Shooting 2500 yards 1.43 miles!!

G

Grizzdude

New member
Hi guys, a few days ago I took out the Savage 110 BA 338 Lapua and attempted the 2500 yard shot. So I placed the target at 2530 yards or 1.43 miles away, at that distance the bullet flight time is almost 4.5 seconds! Made a short video that I think you guys will enjoy. Thanks for watching!

2500 yard shot! Savage 110BA 338 Lapau

I went out early in the morning to beat the mirage, luckly there was very little wind around 3-4 mph coming from the left, I dialed 2.6 mils Left. I had to dialed the maximum elevation my scope (Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 MIL/MIL) had at 27.4 mils then held over 2.5 mils on the reticle to get me to 29.9 mils. The 300 gr Berger bullets with a MV of 2740 fps at 23.34 inHg start to go subsonic at 2400 yards, so I figured some weird stuff might happen.
My first shot was pretty even height wise but was way off to the right, the first 3 shots were sighters to get me on target and then on my 9th shot I hit the target, then had one more hit on my 12th shot. So total of 2 out of 12 shots at 2530 yards.
When I got to the target to my surprise was a sideways hit. My first thought was that it hit the ground and bounced up sideways, but after reviewing the video I can tell it was a direct hit because the bullet splash in the dirt is directed away from the steel and the impact energy on the steel was the same for both hits, I'm sure if it hit the ground first it would have lost most of it's energy. So now I ask has anyone ever seen a 300 gr berger bullet hit sideways??!! Probably due to the sonic wave passing the bullet at 2400 yards, very interesting. The next day I went out to find a couple missed shot bullets and after metal detecting for almost an hour ready to give up I found one!
This was my first time shooting past 2060 yards and 2 out of 12 isn't real great but satisfying, I bet with practice I could get those numbers looking a little better. I really hope you guys enjoy the video, please comment or ask any questions you may have.......and let me know what you think!
 
All I can say is AWESOME. Man i wish I had a place to go do that kind of shooting. I have pushed my 6MMBr to 1200 yards with good luck,but never Farther. Geat shooting guy
 
I've never hunted steel but I've watched it on TV. It's slow and not aggressive. You don't have to shoot it from so far away. You can walk right up to it and put a cap in it with your 45.:D

Nice shooting.


You'll need to figure out how to get a bullet stable at that distance if you're going to be consistent with it though.
 
That is awesome.

I think a combination of the round being transonic—so less stable—at that distance combined with your windage—bullet coming in from a slight angle—is what might have cause that sideways hit. It probably hit nose first but was not perpendicular or stable.

-SS-
 
LOL this steel plate is somewhat illusive though, I've been stalking this thing for weeks before it showed itself!
 
I believe the .338 LM goes subsonic at about 2200 yards- which could explain the instability and a "sideways" hit.

Some bullets can remain relatively stable when going transonic- others, not so much...
 
This was my first time shooting past 2060 yards and 2 out of 12 isn't real great but satisfying,
Click to expand...
Good enough I wouldn't be comfortable giving you the finger from a range of 2500 yards.

That target looks to be about 2' across and maybe three tall, so that is pretty close to 1MOA without flags, no?

When I watched the video I was thinking to myself "why did he show the video for a miss" after the first report. Then I heard the ping and started laughing.

I am guessing you have done some extensive work on that Savage.

Really great shooting. For me it is hard to imagine having a location to even take such shots. I impressed a group of fellow Ohioans a while back by saying I have a place I can go 600 yds.
 
Last edited:
I wonder if the bullet could have gone into "ground effect"?
I don't know if bullets can actually create their own lift but traveling at the distance and speed while being that close to the ground could cause the bullet to wobble more than it normally would because of the compressed air around it.
 
I agree with an earlier comment, I am not giving you the finger at that distance. I shot 1 mile with a 50 BMG and it made me feel like I was on cloud nine. That is one h*** of a shot and glad you did it.
 
Longest range I've spotted the fall of shot's hitting the ground was back in 1958 when stationed aboard an old US Navy destroyer. We were about 8000 yards out from an old tank parked on San Clemente Island where the USN did shore bombardment exercises off San Diego, CA. Our ship had received a call for fire from the "friendly forces" ashore and gave us the coordinates of an "enemy tank." So we move the director around to find it on the side of a hill ashore.

I was the main battery fire control director's 24X stereoscopic rangefinder operator measuring target range to start with and were it was pointed was fed electrically into the main battery plotting room's computer that calculated gun orders then sent them to the motors in the gun mounts to aim them.

Gunnery Officer in front of me then ordered: "Main battery, one gun, target load, fire to adjust!" A few seconds later, the salvo warning horns sounded indicating plot had a good gun aiming solution and a shot would be fired in 1 second so everyone would know a 5" gun was about to shoot. Then one 5" gun fired the first shot. Several seconds later, I watched the projectile's impact then gave a deflection spot in mils as well as a range spot in yards on my phones to the plotting room computer's bearing and range operators; both as best I could with that old WWII Tin Can rolling and pitching in moderate seas. The corrections were cranked in to the computer's ballistic calculation section.

First spot corrections got the second round fired pretty close. Corrections to the second round's impact for the 3rd shot fired close and it's impact threw dirt and debris all over that old tank. I gave the call to the plotting room and so the Gunnery Officer could hear it" No change, No Change. Shots on Target!" The officer's next call to everyone was "Main battery, all guns, fire for effect." I heard the two salvo warning horns sound just before all five mounts fired at once for a broadside; several seconds later, one of those 54 pound projectiles smacked that old Sherman tank; I could see it shake from impact as the others fell very close by all around it.

I now think back to those good old days when someone today takes very long range shots with a modern rifle and does well at it.
 
That was a phenomenal shot. Wow.

I always wanted to get into long-range shooting, but there aren't many places around here to do that.
 
So, is the bullet actually tumbeling when it hit??

Seemed like the side of the bullet made impact with the target which would make accuracy be bad at worst. Or am I just imagining things? (entirely possible!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top