How far are you comfortable shooting a …..?

[dogcat1]

What do feel is longest effective range when shooting a 9.3x62, a .375 HH and a .416 Rigby?
I know they will shoot a long distance but what is a reasonable maximum distance you shoot these calibers?

 

[NIGHTHAWK]

As close as possible...

Lots of factors to consider. I'm sure you'll get about 20 questions before you will get your desired answer. Unless you are just trying to get your reaction score up...

I took Zebra at 125 Yards with my .375 H&H with 300 Grain Barnes TSX. I'd probably take the same ammo and max out at 200 yards or try to get closer.

https://www.barnesbullets.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Barnes-CFR-Specs-and-Ballistics.pdf

It comes down to velocity and the BC of the bullet, and of course the initial zero.

** I Zero at 100 Yards and use a NF Scope with Zero Stop and DOPE in my Range finder. Significant bullet drop past 250 yards on 300 Grain TSX bullets, which is what I normally use...

 

[Rem700stw]

Longest shot I have taken with 9.3x62 was Jackal at 250 yards. DRT. Longest with 375 H&H was Cape Kudu 275 yards. DRT. Longest with 416 Rigby Cape Buffalo 50 Yards. Fastest kill I have seen on a Buffalo.

I would be comfortable to 300 with all with a good rest off sticks. I prefer powder burn close.

 

[Puddle]

Know what you, your ammo, and rifle can consistently do in field conditions.
Which also means know when all the above consistently starts to fall apart.

 

[pilar]

375 ruger I’m comfortable out to 250 on nilgai & elk size game , occasional deer size game
Anything big 50-75 yards

 

[WAB]

With a very good rest and no wind I have taken a black bear at 350 with my .375 and an eland at roughly the same distance with my 9.3x62. These were very much the exception. I don’t think I’ve taken anything else beyond 225.

 

[Fenstar]

200 yds, on all calibers. The older I get, and the more times I have been to Africa, closer is just better- more rewarding, more predictable, better experience. My $.02.

 

[R eight]

Shooting steel plates at the range 300 meters plus

In the paddock on deer, pigs etc 200 meters is a long shot.

On dangerous game, under 50 meters preferred.

 

[RLL]

+/- 200 yards are so is my comfort level. I know I’ve got about 5 in drop with my current loads in 375 & 416 & 458. Species dependent of course.

 

[375Fox]

I’m confident inside 200 yards. I’ve taken shots to 330 yards. I’ve shot extremely well on hunts with my 375 and know I can shoot at range well to 300 yards, but the drop between 200 and 300 yards makes me want to get in closer if possible. I know someone will likely challenge this with a ballistic calculator but this is my real world results shooting at range with 300 gr TBBC and is similar across other 300 gr bullets in the rifle 100 yards +2”, 200 -4”, 300 -20”. I have no interest in using a scope with a ballistic turret. It would extend my 375 beyond 300 yards, but I view it as more of a liability than a benefit.

 

[JG26Irish_2]

A few factors drive my answer. Like, what am I shooting with the rifle? Is it PG or DG, large or small, etc. Some animals are significantly tougher than others. Some have smaller kill zones (i.e. Croc). Which bullet type and weight am I using? Barnes TSX for example likes velocity to expand well. Swift A-Frame might open up a bit better at lower velocities and others like Trophy Bonded even more likely to expand at lower speeds. My 375 is exceptionally precise. Sub moa at 100y and has recorded tiny groups out to 400y and at that range hit a 1/2" thick AR500 plate hard enough to bend it. But, with only a 1-6x optic, I have trouble accurately placing those groups exactly where I want at those extended distances.

Answer: I would not hesitate to shoot large PG animals like Zebra or Wildebeest out to 300y but the rifle is optimized for 200y and less and that is the sweet spot. That is with 300g TSX ammo. For almost any hunting rifle, I try to limit shots on game to the furthest range that still has 2000 fps velocity or higher in order to insure that the bullet reliably expands. I took a large Blue Wildebeest this year with the 375 at 160y. The bullet expanded to 2x the original diameter and penetrated about 3.5ft. That was enough for a kill shot. I did shoot it twice more at closer range to finish it quickly. Pics of two recovered slugs for visual reference. I would not hesitate to use it out to 200y with confidence. For DG all shots would be less than 100y. The first shot on Cape Buffalo would ideally be about 70-80y max which allows enough time to get in two or more followups should he charge and at least one if he runs away. This with 300g TSX or A-Frame ammo. On my last trip the longest shot I took with the 375 was 160y. Shots with my 308 ran from 20y for the shortest to 202y for the longest. All were 1 shot kills. Nothing ran over 60y after being shot. Most dropped right there or in a few steps.

For reference, we are prepping for a PG/DG hunt next year in Limpopo and Free State. The Free State shots can be longer ranging from 200-300y typical due to more open terrain on this concession, and can go out to about 400y. These longer shots challenge the 375 a bit. I will not use it at those longer distances for that reason. I can hit the 8" KZ with it at 400y but think it ill advised to hunt game with it that far out. For that reason, I am taking a nice old Husqvarna Swedish Mauser in 30-06 optimized for those longer shots. With 180g Swift Sciroccos it arrives at over 2000fps out to 400y and groups 2.25" for 3 shots at that range. The scope is a 3-16x FFP mil mil optic that allows me to dial my dope for a longer shot if needed. But out to 300y dialing is not really necessary. It only drops 1.4mil at 300y. Below is a pic of a three shot group at 400y for reference. A 300wm might be a better choice but the 30-06 will kill any PG I will be hunting on that trip. So, it is enough and the old Husky is more accurate than all but a full custom rifle and dead reliable.

375HH 300g TSX Recovered - 2.0x and 2.2x expansion
400y grp 30-06 Husky

 

[Northern Shooter]

Own both a 375 and 416, never shot beyond 100m with either while using irons.

 

[bohannon]

I took a kudu at 325 yards with a 375h&h standing off sticks. It worked out, but it was a risky shot with nearly 2 feet of hold. I don't know that I'd do it again to be honest. I'd prefer to keep it under 250.

 

[meigsbucks]

If you’re talking a 9.3x62 with a 250gr Barnes TTSX: 250yds
286gr Swift AF: 200yds
.375 H&H with a 300gr Barnes TSX: 250yds
.416 Rigby with a 400gr Barnes TSX: 200yds
DG <100yds

 

[Fatback]

I have used my 375 with 300 grain AFrames out to 160 yards and would feel comfortable on PG out to 250 yards but would prefer to be as close as possible. Haven’t taken my 9.3x62 to Africa yet but did shoot 2 whitetail deer with it Saturday one at 100 yards and the other at 125 yards. I was shooting 286 Hornady Interlocks and they both dropped dead in their tracks without so much as a tail twitch. So I’d certainly feel good with the 9.3 out to 200 yards for sure. I want to be within 50 yards for DG bit would probably be using a larger caliber in that instance unless it is for my lion hunt in 2027, I’ll be using the 375 for that and hope the bait will be within 75 yards but I will just have to wait and see on that.

 

[LWPhunt]

some really good info here, similar results for me. 375H&H, Buff's out to 110, Eland at 200, And the one I didn't like but finally killed it, a Golden Wildebeest, at 270, what may have been a bit back but a shorter shot it would of been deadly, thing was alive the next morning, finished the job and found the bullet on far side under skin. 300 grain A frames. I am good in hindsight to 250 and I stop at 300 regardless of caliber, anything else, I can't see that far.

 

[BourbonTrail]

I’m comfortable out to 200yds with my 416. 150 is my max preferred.

My scope is my limiter. 6x at more than 300 is not enough for me to be comfortable with, and the bullet really loses energy past that.

 

[BigJohnx13]

A wise old man once told me when the question came up and reply wrt hunting.
"The longest shot you should ever take on game is when you can put 10 shots inside a 4" circle every single time under any condition whatever in that stance you want to shoot.

 

[Tanks]

Little over 200 meters with a 9.3x74R double. 60 meters max with big bores.

 

[BryceM]

I'm comfortable shooting at pretty much any distance that I've already verified on a range. Ballistic math isn't so difficult. Earlier this year I killed a klippie at 230 yards with a solid from a suppressed .375 H&H and that's a pretty small target. With smaller calibers (.264-.308) I've killed multiple animals beyond 500 yards and have recovered every one of them within a few feet of where they were shot. This has WAY more to do with experience, the wind, rest, technique, verified DOPE data, and the scope than it does with the caliber.

If you've shot uphill, on a windy, rainy day at 600 yards from an improvised rest you know what you and your rifle can do in those conditions. If you haven't, you don't. If you know from experience that you can reliably put every shot on target at a certain range......... well, then you know.

With a .375 H&H I'd be comfortable out to 400 yards with the right rest, scope, etc. Maybe out to 600 or 700 if it was to anchor a wounded animal. It's just as easy to dial 30 clicks on the scope as it is 15. It takes meticulous setup and trigger technique. A .416 Rigby isn't so forgiving. It's harder to shoot well from a solid rest and very few of them are fitted with scopes suitable for long range shooting. Some of them have enough inherent accuracy to shoot sub MOA, but probably most do not. People don't really tune them for supreme accuracy at distance because that's not their intended purpose. A .416 Rigby carries enough energy, but not really enough velocity for reliable bullet expansion (if that's important) beyond 200-250 yards. The .375 H&H isn't much better.

I have no experience with the 9.3x62.