260AI Custom build ** first try at 900yds now**

Got out to 900yds today.

Combo of the rifle and iSnipe was awesome.

I went to the range first and zeroed and chronographed my new reloads.

140gr Berger VLDs, Lapua 243 and Nosler 260 Brass, 47gr of H4831SC with CCI BR Primers. 2.965" OAL. Everything weight sorted and all that stuff. Avg of 2900Fps

groups at 100yds were superb.

Then took that info and plunked all the pertinent stuff into my iphone and got on target in 2 shots!

Target is a 12" square plate of AR500. Wind was nice from still to about 5-10kph gusts. The first shot I overcompensated for wind, then after that it was *PING!!*

Satisfying :D

After that it was mostly hit with some misses when the wind gusted a bit. I probably could have corrected some with the turrets though as I was hitting about 4 inches to the right of my POI but the wind was from left to right so it was exacerbated when the gusts came.

The crappy thing was it decided to rain a bit just as we were shooting (sunny just before and sunny just after) I would have liked to see some dust for when I missed to make corrections.

Here is the spot, red circle over the target area. The 500yd spot in the above post is further up the valley where it narrows.

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Target area. There are a couple other gongs there that some other shooters have left there but I brought mine in and put it against a stump. Nice backing too with the dirt and rocks.

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Here is a view back at the shooting location from the target area: circled in red
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and the target! The 3 shot group gives a MOA of .332 and I had one miss just above the target, two more hits to the right when the wind picked up a bit and a couple to the left when I over corrected. You can see that I managed to almost put a bullet through the right hole in the plate, need to invest in some chain. Rope held together this time but I don't count on it lasting much more.

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It was a lot of fun, didn't do too many shots this time so I have more for later. Plus I'm hoping to do it when it wasn't raining on me and I didn't bring proper clothes as it was supposed to be a nice day.

Oh and the AR500 Plate didn't even get the slightest dimple, just some surface marks. Looks like it'll last me a looong time.

This was also my first time shooting since getting my laser eye surgery.. soooo awesome
 
Most excellent.

The combo you have there is an awesome long range rig. I love the Berger 140 VLD's and when pointed, they are pretty much on par with the Berger 7mm 180s. Your rig has far less recoil than the 7WSM you would need to match that performance, and has likely as much as twice the barrel life.

How are you finding it for cleaning/fouling, and where are you seating your bullets in relation to the lands?
 
Most excellent.

The combo you have there is an awesome long range rig. I love the Berger 140 VLD's and when pointed, they are pretty much on par with the Berger 7mm 180s. Your rig has far less recoil than the 7WSM you would need to match that performance, and has likely as much as twice the barrel life.

How are you finding it for cleaning/fouling, and where are you seating your bullets in relation to the lands?

Cleans up very easily, just use some wipeout and some g96 and thats all it needs. The wipeout patch comes through with no blue in it, just some powder residue.

Right now I'm seating pretty far out, but the VLD's shape with the Ogive further back allows for seating much further than say the 140SMKs.

I've decided to stick exclusively with the Bergers for this gun, no further experimentation needed with bullet selection, now i'm just playing with powder loads and OAL. Not sure the exact measurement off the lands. Still trying to track down a modified 260 case for the hornady LnL.

Also, that load showed no pressure signs so I'm going to up it a another .2 next and see if I can bump up the velocity another 50fps and if that still shows good signs than up another. I want to see if I can pull off 3000fps with the 140s VLDs. At 900yds that will give me a reduction of 16.7" drop.


Awesome spot and great shooting.

PUT UP SOME RIBBON OR FLAGS

There is one, you can see it in the pic of the target area near the lower plate.

Oh and the Scope is awesome at that range too, I can clearly see my bullet impacts on the plate and can count each mark that I make at 900yds
 
very nice spot and very nice rifle! nice to see you finally got out to a good distance with it!

i know you wont and dont expect you to post directions on this board, but if you feel like it wanna shoot me a PM with the general area of that spot? i havnt had any luck with finding a good, safe area past 5-600 yards.. :D or hell even meet up one day and do some shootin?
 
Every barrel is different but I have yet to see a 260Rem shoot the 140gr Bergers over 2900fps through its lifespan well. Keep an eye on pressures and tuning as round count goes over 200rds, then again when you pass 1000rds.

My 260AI/6.5 Mystic all go high 2900 to just over 3000fps when new but quickly drop to 2900 2950fps after a couple of hundred rds (this in 7 barrels from several manf).

Recently, I have just started tuning for 2900fps and save myself the hassle of a second go round.

For the 260Rem, a number of shooters have found their most stable node around 2800fps. And this node is SUPERBLY ACCURATE. We can always dial for drop. When a load is consistent, even windage is easily accounted for because it goes where you expect.

Clear sign that you have gone too far is vertical flyers. Can also happen later in the day when ambient temps rise (I lived in Victoria for years so know, it can get warm a few days a year).

Consider flagging along the ridge up to 50yds away from your target. Winds do all sorts of nice swirly stuff and can change directions in a hurry. Nice to get some warning by having flags further away from your target.

Also, flag below your target - you'll be surprised at what you see.

If heading this way, let me know. The Gopher is hard to see but it is still there.

Glad you are enjoying the scope too...

Jerry
 
very nice spot and very nice rifle! nice to see you finally got out to a good distance with it!

i know you wont and dont expect you to post directions on this board, but if you feel like it wanna shoot me a PM with the general area of that spot? i havnt had any luck with finding a good, safe area past 5-600 yards.. :D or hell even meet up one day and do some shootin?

For sure. If you have garmin mapsource I can email you the waypoints and all that. And I'll try and give you a shout before I head out next time. The spot only has room for one rifle but it is easy to take turns.


Every barrel is different but I have yet to see a 260Rem shoot the 140gr Bergers over 2900fps through its lifespan well. Keep an eye on pressures and tuning as round count goes over 200rds, then again when you pass 1000rds.

My 260AI/6.5 Mystic all go high 2900 to just over 3000fps when new but quickly drop to 2900 2950fps after a couple of hundred rds (this in 7 barrels from several manf).

Recently, I have just started tuning for 2900fps and save myself the hassle of a second go round.

For the 260Rem, a number of shooters have found their most stable node around 2800fps. And this node is SUPERBLY ACCURATE. We can always dial for drop. When a load is consistent, even windage is easily accounted for because it goes where you expect.

Clear sign that you have gone too far is vertical flyers. Can also happen later in the day when ambient temps rise (I lived in Victoria for years so know, it can get warm a few days a year).

Consider flagging along the ridge up to 50yds away from your target. Winds do all sorts of nice swirly stuff and can change directions in a hurry. Nice to get some warning by having flags further away from your target.

Also, flag below your target - you'll be surprised at what you see.

If heading this way, let me know. The Gopher is hard to see but it is still there.

Glad you are enjoying the scope too...

Jerry

Some good points, maybe I should just be happy with my numbers right now. The 100yd results tell me its pretty damn accurate. I had one 5 shot string put through the chrony with a ES of 3fps :eek: Being OCD during reloading pays off.
 
Accuracy is all that counts. If you have a deadly accurate load, you can easily calculate drift and drop.

FWIW, flags would be a waste of time where you are. Learn to observe the mirage! A wind flag - in order to be useful - needs to be made of one material and used universally. Also, it needs to line up with you bullet flight path. A wind flag sitting 50' above or below your bullet tells you nothing.

A 1000 yard shot involves different air densities, wind directions, convection, etc. A spotting scope (or even the rifle scope) shows you what is happening between the muzzle and the target. You can usually even see the whole bullet trace within the field of your scope. How many wind flags show up in your scope?
 
Also, it needs to line up with you bullet flight path. A wind flag sitting 50' above or below your bullet tells you nothing.

Come on down and I can show you where all this can indicate some very interesting results.

He is shooting over a valley into a hillside near the crest of several hills.

I bet he has seen some interesting winds :D

Jerry
 
Yea I'm fully aware of all of the incontricities (real word?) of wind flags and cross winds, etc, but with the valley shape I can't really place wind flags through it so I resort the best I can with the flags at the target location and a bit of mirage

The flags that are up there now are visible in my target view just about 5 feet below the target location. Its about the best I can do given the topography. I'm not going to go bushwack way down into the valley just to put some ribbons up that will be 500 feet below my bullet path.

I'll just do the best I can given that spot and go from there. I let my ballistics program do all the other non-wind variables. I usually just hold over a bit for wind unless it is consistent.

I was just happy to have hit the circle on my second shot and based on my correction on the windage turret I was only 10" off of target centre (all things being equal) with the first hit so missed the plate by only 5 or so inches. Good enough for me who is just getting started at the long range game.
 
Come on down and I can show you where all this can indicate some very interesting results.

He is shooting over a valley into a hillside near the crest of several hills.

I bet he has seen some interesting winds :D

Jerry

Jerry,

Did you ever shoot at the 1000 yard range at Louie's place in Turtle Valley? the targets were hundreds of feet above the lowest hay fields over which we shot. In fact, much against what I thought was sound and responsible judgment, one match took place while hay was being baled right in front of us.

We used no wind flags there...

ian
 
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