Long Range Gear

[Nick1584]

So, I’m new to this board and this is my first post. I need some help from you guys. I live in MS and am going to Wyoming for a Mule Deer and Antelope Hunt. I purchased a CA Mesa Titanium in a 6.5 PRC and have a Swarovski Z6 on top of it with the ballistic turret. I ordered my ammo from Hendershots and it’s the Berger 130 VLD. Unfortunately, in my area there is no great places to get it sighted in so I was wondering if there is somewhere I can send it to get everything dialed in. I have looked at Huskemaw but wasn’t sure if that’s an option. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Northpark]

Ok if I understand this right you want someone else to sight in your rifle and verify drops so you can take it out west and shoot with it?

 

[Nick1584]

Yes, being in MS I have no experience setting up a rifle to shoot long distance like this. I would feel more comfortable having someone set it up for me.

 

[ElGuapo]

Reach out to Affordable Long Range in Cedar City Utah

 

[bsnedeker]

You need to rethink this.... completely.

Long range shooting takes more than a sighted in rifle my guy. You have no business flinging bullets at animals if you haven't even shot at paper.

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[Northpark]

Ok do yourself a favor and don’t do that. Two people don’t even have the same zero on a rifle half the time because the sight picture changes. Shooting past 100-200 yards should really not be done unless you have some time on the trigger at those ranges. You can’t buy your way into shooting at extended ranges.

I’m not trying to be a jerk but it is what it is. Your best bet is to zero your rifle at 100 yards which you should be able to find easy enough anywhere in the US then run your rounds over a chronograph and get some good velocity data then run that along with all the correct data like sight height, velocity, B.C. Etc. into a ballistic computer and see drops to 300 yards and don’t shoot past that.

 

[Castle Rock]

So, I’m new to this board and this is my first post. I need some help from you guys. I live in MS and am going to Wyoming for a Mule Deer and Antelope Hunt. I purchased a CA Mesa Titanium in a 6.5 PRC and have a Swarovski Z6 on top of it with the ballistic turret. I ordered my ammo from Hendershots and it’s the Berger 130 VLD. Unfortunately, in my area there is no great places to get it sighted in so I was wondering if there is somewhere I can send it to get everything dialed in. I have looked at Huskemaw but wasn’t sure if that’s an option. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Prolly the best advice I can give you is get some one else to do the shooting for you as well

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

Yes, being in MS I have no experience setting up a rifle to shoot long distance like this. I would feel more comfortable having someone set it up for me.

Ok I'm going to be a jerk
I've seen guys like you pull this crap out here in the west, please stay home if this is really how little you respect our sport.

 

[ddavis_1313]

Ok do yourself a favor and don’t do that. Two people don’t even have the same zero on a rifle half the time because the sight picture changes. Shooting past 100-200 yards should really not be done unless you have some time on the trigger at those ranges. You can’t buy your way into shooting at extended ranges.

I’m not trying to be a jerk but it is what it is. Your best bet is to zero your rifle at 100 yards which you should be able to find easy enough anywhere in the US then run your rounds over a chronograph and get some good velocity data then run that along with all the correct data like sight height, velocity, B.C. Etc. into a ballistic computer and see drops to 300 yards and don’t shoot past that.

This right here is the best advice you’re going to get. I’m no long range expert by any means but I’ve shot out to some pretty far distances and let me tell you, knowing the bullet drop is the easiest part of the equation. And I’d send several rounds down range through a chrono practicing to verify ammo loaded by someone else. If those speeds aren’t consistent or the loads aren’t consistent, you’ll have differing point of impacts vertically at the same yardage.

You better know what affect the wind has on that bullet as well. And not just a 90 degree crosswind. Also, the wind never blows a constant number (especially out west) so you’ll need to have a way to know the exact windage or know the mph range you’re shooting in. (5-8, 10-14, 17-22, etc) then you’ll need to understand how to shoot in a varying wind. Some guys dial for the low end and shoot when the gust settles, some guys dial for the middle and shoot when the wind is blowing on the “average”. You shoot out past 400-500 and you’ll have to take spin drift into consideration too. A kestrel 5700 elite is a tool you need to have and know how to use proficiently. Or at the bare minimum, strelock pro app and run it on your phone.

This is a screen shot of the ballistics for my wife’s 7mm WSM that she shoots. It’s a stupid accurate gun. 0.09” group at 100 and 1” at 500 and she can shoot that well with it. But, look at the affect the wind has. 17 inches of drift at 600 yards. This is with a 10 mph 90 degree cross wind. 8 mph and it’s 13 inches. 12 mph and it’s 21 inches. So 8 inch difference in point of impact with only 5 mph wind variance. With zero wind the bullet will drift right almost 2 inches at 600 due to spin drift.

Not trying to beat you up or discourage you at all. I’m offering info that should be helpful. And who ever posted above about not being able to buy your way into shooting long range is mostly right. I say mostly bc you can “buy” your way into accuracy to make life easier. (Currently having a 300 prc built specifically for hunting)

For instance, if your gun only shoots 1 MOA and that’s as good as it shoots then expect 1” for every 100 yards to be your groups. 6” group at 600. Well, if I spend the money to buy a full custom gun built by a reputable builder and spend the hours doing load development and have quality glass on my rifle I should be able to get it to 1/4 moa. So 1/4” for every 100 yards equals 1.5” group at 600. I now have room for error so to speak because my wind hold can be off a mile per hour one way or the other or my yardage a little off short or long and I’ll still hit inside the 1 MOA group and not have to be perfect. And a 6” group should put any medium size game down. (Obviously I’m never shooting for worst case scenario and always wanting to hit exactly where I’m aiming)

However, here is the caveat. It doesn’t matter if the gun can shoot through the same hole at 1000 (insert a little sarcasm bc none do) if the guy pulling the trigger is a 1 moa shooter then that’s all the gun will ever shoot. Money spent and hours loading ammo becomes irrelevant.


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[hereinaz]

Hey, what you don't know, you don't know. Don't sweat the above and take it personal. The way I see it, your first post was asking the question you knew to ask. There is a lot of bad information out there, and glory videos that make it look easy. The guys posting above know there is a steep learning curve to shooting long range. A lot of guys are unrealistic, and don't even begin to ask the questions that you are asking. I've seen them out there blasting away at animals, and taking shots they never should. If you don't practice, its like taking a half court shot in basketball without ever practicing. If you make it, it is mostly luck...

But, you can prepare yourself for a western hunt and get competent if you do the right things.

My advice is to find a long range class or to buy the video series from Modern Day Sniper/Marksman. They do a fantastic job walking you through what it takes to set up a rifle and then to shoot in their videos. You definitely need to set up the rifle fit to you and zero it yourself. It isn't something that can be outsourced. You can also read and watch anything you can get your hands on from Applied Ballistics and Bryan Litz. That stuff is golden. You can also read through the long range hunting threads here, and gleam what you can.

When I help a guy set up his rifle, I won't do anything without him there so that I can make sure everything is set up to that shooter.

 

[Sadler]

This is one thing that you can’t buy. You can have someone find, quarter, pack and process your animal but it’s 100% on you when it comes to dialing in your weapon to kill it. Find the time to do it. Drive however far you need to find a range. You’ll be happy that you did.

 

[smokinbobf4]

Agree with all of the others. Do the work yourself. If you can’t find a place to practice then don’t think you can just show up and do it. The more I learn about it the less I think I know. It is extremely fun and addictive once you start though!


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[Tmac]

There is nothing wrong with paying a service to develop a load and sight your rifle in. If that’s what you want to do, do it.

But, you must find a range so you can shoot it yourself. Different shooters can have different points of impact. You also need some practice. You don’t mention what range you want to shoot to, the longer you wish to shoot the more you should pay attention to many of the comments above.

If you can find a place to shoot to 200, or better yet 300, that’s a start. You can also take some time and shoot while in WY. One can almost always stalk closer, and one can always pass a shot. Learn your limits and stick to them is my advice.

 

[mrolen]

You need to get some trigger time before you take up long range hunting.

 

[Freeride]

What is the longest range you have access to?
Are you new to shooting sports or just this rifle/scope set up for you?

If new then find a place sight your scope in at 100. Practice, practice, practice. Slowly move out further and further and mark down your actual drops you have. Just dont think that shooting at 800 is 2x harder then at 400, its not a linear curve in the long distance world.

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Won’t take the condescending approach.

Zeroing a rifle is straightforward; plenty of info is available online. But you can always ask someone at a local range to help you or at least provide some guidance. Common to zero at 100 yards or 200 yards. Set “zero” on your scope in accordance to manufacturer’s instructions.

Next is to run a few rounds through a chronograph and average the velocities. Can get a MagnetoSpeed for under $200. Then put the info into a ballistic app; either on your phone or online.

Next go confirm the information from the app. You can get lucky and it’ll be spot on or you may need to make some adjustments. This does include range time. Go however far you can at the range.

Note: You should re-chronograph a few rounds from every box of ammo that has a different lot number.

Take a shooting fundamentals class. Then go work on improving your shooting fundamentals. If you have a dialed-in rifle and solid shooting fundamentals, extending your range is easier (not necessarily easy). Any flaws in your fundamentals gets magnified with each passing yard.

Folks’ egos and their overestimation of their shooting fundamentals is why some people express their feelings so forcefully on the subject of shooting at extended distances.

It’s a hell of a lot easier to ring steel at 800 than an animal at the same distance. I’ve yet to see a shooting bench while hunting; excluding some high class “blinds” in Texas (from photos).

Work your way up at your own speed. I know a guy that never shot past 100 yards. We went to the range and I had him go straight to 400. Ding! Ding! Ding! Three straight shots; would have gone further but that was as far as the range allowed. But he did it with 100% success rate the rest of the range session.

Folks have to get past the mental hurdle of “I can’t shoot that far”. Some folks may require thousands of rounds and moving 1 yard at a time to build up their skill and confidence. Others may move quicker. Go at your speed. But remember you own each shot and any repercussions from them.

Wind is an evil beach that is “art”. That takes a lot of work and is a separate conversation.

 

[mmac]

Quick search shows at least 5 long range shooting ranges past 300 yards and at least one long range shooting school all in Miss. if you can find time to go to Wyoming you can spend the time driving to the range and learn how to shoot further than 300.

 

[ptmn]

If and it's a big "if" someone holds similar zero to you and sights in your scope at 100 yards, you might and it's a big "might" be close enough at 100 yards.

Unfortunately you mentioned your intent is long range shooting. Once you push to the 500 to 1000 yard ranges, that rifle sighted in by someone other than you is just uselessly throwing lead down range and that's it.

I'm no competitive shooter and never played one on TV, but I served on a sniper team for almost 10 years. My suggestion is that you go ahead and take advantage of what range you have to completely master the basics yourself.

My sniper rifle is zero'd specifically to me, by me. My observer's rifle was zero'd by him, for him. If I fire his rifle, I can get a one hole 5 shot group at 100, but that group will NOT be centered on the eyeball of the target, since it was zero'd by my observer specifically for him. Same goes if my observer is firing my rifle, he will shoot a one hole 5 shot group, but it will NOT be centered on the eyeball of the picture target.

A 200 yard is good for basics, but if you only have 100 yards, use it to master your breathing cycles, controlling your heart rate under stress and the list goes on and on.

Once you master the basics and you push out to extended range, you have an even bigger hill to climb learning more advanced exterior ballistic effects like ammo lots, wind, temperature, elevation and air density and the list goes on and on.

I'm not discouraging you, in fact it's the opposite, I am encouraging you to learn and train. The only reason I mentioned the above details is because from your posting of having someone else zero your rifle for you, it doesn't seem like you are aware of what goes into long range training. It's not that simple.

I run a Leupold Mk4 M3 fixed 10x with bullet drop compensator cam ring out to 1000 yards. The uninformed sometimes think if that rifle is zero'd at 100, then you just set the BDC to 800 if you want to hit at 800 and you're good. It doesn't quite work that way, there is a lot more variables involved to effectively put the first round on target

Instead of dialing dope, there's also the option of using hold off and hold over using a Horus H58 or H59 reticle. I'm old school, so those articles are too "busy" for me, but you should study up and make your decision at the beginning of your long range training journey.

Go to a beginner long range shooting course, find a mentor that's been through sniper school (preferably SOTIC) or one of the forum members that's done a lot of long range hunting and be a sponge. Keep your mouth and opinions suppressed, but keep your eyes, ears and attitude open.

 

[orelkaddict]

It really is something you need to do yourself, that said I get it if you're not comfortable doing it yourself. I have people coming to me each year asking for me to do the same thing you're asking for. There's plenty of videos online to guide you to get started here, look at Long Range Only and maybe reach out on specific questions. Sam @ Panhandle Precision has some great videos as well. Maybe listen to Modern Day Sniper podcasts and try to pick up a few things. No offense to the OP but this is why I hate the phrase "1000 yards out of the box"!!! I meet people every year that think if they buy a specific rifle and optics than they just need it sighted in with a DOPE chart and then they can go hunt and shoot at animal's way out there!! I shoot out to just over a mile on a fairly regular basis in different locations under different conditions and I can tell you that I'm still learning constantly!!!! Elevation might be simple physics but the wind is freaking Voodoo!! It takes a lot of practice to "try" to learn how to read wind, so please do yourself a favor and when you make it out west for your hunts please keep to a maximum distance that you've actually practiced at. Otherwise you're just going to open the opportunities for wounded horror stories. I'm pretty sure you don't want that to happen, otherwise you wouldn't be on here asking for help.

 

[Seeknelk]

So this ammo you ordered from hendershot..is it custom loaded for your rifle? Did you shoot some loads they sent you already to find the sweet spot load?
Ok, people are right when they say YOU need to shoot your gun. And shoot it a lot well beyond ranges you wish to hunt.
However , if you want someone to do the initial set up and sight it in roughly and then SHOW you how it all works then it could be done. Especially scope mounting, levels, etc. But id say immerse yourself into it and do it yourself. You'll learn way more and appreciate it.
Just to be clear, people have no business shooting at game at ranges they haven't shot at themselves for sure and it's usually less.