Internet accuracy claims put to the test! (Backfire long range challenge.)

[paulleve]

Backfire is one of the better Youtube channels - lots of info and presented in a fun way. A while back Jim made a comment that no one makes hits out to 600 yards 100% of the time, and of course there were Internet warriors that spoke up about their perfect accuracy. They flew one of these guys out and gave him the chance to hit water filled gallon milk jugs between 100-600 yards. The guy arrived with a Tikka .300 Win Mag and confidence that he's be able to prove his ability. The results were way beyond what I would have ever expected!

 

[Agnotology]

Odd choice of gun and caliber for the challenge. I would think a lighter recoiling but still "up to the task" gun would be selected. Pretty sure that first scope blood draw ruined the entire test because he did a shit ton of flinching the rest of the video.

Still did better than .22 man.

 

[paulleve]

Odd choice of gun and caliber for the challenge. I would think a lighter recoiling but still "up to the task" gun would be selected. Pretty sure that first scope blood draw ruined the entire test because he did a shit ton of flinching the rest of the video.

Still did better than .22 man.

Agreed. Who'd want to put themselves through 100 rounds of .300 Win Mag in one afternoon, especially when the vast majority were misses?!

I'll give Jim (Backfire) credit. Even when the guy scoped himself right off the bat and missed his first few shots, Jim was pretty good to the guy. To his credit, the guy was a dead eye at 100 yards, but not so great beyond that!

 

[KBCraig]

I have a buddy who sighted in his .300 Win Mag Weatherby Mk. V, and after three shots he was done. That was in a featherweight configuration, to be fair.

Lots of people just don't understand that distance shooting isn't like laying the crosshairs dead on at 100 yards and pulling the trigger.

 

[jkelly1229]

I have a buddy who sighted in his .300 Win Mag Weatherby Mk. V, and after three shots he was done. That was in a featherweight configuration, to be fair.

Lots of people just don't understand that distance shooting isn't like laying the crosshairs dead on at 100 yards and pulling the trigger.

Yeah i have a savage 111 i bought for hunting super lightweight which is cool

Took 9 rounds to sight it in.

Went on my hunt and immediately bought whatever the newer model is with a threaded barrel and bought a break because that was unpleasant

 

[PappyM3]

Wanna know how I know you don’t actually have much experience with the gun you brought? You scope yourself.

Finished watching it. Oof, that was bad. I wouldn’t expect him to make all the shots, especially in the 500-600 yard range. Wind shifts happen. But man, soooo many misses within 300 yards.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

I love that channel. One of of the outright best on the web.

I'm all set with shooting 300 Win Mag all day.

 

[johngalt2]

I would have liked to learn why the fellow thought he could. I mean, he didn't look like a guy who would just pull that out of his ass. He must have had some confidence that he could. It would be interesting to know what that was based on.

 

[PappyM3]

I would have liked to learn why the fellow thought he could. I mean, he didn't look like a guy who would just pull that out of his ass. He must have had some confidence that he could. It would be interesting to know what that was based on.

Seemed like a nice enough guy, but quite a lot of fluff about his service in the Corps. That video was a full on demonstration of dunning Krueger. Or he didn’t actually believe he could but just wanted a trip out and and time in the light.

 

[Broc]

Step 1: learn how to shoot without scoping yourself.

 

[Dennis in MA]

Agreed. Who'd want to put themselves through 100 rounds of .300 Win Mag in one afternoon, especially when the vast majority were misses?!

I'll give Jim (Backfire) credit. Even when the guy scoped himself right off the bat and missed his first few shots, Jim was pretty good to the guy. To his credit, the guy was a dead eye at 100 yards, but not so great beyond that!

Didn't watch it, but that's the point. 100 yards, not much affects the bullet but your aim. The further you go, the more that wind and temp and correolis effect will muck with your accuracy.

 

[paulleve]

Didn't watch it, but that's the point. 100 yards, not much affects the bullet but your aim. The further you go, the more that wind and temp and correolis effect will muck with your accuracy.

All of those variables will affect accuracy, but the guy was shooting at milk jugs (roughly 6" by 10") at ranges between 100-600 yards. He hit all 7 jugs between 100-200 yards, but then missed 37 of the 47 shots he took beyond 200. That's an expensive day at the range, wasting 37 rounds of 300 Win Mag!

Here are the final results. That cut between his eyebrows came from scoping himself on the first sighting round fired. Whacked himself pretty bad, with blood streaming down his face immediately afterward.

 

[Boghog1]

Should have brought a 6.5 man bun

 

[milktree]

To his credit, the guy was a dead eye at 100 yards, ...

If you can't hit a milk jug reliably at 100 yards with a scoped rifle, prone, with a bipod you kinda suck.

I do suck, and I can probably do that offhand with iron sights.

 

[Broc]

All of those variables will affect accuracy, but the guy was shooting at milk jugs (roughly 6" by 10") at ranges between 100-600 yards. He hit all 7 jugs between 100-200 yards, but then missed 37 of the 47 shots he took beyond 200. That's an expensive day at the range, wasting 37 rounds of 300 Win Mag!

Here are the final results. That cut between his eyebrows came from scoping himself on the first sighting round fired. Whacked himself pretty bad, with blood streaming down his face immediately afterward.

View attachment 857408

Even on a windy day, I am not sure how someone can miss 50% of their shots between 200-300.
Even with a 6.5cm and not adjusting for wind I have no trouble hitting targets smaller than that at 300 yards. A 300 Win Mag should do that easy.

Backfire should find a competent shooter, not some random internet warrior.

Some of his videos are sh*tty like that. Other are great.

I could see someone missing at 400-600 yards. At those distances the milk jugs might be close to 1 MOA. If you don't have proper load development (sub MOA reloads or factory ammo) and experience reading the wind, that is easy to miss.

 

[PappyM3]

Should have brought a 6.5 man bun

That’s probably what I’d use. I mean, it would still have over 1k ft/lbs of energy at 600 yards.

But I do have respect for him bringing 300WM. It is supposed to be a hunting challenge after all, and that’s one of the quintessential hunting cartridges for long range hunting.

All of those variables will affect accuracy, but the guy was shooting at milk jugs (roughly 6" by 10") at ranges between 100-600 yards. He hit all 7 jugs between 100-200 yards, but then missed 37 of the 47 shots he took beyond 200. That's an expensive day at the range, wasting 37 rounds of 300 Win Mag!

Here are the final results. That cut between his eyebrows came from scoping himself on the first sighting round fired. Whacked himself pretty bad, with blood streaming down his face immediately afterward.

View attachment 857408

Those are dismal records. It should be 100% out to 300. A 5mph wind error would only be 3” at 300.

I would hope for close to 100% at 400, and then could see 50% at 600. Sometimes wind is a bitch. But looking at one of this groups when “sighting in”, I don’t know if the wind was the issue at 600.

Edit: personally, I don’t think I’d actually consider hunting at 600 yards unless I had something like a 7 PRC; high BC, high speed. Too many variables out of my control like wind shifts or the animal moving while the bullet was in flight.

 

[Chevy 2 65]

Step 1: learn how to shoot without scoping yourself.

Step2: Be an operator, and use 6.5