Experiences shooting long range (1000m and more)

Got out to the range today was able to shoot out to 1000M again, with a lot more success. I was able to hit %50 at least. Wind was very calm so it was a great opportunity. For anyone wanting to shoot .308 long range here is my data to compare to:

24" barrel.
175gr TMK's
2630Fps average

1000M (1093 YARDS)
11.2 Mil of elevation (37.8 MOA) If my math is correct.

800m (875 YARDS)
7.5 Mil of elevation (25.3 MOA)

This is my 5 shot group at 800M I am very happy with it
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Roughly measured out to 3.5 inches. Wasn't an exact measurment (used a leatherman ruler to measure), but close. About .38 MOA maybe a bit larger but ill take it anyways.
 
If you want, and you do it safely, many "older" reloading books had the max charge of Varget around 45.0C+

Reason for saying this is your velocity for the projectile weight is somewhat low for what's capable of the .308 which translates into added drop (not terrible), but added wind drift, which isn't ideal.

Always test safely.
 
If you want, and you do it safely, many "older" reloading books had the max charge of Varget around 45.0C+

Reason for saying this is your velocity for the projectile weight is somewhat low for what's capable of the .308 which translates into added drop (not terrible), but added wind drift, which isn't ideal.

Always test safely.

When I was developing my load I tested some heavier charged strings but was not seeing the accuracy I liked out of them. Since this load is still transonic at 1100 yards I figured I'd leave it at that.

Matt.
 
Recently I have been looking for a good way to collect data on all of my shots, but have not been wanting to pay for the online data books/sheets. So I set about making my own in excel. Basically you enter all of your conditions, draw your targets on both of the grids (to whatever scale you set). Then mark on the left target your point of aim with a number correlating to your shot. Then mark on the right target where that shot actually landed. Record each shot elevation and wind call in the below boxes.

I think it will be very helpful for future shots and a good way to collect accurate DOPE on your rifle.

If anyone wants the document shoot me a PM and I can email it to you.

If you have other ways you collect data let us know! Or if I should make any changes to the chart that would help.
Thanks
Matt

*The bottom right corner boxes can be edited to the individuals liking. ie, Speed of shooting, 1st Shot cold bore, Rife, Caliber, Specific load.
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When dealing with mirage remember it's benefit is limited in 2 ways.
#1. Once the mirage lays over flat, which occurs at about 12mph/16kmh, it is FAR harder to get valuable info from it unless you are very experienced in reading it. Ripples and wave size are all you will have at that point and that takes time to learn.
#2. While mirage will give you the general direction of the wind, the one thing it doesnt do is give you very good reads of the angle that wind is going at. 90°? 45°? Or less? Full value, half or a quarter? Flags and terrain features help a lot more with that.
To learn wind reading it is a good idea to set up some flags at different distances to the target that you can look at and then compare to the terrain features IE grass, branches, trees etc. Record everything in a book. Draw what the flags are doing and compare to what's on the kestrel. Record where your shots land under those conditions and what kind of dope it took to get you on. When you enounter challenging winds in the future you will have a database that you can look at and get an idea of where you need to start.
 
LRFs are a must for unknown distance shooting especially in situations where you don't know the exact size of your target so reticle ranging will be inaccurate and buy the best you can afford kestrels are nice for getting atmospherics but you will need to be able to read wind down range using mirage, terrain features and flags. Get some type of ballistic solver my recommendation is Applied Ballistics it's the most up kept one and you can email Brian Litz and he will respond to any questions. Like most things with shooting the best way to get better is taking training from respected and credible SMEs.
 
I'm just an amateur but I've managed to stumble my way out to 1330m successfully with my 308 using my 178 Amax loads. I haven't invested in a Kestrel and I honestly don't think I'm going to either. The spots where I setup for 1000m - 1600m forces me to shoot from one peak to another so I'm constantly trying to work with the sum of all the winds I'm shooting through. It reminds me a lot of when I use to golf (before I got into guns like all the cool kids) and had to make a long putt on a tricky green. I just try to factor in all the variations and make the best first shot I can. And much like golf I usually miss the first attempt but I'm close enough to see what corrections needed to be made for the next shot. :)
 
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