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Starting out in long range shooting

HarryPottar

HarryPottar

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Hi All,

I have just purchased my first bolt action rifle a Ruger Precision Rifle in 308 with a Vortex PST 2 FFP 5-25-50 scope.

I picked up the Caldwell Target Camera rather than a spotting scope.

I want to start learning long range shooting, I'm a member of the Hopkinton Sportsmen's Association, so I'm limited to 200 yards (once approved).

I did find a 1000 yard range at Granby Bow and Gun Club that I may enquire about joining as well.

I've spent countless hours watching some really good educational videos on long range shootings scopes MOA etc.

I plan to go out this weekend and break in the barrel and zero in the scope.

What do I need in data books, DOPE charts, ballistic apps etc.

I've already ordered my hand loading setup to go along with my 650, I have another thread on that.

Ordered Head Space measuring equipment etc.

What else should I look for.

thanks in advance

harry
 
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Patience, that is what you will learn to value most. You will have good days and then you will have miserable days and you have to learn and trouble shoot why one day you go from shooting sub MOA to the next which you weren't sure you were even aiming at the correct target.

Case in point, I generally run .5" groups and one day I decided to take the sun shade off. BIG MISTAKE. In the process I rotated the objective lenses ever so slightly and threw off my parallax. Frustrated that I couldn't focus or hit anything I went home only to spend all night googling and learning how to correct it. The outcome actually arrived at helping me to properly set the parallax on my scope and I was back into quarter groups after a few rounds.
 
Is this some thing I need or are there better, the only reason I ask is on the Granby Bow and Gun Club web site it states

Members must also bring their membership badge, rifle, match grade ammunition, equipment, data books and DOPE charts (ballistic phone apps are fine) needed to calculate a final firing solution for targets between 350 yards 1020 yards.
Click to expand...


https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Tactical-Heavy-Paper-Modular/dp/B00CCQ8MKA

Thanks

harry
 
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HarryPottar said:
Hi All,

I have just purchased my first bolt action rifle a Ruger Precision Rifle in 308 with a Vortex PST 2 FFP 5-25-50 scope.

I picked up the Caldwell Target Camera rather than a spotting scope.

I want to start learning long range shooting, I'm a member of the Hopkinton Sportsmen's Association, so I'm limited to 200 yards (once approved).

I did find a 1000 yard range at Granby Bow and Gun Club that I may enquire about joining as well.

I've spent countless hours watching some really good educational videos on long range shootings scopes MOA etc.

I plan to go out this weekend and break in the barrel and zero in the scope.

What do I need in data books, DOPE charts, ballistic apps etc.

I've already ordered my hand loading setup to go along with my 650, I have another thread on that.

Ordered Head Space measuring equipment etc.

What else should I look for.

thanks in advance

harry
Click to expand...

How experienced are you? What kind of shooting have you done in the past? What distance have you shot at already? What kind of shooting do you want to do? What kind of target do you want to shoot at?

Everybody seems to think 1000 yards is the "magic distance" that they want to shoot at, when they really need to concentrate on 200-300-600 yards. You can't do it at 1000 until you can do it at 200. Get yourself a SR1 target (standard 200 yard Highpower Rifle target), lay down prone, slung-up, and shoot until you can keep all 10 or 20 shots in the X-ring. Then move on to the next distance (300 Yards).
Don't plan on shooting with a sling? Bipod or front rest more your style? F-class is what you want to get involved in to learn about shooting distances.
600 yards is the furthest distance we regularly shoot at around here, and trust me: it's a long ways away.
I suggest you get involved in some aspect of competitive Highpower Rifle shooting in your area. Those guys know just about everything you want to know and are true masters of "The Rifle".
 
Pat, I know you know the SR1 is reduced for 100 yards. I think I heard a brain fart there LOL.


HarryPottar, still good advice above. I'd start by working at 200 yards. If you can maintain sub MOA at 200, then try 300 and next 600. You need to be proficient at 600 before attempting 1000.


You need to verify that your loads will remain supersonic beyond 1000. That requires a chronograph. Borrow if you can. Bullets get unstable as they drop below the sound barrier and ballistics for most bullets will become unpredictable at the transition. There are apps and software for ballistics- I'll post a link when I return home. Also for the ballistics apps \ software you will need to know the BC for whatever bullet you use.
 
Data book is useful when you are accurate enough for it to matter. That talks silly amounts of patience & practice, not $.

Ballistic apps, I use Shooter but there are others. You will need to know a lot about your setup for these to be worthwhile (and effective).

At Granby, you will probably want to shoot with a partner as the 25x won't let you see impacts even if you get back on the scope fast enough. That requires a spotting scope. You won't find many people willing to wait half an hour for you to setup your target camera and it won't help you at different distances.

Pat is correct, practice at 2-4-6 before lobbing them out to 1.

Get a book on wind. If you want to shoot distance, Mother Nature is the cruelest competitor you will ever meet.


Or just say eff it and lob em out and adjust off the impacts. [emoji19]

Oh and per the previous comment, there are days when everything is working, every adjustment is perfect, and that gong is ringing every time at 1k. Then there are days where you do everything right, think you read the wind right, yet never see the impacts. Learning which one is you will be critical.

Many of us have been shooting our entire lives and are still learning, still need to practice, and still miss when it counts. Expecting to jump in and learn it all in a few months is foolhardy but that shouldn't stop someone from trying.
 
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Thank you all for the great advice, I'm just starting out, my experience so far is hand guns and some 223.

I want to walk before I run but I'm extremely technically minded and I love working to exacting data.

I'm going to be shooting the RPR for the first time this weekend and plan to do barrel break in and zero-in the scope.

My eldest son is ex-army and is coming with me to help me sight in and get going.

I plan to start shooting at 100 and move to 200 at hopkinton( i have to get approved first). Not sure on the timeline, 6 months, 1 or 2 years but plan to go out further.

I already reload and plan to start precision hand loading as well.

Currently have some factory match grade ammo to do the barrel break in and sight in.

Seems like it will be a fun journey.

harry
 
Mountain said:
Pat, I know you know the SR1 is reduced for 100 yards. I think I heard a brain fart there LOL.


HarryPottar, still good advice above. I'd start by working at 200 yards. If you can maintain sub MOA at 200, then try 300 and next 600. You need to be proficient at 600 before attempting 1000.


You need to verify that your loads will remain supersonic beyond 1000. That requires a chronograph. Borrow if you can. Bullets get unstable as they drop below the sound barrier and ballistics for most bullets will become unpredictable at the transition. There are apps and software for ballistics- I'll post a link when I return home. Also for the ballistics apps \ software you will need to know the BC for whatever bullet you use.
Click to expand...

No, you're right. It's the SR-C target.
 
Oh it's fun as shit. It's also exponentially frustrating the further out you go. When the bullet flight is nearly three seconds, you know it's going to get interesting.

I started shooting long distance with .223 reloads and that journey was a blast! There is a thread about it around here somewhere.
 
IMO 308 is not a very good round to start shooting out to 1000, you would have been better off with 6.5CM for an off-the-shelf 1k rifle. Make sure that what ever ammo you use will stay stay stable out to 1K, most 308 destabilizes around 800 yds. You will have to try out some different 175gr loads or make some hand loads.
As a side note, 308 and 223 have surprisingly similar trajectories and sonic transition distance.

I have had no problem shooting to 1000 with the 'Strelok' ballistic app on my smart phone.
Dialing locks for bullet drop is easy, but as bigblue said, reading the wind is where you hit or miss the target.
 
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I would recommend you get out to reading for one of there high power clinics. Also they have several midrange prone matches along with several other types of matches. Not sure when or how many but they did do a 22lr 200 yard shoot. Which is a lot of fun.
As mentioned starting off things can be frustrating. I have a "varmint" rifle in 223 that I have a scope on and at 200 yards I was getting almost boring results. I went out to reading at 600 and although I found paper I used about every inch of it ! Looking to get back again this year and do better...
As for a long book. I would at least just keep basic notes on your load,weather and scope settings.
So once you have a load that you can shoot well you have some base line data for when you move out to 300-600+
I don't know what you have for a reticle but get very familiar with it.
 
Does anyone here do 9mm long distance? If so, what's the farthest you've been able to hit accurately with it?
 
SKumar said:
Does anyone here do 9mm long distance? If so, what's the farthest you've been able to hit accurately with it?
Click to expand...

200yds with about 4 moa groups. Using an Aimpoint and terrain for hold reference. Could probably push it out further, but need a scope to figure out the holds/clicks.
The problem would be running out of scope or having to walk it in. Both are a safety factor because you don't actually know where the round is going.
 
I picked up a copy of The Ultimate Sniper - an advanced training manual for military and police snipers by Maj. Plaster. It has sections on weapon selection, other gear, fieldcraft (which relate well to hunting) as well as ballistics, but the one section that I read a couple times a year is the section on wind.

A plinker studies trajectory tables but a master studies the wind.
 

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