Trying to decide caliber!

[jimbo14]

I know your range very well. Shot there several times. I also talked to Rob Furlong about that exact issue of the gulley, and when shooting to 1400 the bullet is exposed to more wind that it wouldn’t be subjected to shooting closer, like 500m, due to the trees. Yes, it can be a challenge.

That was the point behind me suggesting to teach your daughter how to be a good spotter.

You work as a team, spotter and shooter. When I used my Kestrel for those numbers, it was just to illustrate the effect of wind between different velocities. It’s fairly small. Use a ballistic solver to see the effects on your rifle between your desired cartridges. See if it’ll matter much.

I also looked at the Trace value for that shot, and it was 5.9 mils for my rifle. Meaning, as a spotter, you will look about 6 mils above the target to see trace on the path down. This way a spotter can help identify a correction.

At RFMA, we were shooting as a team, in rain and switching winds up to 18mph, up to 900m with a combo of 308s and my 6GT. Far from the best cartridges for the job, but working as a team, we were getting hits. It was a blast!

More fun than trying to push through wind without using a spotter. To me, anyway.

 

[mojoman]

Our range is not flat, so using a kestrel there is kinda pointless. Any wind we have from our shooting position is not the wind we shoot through if we go past 500M.
To get to 1000M, it is a slight 3-5 deg upslope (these are off the top of my head as I don't remember the exact numbers), plus from 500M to 900M there is a gulley we cross. This gulley creates a turbulent wind with no real way to watch it, or figure it out. It is roughly a 100M vertical difference, if not more, from the bottom of the gulley to where the bullet flies through on the way out to 1000m. It is hard to explain really without a picture.

View attachment 1055865

This is roughly a 20-25 ft wind pole set up at 300M. That is one of our 1000M targets that you see above the top of the pole as seen through my spotting scope.

The 1000m is just a little over 2.5 degrees measured with my SG pulse.

 

[rugbydave]

I’m Loading the new Lapua Max Range 144 grs ( advertised BC is .670 ) over N555 . Shooting loads next week in new rifle .

I'd be curious to hear what your load is with N555 and how they perform. I've got a bunch of N555 and was planning on trying those bullets out. I've just been shooting the 140 ELDms for so long now and they shoot great in all my 6.5s so it's hard to bring myself to change, haha.

 

[rugbydave]

Our range is not flat, so using a kestrel there is kinda pointless. Any wind we have from our shooting position is not the wind we shoot through if we go past 500M.
To get to 1000M, it is a slight 3-5 deg upslope (these are off the top of my head as I don't remember the exact numbers), plus from 500M to 900M there is a gulley we cross. This gulley creates a turbulent wind with no real way to watch it, or figure it out. It is roughly a 100M vertical difference, if not more, from the bottom of the gulley to where the bullet flies through on the way out to 1000m. It is hard to explain really without a picture.

View attachment 1055865

This is roughly a 20-25 ft wind pole set up at 300M. That is one of our 1000M targets that you see above the top of the pole as seen through my spotting scope.

You guys have a great range up there. I ran a course up there (scoped carbine) a few years back. We had guys with .223 carbines hitting that giant target (bear or moose?) that's at 1000m or so, if memory serves.

Wind is always tricky over complex terrain, our range is similar with it mostly being a lane cut out of trees so once you get past a certain distance, the max ord is above the top of the trees and you end up having to deal with the wind in the open air. That's a really hard situation to read as you can't see the mirage in the air that high so you're left with the wind at the shooter, what you can discern downrange and what you can see at the target, plus your knowledge of how conditions are habitually.

 

[iron cat]

If I was already familiar and set up for it if I was not planning on competing anymore I might just build another 6mmBR to play with
This is one reason why I stay with the .223 and the 308 however , being a fullbore competitor.
The .223 and 308 do all I want them to out to 900 meters , and for 300 meter standard rifle offhand shooting .
Cat

 

[wallz]

You guys have a great range up there. I ran a course up there (scoped carbine) a few years back. We had guys with .223 carbines hitting that giant target (bear or moose?) that's at 1000m or so, if memory serves.

Wind is always tricky over complex terrain, our range is similar with it mostly being a lane cut out of trees so once you get past a certain distance, the max ord is above the top of the trees and you end up having to deal with the wind in the open air. That's a really hard situation to read as you can't see the mirage in the air that high so you're left with the wind at the shooter, what you can discern downrange and what you can see at the target, plus your knowledge of how conditions are habitually.

Yea its a bison at 1000m. I know we are spoiled with the range now, and its only gonna get better with the work planned for it. Really can't wait for it to all come together and be completed. There are plans to take it out to 1600M.

On fairly low wind days when I had my daughter out I had her plinking the 223 out to 1000M. She had it pinned down to shots on the head of that bison, so I know she is capable of a shot. Can't wait to get her behind her new 6 GT and test what she is capable of. I know it will even surprise herself with it. We had her rifle, minus the barrel put together a few nights ago and we were setting up the butt stock for her. It will be pushing her limits to man handle the rifle as it will be heavy. Should be great for manageable recoil.

I have a spotter that I use all the time at the range, and have my phone set up on it and record almost all my shooting. Don't always get to see the bullet trace on it though, even on the video. I'll have to play with the settings and see if I can pick that up better.

 

[todbartell]

Not much choices for the 25 cal tips, so the 135 gr berger's is on tap if I go that route.

Sierra is coming out with a 134gr TMK for 2026 , and already has the 131gr SMK

Hornady has the 128 ELDx, 134 ELDm, 138 ATIP

Berger of course has the 133 Elite Hunter and 135 LRHT

 

[bcsteve]

"Tips"

 

[rugbydave]

Yea its a bison at 1000m. I know we are spoiled with the range now, and its only gonna get better with the work planned for it. Really can't wait for it to all come together and be completed. There are plans to take it out to 1600M.

On fairly low wind days when I had my daughter out I had her plinking the 223 out to 1000M. She had it pinned down to shots on the head of that bison, so I know she is capable of a shot. Can't wait to get her behind her new 6 GT and test what she is capable of. I know it will even surprise herself with it. We had her rifle, minus the barrel put together a few nights ago and we were setting up the butt stock for her. It will be pushing her limits to man handle the rifle as it will be heavy. Should be great for manageable recoil.

I have a spotter that I use all the time at the range, and have my phone set up on it and record almost all my shooting. Don't always get to see the bullet trace on it though, even on the video. I'll have to play with the settings and see if I can pick that up better.

Do you have the spotter setup right behind you or is it offset?

 

[Ivanna]

Do a 25 cm or 25 gt. The first has so much less recoil than 6.5 but flies even better. Plus since it’s a creedmoor easy for brass, go no go gauges, powder and everything else. The only issue is the bullets. But Bergers hybrid long range are the best in 135 with h4350 very easy to load. Buddy on this site sold me a straight barrel on a tikka action plus fixed shouldered a month ago and it’s shooting lights out. I’m so impressed. I have 22 arc, 6 gt, 25 cm, 6.5 cm, 308, 7 saum. I love them all and the recoil in heavy chassis thick barrels is so negligible. Have fun!

 

[wallz]

Do you have the spotter setup right behind you or is it offset?

Off to the side. That way I can easily work it without getting up or moving much!

"Tips"

Thanks "Tips".

Lol I just couldn't resist!

I’m Loading the new Lapua Max Range 144 grs ( advertised BC is .670 ) over N555 . Shooting loads next week in new rifle .

Report yet??? Cmon man your slow. I guess that comes with that old age thing!


Well for sure I've narrowed it to the 25CM or the 6.5CM. The 25CM leaning is a little bit more, just because its something new for me and I've already been shooting the 6.5 for thousands of rounds.

 

[jimbo14]

Put the spotting scope directly behind you. That way both you and your daughter can help spot trace when the other is shooting.

 

[rugbydave]

Yeah, with the spotter directly behind you it will pretty much always pick up trace.

 

[wallz]

Well next time at the range I'll have to try and set up the spotter behind and above, and see how that trace plays out!!

Thanks.