Sean. I plan to move from So Cal to Snowmass Village, Colorado within a year and want to take up Elk/Deer hunting when I get there. I have had my heart set on the Rem 700 Sendero SF 2 in .300RUM and figured I would choose the 150gr. Power Level 3 bullet to stick with because of the flat trajectory. My goal is to eventually be able to shoot out to 1000yds with the confidence that I could drop an elk that far.. not just injure it. I am concerned that I could spend hard earned money and get an inacurrate shooting 700 Sendero.

This will be my only high caliber rifle and want to get the right one the 1st time. That being said, should I go for the Leopold VX-7L w/ Boone & Crockett reticle, or save money and get a Bushnell Elite 6500?

Sean Says:

Well Kevin, I am glad you asked. Where most people go wrong is on the scope. It sounds like you are on the right path for a rifle though. I have heard nothing but good things about the Sendero, but I think your scope selection is wrong. When shooting long distance, it’s my opinion that to “hold over” is simply not very accurate for long distance. When we shoot at the long distances that we do, we owe it to the game to take them cleanly and with confidence. I think a better scope choice might be a Nightforce NXS 5.5-22X50. With the target turrets on the scope, you can dial for a Spot-on hold without ever using any Kentucky windage. I would also use a heavier bullet than a 150gr. The 150′s are great for close range shot out to say 400 yards and will be effected little by the elements out to that distance. However, I use a 210gr Berger Bullet and can push them well over +/-3200fps and they hit hard! On the Long Range Shooter Home page, under the picture, there is a download link to some ballistic software that you can download. Once there you can do some comparisons on different bullet weights for retained energy and bullet drop. For me bullet drop is never the problem, I can dial for that. What I needed was foot pounds of energy to righteously kill the game animal. I will be going to a 240gr as soon as Berger Bullets has them ready. Simply because a heavier bullet has a higher BC value and are effected less by wind drift. So, I think you should give it some thought.

Kevin Says:

Thanks for your advice. Glad to hear the Sendero is good. I wasn’t aware other manufacturers were making the .300 RUM. Will I need to get into reloading to shoot 1000yds accurately, because I would rather buy finished cartridges. Which reticle do you recommend for the NXS? Do you always adjust your scope so you can put the center crosshairs where you want to hit? The 240gr Berger.. is this a finished cartridge or just the projectile to be used in reloading?

Sean Says:

Well Kevin, it is a good idea to reload to get the most consistant accuracy, mainly to keep your shooting costs down and the 240gr Berger is not just a bullet. The Berger 240gr bullet has the highest BC value for any 30 cal. that I can find. As far as which reticle is best to use, I like the mil-dot type. With a mil-dot reticle, you can use it to range targets, do a spontaneous hold-over shot if you had too and it can be used to measure the distance that you would hold for windage and things of that nature. Oh yes, I always dial for every range that I shoot. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Kevin Says:

Now that I think about it, I’ll probably have plenty of time on my hands in the winters in Snowmass to take up reloading. And that way maybe it won’t be $3.00 a bullet?

Ok now that I know what rifle and scope to get, what range finder and what bipod do you recommend. Should I get a Harris Bipod that swivels for uneven surfaces and what size? Do I need a muzzle break, or is it brake?

Sean Says:

Well Kevin I will tell one thing, I too have a .300 Ultra Mag. Before I had a muzzle break installed on my rifle, I went to the range to site it in. I would shoot 20 to 40 rounds, but after 20 my fingers would tingle, my arm would be numb and I really had no desire to fire another round So, I would say a muzzle break would be a very good idea. Now as far as bipods go, Harris makes some very good bipods. However which heigth to get is up to the shooter. Just remember, any time longrifle men get a chance, they will attempt to prone out. The closer he/she is to the ground the more stable he/she will be. My bipods are usually 6in to 9in long. The range finder I currently have is the faithful Bushnell Elite 1500. I have used it to range a reflective target out to 1,660 yards and trees out to 1,115 yards in ideal conditions. But, I found this range finder to be interesting at times. But as long as you are not planning to go beyond 1,000 yards in the near future, than a range finder such as this is all you need. One thing I would suggest is, if you are going to buy a Bushnell Elite than don’t buy an ARC. If I were you, I would instead take the money and put it towards a PDA. I bought a good used PDA on eBay for $80.00. The software that I was telling you about on the front page, will upload to a PDA nicely, then it becomes Field Firing Solution. When it is set up it well tell you how much wind drift, how much to change your elevation for the angle that you are shooting and it will tell you how much to dial on your scope to hit the target. When you get a chance, go to Lex Talus Corporation and take a peek.

Kevin Says:

Your muzzle break looks like it is built into the barrel. Is that a custom barrel? What’s the 4th knob on your scope closest to the objective lense?

Do you use or suggest the $190 attachment by NXS to measure angle? How powerful is that software? Can you feed it gps info to calculate corialis effect? What do you use to measure the wind, or do you guestimate?

Sean Says:

I use a hand held wind speed indicator for the “at shooter position”.
But for mid range and at target there are a couple of tools-of-the-trade you can use to find out the wind speed. You can find that under the tips & tricks page on top.

Kevin Says:

I did a quick search on wind meters and it looks like the Kestrel 3500 Wind Meter has the minimum features I will need. Psi, Humidity, and temp, besides wind speed. I looked on Lex Talus.. what is DK: on the firing solution?

Sean Says:

Here is a link that talks about the DK and other functions of the software
I will do another product review on the new version that will come out soon. Click Here

Hey Sean, Been off work this week for Deer season and been thinking about Cold Bore and Warm Bore shooting. Is it better or more accuracy when the barrel is Cold or Warm?

Sean Says:

Well Sam, there is a difference but it depends a lot on the powder and the guns itself, some are worse than others. But many people have a different opinion on what a cold bore shot is. Some say it is the first shot through a clean barrel. Some say it is the first shot before the barrel starts to warm up. The truth is that a cold bore shot is the first shot before the barrel gets fowled. Once the barrel is fowled, the next couple of shots will have a different point of impact giving you somewhat of an inaccurate result for your group. For the best accuracy, I always fire 3 fowling rounds before I plan to go hunting. But it is a good idea to shoot targets at a distance with a clean barrel and make a history of how your cold bore and warming shots are different. It is my strong opinion that if you can’t hit the target on your first shot, then you can’t shoot that range, period. In most situations, you will only get one shot and one chance. So you better know where it is going to go.

wildcatgirl Says:

hello
Hope you can help me!
My husband seen a program about something called HUSKAMAW scope..i have searched the web everywhere..can you give me a site to look at it..or at least explain what i am looking for Christmas shopping .ty

Sean Says:

Absolutely, Huskamaw is a scope that most people think that John Burns uses to shoot long range, but it’s not. Here is a link that explains what it is you are looking at. And here is a link that has the Huskamaw scope for sale that you might want to buy for your husband. Hope this helps, if you need more info let me know.

wildcatgirl Says:

Thank you so much!
I am pleasently surprised at how reasonably priced the Huskamaw scope is thinking i will have a happy fella at Christmas.:smile:
I am sure i would have never found it is not for your help!!

Sean Says:

You are very welcome. If you or your husband have any questions in the future, feel free to ask.

Hey,

I’m just getting into target shooting. my current range allows me shots up to 350 yards. my question is, is the .204 ruger a viable choice for that sort of range? I’ve heard it’s a flat trajectory fast little bullet I just don’t want to buy something too ‘wimpy’. I will not be doing any hunting, this is just straight group shooting.

Sean Says:

In reference to the .204 Ruger

Well Tim, actually that is a good question. It really depends on how far you may plan to shoot in the future. Out to 350 yards you are fine, the problem is that the further the bullet goes down range it doesn’t have enough retained energy to keep it flying flat. It’s just like throwing a BB or a marble, the more weight behind it the further and flatter it will go. Another thing to consider is that a bullet that is light will be affected by wind much more than a heavier bullet. To get down to it, you will be fine with that choice. If this is something that you are very serious about doing, I would suggest that you go to a 30 cal. or a .338. When you are shooting for accuracy the BC (Ballistic Coefficeint) value on the bullet plays a big part. I hope this answered your question if not please let me know?

Tim Says:

You answered me question just fine. I don’t think I’ll be going beyond 350 yards any time soon and where i shoot is down the side of a fairly narrow river so i don’t think i should run into many issues with wind. However i still might go to something bigger just in case i ever do get out on a real open range.

thanks for the quick answer.

Tim Says:

Alright since you answered the last one so well I’ve got another for you. What kind of scope should i look for for the range i’ll be shooting in? i want to have a nice big picture of whatever target i’m shooting for so i’m currently looking at the Leupold VX-III 8.5-25×50mm Long Range Target. it’s got a high top end power and should suit me fine, I just wanna make sure I don’t miss out on something obvious.

Sean Says:

In reference to Leupold

When it comes to scopes everybody has their own opinion, but when it comes to Leupold or Night Force not many people argue. Leupold has outstanding glass and I think the VX-III will be a great choice. Even in the future, if you plan to shoot farther than 350 yards. I would buy a Leupold or Night Force myself if my budget would allow it. As a tidbit, the scope I use has been a great scope for much less. Here is a link if you want to see it. But understand, the VX-III WILL BE a great scope. TRS1

I was just wondering what vertical deflection is?

Sean Says:

In reference to Vertical Deflection

Vertical Deflection is when you have a head or tail wind. A tail wind will actually raise your point of impact, while a head wind will lower it because of the angle of repose and drag factors of the bullet.