I was wanting to try to get into the .50cal thing but they are sooo expensive, not to mention hard to get parts for here in Canada. Is there a cheaper alternative out there? I know that lots of people swear by the .308 for their long range shooting. From what Ive heard though, they are only good to about the 1000yrd mark. I guess Im looking for a cheaper alternative to the .50cal that would be a good paper puncher past the mile mark. If it helps at all to know my shooting skill, my best shot so far has been a dead on single shot @ about 750yrds on a running white arctic fox against the white snow with a T3 Lite .270 (135gr).
cheaper .50 cal alternative?
- Thread starter Jeremy
- Start date
Terry Perkins
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Bruce County
"I guess Im looking for a cheaper alternative to the .50cal that would be a good paper puncher past the mile mark."
Try using the 338 Lapua, not cheap either. It will reach out quite a ways.
"If it helps at all to know my shooting skill, my best shot so far has been a dead on single shot @ about 750yrds on a running white arctic fox against the white snow with a T3 Lite .270 (135gr)."
How far did you lead the target, and how did you know it was 750 yards?
Terry Perkins
Try using the 338 Lapua, not cheap either. It will reach out quite a ways.
"If it helps at all to know my shooting skill, my best shot so far has been a dead on single shot @ about 750yrds on a running white arctic fox against the white snow with a T3 Lite .270 (135gr)."
How far did you lead the target, and how did you know it was 750 yards?
Terry Perkins
- Location
- calgary alberta
The only real draw back to anything that is 50 cal is cost of bullets. The Asqaure is 460 Wby brass, but even that is pricey. 408 would be an alternative, but again very expensive consumables .
The 338s of today would make the most economical sense. 338 Lapua I have shot out to the 1 mile mark, a 338 wildcat , loosely based on 358 STA ,I made several years ago also worked well. I have also built 338/378s with good success. The RUM although I personally am not a big fan, has also been used with some promise. This could have more promise in a custom rifle that had a long enough barrel to use the case capacity of the RUM, same thing for the 338/378. With todays high BC bullets, longer distances seem to be getting easier to attain
The 338s of today would make the most economical sense. 338 Lapua I have shot out to the 1 mile mark, a 338 wildcat , loosely based on 358 STA ,I made several years ago also worked well. I have also built 338/378s with good success. The RUM although I personally am not a big fan, has also been used with some promise. This could have more promise in a custom rifle that had a long enough barrel to use the case capacity of the RUM, same thing for the 338/378. With todays high BC bullets, longer distances seem to be getting easier to attain
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
HEY! You're not wearing your ninja-hood! WTF!
Jeremy said:
I doubt it was actually 750yds.. Becuase you were going by GPS right? Well I hate to say GPS arn't 100% accurate, Civy GPS have technoligy in them to prevent them from being 100% accurate and they are off by a few hundred metres.
- Location
- South Sask
If you pay enough you can be with in an inch with a GPS that uses ground based stations.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
In the order of costs for accurate shooting to the mile and beyond: I like a 3000fps muzzle velocity if possible.
243 and 8 twist with 105/107gr match bullets.
22/250 reg or AI with 7 twist and 90gr MK.
6.5-284 or 6.5 Mystic and 8.5 twist and 140/142gr match bullets
7mm and 9 twist and 162gr amax or 168gr/175gr MK
30 cal and a 10 twist. Min 190gr but the 200 to 225 match bullets are better.
Now for a few that will require a bit more elevation and windage to compensate:
223 and 75gr to 80gr match bullets
308 with 155gr Amax (I have gone 1450yds with mine, 1980yds in a 300Wby). There is a club in the US that shoots to 3000m!!!!
45-70 smokeless or 120 with BP with 500 to 550gr cast bullets. US army went over 3500yds when they first tested this cartridge. Just aim a little above the moon.
Distance is not the issue. Windage is. If you set up a scope properly and have lots of internal adjustment, you just dial up and it will get there.
Jerry
PS you can check on the varmint hunters site but I read about two guys trying for their two mile gopher. Both were using 30 cals - 300WM and a Wby I believe. 190gr MK????
243 and 8 twist with 105/107gr match bullets.
22/250 reg or AI with 7 twist and 90gr MK.
6.5-284 or 6.5 Mystic and 8.5 twist and 140/142gr match bullets
7mm and 9 twist and 162gr amax or 168gr/175gr MK
30 cal and a 10 twist. Min 190gr but the 200 to 225 match bullets are better.
Now for a few that will require a bit more elevation and windage to compensate:
223 and 75gr to 80gr match bullets
308 with 155gr Amax (I have gone 1450yds with mine, 1980yds in a 300Wby). There is a club in the US that shoots to 3000m!!!!
45-70 smokeless or 120 with BP with 500 to 550gr cast bullets. US army went over 3500yds when they first tested this cartridge. Just aim a little above the moon.
Distance is not the issue. Windage is. If you set up a scope properly and have lots of internal adjustment, you just dial up and it will get there.
Jerry
PS you can check on the varmint hunters site but I read about two guys trying for their two mile gopher. Both were using 30 cals - 300WM and a Wby I believe. 190gr MK????
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Jeremy said:
Assuming the fox was trotting at 10km/hr and you have a muzzle velocity of 3100fps and a BC of .450, the fox would have travelled about 9.25 feet from the time you pulled the trigger to the time the bullet got there. If there was a 5mph crosswind, the bullet would have drifted another 2 feet or so. You didn't use a rangefinder. Between 700 yards and 750 yards the bullet would drop 21". How could you possibly know how much to hold over if you didn't even know the range?
Your bullet would drop over 110" at that range (assuming a 250 yards zero.)
Sounds like you were one of:Jeremy said:
1. Extremely lucky
2. Much closer than you claim
There are many members that have much more experience at long range shooting than me. But I have to call BS on this one.
canucklehead
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Calgary, AB
RobertMcC said:
It WAS actually called Selective Availablility, and was originally intentionally fed inaccuracy into the data stream from satellites. The US DOD put it in so that commercially available GPS units would only be accurate to about 100m. Military units had a special decoder to get past the 'SA'. US was worried about the weaponization of the technology by terrorist/unscrupulous persons.
They turned off that feature in May of 2000, as commercial products could be purchased to get around the inaccuracy for a fairly low price. They decided the safety factor of the public accessing ACCURATE info outweighed the possibility of misuse.
Most handheld units are now accurate to less than 5 meters.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
When I use my Garmin Gecko and go back to my truck. It says I have arrived and I am within a few meters of the truck.
As was posted above, GPS can be quite accurate (with enough satellites of course). Certainly close enough that even the worse outdoorsman can see/find their final destination.
Jerry
ps RL1, those shooters beside you must have really gotten an ear full. Or maybe they were just blown away
As was posted above, GPS can be quite accurate (with enough satellites of course). Certainly close enough that even the worse outdoorsman can see/find their final destination.
Jerry
ps RL1, those shooters beside you must have really gotten an ear full. Or maybe they were just blown away
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