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gotboostvr
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Yes, they do. Plus there's always the used take-off market.
223Rem at 1000yrds
- Thread starter gotboostvr
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Yes, they do. Plus there's always the used take-off market.
C-grunt
Member
My buddies that I shoot long range with have a bunch of high end bolt guns. Several custom builds, FN SPR, Bergara LPR, Daniel Defense.... the one rifle that consistently puts down sub half inch groups at 100 yards is a stock Rem 700P 223 with a tuned trigger. That rifle shoots amazing and hangs with my AI.
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gotboostvr
Member
Oh I'm well aware the 6.5's will do the job better.
But I feel like I'd be best served with more practice, which the 223 affords me.
But I feel like I'd be best served with more practice, which the 223 affords me.
Nature Boy
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Plus, a .223 bolt gun is fun and satisfying to shoot
That's funny because the Marine Corps replaced my M-39 EMR, an accurized and heavily modified version of the M-14, with a MK12 Mod 1 after my first deployment. I never had or saw any issue with the 5.56 taking the fight out of anyone. In fact I only ever heard about issues from people who obviously hit the guy running through a 10 meter gap at 400 meters who wore their marksman or sharpshooter badges with pride.
Oldschool shooter
Member
Going to play devil's advocate here. If you have to take the time to develope loads to stretch the 223 to that distance, and say maybe you go thru 3 - 4 times as many rounds to practice to get good enough to hit at that distance, and you are going to purchase a new rifle for this anyway, why not go with a .308 or 6.5 Credemore to begin with? From an economical standpoint, getting good at that distance with a 223 may not be economical at all. Just something to think about.
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gotboostvr
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The quandary I find myself in is I have very little experience past even 100yrds. Even with all the correct gear I'm not going to be proficient at 1k right off the bat. I'm going to need alot of practice between 200-750yrds which the 223 should be fine for and that's where I'll recoup some savings.
Varminterror
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As I said before:
If you have a load, rifle, and skill which will hold sub-moa at 100yrds and has a consistent velocity, then hitting a sufficiently large target common to what most of us would typically employ at long range is really just a matter of giving yourself enough scope and enough target and friendly enough conditions to deliver.
I’ve taken a lot of folks out to 800-1200 yards for their first time, between a handful and a dozen every year for over a decade. Some of them being their first or second day ever shooting a rifle. Too often we act as if long range shooting involves some form of voodoo or advanced calculus, or both, which are nigh unattainable. But in reality, if more folks would “JGFS!!,” they’d realize there’s really far less involved than some make it seem. Don’t cripple yourself with a 1moa target, or try to shoot from the hood of a pickup, and be sure your optic matches your target size well (and/or vice versa), and you’ll find getting to 800yrds much easier than expected, and then you’ll find getting to 1000 from 800 is more a matter of your load’s residual velocity than any magic...
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gotboostvr
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I'm still waiting for the rifle to be delivered. Once it gets here though, I'll be a little side tracked with getting my house in order (closing is tomorrow thank goodness).
The next two items on my todo list are:
Chronograph
New glass for this rifle
I've got a 4-14x FFP MILDOT Primary Arms scope, which will for certainty get me started, but I'm already putting away for better glass.
I've thankfully got enough Amazon gift cards to pick up a chrono. I'll get started on load development when the chrono gets here with some Hornady 75gr BTHP's, RL-15, CCI SRP and Lake City brass since I already have them. Maybe do a little plinking with the 55gr factory/handloads I have squirreled away in the meantime.
The next two items on my todo list are:
Chronograph
New glass for this rifle
I've got a 4-14x FFP MILDOT Primary Arms scope, which will for certainty get me started, but I'm already putting away for better glass.
I've thankfully got enough Amazon gift cards to pick up a chrono. I'll get started on load development when the chrono gets here with some Hornady 75gr BTHP's, RL-15, CCI SRP and Lake City brass since I already have them. Maybe do a little plinking with the 55gr factory/handloads I have squirreled away in the meantime.
C-grunt
Member
I'd bet money that if Gotboostvr came with me to my range with a decent scope and a decent load we'd have hits on the 1000 yard target in 10 minutes. And that's with walking the shots out on the 300-900 yard targets first.
Some of yall need to re-read the OP. He isn't competing at 1000 yards. He wants a closer range target rifle and has the desire to hit the 1000 yard target. A 223 bolt gun with a long barrel, decent scope, and a good 75 grain load will easily hit 1000 yards.
Some of yall need to re-read the OP. He isn't competing at 1000 yards. He wants a closer range target rifle and has the desire to hit the 1000 yard target. A 223 bolt gun with a long barrel, decent scope, and a good 75 grain load will easily hit 1000 yards.
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I agree if easily means you shoot when it’s calm.
So early morning shooting on some days in some places. Or never from December to April in North Dakota
C-grunt
Member
Well he's shooting in Az.
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gotboostvr
Member
Valley of the sun! I'm really not looking forward to my first whole summer here. Hard to be worse than Cleveland in the winter though.
C-grunt
Member
You'll get used to it. Just do your outdoor activities in the morning.
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gotboostvr
Member
Thankfully, I'm a morning person. My wife however, is not.
Bcwitt
Member
A 9 twist isnt quite the right equipment for that. The militery uses a 7 twist for just that reason.
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gotboostvr
Member
Very true. But the extra velocity from 8+ more inches of barrel help stabilize then.
MarshallDodge
Member
223 at 1000 isn't as difficult as many are portraying. It is the little engine that could
I love shooting 223 at long range. Sure, it isn't a 6.5 Creedmoor but it is still a lot of fun.
Most of my shooting is done above 4000' elevation but I have had success with 77 SMKs out of a 16" barrel at 1000 yards, and they still have enough energy to go all the way through a water filled milk jug. A 24" barrel should give you 150-200 FPS more velocity.
Wind is the biggest hurdle but that is always the issue, no matter what you are shooting.
Download a good ballistics calculator for your phone or tablet and learn how to use it. Get a good load dialed in, chrono that load, and zero at 100. Practice close and work your way out.
That, and a good spotter, are absolutely needed when shooting longer distances. One of the downsides of shooting steel with 223 is being able to see your hits, so make sure you start with a freshly painted target or things can get frustrating.
Good luck!
I love shooting 223 at long range. Sure, it isn't a 6.5 Creedmoor but it is still a lot of fun.
Most of my shooting is done above 4000' elevation but I have had success with 77 SMKs out of a 16" barrel at 1000 yards, and they still have enough energy to go all the way through a water filled milk jug. A 24" barrel should give you 150-200 FPS more velocity.
Wind is the biggest hurdle but that is always the issue, no matter what you are shooting.
Download a good ballistics calculator for your phone or tablet and learn how to use it. Get a good load dialed in, chrono that load, and zero at 100. Practice close and work your way out.
That, and a good spotter, are absolutely needed when shooting longer distances. One of the downsides of shooting steel with 223 is being able to see your hits, so make sure you start with a freshly painted target or things can get frustrating.
Good luck!
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gotboostvr
Member
I've been playing with both Strelok and the tabels at Shooterscalculator.com, both of those have been great helps side-by-side comparing various cartridges and sorting out the various opinions.
I've also got a good lead on a place to go prairie dog hunting, so I'll have a good chance to apply some of this experience in real world settings.
I've also got a good lead on a place to go prairie dog hunting, so I'll have a good chance to apply some of this experience in real world settings.
MarshallDodge
Member
I use Strelok and really like it, so much that I downloaded the pro version. The reticle view is a really nice feature.
Another suggestion is to see if your gun will stabilize a 75 ELD. I know some have been able to get the 75 Amax to shoot out of a 1:9 but they are obsolete. The ELD is just a touch longer in size and the better BC holds speed at much long range. Put them in Strelok and you can see how much better the BC is over the 77 SMK, etc.
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gotboostvr
Member
So my rifle arrived at my FFL. Now I've just got to get scheduled to get in and pick it up.
I did a little fiddling around on shooterscalculator.com, playing with some numbers.
Assuming I can find an accuracy node at 2900fps, with a Hornady 75gr bullet. I should be able to get there there. I won't have much energy on target, or much velocity to get past 1k. But it'll hit my arbitrary goal it looks like.
Here's what my ballistic table will look like with a 300yrd zero:
I'll need just over 8mils to get there. I may be able to use a heavier, more slippery bullet, and I may be able to push them a little faster, but like many of you have said, it'll get there.
I still have to move into the new house here in a couple weeks, and order a chrono. Thankfully I can start my load work up on my handy Lee "nutcracker" without having to get my whole other presses mounted up on benches.
I've got the aforementioned Hornady 75gr bullets, and a few powders to try. I've got RL-15, IMR3031 and IMR4064. I'll probably try a ladder with all three, see which looks most promising and try and track down a bottle of Varget if I'm not satisfied.
I did a little fiddling around on shooterscalculator.com, playing with some numbers.
Assuming I can find an accuracy node at 2900fps, with a Hornady 75gr bullet. I should be able to get there there. I won't have much energy on target, or much velocity to get past 1k. But it'll hit my arbitrary goal it looks like.
Here's what my ballistic table will look like with a 300yrd zero:
I'll need just over 8mils to get there. I may be able to use a heavier, more slippery bullet, and I may be able to push them a little faster, but like many of you have said, it'll get there.
I still have to move into the new house here in a couple weeks, and order a chrono. Thankfully I can start my load work up on my handy Lee "nutcracker" without having to get my whole other presses mounted up on benches.
I've got the aforementioned Hornady 75gr bullets, and a few powders to try. I've got RL-15, IMR3031 and IMR4064. I'll probably try a ladder with all three, see which looks most promising and try and track down a bottle of Varget if I'm not satisfied.
MarshallDodge
Member
RL-15 would be my first choice. In some cases I have had more success with it over Varget.
8208XBR is another one I like behind heavy bullets.
8208XBR is another one I like behind heavy bullets.
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gotboostvr
Member
There's a number of powders that should be able to knock on 2900fps. I should be able to seat them out a little longer too which won't hurt. I can't say how much without having the rifle in hand to check though. With the 26" barrel, I figured 2900fps was a realistic number.
Bcwitt
Member
It might. But it's on the very edge of stability.
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