Getting into distance shooting...where to start...HELP!!

[highmark]

Wow, there is a load of BS being spread in this thread. Don't get me wrong, there is some good info too. Apparently magnums are the best for shooting out to 1k? That's news to me... I guess I should sell my .260 then. What about all of the f-classers using 223's, 308's, etc?... Does ballistic coefficient mean anything at all? There was a comment also made about having a variety of bullets (110gr. 30 cal bullets)... I am sure those are ideal for long range.....

To the original poster, read carefully and review information from more than one source. Your Savage 223 can shoot out to 1K if it has the correct twist rate to launch the heavier vld bullets. If not, you can easily get it rebarreled for under $500, installed, to throw the heavy boys. Next, you will need optics up to the task. I am a fan of high magnification but more importantly is the internal adjustment limitations and how well the scope tracks.

There is plenty of good info on this forum but you need to search. There are a ton of shooters that shoot to 1000 and beyond without the use of magnum cartridges. I would listen to the regular f-class shooters. They know their stuff.

Yes there is a great deal of BS flying around. The regular competitive F-Class shooters will give you the most acurate info. There's a big difference between reading about long range shooting, and those that get their information through experience. Be careful where you get your info...

Lots of calibers will do very well at long range. The 223's can work, but you really need to steer them well. The 6mm br, 6mm Dasher, 6.5x47, 260, 6.5x284 do very well at long range. Infact, world records are still being broken with the tiny 6mmbr and the 6mm Dasher. The 284, Shehane are very good, and the small magnum's work well. With the short magnum's though, experience is a plus as they need some tuning, and with short barrel life tuning is done often. Managing recoil and how to deal with it is paramount to shooting tight groups.

If you have less experience, i would shoot a 6mmbr,6mmDasher, or a 260, 6.5x47. They are easy to load for, very easy to tune and will teach you alot about shooting long range and wind reading. And on a no wind day, look out they will shoot bug holes that none of the bigger calibers will ever do..

Just talking from my experience, have fun!!!

Cheers
Eric

 

[Grant Shave]

longrange

100-1000yrds, any 6mm, that would be 6mmBR, 6 Dasher, 6XC 1-8 twist, 105-108 grn Bergers or if you prefer more recoil, go to the 7mm"s if you want to shoot accurately and you might as well go for that, use what wins the 1000yrds, as far as price go new and spend 3-6000.00 or used at 25% less than new, as far as entry level optics a NF BR in 12x42x56, no need for spotting scope as you can see your bullet holes, cost is about 1500.00, lots of guys trying the 223 in a 6.5- 7 twist, some have been successfull but I say go with what works
I would buy a used one, stick with a Rem footprint, lots of acc. options and jewell triggers are a must 2 oz
best part, you will never get kicked off any range
big boomers are cool but totally inefficient if your main goal is to print little groups, go home feeling good and not beat to hell after 100 rnds

just my personal experance, Grant

Hey guys, been a member on the forum for a couple months now and have had my restricted and unrestricted for just under 2 years but have only recently been getting into the longer range side of shooting in the last couple months. After moving back to NB I was pleased that there was such a great club close by with a nice indoor and nice outdoor range with their longest being 400yards. I've been using my .223 savage with accu trigger and a couple small extras and a middle of the road leupold scope and rail. And have been trying different ammo and load types, but am just needing well alot of help. I want to buy a rifle capable of shooting an easy 1000m with the possibility of further as I become more adept at it. What type of gun? Caliber 308? 338? 416? 50bmg? Rail/ scope setup? Bipod? With or without monopod? Action type? Muzzel break? Spotting scope? If I'm gonna build it I want it to be versatile to allow me to use it as a beginner but also to be reach out and touch farther targets as I go. I'd appreciate any and all feedback, if you suggest something I also appreciate the pros and cons for your suggestion or must have's. Thanks!!

 

[Longshot]

I somewhat disagree with this statement and always encourage people to shoot longer ranges.

Being from a TR background using iron sights, we don't see everything like mirage in the sight picture. So it doesn't matter if you are shooting 10m air rifle, 50m smallbore or 900m/1000 yards, the sight picture is still a black dot centered in the sights.

Learning to read the wind is how the matches are won. The only way to really learn to read the wind at long range is to get out and shoot in the wind. Shooting a .22 at 100 yards will help you to see trends in the wind patterns and is good practice, but nothing beat the experience of shooting in the wind at long range.

I would say if you can shoot scores in the mid 40's out of 50 on a DCRA target at 300 yards, you are ready to start shooting mid and long range.

I guess what I was trying to say is I'm tired of hearing every new guy looking for a precision rifle wanting to make it a 1,000 m gun.What doesn't anyone shoot 200-900m anymore? Cant we just get a rifle that shoots really well period?Where are all these 1,000m ranges anyways?I haven't seen hardly any of them lol.

 

[peterdobson]

Please listen to Maynard and Dan and take him up on his offer. Dan runs matches at Gagetown and knows what is required to shoot at all distances.

It's important to actually attend matches and you'll find that shooters are helpful.

You are alo wecome to NS where we shoot 300-800m.

Regards,

Peter

 

[Jeromeo]

What doesn't anyone shoot 200-900m anymore? Cant we just get a rifle that shoots really well period?Where are all these 1,000m ranges anyways?I haven't seen hardly any of them lol.

Well said. I have trouble finding good land to shoot beyond 800 yards. That being said, I only like shooting on private land. Crown land long range scares me because I never really know who is in the area.

 

[scout]

I guess what I was trying to say is I'm tired of hearing every new guy looking for a precision rifle wanting to make it a 1,000 m gun.What doesn't anyone shoot 200-900m anymore? Cant we just get a rifle that shoots really well period?Where are all these 1,000m ranges anyways?I haven't seen hardly any of them lol.

I agree - I prefer more 'across the course' shooting, from 300m-1000yds with the same rifle and load. I was disappointed with the US going to only 1000yds for their F-Class nationals and I'm glad to see that the new Canadian F-Class Nationals are including some mid-ranges, plus long.

Y'all have to get away from your lil' garden called Vokes (still the best looking range anywhere) to see some long ranges ... the only non-military long range competition (gallery targets) ranges are Homestead in Alberta (900m), North Star in Saskatchewan (1600yds+) and Bull Meadows in Nova Scotia (800m).

 

[NORTH OF 53]

I will tell you about the only thing I know about long range shooting that is for sure.
Long range rifles are Female. The reason I know this for sure is because nothing can make you so blissfully happy or so miserable all in the blink of an eye like a woman or your long range rifle. And just like a woman just when you are sure you have it all figured out you find out you don't and that some how something has changed and nobody told you.
I am not trying to tell anyone anything here, I am just saying.

 

[Jeromeo]

I will tell you about the only thing I know about long range shooting that is for sure.
Long range rifles are Female. The reason I know this for sure is because nothing can make you so blissfully happy or so miserable all in the blink of an eye like a woman or your long range rifle. And just like a woman just when you are sure you have it all figured out you find out you don't and that some how something has changed and nobody told you.
I am not trying to tell anyone anything here, I am just saying.

LOL! You summed it up.

 

[shaolin555]

First off, get a second job... Maybe even open an individual bank account labelled precision fund. Then contact one of your PRA reps or link with someone on here (there's lots of solid guys/girls) and get out and shoot multiple rifles in different cartridges. The reason the EE is always full is because people build these glory rifles based off looks and what they read on forums... This is wrong. Go find out what you like and what likes you by actually shooting. As for cartridge, unless ur second job is better than your first You may not want to dive into a cannon (.338/.50) and waste hundreds of dollars watching dust at 1000m. It is an acquired skill set to shoot long range and many of lost shots later you will understand why. Once you have the fundamentals down and your dopes/loads figured out you can shoot efficiently and be productive in other adjustments ( to yourself and equipment). The magpul video is a great intro aswell. For glass, it's easy to say don't cheap out! But it's also hard for some to spend close to 2g's when just getting started. I will say however for a dependable long range rifle you should invest around $1000 to start. Have it professionally mounted aswell ( that will make a difference at a 1000m if you don't know what your doing) lastly read up on mental marksmanship the rifle only does so much ... The rest is up to you! Good luck!

 

[rnbra-shooter]

I somewhat disagree with this statement and always encourage people to shoot longer ranges.

Being from a TR background using iron sights, we don't see everything like mirage in the sight picture. So it doesn't matter if you are shooting 10m air rifle, 50m smallbore or 900m/1000 yards, the sight picture is still a black dot centered in the sights.

Learning to read the wind is how the matches are won. The only way to really learn to read the wind at long range is to get out and shoot in the wind. Shooting a .22 at 100 yards will help you to see trends in the wind patterns and is good practice, but nothing beat the experience of shooting in the wind at long range.

I would say if you can shoot scores in the mid 40's out of 50 on a DCRA target at 300 yards, you are ready to start shooting mid and long range.

I disagree a little bit with your second para. When I look through iron sights at 500y (my favourite distance as far as sight picture goes), I see a nice big decently sharp black disc on a white background. Nice contrast, a joy to shoot. When I look through iron sights at 900m/1000y, especially on days with thick mirage, I see a small dot, grey with poor contrast, yukky yukky yukky sight picture (notwithstanding the ahem "challenges" of dealing with the wind at 1000 yards, it is pretty darn amazing how accurately you can break shots with such a cruddy looking sight picture).

With respect to the important point of the post - as soon as a shooter is moderately competent at breaking shots, he ought to get out at try shooting at 600y or 1000y, in my opinion. You needn't be perfect or near perfect before you start trying (in fact it is a big mistake to try this tack).

I guess what I was trying to say is I'm tired of hearing every new guy looking for a precision rifle wanting to make it a 1,000 m gun.What doesn't anyone shoot 200-900m anymore? Cant we just get a rifle that shoots really well period?Where are all these 1,000m ranges anyways?I haven't seen hardly any of them lol.

I have stood on three ranges that had 1000m firing points (two in England and one here in NB). There are a few others of them around the world but the vast majority of long distance rifle ranges are 1000y or the metric equivalent 900m. Most of the time when someone talks about "1000m" target shooting, it is a slip/confusion between 1000y ranges and metres ranges.

I agree - I prefer more 'across the course' shooting, from 300m-1000yds with the same rifle and load. I was disappointed with the US going to only 1000yds for their F-Class nationals and I'm glad to see that the new Canadian F-Class Nationals are including some mid-ranges, plus long.

Y'all have to get away from your lil' garden called Vokes (still the best looking range anywhere) to see some long ranges ... the only non-military long range competition (gallery targets) ranges are Homestead in Alberta (900m), North Star in Saskatchewan (1600yds+) and Bull Meadows in Nova Scotia (800m).

FYI Springfield range in NB has fixed targets (at 600m and 1000m) however this year we will be starting a shooting program using electronic targets so that will allow us to conduct regular long range matches. We'll fire at 300m 500m 600m 800m, we may or may not bother trying 900m and 1000m.