I am a hunter, and try to keep my shots within my skill level. I have never taken a shot at game beyond 300 yards. However, I will, this fall, be exposed to shots at bull moose out to 400 to 600 yards. Thus, I must, to seriously train to see where my limitations are.
That includes my rifle tuning as well. As my readers know, I will be hunting with my new Browning X-Bolt 26 inch/9.5 twist barrel with Nosler 168g AccuBonds Long Range.
Perhaps one of the most important “unknown” variables for long range hunting is wind speed and direction. At 90º to your shot direction, wind will blow your bullet off the center of your target at its worst. But wind blowing at you or toward your animal, the sideways force of the wind on your bullet is at its minimum, thus it should be true. The big question is, what is the wind speed? And what is the drift at 90º?
Drift Table 90º for 7mm Rem Mag 168g Nosler ABLR wit muzzle vel. 2960fps
Distance 10mph 15mph 20mph Angle
200 2in 3in 4in 90
300 4in 6in 8in 90
400 8in 11in 15in 90
500 12in 18 in 24in 90
600 18in 27in 36in 90
At 400 yards at 10mph the bullet will drift 8 inches across a 12 inch circle on a moose chest, thus you will have to aim right or left of your point-of-aim by 8 inches. This is doable if your wind speed is accurate. At 500 yards you need to move 12 inches on a 90º drift. The big question is how do you determine wind direction and speed at long range? You not only need a laser rangefinder, you also need a wind meter for an accurate shot.
I have a cheap one but maybe get a better one. There are dozens on the market. Best meters are made by Kestrel. My son has the ballistics model Kestrel 5700 and he loves it. Retails around $449.00. On a $7000 dollar hunt for my Newfoundland Bog moose where distances are easily at the edge of rifle and hunter capabilities. This is an item to strongly consider. See this article below for options.
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-kestrel-shooting-hunting/

Good Hunting!





Recently, I hand-loaded some Alliant Reloader Powder I had in my lower cool dry garage cupboard. 
After sighting in my rifle, one of my moose hunting shot techniques is to shoot multiple “fast” long range shots like I am in the field, off my Bog Death Grip below as an example off my Bog with my heavy recoiling .375 Ruger. 


First, I like my new Browning X-Bolt rifle, but some of you know I had difficulty cleaning the red sealant out of the adjustment screw Allen wrench hole a few weeks back. Thinking my 2mm wrench stripped the hole. But I revisited the adjustment with a tool that I can put pressure on to get deeper in the Allen socket hole.
As you may know, I have been working up hand-loads for my moose hunt and finding the Nosler 168g ABLR reaching over 3000 fps with IMR 4831. But the question is, with what accuracy or groups? 






My Browning 26 inch 9.5 twist rifle barrel likes hand loaded 7mm 168 grain Nosler ABLR with a hot load of IMR 4831 per Nosler web load data. I chrono’d an average of 3005 fps. Wow! These are cookin’ !! COAL was 3.255 inches. No pressure signs except the primer was a bit flatter… as expected. Three rounds measured 3/4 inch but more testing will firm that up. I will change the trigger to a Timney at some point as it is impractical to easily adjust with a 2mm Allen wrench on a sealant filled screw. If you like 4 pounds for a factory trigger it works, for some hunters, not me. All my rifles are set near 3 pounds. 