MER 650 yards
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Weapon System: MDT HNT 26 chassis, Defiance Anti-X action, Geissele Super 700 trigger, 16.5” Proof Research 6mm CF barrel chambered in 6CM, Dead Air Nomad TI XC suppressor, Nightforce NX8 4-32x50 MIL-XT in Nightforce Rings, Trijicon SRO (will take it off for hunting season here shortly).
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Ammunition: Handload- Hornady 6CM brass, Federal 210 Gold Medal Primers, H4350, 109 ELD-M producing 2840 fps AVG at sealevel with an SD around 10-14.
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Support gear: EXO K4, Stone Glacier Sentinel Bino Harness, MDT Mountain Bipod, LS Wild 2-5 2/3 filled waxed canvas bag.
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Ballistic Solver: Revic App, Revic BLR 10Bs, Kestrel 1000 (wind only).
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Digiscope System: Epoch Outdoors Mountain Mag system, iPhone 17 Pro, and a Swaro STC
HIT: Shot #1:
Infil and Target Placement: After work, I hiked into some public land with my worthless golden doodle. It’s nor golden and doesn’t retrieve. Anyways in one spot I gained a little over 1000 feet elevation in a mile. Once up we started ranging possible target locations eventually settling on a spot just below a ridgeline. With the target in place at
576 yards, we followed the ridgeline to establish our firing position. Settled on a spot and broke out dinner for the both of us. After dinner, it was go time!
Shot Conditions: Partly cloudy, 65F, elevation around 3k MSL. The wind has steadily increased from when we first got up there and now was generally a full value from left to right in what I estimated at 4-6 mph at my position. Didn’t have much vegetation at the target location so I was using heat mirage to try and estimate it at distance. I thought it was more than where it was at my position, so leaned in with a bold wind call. Ugh, I was nervous to break the shot!
The Shot: For the shot, I elected for bipod front and bag rear, dialed 3.2 and held .7 left for wind and broke the shot. So relieved for a hit.
Reflections: Two come to mind. First, these stinking CBCs have me dry firing and over analyzing. I need to follow the succinct shot process of IDing the target, ranging, dialing, building a position, wind call, shot execution, and respond to downrange feedback.
Second, and not related to shooting…as I went to retrieve the steel and pack it back down off the mountain, I was greeted by three young Dall sheep popping up atop the mountain behind me. So cool and a great way to end the day.
HIT: Shot #2:
Infil and Target Placement: After working the day, got home and packed up with the intention to shoot a new spot. After driving to my primary, alternate, and contingency spots were all unsuitable for a variety of reason, I ended up at my final location. Walked down and set the target in place at
598 yards then back to the firing position. It was now about 9:30pm and thank the good Lord for long Alaskan summer nights- plenty of daylight.
Shot Conditions: Cloudy, 60F, light and intermittent rain, elevation around 500ft MSL. The target location was pretty sheltered from the wind. I couldn’t feel any at the target. At the firing position, I had a light and recurrent ½ value wind for what I’d estimate 2 mph. Putting my reflections from Shot #1 into action, I tried to follow the process deliberately, and quickly. After the artificiality of getting the digiscoping video running, build a prone position only to see I was too low. Needing to get higher, I build a new position.
The Shot: For the shot, I elected for tripod front and backpack rear, dialed 3.4 and held .1 left for spindrift and broke the shot. Grateful for the hit.
Reflections: This was a very similar shot set up a blacktail I killed on Kodiak last year- tripod front and backpack rear to get the needed height above the brush. Wobble zone was acceptable on this shot but I could have brought the backpack closer to better consume the deadspace between my body and the weapon.
HIT: Shot #3:
Infil and Target Placement: Was out on an overnight bear hunting trip / testing some different gear (
@Marbles thanks!). With no cold bore shot on a bear, I found a spot along my way back to set up. Got the target set up
659 yards and went back to the firing position.
Shot Conditions: Cloudy, 52F, elevation around 1,400ft MSL. The wind 8-12 mph, and occasionally died off to 3mph, or gusted to 15mph +. Thank that the way I had to lay out the target and firing position this was essentially a 12 o'clock "in yo face!" wind. Lots of adjacent vegetation to observe wind.
The Shot: For the shot, I wanted to shoot a different position than the previous two shots. Went with the tried and true backpack front and bino rear a really stable prone supported position. I dialed 3.9 and favored slightly left of the pink center for a .1~.2 for spindrift, shot, and watched impact.
Reflections: The recent Exo Mtn Gear podcast episode 584 with
@Mark at EXO and Paul Schommer was on my mind. With the target in place, I walked back and thought about building a position, breathe control, then execution. I wasn't coming in from a max effort ski lap but rather sloshing through mud, and over deadfall. When I went for this shot, I felt confident- confident because the output of the process is a hit. I waited for the wind to lay down a bit, followed the process and watched splash in my reticle. Shot #1 I was so outcome focused- I wanted the hit so I dry fired two dozen times. Shot #3 felt the easiest, and I suspect it's because I'm more process focused.
MISS: Shot #4:
Infil and Target Placement: Flew into well known strip in the morning and got the target set up
647 yards and went back to the firing position.
Shot Conditions: Sunny, 74F, elevation around 200ft MSL. The wind was very light if at all. Heat mirage was at first useful but as the day heated up, it became problematic to clearly see the edges of the target.
The Shot: For the shot, I wanted to shoot a different position than the previous three shots. Due to target position, I had to get up high so elected to use my Aziak Ridgeline tripod for front support and my K4 3600 bag for rear support. I dialed 3.9 and held straight up to seeing a light mirage that would zero out spin drift at that distance, shot and watched impact. Missed about 3" low.
Reflections: Follow the shot process. Glad the CBC is over as I was able to shoot follow up shots on this last target and make repeated hits.
