Long Range Noob Questions

[dave225]

what Randal said
what Randal said
what Randal said
all very good advice
I would only add
buy some boxes of gold medal match 30-06
and practice, practice, practice.
then think about upgrading rifle, scope etc.
if you cant find gold medal match try some federal fusion its pretty decent box ammo for the price, and shot well in a couple of factory barreled rifles I have used it in. its not hand loads or even GMM but for starters its decent.
don't be afraid to sit down and dry fire(a lot) its actually good practice and not only is it underrated, its free!

Dave.

[TMB 1]

With ZEROING, you can hit targets.
Changing your zero is not so easy without target knobs.

What MAKES a scope a target scope is the easy and consistent ability to re-zero it for different distances and conditions.

Yeah I get what you're saying. I guess some of the Scope Chiefs would be partial target scopes with the BDC knob, would just have to Kentucky windage.

[bsumoba]

scope, scope, scope.

if you have a booty scope that does not have reliable windage/elevation adjustments, you're going to be limited to zero'ing at a particular yardage because any adjustment of the turrets could potentially lead to a loss of zero when returning back to zero.

most modern rifles are going to shoot decent, unless you have a lemon. 1 MOA should be achievable in MOST bolt action rifles. Watch Rex Sniper on youtube. He has some good vids. A little nerdy when it comes to the scientific and physics parts of his vids but I really enjoyed them and learned a lot.

Also, when AR15Barrels, Another8 (sp?), LynnJr, Switchbarrel, and a few other people give you advice...take it. They are respectable on this forum.

that said, the SWFA scopes are very good and have been proven to have good tracking if you have to go budget.

also, dont believe the hype of magnification. chances are, you will be dialing down on magnification to get better clarity. you only really get this when you start shooting longer distances. whats most important is accurate tracking of the turrets, and clarity of the scope. this will trump magnification all day long.

i have a 15-55x NF Competition for my F-Class rifle and I could see myself only using it realistically up to 35-40 power unless I have perfect conditions (overcast, minimal mirage, etc). on my tac rifle, i have 3.5-21x Bushnell HDMR and I normally shoot in the 15-20 power range when shooting out to 500 yards.

[Hank15]

So here are my questions;

1) Does anyone know of any classes in the LA/OC area for long range fundamentals? I mean real fundamentals like zeroing the gun, what accessories are needed, etc.

Burro Canyon has an ex Marine sniper or something teaching all the time. I don't know if he's still there. You can also go to black mountain: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Black...49227121855220

Those are the only ones I remember off the top of my head. I am not a big rifle guy.

2) Is the Winchester Model 70 a good rifle?

Never shot one, but most 308s I've shot can keep shots within 1 inch at 100 yards. Don't know about anything beyond that distance, as I don't feel like driving 30 miles to a 600 yard range.

Good scope base and rings. You WILL upgrade your scope as you get better. If you buy a pair of Sakos you probably won't upgrade them anytime soon.

5) The rifle has an old Bushnell Scopechief IV 3x-9x scope. I know this is a lower end scope, but is it good enough to get started with while I get some other gear and gain some experience?

Yeah, not the best though. I started shooting with a .22 rifle/pistol and a cheap Nikon 4X. By the 2nd week I was able to keep 10 shots within 1 inch at 50 yards with a Marlin 795. That translated really well into centerfire cartridges.

I now plink at shotgun hulls at 100 yards with my .22.

6) Can anyone recommend any good books or websites that will help me to get started?

This is about the most user friendly text I remember: https://demigodllc.com/articles/prac...ing-equipment/


Long range isn't cheap, and California isn't the best place to do it. But it's a bragworthy skill if you really enjoy it and learn to do it well.

[milotrain]

California isn't the best place to do it.

What? Where are there more 1k ranges that have matches within less than a day's drive?

BRRC (600 yard match, 1k steel) monthly
OJAI (600 yard match) monthly
Pendleton (600 & 800, 900 1k matchs) monthly
Coalinga (600 & 800, 900 1k matchs) monthly
Sac Valley (600 yard match) monthly I think a 1k match often
29Stumps (no match but a 1k range)

Coupled with an easy day's drive to Vegas and an easy day's drive to Phoenix and we may live in the best area in the WORLD to shoot long range.

[JMP]

Coupled with an easy day's drive to Vegas and an easy day's drive to Phoenix and we may live in the best area in the WORLD to shoot long range.

Only in that the US is one of the few countries in the WORLD that allows civilian gun ownership (barely in CA) and we have proximity to unpopulated areas. However, inside of 1 km was long range last century for the German dudes with Mausers. In the the 21st century, long range is in excess of a km. Glass is too clear, machining is too precise, and ballistics have improved to the point where 1k is not an issue with an average Joe 90-108gr BB shot.

[milotrain]

I was considering Long Range in the NRA match definition of 800-1000 yards.

[ar15barrels]

What? Where are there more 1k ranges that have matches within less than a day's drive?

BRRC (600 yard match, 1k steel) monthly
OJAI (600 yard match) monthly
Pendleton (600 & 800, 900 1k matchs) monthly
Coalinga (600 & 800, 900 1k matchs) monthly
Sac Valley (600 yard match) monthly I think a 1k match often
29Stumps (no match but a 1k range)

Coupled with an easy day's drive to Vegas and an easy day's drive to Phoenix and we may live in the best area in the WORLD to shoot long range.

You left out Tri-County (Cuyama).
Palma and 3x1000 matches alternate monthly.
Open practice on the saturday before the sunday matche.

[Thorax]

Then there is the open range made by us Marines on the backside of 29 palms....little place called "sheep hole pass".

Wide open desert, never anyone around, you *could* shoot further than 1 mile in a full 360* circle and not have to worry about a thing....except for whatever/whoever came with you.
No range fee....no one to ask permission of.....

[pjsig]

I also like the OP want to get into shooting long range, and the info on this thread is quite informative. I have been shooting a bolt action 22 with a rather cheap scope for a while at random things at the range (metal targets, shotgun shells, etc). I need start using paper targets at this point.

That being said, I have a 1917 Enfield 30-06 with an unaltered bolt (along with a 2.5x weaver scope that obviously is not good enough for long range shooting). Is the rifle good enough to use as a long term option, start out with, or should I buy something else?

[milotrain]

Pjsig.

Obviously nothing, you could use it for the CMP vintage sniper match with that getup. BRRC has a 22 rimfire sporter match that is good practice with that 22 and you could shoot the Enfield at a midrange match there as well. Check the website.

Randall,
Had no idea about Cuyama. Good to know.

[CNC_Apps_Guy]

Long range isn't cheap, and California isn't the best place to do it.

What? Where are there more 1k ranges that have matches within less than a day's drive?

BRRC (600 yard match, 1k steel) monthly
OJAI (600 yard match) monthly
Pendleton (600 & 800, 900 1k matchs) monthly
Coalinga (600 & 800, 900 1k matchs) monthly
Sac Valley (600 yard match) monthly I think a 1k match often
29Stumps (no match but a 1k range)

Coupled with an easy day's drive to Vegas and an easy day's drive to Phoenix and we may live in the best area in the WORLD to shoot long range.

I'll add Wes Thompson's Lake Piru Range for 1k; www.pirugunrange.com
A place to shoot in Saugus http://www.aplacetoshoot.net/a-place...er-rifle-range - up to 500 yards
There's places in the Desert north of Barstow where you can go 1k or better.

As poor as the the Anti-gun climate is here in SoCal, the choices are fairly plentiful for long range shooting all things considered.

[ar15barrels]

I'll add Wes Thompson's Lake Piru Range for 1k; www.pirugunrange.com
A place to shoot in Saugus http://www.aplacetoshoot.net/a-place...er-rifle-range - up to 500 yards

I'll rule those all back out because they don't have pits and you can't put up paper targets past 300yds.
If you want to include every place that you can plink at huge steel or rocks, there are thousands of them that need to be listed...

[hambam105]

Finding a rifle in closet at random and learning to shoot long range at.... long range distances with it....Okay.

That reminds me of finding a stock 1979 Ford Pinto at a chicken farm and taking it to Laguna Seca Raceway and be competitive on the quatrter mile track. Stranger things have happened.

[MongooseV8]

you should come out to the Sacramento Valley shooting center sometime and watch silhouette rifle match.