Nice buck got a haircut

I dont have a very sophisticated range finder. Thanks for the recommendation i will definitally look more into that. I calculated the firing distance just now and it is somewhere around 160yrds. With that calc i should of still hit dead on assuming i didnt shank it.
 
I had one like that 2 years ago. Downhill, as I was swinging I'm thinking downhill aim high (backwards -aim low!). Aim high, squeeze and spend next 6 hours following tracks and grid searching. Didn't sleep well for 2 nights. 2 days later I got him on a game camera no holes, healthy as the day I shot at him.

You put the effort to confirm a miss, so sleep well.
 
Yes something is not adding up.sin45 * 160= 136 yards = actual horizontal distance, if you sighted in at 1 inch high 100 yards it would of hit. Time to retest the setup. If in fact it was roughly 45 deg @ 160 yards.
 
Yes something is not adding up.sin45 * 160= 136 yards = actual horizontal distance, if you sighted in at 1 inch high 100 yards it would of hit. Time to retest the setup. If in fact it was roughly 45 deg @ 160 yards.
So i figured it out at the range saturday... it was my ammo.. i was shooting federal which out of my gun shot fine at 100yrds but at 200 it was barely hitting paper or the backer. Very inconsistant. I bought hornady to resight in, got it dialed 1" high at 100 and what do you know dead nuts at 200 and 7" low at 300. Very pleased with that ammo so far. Im kicking myself now for not taking the time in the off season to practice more and getting quality ammo, never thought it would make THAT big of a difference! I spend way more time scouting than shooting, thats my biggest problem. Went out sunday and saw a really good quality buck chasing a doe! FREAKIN HUGE! Hopefully i can make something happen in these next two weeks or ill be chasing em with the bow.
 
I use federal, and has it has never let me down, I was practicing this last week , shooting down approximately at 85 yards at line of sight.
I was hitting the 6-7 inches approximately over the center. I zero at 25 yards, and according to ballistics for federal ammo ballistic tip 80 gr 243 at 25 is zero, 100 is 2 inches high, and at 300 zero. so more testing at that. my d16 is shot for this year, but starting to get ready for next year. and going up north with neighbor, I will set at 300 and see what it does, my biggest problem is keeping steady. even with shooting sticks. I need to make a steady rest with my sticks. oh I miscalculated the above post should be cosine x the length = actual length horizontal.
 
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Nice!! 243 is a nice round. Much less drop than my 308. Im having fun with it tho. For next yr i might give reloading a try. Looks like it could save me some dough. Agree with the keeping steady part. Not always convienent to go prone. And throw in some buck fever and its really hard to keep steady. But gotta love that feeling though ;)
 
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I have a 308 and I use it when I need more knock down power. It needs upgraded optics, and the stock needs bedding but it been very accurate for deer. it's been my killer for deer for 40 years.
 
Different ammo shoots differently in each gun. Each rifle will have favorite loads. Thats why you should get dialed with the actual ammo you will hunt with. Reloading is good that way since you will fine tune your cartridge to your rifle which equals accuracy.

However for saving money, it might take couple seasons to get the benefits (YMMV) unless you already have the equipment on hand. Don't forget to factor the amount of time you spend reloading (prepping cases, reloading, testing accuracy....repeat). Factory matched ammo might be cheaper in the long run, if you are fine with...say MOA accuracy.
 
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