Mostly my go to hunting rig is a 14" contender with a 2x6 bushnell in plain ole 30-30. The damn thing likes 170 core lokts for some reason so I actual hunt with cheap factory rounds and plink with reloads. My personal best to date was 165 yards on a white tail doe. One shot through the boiler works and she hit the ground. I have taken around 10 deer with this particular barrel. I do target shoot quite a bit at 200 and occasionally 300 yards. My previous baby was a 10' in .41 with a 2x leupold. I only switched because .41 bullets seemed scarce for a while there. I still prefer that barrel freehand. I have a 7mm-08 lone eagle that shoots just fine i just seem to pick up the contender a little more often(and on days that I see game)