Please pardon my lack of knowledge as I have never been much into knowing the information about guns, calibers, cartridges, bullets, etc. Although I would like to learn everything there is to know. I'm normally the type to just take a gun, go shoot it, have fun, and think nothing of it. But I have been thinking, and I would hate to be presented with a 300 yard shot on something and not be able to shoot because I haven't practiced. I have never hunted an area with more than a 100 yard straight away so I have only practiced to 150 yards max. But as I might be hunting a more open area next season, I need to practice to probably around 300 yards. 350 max. I have a Remington CDL .270 Win. bone stock with a Leupold VX3 3.5-10x50. I shoot plain ole' Remington Core-Lokt 150 grain. Its a tack driver at 100 yards so I believe it is capable of shooting decent groups at 300-350 yards. I have heard (and again I lack the knowledge) that a .270 Win will shoot about flat out to 250 yards or so. I guess my question(s) is/are: What is the potential range for my set-up? (Are my goals unrealistic with said setup?) How far will my setup shoot flat? (At what ranges do I need to start worrying about wind, elevation, etc.?) I plan to get out and practice once I can find a place near home with a safe 350 yard range. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

The .270 Win. is a very capable hunting round out to about 400 yds. in the right hands (it's capable much further than that, but you have to get pretty serious about your shooting skills). Keep in mind that "flat" doesn't mean that you can use the same hold all the way from 25 yds. out to 400, the .270, like most others, sort of hits a wall and starts dropping fairly quickly out around 300-350 yds. That said, using the Winchester Ballistics Calculator (couldn't find the Rem. specs.), using a 25 yd. zero, your bullet will be 3.3 in. high @ 150 and 2.8 low @ 300. After that, the bullet is down 5.1 @ 325, 7.9 @ 350, and 14.7@ 400.
There are several ballistics calculators online that take into account bullet velocity, barrel lenght, ballistic coeficient, etc. where you can plug your zero distance in and watch the effects. The Lee Shooter disk is also a pretty good source for less than $20.

Ill always say to practice but if you routinely look at ballistic charts and know what that particular bullet will do, always make mental notes of what you would do if you get that 200 yd shot, 300 yd, 400 yd shot. Repeat it in your head enough, when that longer shot pops up, you'll know what you're supposed to do, whether you carry out that shot is up to you. This always brings you back to being able to actually make that shot, which means practicing. Practicing. And practicing some more. 270 is cheap. Go shoot some rounds.

In the end, if you have reservations about making a shot, it shouldn't be taken anyways. But that's just me. Unless I get some new place to hunt, I'll prolly never have to take a shot longer than 150, which I'd put the crosshairs where I want it to hit and know I'm gonna kill.

So go take your gun and shoot it for fun but pay attention to what you're doing, distance wise. You could be proficient already and not know it. Go "practice" and find out

Thanks guys. I need to practice. I just need to find a safe place to do so.

The rifle and ammo is capable of 300 yard kill shots. Find the ammo that shoots the most consistently. Find the ballistic coefficient for the bullet, borrow or rent a chronograph. Plug the data into jbmballistics.com and it will give you your trajectory. There's where to start.

Usually everyone is held back by their optics. Rifles today are capable of tight shots at long ranges. Optics are what puts the bullet on target. Some rifles have very good triggers from the factory, some have what I call lawyer triggers, way to heavy for precision shooting. 3 pounds or less, with ZERO creep is a must have. So tell us about your scope and your trigger.

Lol. Tell me, how does that make you feeeeeel!

I picture laying on a big leather couch, talking to a shrink

You can emulate shots beyond your actual shooting distance by simply using the lowest power on your scope. Of course it's also a good way to tighten your shooting skills at any distance. IMO, many people overlook the point that movement of the gun and crosshairs is more obvious to the shooter at lower scope settings.

I disagree. In fact the opposite is true. Movement of the shooter, is apparent to the shooter at maximum magnification. When shooting unsupported, posistional, e.g. seated/ slung, kneeling/ slung, offhand/ slung, standard procedure is to turn magnification down. Maximum magnification causes the shooter to over correct for involuntary movement, that is always present.

Shooting prone, on a bipod, with rear bag the shooter will, often see scope movement via his heart beat on the deck. This is more prevalent under stress due to physical activity prior to the shot, an animal in his sight, and during hot weather. The body increases heart rate to circulate blood, to aid in cooling. A thousand yard shot, in the sun, in 95F+ is more difficult than a thousand yard shot in 40F to 70F.

Sight in at 200 yards, which is 1.5 inches high at 100. Then remember "seven, twenty, forty". The drop at 300 yards will be 7 inches. At 400 it'll be 20 inches. Beyond that, you don't need to shoot, and...if you're new to the game, pass on the 400 yard shot too.

I have, on rare occasions, with no wind and the deer and I are both not moving, taken shots out past 300 on deer. For Pigs and Coyotes I'll shoot at em as far as I can see em. 400 being the longest yet.

7, 20, 40...don't forget.

A Mil/ Mil scope will remove the guess of inches of trajectory.

Thank y'all. I'll have to do some researching on where to rent a chronograph. Can anyone suggest a factory load more capable than a Core-Lokt?

FiremanJG - My scope is a Leupold VX3 3.5-10x50 sitting on I don't know what kind of rings or base. The whole setup was bought from my dad's friend and it was sitting in her closet for 10 or so years since her husband passed. So the equipment is probably mid-90's although I am not sure. I could be way off. My trigger is stock but I don't really feel any creep when pulling it, although I have nothing to compare it to. Never pulled a custom trigger so as of right now I don't know the difference.

Imo the OP has a rifle capable enough, a good caliber & scope combo for his stated goals...since I got lots of miles & years in this same kinda rig...so this is a doable deal if he can find a place to practice and put in the time & effort.

And so it begins ...the tweaking and tuning which are the makings of a better than Joe Average Deer Shooter. Have Fun ...I have for the last 40+ years doing exactly this.
Ron

Eventually I plan to get into shooting more. That is once I get out of college, get a job, stay single to save money, and buy me a custom 6.5!

If your reticle is a duplex, you can set up at 100 yards, put a yard stick down range and make some measurements at various magnifications. That reticle can be made to have some hold points if you put in some time.

If you want to pray ice longer shots check out http://poetryshootingclub.com you can shoot out to 700 yards. I'm shooting the same basic gun but using 130 grain, I've had kills over 450 yards on a yote, but held very high. I've had 12 years behind my gun so I know how she shoots, anything under 300yards and I will hold dead on, and never missed yet

Go to the range and try holding a steady aim at a 100 yard target at your scopes highest and lowest settings and compare which causes the greatest "bounce" in the target.

It goes to show why some of the very best shooters use relative low power, fixed 4X scopes.

+1 for what Fireman said.

I'll tell you a simple cheat trick using the reticle. Most duplex reticles are about 4" at 100 yards from the center of the cross hair to the junction point where the cross hair goes from thin to thick (just below the cross hair). So, 4" is basically 4 MOA at 100 yards. If you zero your scope dead on at 100 yards, it's pretty easy to hold for 200 and 300 yards, even for 400 yards. (This only works on max magnification.) 100 yards is dead zero. You also need to confirm that it is 4". If it's 5", then factor that in to your holds.

Your bullet will drop 1.84 MOA at 200 yards, which is almost 2 MOA. If you divide the distance between the dead center cross hair and the junction point where the line goes from thick to thin, that's about 2 MOA. Hold here (or just slightly lower of half way) for a 200 yard shot. It should put you near dead on.

For 300 yards, your come up is 4.79 MOA. That's just below the 4 MOA junction point where the cross hair goes thin to thick. You will need to hold just slightly over (hold higher) than the 4 MOA point.

400 yards would be 8.62 MOA, which is just over twice the distance from center cross hair to the junction point. Hold 4 MOA lower than the junction point, and you should be on for 400 yards. I took a coyote at just over 400 yards doing just this.

I have used this method for years when shooting with a duplex reticle. I have taken game and coyotes at some pretty far distances by only holding using the reticle. Once you know your reticle and the trajectory of the round you are shooting, you can easily use a duplex reticle for your holds.

Rem 150 CoreLock at 2850 fps
100 yard zero
200 yards- 1.84 MOA come-up
300 yards- 4.79 MOA come up
400 yards- 8.62 MOA come up

You sir are wrong. I've shot in all positions, no mirage to can't see a 20" plate at 1k, 5 yards (scoped rifle) to 1760 yards, one mile, and everything in between. The higher the magnification you are using the more your scope is walking all over the place, and the more you try to correct for it. Standard procedure when shooting unsupported is to turn magnification down, less magnification, not more.

Thanks for expanding on it, Chad. I didn't have time earlier.

Just use common sense. Is it more difficult to hold a steady aim on a deer that appears 25 yards away, or 150 yards away. Obviously, the higher setting on the scope makes the deer appear closer than it really is.

The difficulty in making the shot is increased at lower magnification, which is why I NEVER practice with my scope set at its highest magnification.

While it may seem easier to see movement at a higher scope setting, it is without question more difficult to control movement at a lower scope setting. And being able to control movement is what matters most.

My experience corresponds with FiremanJg says. You see way more movement in the crosshairs at higher magnifications. Its not the difficulty of "holding steady aim" on an item whether it is 25 or 150 yards that is the issue. The issuse is that at higher magnifications you will see the effects of very slight movements YOU make in the scope.

I'm not going to repeat myself again.

The same movement that appears to be an inch or two of movement when looking at the highest setting, will appear as several inches on a much smaller target at the lowest setting.

Thanks guys. Once I get a break from school and work, I will go check out a range and practice.

I understand exactly what you are saying Dan. It is generally harder to be more "precise" at a lower setting. But that doesn't mean you can't be precise. I hunt on about 3-4 power. I keep it that low for the fast shots I may need to take. The lower setting allows you to make a quick shot and have a large field of view to find your target quickly. I can still make a precise shot, though.

The "bounce" you are talking about is definitely more noticeable at higher magnification than at a lower setting. You will still have the same "bounce" or movement at either setting, but it will be more noticeable at a higher setting. This is why most shooters shooting from positional (kneeling, sitting, standing) will lower their power setting to minimize the noticeable movement or "bounce" on the target.