Beyond 500 yds?

[churchmouse]

When I bust a 1 liter bottle at 300 plus I wet myself but that is just me.
I have busted more than a few yotes at 500 with a .223 and a 30-06 but not every attempt is a success. A lot happens out past 250 that we have no control over especially with a .223
I sold my Weatherby .308 for the reason "Icarry2" states. No place to stretch its legs. There are some ranges up north east Indiana I am told but 3 hr. one way roll.

 

[nailknocker]

I have heard that there is a place outside of Wabash that has a long range, there is a very nice gunshop there,and I have been to the shop but didn't realized there was a range there, I think the name is Bass and Buck, not sure.

I
I'm no stranger with the big bores, I'm an old guy, when I first started deer hunting you didn't do it in Indiana, cause there weren't any. We went up into northern Michigan and used big bore rifles. My last one was a Browning Low wall in 30-06, a single shot, I guess they still make them, a beautiful rifle, but I haven't had one in 25 or more years.

The purpose of the thread was that I just wondered why I needed to be shooting beyond that range. In a total shtf situation, from a fixed position against a known enemy, okay, maybe, but that is even beyond normal combat ranges for the average rifleman. Or as one of the other posters stated a reallly long shot at game to stave off starvation. In reality, and I know we all would like to think that we're Marine snipers, myself included, most of us couldn't hit a bull in the a-- with a bass fiddle at 800 yds,at least not without some pretty darn good equipment and training.

 

[Icarry2]

As for SHTF weapon systems as with normal defense in my opinion..

0-20 yards - Pistol
0-30 yards - Shotgun
10-250 yards - Battle Rifle
250-1000 yards - Big Bore Bolt
1000+ - Huge Bore Bolt
beyond that - artillery...

Just saying, if you feel comfortable with the stopping power and accuracy of your .223 then your good. Don't let anyone sway your confidence..

Best of luck,

TJ

 

[Mgderf]

Don't believe I've ever shot a squirrel at 500 yards with a .223, but 25 years ago, when my eyes were much younger, I used to shoot walnuts (green and still in the hull) from about 100 yards with an old Mossberg model 144 .22LR bolt gun with a bull barrel.

It was cheap target practice. Lived on a farm and would just line them up in the back yard and go a plinkin'.

It is STILL a sweet little .22 that I got for next to nothing a long, long time ago.

 

[gunowner930]

I don't know, whether you need a long range rifle like that depends on what type of SHTF you envision, and where you live. If you live in an urban or suburban area and you have riots like the 92 LA Riots, if you're prepping for something bigger, then maybe you will need it, I don't see much use for a long range rifle. If you live in the country and need to defend wide open areas, absolutely. A .270 or 30.06 could be considered in addition to the .308 as options.

 

[Iroquois]

All things are relative...A bolt gun in 30-06 is not as handy against a crowd as a shot gun...
In ww2 we had a hodge-podge of guns for a lot of jobs. In the 50's the brass tried to eliminate this with the M14, battle rifle, long range rifle , Browning automatic etc. all
rolled into one.
Most 145lb. 19 year olds couldn't handle it in rapid fire so we ended up with the M16.
40 years later we still have it because it does so many jobs.
The 5.56 is very effective out to 300yrds and at least as effective as a .22 out to 600yrds. An old friend of mine was shot at close range with a .22 out of a rifle;
30 years later it still looked like a machete scar.
If you can assemble a rifle squad a long range scoped rifle would be a handy
addition. If not stick to something medium range that you can shoot well.