I'm at a friends house out in a local farming area. We are shooting at groundhogs in a field across the valley. Using a Gamemaster 30 06 ( not the greatest varmint rifle ). No one was coming even close. I took one shot and nailed a groundhog at almost 700 yards. It was just a small black speck moving around in the field. So far away, the end sight covered it when I aimed. I guess luck, but "I was" aiming at the groundhog. Everyone there also said it was luck; and I replied, it would have been luck if I were shooting in the opposite direction. I remember picking up the rifle and saying: Let me show you how it's done. The " you were just lucky" replies faded, when I nailed another at 500 yards. Rangefinders don't lie. I guess I'm just a lucky shot. I kind of felt bad, but we did eat them.
Your Best ( iron sights ) Long Distance Shot?
- Thread starter jimsouth
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If I would have done it with the 03 Springfield with the Kahles Competition Scope, I would not have had a reason to brag; but with iron sights ( at that distance ), you get a spot in the books. I practice at an old strip mine, maybe 3,000 yards in length. Down low, and rarely any wind. No ranges near me that long; and never anyone to distract me. The top of the heap iron sights long distance shot, would be, Billy Dixon's shot of the century. A record shot not likely to ever be broken.
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stagpanther
New member
1) You have exceptional eyesight
2) You should have bought a lottery ticket that day
3) Can't wait to see how well you do next April 1.
2) You should have bought a lottery ticket that day
3) Can't wait to see how well you do next April 1.
I "HAD" exceptional eyesight. The grand kid has taken over. He uses bottle caps dangling on fishing line, as targets, when he practices with the .22. Kid's a real nail driver. I forgot it was April 1st; but the story is true.
stagpanther
New member
I have difficulty making out a 12" target and hitting it with irons at 100 yds--but can do it, though not all of the time. Even with a 20x scope I have difficulty making out a small target at 700 yds. That's exceptional shooting.
stagpanther
New member
Well, in that case, I can tell you that I can hit the earth almost every time no matter what the range!
Jack Bean
A man named Jack Bean made a shot on an unlucky Indian pretty much as Billy Dixon did. Who's was farther than the other's may be questioned. This shot made by Jack Bean was during the 1874 Wagon Road Expedition, near the present town of Lodge Grass, MT. This is a little read on the shot and the expedition.
www.gunsmagazine.com/old-west-miracle-shots
A man named Jack Bean made a shot on an unlucky Indian pretty much as Billy Dixon did. Who's was farther than the other's may be questioned. This shot made by Jack Bean was during the 1874 Wagon Road Expedition, near the present town of Lodge Grass, MT. This is a little read on the shot and the expedition.
www.gunsmagazine.com/old-west-miracle-shots
Kind of like the OP, I drilled a coyote, in one ear and out the other, at 385 yards with a bone stock CMP Garand.
Was I aiming at him? Yes...
Could I see him behind the front sight? Absolutely not.
You might call it luck, but when I tell the story, it's all skill.
What I generally don't tell folks is that I missed him clean at 100 and again at 150 yards.
Was I aiming at him? Yes...
Could I see him behind the front sight? Absolutely not.
You might call it luck, but when I tell the story, it's all skill.
What I generally don't tell folks is that I missed him clean at 100 and again at 150 yards.
Back in the "old days" the "observer" often(usually) toted an open sighted M-14 and was expected to handle the "short range" shots(under 600 yards) if things got sticky and/or the bolt rifle was busy.
I used to be able to hit a 5 gallon bucket @ 440 yards fairly consistently with a good issue grade 03A3 until the recoil got me to flinching. I quit trying that sort of thing 15-20 years ago and put scopes on nearly everything.
I used to be able to hit a 5 gallon bucket @ 440 yards fairly consistently with a good issue grade 03A3 until the recoil got me to flinching. I quit trying that sort of thing 15-20 years ago and put scopes on nearly everything.
Since I was a kid until I was 51 years old I has 20/10 vision. When I joined the USMC the navy Doctor that did my exam said they call that "double perfect".
I had scoped rifles but most of my collection had irons. I shot them more then I did scoped rifles because I liked the guns that way, and for most shots I needed no scope. Now my vision is going south. My doctor tells me I have lost 65% of my vision that I had when I was in my 20s.
So my best iron sight shot I can't even guess. I made a lot of good shots. I was shooting by the time I was 8 and I started to go down hill with my eyes in my 50s. Now days I still love irons, but I don't shoot at super small things at very long ranges anymore. Can't see um.
I do have the best iron-sighted group I ever shot however. I saved it. I was zeroing an AR-15 in 6.8 with a 10 shot mag. My hits were low and right so I'd shoot and my spotter would tell me to come up and left each time I'd adjust the sights. My 6th shot hit the corner of the square and he said "come up one click and left one click and shoot me a group". So I did.
This is the 4 shot group.
I have never been able to do this kind of shooting again, but it was a thrill to do this one.
100 yards.
Peep sights.
6.8 at 100 by Steve Zihn, on Flickr
I had scoped rifles but most of my collection had irons. I shot them more then I did scoped rifles because I liked the guns that way, and for most shots I needed no scope. Now my vision is going south. My doctor tells me I have lost 65% of my vision that I had when I was in my 20s.
So my best iron sight shot I can't even guess. I made a lot of good shots. I was shooting by the time I was 8 and I started to go down hill with my eyes in my 50s. Now days I still love irons, but I don't shoot at super small things at very long ranges anymore. Can't see um.
I do have the best iron-sighted group I ever shot however. I saved it. I was zeroing an AR-15 in 6.8 with a 10 shot mag. My hits were low and right so I'd shoot and my spotter would tell me to come up and left each time I'd adjust the sights. My 6th shot hit the corner of the square and he said "come up one click and left one click and shoot me a group". So I did.
This is the 4 shot group.
I have never been able to do this kind of shooting again, but it was a thrill to do this one.
100 yards.
Peep sights.
6.8 at 100 by Steve Zihn, on FlickrMy longest shots
Years ago I killed a jackrabbit with a 44 mag Ruger super blackhawk with my own cast 429421 at 175 yards after a running battle. The shot was offhand and I was standing on a running tractor.
He thought that I was out of ammo and stopped to sit up and laugh. I don't know who was more surprised, him or me.
Another time I killed a 13 line ground squirrel in my pasture a 79 steps off hand with a cb long out of a 4 5/8 Ruger single six. It took a number of shots and my wife was wondering why I couldn't hit him.
I thought it was right up there with a miracle
Years ago I killed a jackrabbit with a 44 mag Ruger super blackhawk with my own cast 429421 at 175 yards after a running battle. The shot was offhand and I was standing on a running tractor.
He thought that I was out of ammo and stopped to sit up and laugh. I don't know who was more surprised, him or me.
Another time I killed a 13 line ground squirrel in my pasture a 79 steps off hand with a cb long out of a 4 5/8 Ruger single six. It took a number of shots and my wife was wondering why I couldn't hit him.
I thought it was right up there with a miracle
Rottweiler
New member
I've put quite a few (not nearly as many as I'd like to) bullets into a 6 inch X ring at 600 yards with my service rifle. Do those count?
I was at a Machine Gun shoot, though I was only shooting my USGI Vintage rifles. I rented a spot next to a couple guys shooting a M1919A4 Machine Gun.
They stopped shooting for a bit to set up some more targets, one was a 12 inch fire extingusher they set up by a vehicle in front of our points.
When the Fire comand was giving the gun next to me openned up at the estingusher with a belt of '30 ('06) ammo. Shot all around the extingusher.
I ranged the target, right at 450 yards. I set the sight on my M1917 to 450, using M2 Ball, let loose with a round. The Extingusher blew up.
The gun with the 'A4 looked over at me and said "I was shooting AT that", to which I replied, "I shot it". He laughed and said "you got me there".
I put up the M1917, firgured I didnt want to press my luck.
Not the farthest I have shot irons by a long shot, having shot a heck of a lot of 1000 yard matches with M14, M1s, and even ARs, But it was my favorite memory of shooting irons.
They stopped shooting for a bit to set up some more targets, one was a 12 inch fire extingusher they set up by a vehicle in front of our points.
When the Fire comand was giving the gun next to me openned up at the estingusher with a belt of '30 ('06) ammo. Shot all around the extingusher.
I ranged the target, right at 450 yards. I set the sight on my M1917 to 450, using M2 Ball, let loose with a round. The Extingusher blew up.
The gun with the 'A4 looked over at me and said "I was shooting AT that", to which I replied, "I shot it". He laughed and said "you got me there".
I put up the M1917, firgured I didnt want to press my luck.
Not the farthest I have shot irons by a long shot, having shot a heck of a lot of 1000 yard matches with M14, M1s, and even ARs, But it was my favorite memory of shooting irons.
stagpanther
New member
great story
Can’t share any rifle stories really because I have a lack of facts.
This may sound odd, but almost all of my shooting is undocumented, unmeasured and just for relaxing.
My lifetime of work is full of procedures, measurements and documentation; obviously I don’t want to ruin fun with all of that. I only measure group sizes occasionally.
My most satisfying stuff has been fun shots a repurposed Target items.
I had fun when I was a kid shooting BB guns with my brother. We would set shotgun shells with the bottom facing us, then shoot the primers. The distance was far enough that it didn’t bother dad that we were doing it, he was pretty impressed with the fact that we could make them go off. He put a scope on one of the air rifles for us later on. We would go down to the caliche pit and shoot Hot Wheels cars across the pit with our 22s. I have no idea how far it was, but Dad was impressed with it too.
But those are all old stories now. Some of my favorite shots, many of you probably wouldn’t understand. For me it’s about the experience, not the data. Lots of factors can go into what makes something “best” for me.
This may sound odd, but almost all of my shooting is undocumented, unmeasured and just for relaxing.
My lifetime of work is full of procedures, measurements and documentation; obviously I don’t want to ruin fun with all of that. I only measure group sizes occasionally.
My most satisfying stuff has been fun shots a repurposed Target items.
I had fun when I was a kid shooting BB guns with my brother. We would set shotgun shells with the bottom facing us, then shoot the primers. The distance was far enough that it didn’t bother dad that we were doing it, he was pretty impressed with the fact that we could make them go off. He put a scope on one of the air rifles for us later on. We would go down to the caliche pit and shoot Hot Wheels cars across the pit with our 22s. I have no idea how far it was, but Dad was impressed with it too.
But those are all old stories now. Some of my favorite shots, many of you probably wouldn’t understand. For me it’s about the experience, not the data. Lots of factors can go into what makes something “best” for me.
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I enjoy the dickens out of hitting steel plates @ 100 yards, free-standing and off bench, with the Ruger SR1911. The front sight is larger than the plate at that distance.
But one of my most memorable shots, admittedly pure luck, was with a friend's 9mm pocket pistol - a Baretta with about a 3" barrel. As my friend looked on, I gonged the plate with the very first shot, free standing and off bench. My buddy had a huge smile on his face.
In fun, my buddy insisted it was the quality of his reloads, and not the quality of the shooter, that accounted for the the shot!
In any event, he was happy to say the value of his pocket pistol just went up by $75....
A fun day, for sure...
Bayou
But one of my most memorable shots, admittedly pure luck, was with a friend's 9mm pocket pistol - a Baretta with about a 3" barrel. As my friend looked on, I gonged the plate with the very first shot, free standing and off bench. My buddy had a huge smile on his face.
In fun, my buddy insisted it was the quality of his reloads, and not the quality of the shooter, that accounted for the the shot!
In any event, he was happy to say the value of his pocket pistol just went up by $75....
A fun day, for sure...
Bayou
bamaranger
New member
cow bell target
I USED to be able to ring a cowbell target, the kind you get in the stores, 8-9 times out of 10, with a 44US .22 trainer, at 100 yds, sitting with a loop sling. Never did go 10-10.
Then my eyes went, all of a sudden, about age 54. Now, my dang hip won't even let me get into a proper sitting position to sling up!!!!
I USED to be able to ring a cowbell target, the kind you get in the stores, 8-9 times out of 10, with a 44US .22 trainer, at 100 yds, sitting with a loop sling. Never did go 10-10.
Then my eyes went, all of a sudden, about age 54. Now, my dang hip won't even let me get into a proper sitting position to sling up!!!!
Local county range has steel targets out to 950 yards, they are about 14 "or 16" squares. I have hit the 500 yard one a bunch of times with my 1903A3, and a little less often with various Mausers. The different sight types makes it a lot easier with the peep of the 03a3 compared to the V sights on the k98s, but still possible.
Jeff Cooper wrote a few times that a scope doesn't help you shoot, it helps you see, and he is right. Once I got the elevation, this was pretty easy, because the white target in front of the dark background made it easy to see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWOePGiaBcM
Jeff Cooper wrote a few times that a scope doesn't help you shoot, it helps you see, and he is right. Once I got the elevation, this was pretty easy, because the white target in front of the dark background made it easy to see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWOePGiaBcM
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