Yesterday I shot targets out to 1200 yards!

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Dearhunter61

New member
Guys,

I joined Extreme Tactical shooting range yesterday. I had a great time shooting out there. Patrick, owner, is a great guy! Very helpful. I can tell you that shooting past 600 yards is extremely challenging! Especially if you don't have a spotter! It was the first time I've shot past 600 yards. I was able to hit the target out to 900 yards but it got a whole lot harder at 1000 and 1200 yards! The range was a little green and I couldn't see my misses at 1000 and 1200 yards therefore there wasn't anything to adjust off of.

I have to confess reading the wind was incredibly challenging! It was real gusty and even with my scope it was tough trying to read the wind down range.

I have a great rifle and scope what else do I need to be able to consistently shoot out to 1200 yards?

Mel
 
I've got great ammo and a little skill...I need a lot more practice but I need to practice with someone who can assist with the variables....
 
You need a scope that can focus about 2/3rds the way to the target so you can see the heat waves (mirage) wrinkling across your field of view. A 20X spotting scope's good. Or, if your rifle scope can be set to 15 to 20 power, that'll do. But you have to hold the rifle pretty still (reticle bounces around inside a 3/4 MOA area) so you can see the wrinkling heat wave move across the field of view.

Then learn how much windage correction you make for a given change in the heat wave wrinkling speed across the view through the scope. Best way to learn is coach a good marksman to make corrections you think are right then watch where the bullets hit relative to where he called them.

For a given cross wind speed in the first third of target range and now wind in the last 2/3, that'll move the bullet much more than the same wind in the furthest 1/3 of target range.

Winds above the line of sight are faster than in it. If your bullet rises 10 feet above the line of sight going to the aiming point 1000 yards down range, the wind speed that high above your line of sight will be faster than what it is in your line of sight. How much depends on terrain. Flat, open terrain with no obstructions, it'll be not near as much different than in the woods with lots of obstructions around.

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It's hard when you have to spot your own hits. A brake definitely helps, as does proper form (like loading a bipod correctly).

We were shooting at 1K weekend before last and it had rained before we got there. So much for getting a dirt "splash"... even with a spotter, it was very difficult to spot impacts, they just dug into the wet sandy earth.

It's a whole different ballgame getting consistent hits at 600 or 700 than at 1000 as you've seen.

You didn't mention what you were shooting- but more marginal chamberings like the .308 have much more drift than others like the .260 (and magnums).

Remember, that as the bullets slow and drop dramatically those last few hundred yards they get pushed much more by the wind than they do at the shorter ranges when they're still moving at a couple of thousand fps.

The place we shoot is called the "ditch" between 600 and 1000 yards. The range narrows dramatically- with high berms on each side for the last 400 yards (literally, a ditch). The wind swirls and will actually push bullets up depending on direction.

What you (and all of us that shoot LR) need- is practice. There's no substitute for sending rounds downrange under a variety of conditions. That said, on really windy days we often choose to sit it out...
 
I just spent the last 2 days shooting at 1000. The wind is still my worse nightmare. It is very fun and frustrating at times ( as today was). I swear the scope gremlin was messing with my sights when I went down range to see my hits. I just keep plugging away at it.Each and every week it gets better and better.
 
I would confer with an experienced military sniper. They have the resources and backing of percise ammo frabracation, and instruments for wind, elevation and distance calculation.
There's more to it, but I'm just shoot'in from the hip. JMO
 
Wind meter (anamometer)(kestrel $200 on up), really accurate rangefinder (think Leica or Swarovski) as even 5 yard error can result in 10-12" of vertical error with some calibers.

Thermometer and hygrometer these can actually be cheapies but compare to other instruments to build confidence.

Look into density altitude method of calculating drift and drop, this is generally more accurate and they make some cool calculator cards for it too.

The trick is to easily carry all these into the field, some guys spend $600-$800 on a kestrel weather station that will directly input density altitude into an internal computer.

If you shoot on the same range every time, it may be easier to read flags, grass or trees.

The mirage is still the best way to tell what the wind is doing halfway or more down range.
 
Deerhunter, my fellow Texan, will they let you just pay and shoot? I have called a few other 1000 yard ranges. Most won't let you shoot without a $1500 + - training course fee and mandatory membership. The memberships were between $1000 and $2500 per year. Their website is not responding for me at this time. Will they let you shoot your own rig even if it is not $8k woth of fun. Some won't. I am not saying that I have a 1000 yard rig or the skill to make the shot, but I do not want to pay out the wazoo to see how far I can reach out.
 
I just use my GPS for the distance. Mark target and head out. My 1000 yards was actually 997 yards from barrel to target. Close enough to 1000. Thank God I have a place to drive to ( 40 miles away) and shoot out to 2 miles. Man would that be fun and impossable. 1200 is the farthest I have gone so far. It is more fun then one should be allowed to have.
Wind flags are almost better than the hand held's are. You can place them every 100 or 200 yards. hand held is just good for where you are. I have found that wind changes in 1000 yards. This is standing at target Way in the middle top is a 12 x 16 deer stand. I am laying in the grass next to it
 

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Once i got dialed in. That is a 3 inch circle. Shots on out side were still not to bad
 

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"...what else do I need..." A lot depends on the cartridge you're using, but heavy match grade bullets that are loaded meticulously, a really good spotting scope and practice. I'd join an NRA affiliated club that shoots High Power or Long Range Palma matches. Match shooting is great fun and you'll meet some seriously decent people.
You'll find the wind becomes the least of your problems when mirage shows up.
"...Most won't let you shoot without..." Probably has to do with the size of the fall zone. Has to be several miles of nothing behind the targets.
 
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