Today I realized a great deal of satisfaction from my reloading efforts and equipment selection over the past couple of years. As of right now I have four rifles, with four loads, and four scopes all set to take to Montana in a few weeks.
My two rifles, a 300 WM and 300 WSM; and Caleb's two rifles a 300 WM and a 308 all have custom handloads I have developed in the last two years. The 300 magnums all are shooting 180 gr. Accubonds, and the 308 is shooting 165 gr. Accubonds. The 300 magnum rifles are all equipped with the Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10 x 40 scopes with the Boone and Crocket reticules.
I checked the 200 yard zero on my rifles a couple of days ago. This morning Caleb changed his zeros from his deer ammo to his elk ammo on his two rifles. Since the reloads for these rifles are so good, it was very easy adjusting the zeros using just one-shot groups. After getting his 200-yard zeros set we took my homemade life-size elk target out to 400 yards and set it up. (Yes, I recognize I am NOT an artist). We placed a 6" aiming dot on the target and retired back to the shooting tent.
First Caleb shot his Sako A7, 300 WM using the 400 yard reticule in the Leupold scope. His first (and only) shot hit at 1:00 o'clock in the 6" aiming point. Next, he set up his Marlin X7 chambered in 308. That is equipped with a Leupold Vari-X II, 2-7 x 33 scope that Rol_P had given him. We checked the ballistics table I had printed out for that bullet and velocity and came up with a 24" hold over. Caleb shot and hit at 10:00 o'clock in the 6" aiming point with his first (and only) shot.
I was up next with my LH M70 300 WSM using a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10 x 40 scope with the Boone and Crockett reticule. Using the 400-yard reticule, I hit the 6" aiming point at 4:00 o'clock with my first (and only) shot.
Three first shot hits with three different rifles.
I have to mention that, today, the mirage was bad. The 6" aiming point looked like it was shimmering in our scopes. The mirage was so bad that we could NOT see the bullet holes with my spotting scope. We have been able to spot bullets in brown cardboard at 400 yards under better conditions. Today we couldn't see them in the white aiming point.
This little exercise really built Caleb's (and my) confidence and gave me a lot of satisfaction that everything came together so well.
My two rifles, a 300 WM and 300 WSM; and Caleb's two rifles a 300 WM and a 308 all have custom handloads I have developed in the last two years. The 300 magnums all are shooting 180 gr. Accubonds, and the 308 is shooting 165 gr. Accubonds. The 300 magnum rifles are all equipped with the Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10 x 40 scopes with the Boone and Crocket reticules.
I checked the 200 yard zero on my rifles a couple of days ago. This morning Caleb changed his zeros from his deer ammo to his elk ammo on his two rifles. Since the reloads for these rifles are so good, it was very easy adjusting the zeros using just one-shot groups. After getting his 200-yard zeros set we took my homemade life-size elk target out to 400 yards and set it up. (Yes, I recognize I am NOT an artist). We placed a 6" aiming dot on the target and retired back to the shooting tent.
First Caleb shot his Sako A7, 300 WM using the 400 yard reticule in the Leupold scope. His first (and only) shot hit at 1:00 o'clock in the 6" aiming point. Next, he set up his Marlin X7 chambered in 308. That is equipped with a Leupold Vari-X II, 2-7 x 33 scope that Rol_P had given him. We checked the ballistics table I had printed out for that bullet and velocity and came up with a 24" hold over. Caleb shot and hit at 10:00 o'clock in the 6" aiming point with his first (and only) shot.
I was up next with my LH M70 300 WSM using a Leupold VX-3i 3.5-10 x 40 scope with the Boone and Crockett reticule. Using the 400-yard reticule, I hit the 6" aiming point at 4:00 o'clock with my first (and only) shot.
Three first shot hits with three different rifles.
I have to mention that, today, the mirage was bad. The 6" aiming point looked like it was shimmering in our scopes. The mirage was so bad that we could NOT see the bullet holes with my spotting scope. We have been able to spot bullets in brown cardboard at 400 yards under better conditions. Today we couldn't see them in the white aiming point.
This little exercise really built Caleb's (and my) confidence and gave me a lot of satisfaction that everything came together so well.
