Since moving to Wyoming my long range goals keeping getting further and further and further. Today I knocked my current goal out of the park by 20 yards. 20 yards come on Doug thats nothing you say. Well 20 yards today made my shot 1780 yards, the goal was one mile or 1760 yards. I started out the day by checking zero on my rifles since I had just shimmed my scopes up so I could get more out of them, two rounds from both of my rifles and I had my zeros confirmed. Along for the ride were to of my favorite rifles, my 300 WSM and my 243SRC. Both firing handloads that brought out the true protentional of the rounds....well maybe not true potentional of the rounds but what my rifles and I can do.
The 300WSM is built on a Times Percision right bolt left port action which is pillar and skim bedded in a HS Percisions stock, and fitted with a 24" Krieger barrel. My scope is a Weaver T36 setting in Weaver steel rings on a Warne base. In this rifle I am shooting a 200gr SMK powered by CCI 200 primers and H4831SC powder, which exits the muzzle at just under 2850fps, I use Winchester cases that I have worked over by anealing, trimming, deburing the flash hole, fireforming, and neck sizing.
The 243 Super Rock Chucker is an interesting rifle to say the least. The action is a Interarms Mark X, bedded in a Fajen stock, fitted with a 30" Hart barrel. I have a Leupold VXIII 6-18x40 mounted in Weaver steel rings on an EGW scope base. It is a wildcat round formed from 25-06 cases by necking down and leaving a false shoulder to headspace off for fireforming. The end result is a necked down and improved 25-06. I use a 105gr Hornady A-Max powered by CCI 200 primers and H4831SC powder, this combo exits the muzzle at 3375fps. I am using Winchester Brass in this rifle also that I prep by anealing, trimming, deburing the flash hole, fireforming, and neck sizing and neck turning.
I wasnt sure it was going to happen this weekend based on the weather/wind. After the gun show this morning I loaded up my gear and went out to my range because the wind wasnt blowing in town. At the range it was going about 5-7mph but not to bad.
I started out checking zero at 100 yards, since I shimmed my scopes to get more MOA out of them. Two shots for each rifle and I was zeroed again. I than went to 1150 yards and tried a couple shots on my 14x14" steel plate.
The second shot from my 300wsm hit just above center so I put it back in the truck and grabbed my 243 SRC and put a cluster of shots on the left side of the plate.
I backed up to 1500 and shot my big 30x30 plate with the WSM and SRC just to see if I would have enough MOA left to get to 1760. Again the second shot hit just about dead center on my 30x30" plate so I grabbed the SRC and shot some which was starting to get speratic and landed 5 out of 7 on my plate and printed about 10"
So it was time to move back again while the winds werent blowing. I backed up to 1780 yards and went for broke. My 300WSM's scope was topped out and the way my ballistic program read I would be just about 1MOA low but since I was up on top of the hill I had a slight ballistic advantage. I lost sight of my target durning recoil on shot 1 and 2, on shot 3 I saw an impact about 4 feet left and 2 feet high. I got settled in behind my rifle after adjusting my scope and sent another round and saw the impact just off the left edge of my 14x14" steel plate. I adjusted again and sent another round HIT!!!, Im glad no one was around to see me doing the happy dance on top of that hill. I shot again and lost the target in recoil. I had one more round left and sent it with the same dope on my scope and I lost it.
Knowing I had one hit I went down to get my target since I wasnt going to shoot the 243 at that range just yet since I wasnt happy with it at 1500 yards. As it turns out I landed two 200gr SMK's on target at 20 yards passed 1 mile.
I am addicted now, I havent gone passed 1500 before until today and landing 2 shots that close at a mile has given me more insentive to go further.
I have 2 apps on my phone that really helped out. "Range Card" is a program that uses the GPS in your phone to set points and will give you a straight line yardage reading accurate down to .5 yards. The other is "Shooter" a ballistics program that allows you to set almost all varibles and will give you dope for you scope.
The 300WSM is built on a Times Percision right bolt left port action which is pillar and skim bedded in a HS Percisions stock, and fitted with a 24" Krieger barrel. My scope is a Weaver T36 setting in Weaver steel rings on a Warne base. In this rifle I am shooting a 200gr SMK powered by CCI 200 primers and H4831SC powder, which exits the muzzle at just under 2850fps, I use Winchester cases that I have worked over by anealing, trimming, deburing the flash hole, fireforming, and neck sizing.
The 243 Super Rock Chucker is an interesting rifle to say the least. The action is a Interarms Mark X, bedded in a Fajen stock, fitted with a 30" Hart barrel. I have a Leupold VXIII 6-18x40 mounted in Weaver steel rings on an EGW scope base. It is a wildcat round formed from 25-06 cases by necking down and leaving a false shoulder to headspace off for fireforming. The end result is a necked down and improved 25-06. I use a 105gr Hornady A-Max powered by CCI 200 primers and H4831SC powder, this combo exits the muzzle at 3375fps. I am using Winchester Brass in this rifle also that I prep by anealing, trimming, deburing the flash hole, fireforming, and neck sizing and neck turning.
I wasnt sure it was going to happen this weekend based on the weather/wind. After the gun show this morning I loaded up my gear and went out to my range because the wind wasnt blowing in town. At the range it was going about 5-7mph but not to bad.
I started out checking zero at 100 yards, since I shimmed my scopes to get more MOA out of them. Two shots for each rifle and I was zeroed again. I than went to 1150 yards and tried a couple shots on my 14x14" steel plate.
The second shot from my 300wsm hit just above center so I put it back in the truck and grabbed my 243 SRC and put a cluster of shots on the left side of the plate.
I backed up to 1500 and shot my big 30x30 plate with the WSM and SRC just to see if I would have enough MOA left to get to 1760. Again the second shot hit just about dead center on my 30x30" plate so I grabbed the SRC and shot some which was starting to get speratic and landed 5 out of 7 on my plate and printed about 10"
So it was time to move back again while the winds werent blowing. I backed up to 1780 yards and went for broke. My 300WSM's scope was topped out and the way my ballistic program read I would be just about 1MOA low but since I was up on top of the hill I had a slight ballistic advantage. I lost sight of my target durning recoil on shot 1 and 2, on shot 3 I saw an impact about 4 feet left and 2 feet high. I got settled in behind my rifle after adjusting my scope and sent another round and saw the impact just off the left edge of my 14x14" steel plate. I adjusted again and sent another round HIT!!!, Im glad no one was around to see me doing the happy dance on top of that hill. I shot again and lost the target in recoil. I had one more round left and sent it with the same dope on my scope and I lost it.
Knowing I had one hit I went down to get my target since I wasnt going to shoot the 243 at that range just yet since I wasnt happy with it at 1500 yards. As it turns out I landed two 200gr SMK's on target at 20 yards passed 1 mile.
I am addicted now, I havent gone passed 1500 before until today and landing 2 shots that close at a mile has given me more insentive to go further.
I have 2 apps on my phone that really helped out. "Range Card" is a program that uses the GPS in your phone to set points and will give you a straight line yardage reading accurate down to .5 yards. The other is "Shooter" a ballistics program that allows you to set almost all varibles and will give you dope for you scope.