I was unwilling to shoot, when I know (since I have rehearsed it a million times it seems) it would be hanging on my wall if I had pulled the trigger. It is just difficult for me to shoot when it is less than perfect on big game. I’m trying to allow myself to shoot as long as I know I am in the kill zone at ranges under 200 yards. On the other hand, this trait is an asset when hunting at long-range.
A defining point and time concerning hunting with specialty handguns was late October of 1987. Steve and I were hunting in the Poudre Canyon area North West of Fort Collins, CO for mule deer. We were on our way back to the tent as it was getting dark and across the ridge there were two legal bucks of which one was a heavy and fairly high three by three (at that time it had to have at least three points on one side to be a legal buck). I went into a sideways prone position with my trusty Super 14 7mm TCU Contender with a compressed load of H-335 behind a Hornady 120 grain Spire Point. This was pre-rangefinder days, and at the moment I don’t even remember the exact distance we guessed, but it was at the verge of the cartridges capability, which I wrongly assumed was 250 yards. I settled the crosshair easily with the aid of a Harris Bi-pod where it should be, considering the distance, and let the shot go.
Steve called a hit, as he saw the deer go down immediately and begin kicking its feet some. I lost my sight picture of the animal in the recoil, but something didn’t feel right. Steve was having a bad headache at the time also, which was primarily due to us glassing so much and having poor optics. Spot-&-Stalk is our preferred style of hunting which means that we will glass at extended periods of time.
I kept asking Steve about the assurance that the deer was down to the point of him losing a little patience with me, which is a rarity. So, I finally accepted it and relaxed and was thinking about the work it would take to pack this big boy out. Most of you have already surmised what happened next. From what we could tell my shot was high (he was closer than we thought) and must’ve impacted right under the spinal area and temporarily paralyzed him. The bullet I was using was not a single-shot pistol bullet (in fact, I am unsure if they existed yet) and likely penciled him. I was so unprepared for the presumed dead deer to get up I had little time to prepare, and shot high again just over his back which splattered loose rock all over the deer, motivating him even more. Before I could reload again a very healthy mule deer buck was bounding over the ridge. I have had more than a few sleepless nights over that deer (though not in the recent past mind you).
That was the last hunt I carried the Contender with me, as I had lost confidence in its ability to shoot at the distance I had hoped for. Next year, as I prepared for my big game hunt I was toting a custom XP-100 in 7MM-08, which I used to successfully take a buck antelope at over 350 yards. I was very determined from that point on, to do a better job and have a flatter shooting rig so I would not relive that mule deer scenario again. Don’t get me wrong; I have missed since then at big game, but not very often. I’m also not anti-TC products as I am currently saving money for a new G-2 frame. So what does it take to be effective in the field at long-range (I would encourage you to define what Long-Range is for you) with big game using a specialty handgun?
First, it takes a stable shooting platform. If you are stand hunting you can actually use a tripod front rest and sandbags, Bower Rest System or something that will give you a steady bench like rest. If you are on the move and you spot a deer at long-range the first thing in choosing your stalk is to attempt to end up at a location where you can get a good rest that is as close as possible to your animal, and/or have with you a portable rest(s) to allow you to shoot precisely in the field under duress. If I get to the spot and can’t get a good rest it is a no-go for me at that time. I may back up and actually get further away from the animal so as to obtain a good rest and then, if the conditions are right, I may take the shot.
Second, practice with your handgun at the ranges you will actually shoot in field conditions with a target that has the same body shape and does not have dots or aiming points on them. Big game will not likely have a birthmark with an orange dot or bullseye for you to serve as an aiming point.
Steve (sscoyote) has been doing a good job of putting this into practice with an inexpensive set-up that is portable and practical. Long-range field shooting is much like bench shooting in that you want to take yourself out of the shot as much as possible and allow the handgun to do all the work. This requires practice with your hunting handgun and your hunting loads set-up (sighted-in) like you will use it on the hunt out to the actual distances you are prepared to shoot, not only from the bench but also from field rests.
Technology as good as it is, can never substitute for shooting in the actual conditions. There will come a time(s) when you will find yourself considering a distance that is out of your comfort zone, and you will begin to inwardly question yourself whether or not you can proficiently make that shot under the circumstances. If you find yourself asking the question, “Can I make this shot?” I would urge you to not take it at an animal that you have not practiced for or have serious doubts about. You will likely miss or even worse, wound an animal. Add to that factor the wind. Do you know what your bullet will do at a variety of distances in the wind? How good are you at estimating it in the field not only from where you are at but also in between you and the animal and at the animal’s location itself?
Next, confidence in the handgun itself is an important factor. I want a specialty handgun and its supporting cast that are capable of doing the job for a given animal at a given distance, which includes:
1. A level of accuracy capable of always hitting the vitals at your maximum range. The more accurate the better is my opinion. The animal is just as dead, but an accurate rig enhances your confidence in the gun to always do its part and will compensate for decreased accuracy from field shooting positions.
2. A good to great trigger pull.
3. A controlled expansion bullet with a high ballistic coefficient that will perform over a wide range of velocities. In long-range handgun hunting the main issue is no longer where the bullet will impact (vertically) but wind drift. We have all kinds of technology to help us determine where our bullet is going to hit vertically such as ballistic software, chronographs, and laser rangefinders. This is the main reason for me using the 180-grain Sierra Game King in my 7.82 Patriot XP-100. It has a good BC at .501, and will perform well over a wider velocity range than most standard (lower B.C.) hunting bullets.
If you consistently hunt in windy conditions your most accurate load will probably not be the best long-range load unless it is also your max load. You are better off to give up a little accuracy and have a faster muzzle velocity, which will ultimately result in greater accuracy in wind because of its shorter time of flight. This information comes from the best benchrest shooter in the world IMHO—Tony Boyer.
4. A quality long eye relief scope that is a variable power. Burris is my hands down choice with their 3-12X LER with Parallax Adjustment and Ballistic Plex Reticule. I make that statement and at the same time I must confess that my longest big game shot was with a 4 power Leupold handgun scope at a buck mule deer many years ago. You can shoot long-range with a fixed power, but the variable has more advantages.
I also advocate the Burris Signature Posi-Align Ring System. They are the ones with the inserts that allow you to build minutes into your mount system without stressing your scope, which also extends the useful distance of your scope. I am no longer using three or four rings when mounting a heavy kicker since it will torque or bend your scope tube even if ever so slightly.
5. Good Ballistic Software such as Exbal coupled with a chronograph.
6. A Laser Rangefinder. I have used both Bushnell and Leica with success.
7. A good spotter that you trust and have good field communication with. This is helpful since you can keep your mind on correct shooting form (trigger finger in between the tip and its first joint, not over-gripping the gun, head down with your focus on the crosshair and not worrying about lifting up your head at the shot and trying to see what happened) and on the animal. You simply shoot then reload and wait for your spotter to tell you what to do.
If you don’t trust your spotter or are on your own, you waste precious time when you put your handgun down and pick up your binoculars to see.
8. Good field rests such as the Harris bipod, shooting sticks, sock filled with rice or other lighter weight material, between your knees, backpacks, mittens, hats, etc. Nature itself provides a good shooting platform at times, such as fallen trees, rocks, and even the human body will even make a good rest platform. Steve one time helped a novice hunter during an antelope hunt and used his body to allow the hunter to rest his gun. We now affectionately call this position the “Hugel Butt-Pod.” A little unorthodox admittedly, but the novice filled his tag and was happy beyond description (hopefully with the antelope and not the pod).
Fourth, have pertinent information about your trajectory (at 50 yard intervals and down to 25 yards as distance increases), animals size from brisket to back, and wind drift at given speeds at the distances you will likely encounter. I attach this information to my scope ocular on the side I will naturally look at. Others will attach it to other parts of the scope or their fore-end.
You may think you have everything memorized, but trust me, one day you will forget something such as wind drift or the magnification you need to have your scope on to correctly use your Burris Ballistic Plex.
Lastly, you must have an accurate assessment and subsequent confidence of your own abilities. There will be some days that you can make a shot under a given set of circumstances, but the next day you may not. None of us are robots and we all have bad days whether it is due to physical or emotional reasons or a combination of both. Only shoot when you believe you can down that animal humanely regardless of what anyone thinks or says that happens to be with you. This is your sole responsibility, even though I encourage you to listen to the advice of your partner. When hunting in difficult terrain, physical conditioning is also very important. It allows you to recover faster after making a stalk, which sometimes can end up being a trot or run when trying to beat an elk, mule deer, or antelope to a certain spot. After you get all the technical and physical barriers out of the way it all comes down to your state of mind. Calmness and confidence in the midst of a limited shooting window is a challenging task.
Basically, what has been described here is tactical hunting or sniping. The good thing is that your quarry doesn’t shoot back! If you put these principles into practice your shooting and hunting skills will increase even if you never choose to shoot beyond 200 yards.
