Day 1: 613 Yards
Does it still count as a cold bore challenge when it’s already 93 degrees at 10:00 am? Luckily it was dead calm in the desert today, maybe a trickle of a 1-2 mph 11 o clock wind. My backyard is 20,000 acres of beautiful BLM desert land, and it was another gorgeous morning.
I started making these homemade targets about 10 years ago. They are a 10” circle with a triangle in the center. I’ve found that in shooting ( A LOT of shooting) my eye is drawn to bring my cross hair to the top of a triangle. I do not know why, I’ve tried all kinds of different aim shapes etc. and the top of a triangle aim point just works for me. This bright construction paper works great and are .99 cents at my local dollar tree.
Took the ATV to a nice clearing I’ve used in the past for some long range shooting. It shoots downhill with targets being able to be setup as far as 2,500 yards. Meopta Optika LRs ranged the target at 613 yards from my shooting position this morning. This is a field simulated shot and is a common shot I will take on big game. Using as much of the pack as possible to stabilize the rifle, with a lightweight backpacking rear rest and puffy. It’s incredible how stable you can get like this with practice.
Rifle is a Tikka 7 SAUM
McGowen 20” Barrel
SWFA SS HD 3-9x42
TIPro3 Brake
Altitude Stock
High Desert Bottom Metal
Hornady 175 Grain ELDX Hand Loads
First qualifying shot at 613 yards was a success! What a fun challenge and cannot wait for tomorrow after church! Will be hot as heck, but at least my bore won’t be ice cold ;-)
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Day 2: 614 Yards
Had a great time at church celebrating Father’s Day. It warmed up and quick and is actually the hottest day of the year so far today. Our 4 year old, Scuttle (in front) got the call today over the ATV. Our 3 year old, DJ, was pretty upset I didn’t pony her along. Busted out the oversized flat brimmed sun hat as it was going to be 102 degrees during shot time. My wife and 6 year old son say I look like a retired life guard, but this thing just works for riding and shooting in the bright sun. Also, my 3 year old son says I look “really cool” so I’ll take it.
I set up in the exact same spot as yesterday, shooting off my pack again. I left my target out there in the same spot and luckily the cattle didn’t come through and tear it up. My binos said I was at 614 yards today even though the target never moved, and I laid down in the exact same spot. I guess the 100 degree heat added an extra yard to the shot today?
I got out there just before the wind started picking up. When I took the shot it was dead calm. By the time I got home the wind was gusting 15-20 mph which the young horses weren’t too happy about. Lucky timing for sure and feels a bit like cheating with not having any wind call/hold or dial.
The mirage was really bad today, something I’m very used to shooting/hunting in Arizona over the years. Takes a lot of practice dealing with mirage and trusting your fundamentals/muscle memory. When I took the shot it honestly felt amazing, but I could not see a hit in the scope. I pulled out the Meopta 15’s and put them on a tripod, and I still could not see a hit in the circle anywhere. Thought somehow I had missed due to the mirage and began the ride of shame down to the target. I was blaming the mirage, blaming my stupid sun hat, thinking of all the excuses I could make up.
To my surprise, I ended up having an amazing hit! Bottom right side of the triangle!!! I actually laughed out loud and gave Scuttle a big pat on the neck. I’ll be back out early tomorrow morning and will be stepping back a couple hundred yards further up the wash.
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Day 3: 743 Yards
Same target was still in place this morning, the cattle have been rarely kind and left the tripod alone again last night. A little bit of overcast rolling in this morning with winds 4-6 mph at the targets.
I moved further up the wash until I guessed that I was around 800 yards from the targets. I have confirmed hits out to 800 yards with this rifle, and haven't gone out any further out with it yet. I found a good spot to set up with a clear line through the brush/cactus, pulled out the RF binos and ranged the top right 10" circle target at 743 yards.
This is the field position that I have killed the most big and small game animals with by far, and is usually my go to for quick field kills (well over 10,000 squirrels, rabbits, coyotes, etc). Spartan Javelin quick attach long leg bipod gets strapped to the outside of my pack and can be deployed in seconds.
Wind was 4-6 mph from 1 o-clock at the targets but we got a reading of steady 3 mph from 2 o-clock from the shooting position. Come up 4.3 mils, and my hunting partner made a call of come right .4 mil. Aiming for top right target this time... It's another dead animal!
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Day 4: 768 Yards
Couldn't make it out for my 4th shot yesterday as work had me tied up. Weather called for zero wind this morning so I woke up at sunrise to head out. My 6 year old son JJ was already up on the couch eating a granola bar and asked him if he wanted to come along; he was excited to say the least.
We got out to the target I've been using and the cattle were not as kind over the last couple days. They used my tripod as a scratching post, knocking the board over and tearing up the target. We got a new target in place and made the trek up towards the same spot as Day 3.
JJ's been glassing for me since he was about 2 and half years old. While he's still not very proficient, he practices as often as he can. We ended up with a range of 768 yards from the target today.
Setup prone on my pack today, same as days 1 and 2. Wind was just starting to get a 2-3 mph reading from the anemometer from 7 o-clock. Temp was 85 degrees, 3% humidity, 1,600 feet of elevation. Come up 4.5 mils and held .15 mil left.
JJ said he didn't see an impact, but once we got to the target he found the shot placement. This was an unbelievably fun challenge and great excuse to get outside 4 out of the last 5 days. Looking forward to working more with this rifle and seeing what its capabilities are.
Right now I'm thinking it's a 850-900 yard MER gun with the max 9 power scope. If I put a 5-15 on this gun, I'd be more confident stretching it out even further as the 7 SAUM has plenty of juice left. Need more time and practice and I've already started that today (more info in the Q&A thread).