how about shooting far?

[vash]

i'm not really a rifle guy.

i love close up work of archery. BUT!. i recently got reacquainted with the toys in the back of the safe. i have a .257 weatherby magnum that will flat out fling a bullet far and fast. IIRC it will shoot a 115gr bullet 3400fps (i need to pull out all my notes). last time i shot that rifle, i kinda fell off a mountain and dinged the scope. i cleaned the rifle and put it away. pulling it out, i find the scope took a bigger hit than i thought..so i sent it back for a fix. it cost me $90 to upgrade to their single CDS turret.

my rifle could produce cloverleaf 3-shot groups at 100..but i want to explore the long shot. not to the point where i will buy a Nightforce 5.5-20x scope..but just see what i can do with what i own already.

i'm not sure where to start..and what the heck is considered a long shot. 500 yards? how far can i get with my 10x scope anyways? that Nightforce used is $2000!!

[id10t]

20 to 24x is about right for me shooting 22lr at 100 to 150 yards. "Far" for me is 200 w/ 22lr.

Nothing else I own is accurate enough to stretch out I guess it is really sad when your target 22 makes smaller groups at 150 and 200 yards than your FAL clone kit build does at 50 yards...

[vash]

Originally Posted by id10t

20 to 24x is about right for me shooting 22lr at 100 to 150 yards. "Far" for me is 200 w/ 22lr.

Nothing else I own is accurate enough to stretch out I guess it is really sad when your target 22 makes smaller groups at 150 and 200 yards than your FAL clone kit build does at 50 yards...

damn..i feel your pain.

my wife caught me looking at the new Tikka T3..i'd love to build up a long range platform..figured a Tikka is a good jumping off point. (according to the long range forum guys)

[legion]

I have two rifles that can go distances. I've only had either out to 200 yards. One weighs about 40 lbs, so it's easy to shoot at that distance. The other is a Remington 700 in .308, and I've been trying to teach myself natural point of aim and controlling my breathing. I figure I have lots of work ahead of me.

[Taz's Master]

I've shot steel from a bench at 300 yards. That's a lot of walking to change targets and such, so I have no idea what my groups were like. I can shoot 100yds at home, so I practice shooting offhand at that distance. Not posting targets of that. Very humbling to see what you're capable of with a rifle that will stack up the holes...

[id10t]

Originally Posted by Taz's Master

I've shot steel from a bench at 300 yards. That's a lot of walking to change targets and such, so I have no idea what my groups were like. I can shoot 100yds at home, so I practice shooting offhand at that distance. Not posting targets of that. Very humbling to see what you're capable of with a rifle that will stack up the holes...

If you can't see your groups through your scope, you need more scope

[Kirk911SC]

I really enjoy long distance shooting.

Managed to hit a IPSC target at 1240 yds on my second shot at CFB Meaford this past summer (Long Range Steel Challenge). No spotters and next to no splash near most of the targets.

.308 TRG22 with a 8-32x Sightron scope. 155gr Lapua round.

Most of the top competitors were using 6.5mm

I own a .257 WBY. Fun rifle, but not one I would enjoy for high volume shooting!

[Taz's Master]

Originally Posted by id10t

If you can't see your groups through your scope, you need more scope

No argument, but I hunt in PA woods, and a 2x7 is about right for me. So, since what I have that'll reach out past 300 yards will serve as a hunting arm, I'm absolutely not set up to do more than ring steel out that far. I do more killing within 150' than I do beyond 150yds.

[id10t]

Originally Posted by Taz's Master

No argument, but I hunt in PA woods, and a 2x7 is about right for me. So, since what I have that'll reach out past 300 yards will serve as a hunting arm, I'm absolutely not set up to do more than ring steel out that far. I do more killing within 150' than I do beyond 150yds.

Oh if I had to go after a deer in the nearest woods (across the road) I'd be totin' my Ruger 44 mag carbine. Nice gold bead on a post w/ a large ghost ring at the back. Skeet clays at 75 yards no problem, longest possible shot would be 50 yards...

[cabmandone]

A big part of shooting accurately from what I have found is finding the right powder/primer/bullet your gun likes.Two things that helped me were having the trigger fine tuned and coming to the realization that my gun didn't like a clean barrel. I shoot a Stevens 22-250 it took me a while to get it dialed in with the above but now shooting 200 yds is pretty ho hum. I haven't gone long range but would like to play sometime with a range finder and the ballistics on my round to see what I can do. 3 shot groups at 200 are normally nickel size.

[Jeff Higgins]

In traditional rifle match shooting, 200-600 yards are considered "mid range", and 800, 900, and 1,000 yards are "long range". That said, most shooters would consider 600 yards pretty damn far away. Any real hunter would consider that too damn far away - that places one well outside the sensory perception of the target animal and in no way pits the hunter's wit and skill against the animal. But I digress...

My "long range" experience is almost purely with the black powder cartridge rifle. When I first started shooting these matches, we were all shooting our favorite rifle chambered in the .45-70 (also known as the .45-2.1"), utilizing duplex charges of smokeless under black to achieve the necessary velocities. Later, as the game took off and brass and dies became available for other chamberings, I went to the .45-2.6", or .45-100 with straight black powder, for long range work.

Here are my two "long range" rifles. You will note there are no scopes on them. There is a scope class, but us iron sight guys usually beat them. With the very distinct, very visible official NRA target, even at those ranges, a scope is not required to shoot well. Top photo is an 1875 Sharps from C. Sharps Arms in .45-70, bottom is an 1874 Sharps from the same company in .45-2.6". Both wear #1 heavy 34" full octagon barrels and MVA spirit level globe front sights.





I will tell any erstwhile rifleman that if you ever get the chance to shoot at long range, on an established range, do not pass it up. It is a learning experience that you will never forget. It doesn't even matter what you bring, what glass is on it (or if it even has any), what it is chambered in - none of that. Just go with what you have. If you subsequently get bitten by that bug (and I sure did), you have plenty of time to put together a dedicated long range rig. Decide what you want to do - compete or just target shoot, antique or modern - there is a wealth of knowledge out there to get you on the right track. Be aware, though, this gets expensive fast. If yours is just a casual interest, just use what you already have.

[flipper35]

The longest I have shot is 100 yards at a target. Love to shoot steel at 100 with a hand spoon. Last competition had an equalizer target. 8" steel at 75 yards with a .22 hand spoon for extra points.

For rifles I have a 742 in 30-06 that will have all the holes touching at 100 yards. Same with the Model 700 in .270. One of our 10/22s will leave a less than dime sized group at 60, haven't shot it out to 100.


The .45-70 hurts too much to shoot a 5 round group. (with LeverEvolution, standard 405gr are fine)

[flipper35]

Jeff, I know some Garand competitions are out to 1000 yards on steel with iron sights.

[John Rogers]

With my 45 caliber, 460 grain paper patched bullets in my Pedersoli Gibbs and also the two similar rifles I put together the further I have shot was 600 yards and I was aiming just over 38 feet high to compensate for the bullet drop. With 120 grains of Goex FFG the velocity 15 feet from the muzzle was 1290 FPS and I amazed myself that I actually hit the target with all 3 rifles. Jeff is right the two with tang sights are much easier to shoot at that type of distance. I was at the Pala Indian range north of San Diego and it was a misty type of day so no wind as it is a terrible place for gusts.

For Jeff, I was told the 1000 yard high power matches at Camp Pendleton are going to let black powder shooters enter their matches in 2017. Supposed to be both cartridge and muzzle loaders to help raise attendance?

[targa911S]

Jeff you have some fine guns my friend

[Jeff Higgins]

Why thank you David, I thoroughly enjoy them all.

John, our 1,000 yard shooting was all done at Ft. Lewis, or now Joint Base Lewis McChord on their range "KD22", or "known distance 22". We always shot with highpower guys because neither discipline could rally enough shooters to fill the firing line. What was most interesting, and eminently satisfying, was every now and then our winner would outscore their winner. Same targets, same everything.

Brent, the highpower guys were a mix of service rifle and match rifle shooters. The Garand and M1A shooters struggled when using military ball ammo which, depending upon the particulars of a given rifle, would drop to subsonic and lose stability before reaching 1,000 yards. Those who were handloading with the 168 or 175 grain Match Kings had no such trouble. The match rifle guys almost universally shot Remington Model 700's in .300 Winchester Mag with 200 and 220 grain Match Kings.

I'll tell you guys what, after many years of pulling targets at 1,000 yards, I've got some strong opinions regarding what I would prefer someone use if they insist on shooting at me at that range. Or, more accurately, not use. It is simply astonishing how much harder the old black powder rounds hit out at that range than any modern .30 caliber.

Bullet weight and ballistic coefficient rule at long range. The NRA minimum performance level for .45 caliber to allow entry into a 1,000 yard match is a 500 grain bullet at 1,300 fps. Most of us were using 540 grains and heavier, somewhere in the mid 1,300 fps range. Doesn't sound like much of a "long range" load, but the darn things just keep trundling along, losing relative little velocity. They will still be doing 900 to 1,000 fps at 1,000 yards. And boy do they thump that impact area compared to 168 grain Match Kings that while may have started out twice as fast, are not all that much faster anymore, by the time they's flown 1,000 yards.

[John Rogers]

Jeff is right about black powder bullet impact. I set up my GoPro at 200 yards this past spring and even just hitting the cardboard it was a "thump" and larger one when the bullet hit the berm.

[Jim Bremner]

I've gone out 500 yards with my M1a and irons, 700 with an 8.5x scope. Tomorrow I'm taking my 28 year old son and his wife out to try for 600 yards.

I will be traveling with two 22 year olds that will be trying to hit out there as well.

Rifles will be M1a, Swedish Mauser, M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, Marlin Camp 45 ( a great tool to teach holdover) and an AR15

[aigel]

With a zinger caliber like yours, you can sight in for 0.5-1" high at 200 yards and don't have to compensate much out to 350 yards. Personally my long range shooting tops out at 350 yards with a 9x scope hunting antelope. I sometimes wonder if a higher mag scope would help, as at that distance, the animal sure looks small in the sights. But even with perfect sights, you will have wind to worry about at large distances on the open range, so I don't like to push it much beyond 300 yards to ensure a clean kill every time.

For target practice, a 200 yard range will be quite a step up from 100. Strangely enough, you'd think your clover leaf will double in size and that's it. Give it a try.

Beyond 200 yards, it probably is the national forest for you - I don't know of a local range that's longer than 200. Actually I don't know of one past 100 currently. My long shooting is always in the woods - except when I was in LA where they had a nice windy 200 yard range in the angeles forest.

Keep us posted - punch some paper for us! 100, 200, 300!

G

[wdfifteen]

Ha, ha. My grandfather used to "shoot far" if my grandmother was within hearing distance. He wasn't talking about guns. When she was out of site he was a little more explicit.