{"id":94271,"date":"2018-07-20T23:27:07","date_gmt":"2018-07-21T03:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=94271"},"modified":"2025-12-04T05:51:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T11:51:33","slug":"the-400-yard-deer-hunter-summer-prep-required","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-400-yard-deer-hunter-summer-prep-required\/","title":{"rendered":"The 400 Yard Deer Hunter: Summer Prep Required!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Long-range hunting continues to gain in popularity. But just because you want to go long doesn\u2019t mean dropping in bullets at 1,000 yards. Most deer hunters, for example, take their shots at 100 yards or less. Yet, if those same hunters could extend their range to 400 yards? Their chances at filling their tags would go up greatly.<\/p>\n

And you don\u2019t have buy a $4,000 custom rifle topped with a scope that costs the same to be in the longer-range game. In fact, most of today\u2019s mid-priced bolt-action rifles<\/a> can effectively hit a deer\u2019s eight- to ten-inch diameter vital zone at 400 yards\u2014when paired with a quality optic and first-rate ammunition. The same goes for their AR-10 cousins.<\/p>\n

You, too, can be a 400-yard deer hunter–with some summer-time preparation to get ready for the fall.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

From left to right, calibers for 400-yard deer hunting include, YES: .224 Valkyrie, .243 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, .308 Win, and 300 Win Mag; NO: 45-70Govt, 7.62x39mm, 300 BLK., and .223 Rem.<\/p><\/div>\n

Caliber Choices<\/strong> You\u2019ll need a rifle in a caliber with enough punch to drop a deer at 400 yards; examine general ballistic charts and you\u2019ll find that most calibers starting with .243 Win<\/a> and up will more than do the job. Exceptions: 30-30 Win, 45-70 Govt., many of the larger bore AR\u2019s (.45o Bushmaster, for example), and yes, the Rem .223 and 7.62x39mm. These rounds simply don\u2019t have the needed energy at this range.<\/p>\n

One exception in the other direction: the new .224 Valkyrie, which might seem too small based on bullet diameter. Yet, when loaded with 90-grain soft-point bullets, the round is a flat-shooting screamer, ballistically speaking, with the power for 400-yard deer hunting.<\/p>\n

Optics<\/strong> Plenty of budget scopes work fine for hunting\u2014at 150 yards or less, in bright sunlight, and with the animal patiently standing broadside. But add in a couple hundred yards of distance and hazy conditions, and these same scopes usually produce blurry images. Often, their reticles are too large at distance, too, for a precise shot.<\/p>\n

For a 400-yard rig, you\u2019re looking at rifle scopes<\/a> that start at $500 and up. You will also want a scope that had a reticle with holdover points, either in Mils or MOA graduations. Parallax adjustment is a nice feature, too.<\/p>\n

Magnification? Much of that will depend on your eyes. When my shooting is in the 300- to 400-yard range, I find myself turning my rifle scope up to the 10x to 12x range, depending on light and other environmental conditions. So, for me, a scope with a 3x to 15x magnification range works fine.<\/p>\n

Range Time<\/strong> My rule of thumb: if a rifle can print MOA or better groups at 100 yards, it will work at 400 yards. But if you can only do two-inch groups at 100 yards? Now you are at a spread of eight-inches or more at 400 yards, and that\u2019s an open invitation to wound an animal.<\/p>\n

So, get to the range and see what your current hunting rifle can do on paper.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

When your rifle-optic-ammo rig prints sub-MOA at 100 yards? It\u2019s probably capable of the 400-yard shot.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ammunition<\/strong> Many ammunition makers are producing long-range hunting ammo, using bullets and powders to specifically produce superior accuracy at distances. I was leery of such ammunition<\/a> and wondered if it really was better accuracy-wise or just a way for ammo makers to charge an additional $15 per box of ammo.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019ve found that the standard deer hunting rounds print 1.5-inch or larger groups at 100 yards. Meantime, these \u201clong-range\u201d cousins actually shrink those groups to .80- to .50 inches\u2014with the very same rifles.<\/p>\n

Much like the budget scopes, the standard deer hunting ammo is fine for shots out to 100 to 150 yards. But increase that shooting distance, and you will want to use the better–and admittedly more expensive\u2014ammunition.<\/p>\n

Shooting Positions<\/strong> Once you decide on a rifle and scope combo that\u2019s pegging tight groups, it\u2019s time to start shooting from various positions beyond the bench. Go prone, for example, and fire off 10 rounds using your backpack as a rest. Try some shots kneeling, with the shooting bench to support your shooting arm as a way to mimic that large rock or downed log you might find afield.<\/p>\n

Bring your shooting sticks to the range and shoot from them sitting with your back against the shooting bench. If you have tall sticks, practice standing shots.<\/p>\n

Take it all one step further and go afield with your rifle and shooting sticks and see what it all feels like to set up a shot here. You don\u2019t even need to shoot (although that would be very good practice, too). The point is to experience actual field conditions to acquire a good idea of what it might take to set up a stable shot.<\/p>\n

With shooting sticks, for example, stable requires a solid base and support for you shooting arm. Establishing that arm support may take some creativity. If you are sitting behind the sticks, see if a backpack under the elbow will get the job done. Maybe your back to a rock or deadfall will provide stability. When I am setting up for a standing shot with sticks at distance, I try to find a tree I can either lean into for support or back into for elbow stability.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

Practice beforehand made this shooting stick set up possible in the field.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ballistic Calculators<\/strong> Do yourself a big favor and start using a ballistic calculator, many of which can be downloaded onto your cell phone as an app. There are many very good calculators out there, including several offered for free from ammunition manufacturers like Federal and Hornady, as well as for-fee calculators.<\/p>\n

In prepping for a recent free-range Axis deer, I used the Advanced App from Ballistic. My process is to get to the range and find out which hunting ammo is producing the best groups. Then, I start plugging my variables into the app.<\/p>\n

In this case, once I had selected my ammo for the Axis hunt\u2014Barnes VOR-TX in 6.5 Creedmoor firing a 120-grain TTSX bullet–I built my shooting profile on the Ballistic app I\u2019d downloaded onto my iPad. I input my caliber and bullet weight, the 100-yard zero, and the atmospheric conditions which existed when I was doing my shooting.<\/p>\n

Next, I chronographed 10 rounds to arrive at the average muzzle velocity and added that velocity to my Ballistic profile.<\/p>\n

Now, I plugged in a 200-yard zero into Ballistic (which requires less holdover for the 400-yard shot), and it calculated my rifle would shoot two-inches high at 100 yards with a 200-yard zero. I adjusted my scope accordingly and shot a nice 100-yard group clustered two inches above the bullseye.<\/p>\n

(I would\u2019ve just shot a group at 200-yards to verify, but my shooting club only has 100-yard rifle ranges.)<\/p>\n

Once I got to the Texas Hill Country for my Axis hunt, I plugged in the local atmospheric conditions, including temperature, barometric pressure, and altitude, which reset my bullet drop points and needed MOA adjustments out to 400 yards. Then, I created a range card of sorts by writing down those trajectory points, from 0 yards out to 400 yards, on a piece of notebook paper.<\/p>\n

Last, I plugged in potential winds of 5MPH, 10MPH, and 15MPH into my Ballistic app to see what the drifts were at various distances and noted them on the back of my dope chart. I could have added more wind speeds, but I figure if the wind is 20MPH or better, I\u2019m not taking that shot. Too iffy, in my experience.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

Author\u2019s iPad with Ballistic app downloaded and set up for the trajectory profile of 6.5 Creedmoor Barnes VOR-TX ammunition, used on his recent Axis deer hunt, plus his notebook paper \u201crange card.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

Range Finders<\/strong> Invest in a solid range finder. The bullet profile you create with your ballistic calculator will only work if you know the actual field distances.<\/p>\n

Practice with that range finder, too, at the range and afield. I\u2019ve found that distances can be very deceiving. When the landscape is nice and level, for example, my distance estimates (verified by my range finder) are pretty much spot on out to 300 yards.<\/p>\n

But when the location\u2019s hilly or I am looking across canyons? My eyes and brain will insist that black rock is 300 yards away. My range finder, though, usually puts the rock closer to 200 yards.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong> Becoming a 400-yard deer hunter does take time, practice and a certain financial investment. But there\u2019s a great sense of accomplishment when you drop that 10-pointer standing at the end of the bean field. Especially when the buck was at a distance you wouldn\u2019t have considered possible before your work to become a 400-yard deer hunter.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

Actual set up from author\u2019s recent long-range hunt, using Jim Shockey Shooting sticks from Primos. When leaned back into it, the tree in back provided added stability.<\/p><\/div>\n

***Shop GunsAmerica for your next rifle***<\/a><\/strong><\/h1>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long-range hunting continues to gain in popularity. But just because you want to go long doesn\u2019t mean dropping in bullets at 1,000 yards. Most deer hunters, for example, take their shots at 100 yards or less. Yet, if those same hunters could extend their range to 400 yards? Their chances at filling their tags would go up greatly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":94276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1128,18,1217,4320,269,1219,1255],"tags":[132,102,616,1264,116,682,1166,1165],"featured":[],"hunt365":[4089],"class_list":{"0":"post-94271","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brian-mccombie","8":"category-hunting","9":"category-hunt365","10":"category-hunting-hunt365","11":"category-instruction","12":"category-technique","13":"category-tips","14":"tag-buzz","15":"tag-feature-articles","16":"tag-gear","17":"tag-hunt365top2","18":"tag-hunting-2","19":"tag-long-range","20":"tag-long-range-hunting","21":"tag-practice","22":"hunt365-hunting"},"yoast_head":"\nThe 400 Yard Deer Hunter: Summer Prep Required! - Gun Reviews and News | GunsAmerica.com\/Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Long-range hunting continues to gain in popularity. 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But just because you want to go long doesn\u2019t mean dropping in bullets at 1,000 yards. Most deer hunters, for example, take their shots at 100 yards or less. Yet, if those same hunters could extend their range to 400 yards? 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Experience: Full-time writer since 1994 Has used thermal optics for over a decade Written hundreds of firearm reviews and hunting stories Loves the tech: night vision, thermals, suppressors, apps, etc. Favorite handgun caliber, 10MM AUTO!","url":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/author\/brian-mccombie\/"}]}},"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/DSC_8375-e1532151895389-150x116.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94271"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226149,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94271\/revisions\/226149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94271"},{"taxonomy":"featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured?post=94271"},{"taxonomy":"hunt365","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hunt365?post=94271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}