300 yard or longer shots are mammoth shots

[foxtrot]

For fox out to about 120 I still like my 17 hmr.But when hunting for coyote exclusively the last couple of years I use a 243.It puts them down but certainly not fur friendly.I would say a 200 yard shot is the max for my liking.I will admit this past season I felt the pain on a few occasions when I had coyote at 150 yards give or take and I knew the hmr wasn't going to get the job done so why even try.It seems 150 yards is about the distance for the coyotes liking in most cases.BigBen pm sent

[foxtrot]

The 223 has 675lbs.of energy at 2oo yards,that's a lot for a fox.17 Remington is 407 at 200 yards.

[Buckwheat]

Foxtrot
Yes foot pounds are up there and speed comes into play also. They both can do a lot of fur damage on a fox. The problem is you are trying to cover both ends for fox and coyote. I will put up with fur damage, I am not in it for the fur price lost. The 22 hornet is what people like for fox, but is a little light for coyote at 200 yards. I think I read 10 lb for every pound of animal is a minimal. A 40 coyote needs 400 foot pounds  and a 11lb fox needs 110 ft pounds. All this is with a good kill shot. A marginal hit and you will have a runner. I could be off some, but who knows any of this stuff as fact. But it is what I feel works as a minimal when I am looking at a bullet.

[foxtrot]

Yes it is impossible to have a caliber that is great for both.Buckwheat,Didn't you shoot a 17 Remington at one time?If one is worried about exit holes what type of bullet would be the best choice?BigBen mentioned soft points which I hear a lot for the larger calibers.

[Buckwheat]

Foxtrot
I still shoot a 17 rem. Since I night hunt and like to shoot far and like a bang flop gun with the least amount of fur danage with little drop or wind drift. I could have used a 204 or 22-250 but they will cut a fox in half a lot of the time. Not that the 17 ren does not do some big damage some times just less times then the others.  If I would shoot a gun that does not hit as hard far out I would have to take shorter shots.  My goal was to take a fox at over 300 yards at night. That was done last year with a bunch just under 300.  I have seen fox run from some hard hits more then one time with more damage then i will type. Makes it hard to find them at night.   If I were just after fox for there fur I would use another gun and shoot them closer.  Most fox fur friendly guns are in a caliber for under 175 yard shots in my opion. But when you throw in the coyote to the mix of game to shoot the 17 rem with a 25 gr HP is hard to beat as an all around gun for me.

The problem is I like to tinker just like most people with different stuff.     The 223 and 22 hornet have been used by a lot of people for fox._   I am already thinking of looking at the 17 hornet to play with. The 223 can be loaded to shoot close to the 22hornet, and I do like the poited soft points also.


                       

[Buckwheat]

Here is a video on MOA that is great. I might have posted it before but it is worth posting again. This will help shooting far or just sighting in your gun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA2PZBD5Tjg

[Buckwheat]

Here is the same guy teaching shooting with wind. There are very few nights that i hunt that there is no wind. Matter of fact, i like to hunt when there is wind. Helps me put critters right were i want them. No wind nights critters are more on edge and can come in any were. So knowing a little about wind goes a long at night hunting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p026Y0WUy6Q&feature=relmfu

[scottm2012]

Thanks for those links Buckwheat.  I viewed quite a few of the videos there and they made me pull out my rifles to confirm a few things.  Very interesting how to videos.

[Buckwheat]

Scottm2012
I know there are other videos on this stuff, but he keeps it pretty simple and to the point. I figure rather them have a discussion on this stuff. Just find facts explained by experts is the best to learn.
Glad you liked it, I did too.

[Cooper13]

yes the videos were great...i sat here for about and hour and a half watchin the nssf's stuff..thanks for the link

[Buckwheat]

Cooper13
This stuff helps make evryone a better shot if you think about it and then put it to use in the field. But you have to shoot enough. Shooting with knowledge and shooting a lot can make a good shooter.

[Buckwheat]

Lets look at rifle recoil :-) I personaly am not a big fan of big recoil. It causes me to flinch. :-(
Any way here is a nice chart on recoil. You can easly see why the 17, 22hornet and 223 are liked by a lot of shooters.
O no another link.:-)
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

[scottm2012]

Lets look at rifle recoil :-) I personaly am not a big fan of big recoil. It causes me to flinch. :-(
Any way here is a nice chart on recoil. You can easly see why the 17, 22hornet and 223 are liked by a lot of shooters.
O no another link.:-)
http://www.chuckhawks.com/recoil_table.htm

So this is probably over 20 ftlbs, eh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xohy9gWz7kk&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLBFF4E7B4F27770B0

[foxtrot]

What scope recommendations for 300 yard shots?Do you need an  easily adjustable focus on a scope that you will occasionally be used for 300 yard shots but in most cases less than 200 yards?Some of your scopes have a focus knob on the side that seems like a good idea for extreme range differences.What about power at those ranges,is 12 power enough?

[bigben]

I wish my 4-12 leupold would be in working order right now. On the 300 yd shots it would be nice to have more then 9 power.