Need help with long range shooting.
11-02-2012, 05:15 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Florence, SC
Posts: 102
Need help with long range shooting.
My accountant has a nice stand in the middle of my farm that can see both my big fields and pretty much every tree line. This one stand basically sees what 3 of my stands can. Its also great because you can hunt it every day and night and never get the deer spooky cause you arent driving next to a tree line or through the woods.
Only problem is its 600 yards to the pines on my left and another 600 to the tree line on my right and 400 yards to the dam of my duck impoundment to the front and thats where all the deer are. He can drop deer at those distances all day and refuses to shoot anything thats closer than 300 yards. I want to learn how to shoot like that. I mean any yahoo can hit a deer at 100 yards but I want to add a challenge to my hunts.
I bought a decent range finder but most only seem to work up to 400 yards. How do you distance a deer past that? I know snipers distance random crap in their shooting lanes so they know how far out their targets are but theres not much in a plowed field. Also Im shooting a .243 which Im pretty sure wont be very effective at 400+ yards so I might switch to my .270. Also what are some decent scopes? Not looking to spend over $1000 but would prefer a reticle with either milidots or something that will let me adjust my aim up according to how far out the deer are.
Only problem is its 600 yards to the pines on my left and another 600 to the tree line on my right and 400 yards to the dam of my duck impoundment to the front and thats where all the deer are. He can drop deer at those distances all day and refuses to shoot anything thats closer than 300 yards. I want to learn how to shoot like that. I mean any yahoo can hit a deer at 100 yards but I want to add a challenge to my hunts.
I bought a decent range finder but most only seem to work up to 400 yards. How do you distance a deer past that? I know snipers distance random crap in their shooting lanes so they know how far out their targets are but theres not much in a plowed field. Also Im shooting a .243 which Im pretty sure wont be very effective at 400+ yards so I might switch to my .270. Also what are some decent scopes? Not looking to spend over $1000 but would prefer a reticle with either milidots or something that will let me adjust my aim up according to how far out the deer are.
11-02-2012, 05:47 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 228
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.
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.
11-02-2012, 06:37 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,186
Holding a tight group in the 400-600 yard range are difficult to say the least. A rifle/ammo combination that will do 1 MOA ... your looking at a 4" +/- group at 400 yards and 6" +/- group at 600 yards. Realize that 1 MOA is 1/60 of 1 degree. You wiggle another 1/60 of 1 deg. and you are now off target at 600 yards by about a foot !
To become competent at these distances, unless you are truly gifted, will take a lot of quality practice. At 400-600 yards you can see the cross hairs wiggle with every heart beat. A lousy trigger does not help !
In the field, with usually only a fair rest, the excitement, the time contraints to make the shot, possibly a significant cross wind, tiny twigs that you cannot detect at that distance, etc. All that comes into play. So practice a bunch. Not to mention knowing the precise trajectory of your particular round.
As mentioned the ability to hit tight at 400-600 yards is enhanced by a good scope, but that in and of itself is not a short cut to accuracy. A high quality scope will defin itely help with resolution, crispness, and low light target acquistion. Plus it will remain exceptionally true despite what power setting you are using. In my book, it is a must to have a quality scope, and especially if you are going to try to manage long distance shooting.
You stated that you were not looking at dropping over $1000 on a scope. With that as your top end limit you can find a good scope for sure.
To become competent at these distances, unless you are truly gifted, will take a lot of quality practice. At 400-600 yards you can see the cross hairs wiggle with every heart beat. A lousy trigger does not help !
In the field, with usually only a fair rest, the excitement, the time contraints to make the shot, possibly a significant cross wind, tiny twigs that you cannot detect at that distance, etc. All that comes into play. So practice a bunch. Not to mention knowing the precise trajectory of your particular round.
As mentioned the ability to hit tight at 400-600 yards is enhanced by a good scope, but that in and of itself is not a short cut to accuracy. A high quality scope will defin itely help with resolution, crispness, and low light target acquistion. Plus it will remain exceptionally true despite what power setting you are using. In my book, it is a must to have a quality scope, and especially if you are going to try to manage long distance shooting.
You stated that you were not looking at dropping over $1000 on a scope. With that as your top end limit you can find a good scope for sure.
Last edited by Mojotex; 11-02-2012 at 07:02 AM. Reason: spelling
11-02-2012, 08:19 AM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Alberta Canada
Posts: 1,081
Just because you have a quality scope, doesn't mean that the rifle is up to the task. I have owned many that were minute of barn, and have done much of my hunting with sillouette rifles. I bed my actions, tailor my loads for each rifle, and spent many hours shooting at long range. I am too old for taking the chance on a maybe shot and having to track a wounded animal. Not trying to disuade you on longer ranges. Spend time at the bench shooting at the distances that you plan on shooting. If you cannot cover your groups with your hand at 500 yards, DON"T SHOOT at the animal.
11-02-2012, 09:44 AM
#10
Fork Horn
Join Date: Mar 2010
Posts: 228
Just because you have a quality scope, doesn't mean that the rifle is up to the task. I have owned many that were minute of barn, and have done much of my hunting with sillouette rifles. I bed my actions, tailor my loads for each rifle, and spent many hours shooting at long range. I am too old for taking the chance on a maybe shot and having to track a wounded animal. Not trying to disuade you on longer ranges. Spend time at the bench shooting at the distances that you plan on shooting. If you cannot cover your groups with your hand at 500 yards, DON"T SHOOT at the animal.