Shooting at 300 yards

peterk123

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Shot off the bench last week and I had 4 inch groups. Shot prone off my pack and I was a foot low. I was dealing with 25mph cross wind but that should not have ended up in a drop. Uggh. Other than to zero the gun, I'm done with bench shooting. Gotta learn to shoot for real.

Still fun. I enjoy trying to solve these problems. Can't imagine taking a shot at am animal at 600 yards.
 
A few things that can affect point of impact:

Pressure on a non free floated barrel: Shooting from the bench with a bag or bipod positioned toward the front of the stock can cause upward pressure on a barrel and higher point of impact. From a pack on the ground pressure is spread out more evenly.

Parallax: If a scope is not adjusted for parallax at a particular distance, moving your head side to side or up and down a little can change the view through a scope. Switching from bench to prone can change the way you're looking through the scope.

Incoming wind: I always find crosswinds much easier to deal with than incoming or outgoing!

Differences in ammo. Changing brand, bullet type, or muzzle velocity can all have an effect on point of impact. (I was at the range last spring and a guy next to me was having a bear of a time sighting in a red dot on a Tavor. When he asked for some help I noticed steel cased and brass mixed together on the bench. On closer look there were different bullet weights in addition to a variety of manufacturers. Once we loaded one ammo type at a time, he noticed groups getting much better!)

At 100 yards these conditions have an effect, but it's far more noticeable the further out you go!
 
Shot off the bench last week and I had 4 inch groups. Shot prone off my pack and I was a foot low. I was dealing with 25mph cross wind but that should not have ended up in a drop. Uggh. Other than to zero the gun, I'm done with bench shooting. Gotta learn to shoot for real.

Still fun. I enjoy trying to solve these problems. Can't imagine taking a shot at am animal at 600 yards.
Bench to prone completely changes your position , head , body Eye heck even where you support the rifle with have a impact.
Same as going from prone to standing off hand. I need to hold a few minutes higher ( sometimes I will adjust) in prone
25mph cross wind? Whats that about 4min of change?
Its all fun. Keep a log book
Heck even the light and angle of light can have a impact on your “zero”
I know theres a little quirky saying but I forget
If its very bright out you tend to shoot “low” and when its darker or over cast you tend to shoot high

Even still 4” groups are not “bad” at 300 yards. The trick is getting those groups where they should be….
 
Tracking Point has a new name 🤔


What happened to TrackingPoint rifles?

Image result for tracking point rifle


In November 2018, Talon Precision Optics, of Jacksonville, Florida bought TrackingPoint.
 
Others have already well addressed the POI issue. With a modern rifle and decent glass it should not be difficult to stay under 2 MOA / under 12" at 600 yards. Better glass and a top shelf barrel can cut that in half if you do a reasonable job of reading the wind.

You do need a stable platform. Use a good sandbag or learn to use a service rifle sling. If you ever make it to Mass, there's a bunch of us who can teach service rifle shooting.
 
A few things that can affect point of impact:

Pressure on a non free floated barrel: Shooting from the bench with a bag or bipod positioned toward the front of the stock can cause upward pressure on a barrel and higher point of impact. From a pack on the ground pressure is spread out more evenly.

Parallax: If a scope is not adjusted for parallax at a particular distance, moving your head side to side or up and down a little can change the view through a scope. Switching from bench to prone can change the way you're looking through the scope.

Incoming wind: I always find crosswinds much easier to deal with than incoming or outgoing!

Differences in ammo. Changing brand, bullet type, or muzzle velocity can all have an effect on point of impact. (I was at the range last spring and a guy next to me was having a bear of a time sighting in a red dot on a Tavor. When he asked for some help I noticed steel cased and brass mixed together on the bench. On closer look there were different bullet weights in addition to a variety of manufacturers. Once we loaded one ammo type at a time, he noticed groups getting much better!)

At 100 yards these conditions have an effect, but it's far more noticeable the further out you go!

I installed a bipod on my AR and I didn’t notice the MLOK screws made contact with my gas block. I took a friend coyote hunting and I couldn’t hit a damn thing, I missed three and I was beside myself. Went out the next day and it was off the target at 100 yards. It took me a bit to figure it out because I was so sure it couldn’t possibly have been the bipod.
 
I installed a bipod on my AR and I didn’t notice the MLOK screws made contact with my gas block. I took a friend coyote hunting and I couldn’t hit a damn thing, I missed three and I was beside myself. Went out the next day and it was off the target at 100 yards. It took me a bit to figure it out because I was so sure it couldn’t possibly have been the bipod.

Had the same issue, found a small work around for it. Not sure if it has really helped. Need to shoot it more.
 
Had the same issue, found a small work around for it. Not sure if it has really helped. Need to shoot it more.

I just moved it back one MLOK slot and it cleared the gas block. It was right back on target. I’m really digging coyote hunting with 6mm ARC with 103ELD-x. It’s a DMR rifle so it’s a little heavy but I’m just laying in the truck bed so it’s not an issue.
 
4” at 300 with a 25 mph crosswind? I call that decent shooting. Even more so if the wind comes in gusts. As for the drop, make sure your scope doesn’t shadow and you always have the same cheek weld. The t3x doesn’t have an adjustable comb, so you might have to figure something out. Also, is it a sporter? Thin barrels are less stiff than heavy ones and heat up quicker, which will affect your point of impact greatly.
 
4” at 300 with a 25 mph crosswind? I call that decent shooting. Even more so if the wind comes in gusts. As for the drop, make sure your scope doesn’t shadow and you always have the same cheek weld. The t3x doesn’t have an adjustable comb, so you might have to figure something out. Also, is it a sporter? Thin barrels are less stiff than heavy ones and heat up quicker, which will affect your point of impact greatly.
It is. I am letting the barrel cool between shots. I just need more practice. All part of the fun.
 
I installed a bipod on my AR and I didn’t notice the MLOK screws made contact with my gas block. I took a friend coyote hunting and I couldn’t hit a damn thing, I missed three and I was beside myself. Went out the next day and it was off the target at 100 yards. It took me a bit to figure it out because I was so sure it couldn’t possibly have been the bipod.
I had that happen with my sling mount on one of my AR’s ended up filing down the screws 3/32 or so to get a good amount of barrel flex clearance. I remember this was an issue with the old TRG’s for a while. The bipod screws would make contact with the barrel when under load and barrel flex.
 
Shot off the bench last week and I had 4 inch groups. Shot prone off my pack and I was a foot low. I was dealing with 25mph cross wind but that should not have ended up in a drop. Uggh. Other than to zero the gun, I'm done with bench shooting. Gotta learn to shoot for real.

Still fun. I enjoy trying to solve these problems. Can't imagine taking a shot at am animal at 600 yards.

Shooting benchrest off a loose bag allows you to introduce many negative variables. Shooting bench off a bipod is better but still not the ideal means of a rock solid rifle hold. At minimum i encourage you to shoot prone with a bipod and a rear bag, and have the ability to immobilize the bipod legs , and "load" the bipod by digging your toes into the ground and forcing your body and shouldered hold forward.
 
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I had that happen with my sling mount on one of my AR’s ended up filing down the screws 3/32 or so to get a good amount of barrel flex clearance. I remember this was an issue with the old TRG’s for a while. The bipod screws would make contact with the barrel when under load and barrel flex.

I have an original Colt SP1 that I use for CMP Games matches once in a blue moon. My slung zero (prone) vs un-slung zero (standing) is a 3 minute windage difference at 200 yards. Some of that might just be position (prone vs standing), but not 3 minute worth.

This is why float tubes and rails are a thing....
 
Shot off the bench last week and I had 4 inch groups. Shot prone off my pack and I was a foot low. I was dealing with 25mph cross wind but that should not have ended up in a drop. Uggh. Other than to zero the gun, I'm done with bench shooting. Gotta learn to shoot for real.

Still fun. I enjoy trying to solve these problems. Can't imagine taking a shot at am animal at 600 yards.
What is "shooting for real" if you can't bench shoot?

Bench shooting can be very serious and challenging. Reading the wind is a skill that requires a lot of practice.
 
Benchrest shooting a couple of my nice rifles and they are half moa or under. But I consider that a test of the rifles accuracy and not mine.
At 100 yards with iron sighs with no rest and I'm a 3 moa shooter.
 
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