Irons At 200 Yards with AR

[Welding Rod]

Today I tried iron sights at 200 yards on paper... for what I believe was probably a first for me. I don't normally attempt irons on paper past 100 yards as I never really looked forward to a permanent record by which to embarass myself. I have always liked shooting steel at 200 with irons, but paper was a bit intimidating.

Anyhow I decided to try a set of Rock River NM sights on my Rock River A2 Standard with free float quad rail and their 1:8 stainless barrel.

So I zero'd the sights at 50 yards and then went straight to 200 yards.

First thing I learned is that a 3" target dot disappears at 200 yards with 44 year old eyes, a heavily overcast drizzly day, and no magnification.

Next time I will just put a 8" black circle on a light background so I can see it better.

I shot 3 groups total. I shot the 5 shot group first, adjusted windage, then the 10 shot, then the "4 shot".

The 10 shot group and the 5 shot group below were shot with Federal Gold Medal Match 69 grain ammo. The 10 shot group is 3 5/16". The 5 Shot group is 2 1/16".

The 4 shot group believe it or not was with Federal XM 193 55 grain ammo. I must come clean though. The "4 shot group" was actually 5 shots. But it was my last group and my eyes were so strained by then that I put the 5th round into a different, 3rd target by mistake (which I didn't try shooting a group on). Lesson learned: small targets at that range need more space between them so they don't appear to run together. Anyhow the 4 shots that ended up on the same target measured 1 11/16".

 

[taliv]

not bad! the x-ring is 3" at 200. So if you shot that standing up (or sitting in 60 seconds) and were centered up, you'd have a 100-9x


btw, i think the aiming black on the 200 yrd target is 13", which should appear about the same width as your front sight

 

[X-Rap]

Bet that won't happen with a Mini 14. Good job.

 

[armoredman]

Better than I did with my EBR! I know what you mean about disappearing target at that range - the EOTech red dot covered mine completely.

 

[kildar]

Yes, the key to success with irons at distance is a high contrast target. Good shooting. You make us guys with 40 plus year old eyes proud!

 

[mrnkc130]

try 500 yds with irons..the front sight post will completely cover a man size target..I always had to come up from below it and stop when i couldnt see it anymore...

 

[C-grunt]

Good shooting man!

 

[stubbicatt]

Very good! Excellent marksmanship!

 

[Patriotme]

You're correct. I remember the first time we shot at 500 yd targets in the Marine Corps. I couldn't believe we were expected to hit a target smaller than the front sight. Somehow we all did it though (prone).

 

[rangerruck]

should get you to qualifying expert in the military, if you kept up that kind of shooting.

 

[Hangingrock]

Targets
200yds standing with sixty some thing eyes

 

[Shawn Dodson]

Good shooting!

I usually shoot at a plain IPSC cardboard target at 200 yds and beyond. With a 20" AR fitted with a standard A2 front sight post, at 200 yds, the front sight covers an area 18 inches wide (the width of an IPSC target). If I want a challenge I shoot at the 6x6-inch "head" on the target, which is 1/3 the width of the front sight post at 200 yds.

 

[BushyGuy]

wow ! i can do that at 100 yards! good shooting i need more practice with my AR but bullet prices have been burning holes in my pocket since....

 

[Welding Rod]

Nice shooting Hangingrock!

How about a picure of the gun you used? .308?

 

[Hangingrock]

How about a picure of the gun you used? .308?

Remington 40x 7.62mm the ammunition is XM 118 Lot LC 12012 Match bullet 173Gr velocity 2550FPS Yr-1963. Last year I was given 25 boxes of 20 rounds each. On the boxes “Disposal Of Fired Cases Shall Be As Prescribed By Army Regulations”

 

[nbkky71]

Fantastic shooting Hangingrock! Not many folks can clean the target offhand let alone with 6X. Best I could ever muster with my service rifle was 94-1X.

Good shooting as well Welding Rod. Keep up the practice and you'll be shooting CLEANS before you know it. Not sure about the twist on your barrel, but don't be afraid to try different brands and bullet weights to find what shoots best. With the right ammo you can shrink those groups a little more.

 

[taliv]

no kidding, nbkky. i think my best offhand with a service rifle was also 94. i can't imagine shooting offhand clean

 

[Hangingrock]

Fantastic shooting Hangingrock! Not many folks can clean the target offhand let alone with 6X.

I have my fantastic days now and then but I also have my not so good days. I take pictures on the fantastic days but the not so good days are more common.

 

[pat701]

I did this with iron sights at 300 yards with 55 year old eyes. RRA NM 55gran South Korean Nato ammo. The red dot is 5". I don't know how to enlarge the picture. I am prettty new to adding attachments to this computer stuff. Thats 60 rounds fired 20 rounds at a time. That is the reason for the differant markings of the hits.

 

[TexasPatriot.308]

one of the best open sight shots I ever saw was a city boy from Chicago that had never fired a rifle before basic training. after the war he got out in '75, served in the Rhodesian army (I think that is Namibia now) when it was still a white minority rule country, served as a mercenary in Central America,, he got to be late 50s by now and I think he is still fighting a war somewhere. scary what kind of shot he might have been if he had grown up shooting like me... then again, I think he just had a natural sense to kill, he seemed to enjoy it, but at 300-500 yards with an M16, he was deadly.