Some days, it is fun to play at distance

xphunter

Handloader
Sep 15, 2005
1,156
2,034
Thursday afternoon late, after getting steel set up for both shooting courses, Glenn and I went over to to the Long Course.
Dan and Bob were just getting done too, and asked where the longest target was.
Stage 1 Target #7 (18" or 20 ") was 1380 yards, but we were a long way to the right from stage 1, and even quite a bit right of Stage 6.
Ranged it and it was 1620 yards. I decided I wanted to hit that target. I had my 15" 6GT rear-grip, that a 15 year old will be using for WYSHOT.
It is using Factory Hornady/GAP with the 109 grain ELD-M. 72.6 MOA for drop with a 100 yard zero.
I had shot this out 1K about 3 weeks previous, but had not done drop confirmations past a grand.
I guessed my wind-speed converted to a full value wind would be 5 mph/6.8 MOA. Then I added more MOA for drop based on some other factors.
My cold bore shot was 5 MOA low (Didn't see that coming), but I was only a 1/2 MOA off on my wind. Came up 5 and dialed 1/2 MOA right and sent it.
Dan about had a coronary, and it got a response out of me too. Just off the left edge at 9 O'clock.
Held off right edge about a quarter of a target and got a hit.
A 1mph wind change, if it was constant (It never is) over 1600 plus yards is right at 8.3"
I will have to ask Dan and Bob, but it could have been the 4th shot.
I'm thinking while I am typing...
When I get in to this mode, I am not thinking about round count.
I was happy about two things:
Mainly, my wind call was really close, and second that factory ammo did so well.
I wish I could say that I was always that good on wind, but I am not.
Wind, combined with terrain, can be very humbling...and that is what makes it so fun!
 
Undoubtedly gratifying. I'm not a distance shooter, but I appreciate the art and the science that this entails.
 
Thanks guys.
Something I tell people on a regular basis, is to:
"Quit thinking about how far it is...It just gets in your head in a non-beneficial way.
It's just drop and drift, and you can account for that through your scope."
Bob and I were out shooting at Mac's Gunworks yesterday doing some drop confirmations for his pistols, and I asked him if it was the third or fourth shot?
He said he thought it was the fourth shot.
 
At that distance my best was 4:27 and change. That was 50 years ago almost to the day. Otherwise 1000 yards is as far as I’ve done any good with a rifle. Pretty impressive shooting in my book.
 
At that distance my best was 4:27 and change. That was 50 years ago almost to the day. Otherwise 1000 yards is as far as I’ve done any good with a rifle. Pretty impressive shooting in my book.
Running 50 years ago???
 
Not sure why that popped into my head, but yes running.
Your statement threw me for a while.
Once I determined it wasn't a typo, I thought I had it figured out.
That is a pretty fast mile back in the day.
If you want to engage steel or prairie dogs beyond 1000 yards, come to WY-SHOT...I know a guy you can set you up
 
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