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Old 11-02-2012, 05:47 AM
  #2  
slowr1der
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Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 228
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Well, many quality rangefinders will range quite a bit further than 400 yards. So if you want to rely on a simple solution, you may want to upgrade your rangefinder.

If you don't care about using a rangefinder, you can range items with a mildot reticle. You have to know the approximate size of what are ranging, and that can tell you how far it is.
Here is a site I found quickly on Google that explains it more in depth. http://www.mil-dot.com/articles/the-mildot-reticle

It also helps to have a ballistics calculator on a smartphone or tablet. You can do without this, but it is much easier to just plug in the numbers than it is to do it by hand. You also will need to practice reading the wind and getting good at it. Once you know the yardage, the wind speed and direction, and information about the load you are shooting, you can punch it into a ballistics calculator and it will tell you where to adjust your scope.

As for a scope, this is an important part. A $1000 scope won't make a bad shooting a good shot at 500+ yards, but a $100 scope will seriously hinder a good shooter. For long range shooting, you will need a scope that tracks true and is repeatable. This ules out many of the cheaper popular scopes. I also am a fan of Mil/Mil scopes. This means the turrets adjust in mils to match the reticle instead of 1/4" clicks. About the best scope you can get for the money in my opinion is the SWFA SS scopes. You can get a fixed power scope in 10x,16x, or 20x for right around $300-400 from them. IMO these are great scopes, but not what you would want for hunting as I believe even 10x is too much at times.

Then they offer their SWFA SS 3-9x42 scope which is a great scope for $600. I personally like more magnification in many situations if shooting a lot of long range, but this scope is a good comprise if you plan to use this rifle both close range and long range. After trying this and a 5-20x50 from them, I ended up sticking with one of these on my hunting rifle, but most of my shots are 500 yards and under.

They also offer a 5-20x50 for $1500 if you need more power. This is great imo for long range shooting only, but if you plan to hunt at any ranges 50 yards and under, the FOV is too small at 5x on this scope imo.

Another good brand of scopes for a reasonable cost is the Vortex Viper PST's. They have several good options as well.

Once you step over the $1000 mark, there is Nightforce which is always a great choice.

For information on long range shooting, and equipment check out SnipersHide.com

I'm not saying there isn't good information on here, but there is a ton more of it on Snipers Hide.
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