I shot and hit the target farther than ever yesterday!

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mickeydim468

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I took my 14 year old son out to the range with me yesterday, to sight in a few scopes. We started off at 25 yds and then moved out to 100Yards. When we were satisfied that I was close enough at 100 yards I raised POI about 2 inches and moved over to the 200 yard lane. I shot there and this was the first time I have ever hit the 100 yard paper target at 200 yards. Then I raised POI 2 more inches and moved to the 300 yard lane. I took 5 shots at a new 100 yard paper target and guess what? I hit all 5 shots. All shots were about 7" low but they were all on the paper! The wind was coming in from 2 O'clock at between 5 and 12 mph and I still hit the paper! Woo Hoo!

When I was done there, I went back to the 100 yard lane. I shot and hit about 3 inches high. This is what I was expecting. Now to get the extra height needed for a better hit on 300 next time I am going to set it at 5 inches high at 100 and it should be just about right. Don't you think?

I was shooting 150Gr Remington Core Lokt 30.06 using my M1917 Remington sporterized rifle. It has a 20" barrel, a 4-16X40 Center Point scope and a Limbsaver slip on butt pad.

I will need to play with the windage too but heck, I hit it! :what::D

Mikey!
 
4.5" high at 100 will give you a 300 yard zero. It will also make you almost 6" high at 200.

However, you might be better served by zeroing 2.5" high at 100.
That will give you the Maximum Point Blank Range for that bullet.
It will be zero at 230, 5.9" low at 300, 12.3" low at 350, and 21" low at 400.

But between the muzzle and 270 yards, the bullet path will never be more then 2 3/4" above or below POA.

Instead of fiddling with the scope adjustments all the time, just learn to hold over at the various ranges past 270 yards.

rc
 
Good job. Shoot that rifle enough, get the trajectory down, and you'll be effective at most any range. If that range has 400 & 500 yard space, give it a try too.
 
good shooting i keep my 30-06 about 3 or 3.5in high at 100 but i am shooting lighter bullets then you with the 110 vmax... it shoots pretty flat but 250 is as far as i have been able to practice. lets just say i need more practice for anything past 200
 
Well...I'm impressed! I shoot 200 yds some, but that all we have at the club. I wish we had more distance, but if you saw our range, you'd understand the limitations of our property. Tn. has hills...we're lucky to have 200 yds!

As for your excitement, I agree, you should be excited. Those of us who don't get to try the greater distances...can only envy those that can. :D

Keep practicing! That 14 yr old will be on your heels!

Mark.
 
I'm zero'd at 200 yards, so at 300 yards, my bullet, a 168 gr SMK, would be about 8 inches low. I haven't shot 300 yards yet, but when I do, I figure I'll just aim for the top of the target. I have the big rifle sight in targets, its 8inches from the top to the center bullseye.:)
 
Wow, lots of good info guys, Thanks for the kudos! It was fun. I felt like a kid again. Trying something I have never been able to do and then actually doing it. What a rush of adrenalin it was to see that target!

Coromo,
300 yards is the longest distance at our range, but maybe some day I will find a place for longer distances. I would love to push my limits even more.

rcmodel,
I like the info about setting it at 2.5" high at 100 yards. That is info I have been looking for but don't know where to get. I am also interested in a few other rounds in both 30.06 and .243Win. I will be going elk hunting and deer hunting with these two calibers respectively. What round would you recommend for the elk? I was thinking 180Gr Remington Core Lokt. And for Black tail deer I was thinking 100Gr Remington Core Lokt. Would you be able to recommend a sight in height similar to your other post for these rounds, or better yet, could you teach me how to come up with those figures on my own, so I can do it in the future?

Dr Tad and others,
Thanks for the encouragement, I really appreciate it.

Rednech with a 40,
Someone I was talking to today mentioned that a 168Gr bullet is the ideal weight for a bullet in the 30 caliber rifle. He said that he didn't know exactly why, but said that if I could stay very close to 168Gr I could take anything from deer to elk and not have any troubles because of the straightness of it's flight. Maybe rcmodel knows...

As for my son following in my footsteps, I hate to admit it but I see how he could be better than I could ever have been, with just a little bit of encouragement and proper training. I just wish it were me who could do the training, but I am just not good enough. He can be a great shooter! but my shooting prowess peaked already. Don't get me wrong, I do ok, but I see he can be great. He just has a knack that can't be explained. He just needs to learn the technicalities of shooting for him to get better.

Mikey!
 
I like the info about setting it at 2.5" high at 100 yards. That is info I have been looking for but don't know where to get.
Click to expand...

Download/install the free Remington Shoot software-I've been playing with it for my ARs-allows you to change scope height, set different zero ranges (see where it will hit on the target by changing the range in the box), and has the usual array of bullet trajectory graphs etc.

The graphs are real eye openers when you start playing around with different scope heights, zero ranges, etc.

http://www.remington.com/products/ammunition/ballistics/remington_shoot_ballistics_software.asp
 
Thanks Basicblur!

I think that's what I have been looking for. I have always liked Remington bullets. I also use winchester bullets but for hunting applications I would always buy remington, just because I have the best experience with their product not failing me when really needed.

Mikey!
 
Mickey, I'd go with a 165 grain bullet for elk, best combo of speed, trajectory and energy in my opinion. Any of the quality soft points would suffice, the Hornady Interbond or SST have steller reputations, but cost big $$.
 
I have the big rifle sight in targets, its 8 inches from the top to the center bulls-eye.
Click to expand...

The target I was shooting at on Sunday was 10 inches square. It had 4 inches at the bottom and 3 inches at the top with writing on it. I aimed at the bulls-eye, but I hit in the bottom portion, where you are supposed to write. I measured it with a ruler and POI was about 7 inches down from the bulls-eye.

Mickey, I'd go with a 165 grain bullet for elk, best combo of speed, trajectory and energy in my opinion. Any of the quality soft points would suffice
Click to expand...

I figured I would need to go to at least 180 Gr for Elk, I thought I would need more energy to drop one of them. They grow 'em pretty big here in Oregon!

Just what I figured, not based on experience! Anyone else want to chime in here and maybe give their views?

Mikey!
 
basicblur,

Hey thanks for that link. I was able to make up some ballistic charts at 25 yard intervals that I can print so I know how to adjust my scope for whatever yardage I want it at up to 300 yards. If anyone wants the spreadsheet I used including the formulas PM me with your regular e-mail and I can send it to you. I don't know how to attach a spreadsheet on here for you to download at your leisure so I guess that will have to be how I get it to whoever wants it. It makes a pretty handy chart. You can pick any ammo from Remington and use the program from basicblur's post to get the trajectory info and just plug that info into my spreadsheet and assuming your scope is 1/4 MOA per click it will work for you too. Set your scope to ZERO at 100 yards and it tells you how many clicks you need to turn your scope adjustment for the different yardage.

I think it is pretty cool. I worked it up last night and just thought of something else to add to it and will improve it before sending out the first copy. I'll do it tonight.

Mikey!
 
Set your scope to ZERO at 100 yards and it tells you how many clicks you need to turn your scope adjustment for the different yardage.
Click to expand...
For a hunting rifle, scope click fiddling & diddling is a waste of time and shots at game.

Most game will be in the next county while you are counting clicks and loosing your zero when you forget where you "clicked" the last time you "clicked".

Use the Maximum Point Blank Range for the rifle & load.

That keeps your bullet close to the line of sight out to the MPBR and beyond a ways.

Learn the trajectory and keep it in your head, and you can hold over at ranges past the MPBR and make the shot easily from nothing to several hundred yards.

Dial clickers are for movie/TV snipers and 1,000 match shooters.
It has no practical use in the game fields.

rc
 
rcmodel,

On my scope, once you set it for accuracy at 100 yards you can move the dial back to zero without misaligning my cross hairs. From there all clicks will be up using the trajectory chart I have come up with and making the clicks will take no time at all. Therefore the only thing I will need to adjust for will be windage.

One of the charts looks like this using my spreadsheet program.

30.06 SPH Pointed Soft Point CL 165Gr.

"Yards
X
100" Trajectory "Adjust MOA" Clicks
0.25 -1.05 4.2 17
0.50 -0.39 0.78 3
0.75 -0.04 0.053333333 0
1.00 0 ZERO 0
1.25 -0.3 0.24 1
1.50 -0.95 0.633333333 3
1.75 -1.98 1.131428571 5
2.00 -3.42 1.71 7
2.25 -5.28 2.346666667 9
2.50 -7.78 3.112 12
2.75 -10.34 3.76 15
3.00 -13.57 4.523333333 18


Although I totally agree, if you do not have a scope with easy adjustments like mine are, then it will be a real pain! Luckily, in my case, it is quite simple to make these adjustments and always be able to go right back to a zero at 100 yards.

Thanks though!

Mikey!

I do not know how to make the above table look right. Sorry about that.
 
Well, congrats for working at extending your range. Keep it up and pretty soon 300 yards will be boring stuff. When that happens, or even before, try setting up clay pigeons at 300 and 400. More fun than paper and darn cheap for action targets. Clays at 400 and steel at 500 are about all I shoot these days - they're addictive.
 
Last edited:
Thanks Coyote,

What is a stell at 500?

Well I am still happy with my progress so far. I hope to work to be proficient at those distances. I do not have a place to shoot farther than 300 yards at this point. Hard to find longer around here anyways. I actually have to drive 60 miles each way to do 300 yards. :)

I will work myself up to smaller targets soon though.

Mikey!
 
ripcurlksm,

GOTCHA! couldn't guess that! Tried hard too! Just wouldn't come to me. :D

rcmodel,

I got to thinking about what you said and I can add some data that will tell you what point blank size and distances you want too. I can do it for 3", 4", 5" and 6" if you would like and incorporate it into my table including distances that this will stay within those diameters if you like. This would be for the hunters and the other portion would be for the target shooters and plinkers.

What do you think? If I added that data would you be interested?

So far I only have one taker.

Mikey!
 
I'd go with 180 grains for elk, preferably with a Nosler Partition or similar quality bullet (whatever shoots best in the individual rifle). Not saying that 165 grains won't work, but I'd rather have 180.

Redneck is not wrong in saying that premium bullets cost more, but the cost difference is minimal relative to the other expenses of an elk hunt.

For a hunting rifle, scope click fiddling & diddling is a waste of time and shots at game.
Click to expand...
+1
 
rcmodel,

Yes, that's the program I used to get the data for my tables, but the nice part of my tables is that it gives you info at 25 yard increments out to 300 yards and I could incorporate that point blank data so it would give you the near far distance for point blank as well as those distances at 25 yard increments.

Mikey!

P.S.

Does anyone know of any programs that are not brand specific like the one rcmodel and basicblur posted the link to. I can't seem to find one yet, but am looking!
 
Mikey,

Try Big Game Info.

Reid

P.S. While calculators and tables are useful, ideally you should collect your own data through testing specific loads at various ranges in your own rifle. You'll find that information to be more reliable than generic stuff obtained from third party sources.
 
Reid73,

Well, I am sure at some point I will be able to gather data like this on my own, but I am in no way a wealthy man, so all of the tools and instruments needed to gather this data will have to come at some future date. I am keeping all of my targets and distances or them and how well I shot using which round etc, but I just saved up enough to get 2 Classic Lee Loaders for 21.99 each so I can try my hand at reloading without breaking the bank. There is no way in he** I can afford to get a muzzle velocity reading. I don't even know the name of the instrument that is used to do that. What I am trying to do is to get a general idea of how the different weighted bullets fly and what to expect within 6 or 8 inches when I pull the trigger for the first time with a new round. I have calculated the trajectory of a 125 Gr 30.06 PSP CL bullet and compared it to the trajectory of a 220Gr 30.06 PSP CL bullet and the differences are tremendous. Me being a layman shooter can be told that one bullet is better than another because this bullet hits harder and this bullet is better because it shoots flatter, but until I saw this trajectory path I had no idea what the real differences were. I saw it was like Nolan Ryan on his best day compared to my six year old playing slow pitch softball.

I just found all of this stuff very interesting and the more I am learning the more I find I can do. Can you tell I am a mathematician!

LOL


Mikey!
 
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