Many hunters have dreamed about a lightweight deer rifle that can shoot prey at a distance of over 400 yards, however is this really possible? It sounds like such a perfect idea, so why isn’t it?

Well quite simply you should never need to shoot deer from 400 yards away because you need to be accurate. When hunting deer, you need to get all of your shots within one six-inch target. You can find out the maximum distance you can shoot deer by practicing shooting at a six inch bulls eye target at different distances, start at 100 yards then try 200 and 300 yards. You can also try sitting and standing when taking that shot.

When standing many deer hunters discover that they cannot really hunt deer from over 100 yards away, when sitting most can manage 200 yards at a push. You need to be 100% accurate, you cannot afford to wound a deer. Make sure that 100% of your practice shots hit the bullseye.

Using a 6¡± target as opposed to the normal 8¡± is advisable because it represents the small size of the animal’s vital organs. There are also a number of variables all of which can be changing making things much more difficult. You will be shooting at animals you haven’t had time to study before hand, they camouflage themselves with the background which makes it very difficult if not impossible to see them! Have a practice and then you decide if you really need a hunting rifle that can shoot over 400 yards. For more info see http://www.deerelkhunting.com/elkhunting/How-to-Find-Great-Guided-Elk-Hunts.html on guided elk hunt

For shooting deer further than 200 yards away the cartridges should have a flat trajectory so that their shots are kept within the 6 inch target.

I like to use the standard calibers from 6mm (.24) to 7mm (.28), as these normally work at closer distances. You could technically use a .24 or .32 caliber magnum, however I don’t like using them as lightweight rifles. Full length standard size calibers aren’t very good as lightweight rifles either.

Any lightweight rifles that have 22¡± or shorter barrels and weigh less than 7 lbs in total are ideal for hunting. Most non-magnum browning A-Bolt models, and ruger model 77RSI are perfect for lightweight hunting.

Of course you don’t have to buy a brand name, you can also opt for one of the many lesser known brands, there are also a number of auto-loading rifles that can be used. There is a huge selection of guns that can be used for lightweight deer rifles.

When shooting beyond 300 yards you should consider using the 6×52 Freres, .240 Weatherby Magnum and many others as these will enable you to do the best you possibly can.

Lightweight guns aren’t really ideal, you should look at medium weight rifles to ensure that you get the best accuracy possible.