accuracy from long range under 10 lb guns?

[Buffalobob]

Charles

Using three different high velocity rifles weighing 10 -18 pounds and high BC bullets with winds under 5 mph I am four hits in the kill zone of hoofed big game animals for six shots at ranges from 960 yards to 1425 yards.

With winds over 10 mph and ranges at and beyond 1K, I am about zero for perhaps ten shots. At those kind of wind speeds there is so much gusting and swirling between you and the animal that a wind meter is mostly useless except as an indication that you are going to miss.

Under 1 K, I can usually manage winds under 15 mph with a fast rifle and high BC bullet.

 

[Ridge Runner]

I have a mark Bansner built UR-1, chambered in 7mm STW, its a lilja 26" ?contour (about the same as a factory 700 barrel) which with a 6.5x20 vari-x III weighs 8.7 #. I use it mostly to 600 yards, with a 140 gr BT at 3550 fps, but worked up a load witha 160 nosler accubond and wc 872 that clocked 3340 fps, I tested this load to 750 yards and could consistantly group 3/4 MOA or a shade under. Have never taken game much past 600 with it, just got to many others better suited for that purpose.
RR

 

[Fiftydriver]

Ridge Runner,

You have an EXTREMELY fast barrel on that rifle. Unusual for a Lilja as they tend to run on the slow side because of their tight bores but obviously that is not the case with your barrel. Those are some smoking velocities for the STW.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Yep kirby, the thing scared me when I first got it, I started loading it with 140's and H-1000 and started going up till I saw pressure signs (this was in november) I was running the 140's 3602 fps according to my pact pro, the first day it warmed up I backed the loads down 2 grains because of a heavy bolt lift and slightly sticky extraction

After I got my 7mm AM and saw how consistant 872 was in it in cold weather I just decided to experiment with a 160 and 872 in the stw, I loaded 91 through 96 gr of 872 in rem cases, 95 gr gave me 3342 fps with no signs, 96 gr was 3380 with a slightly heavy bolt and just a hint of an ejector mark. so I did my accuracy testing at 95 gr. case life was pretty good also considering I was shooting rem. brass that had been fired 3 times at full power.
RR

 

[Charles A]

Buffalobob,

I would completely agree that somewhere around the 1K mark things become exponentially more difficult, especially in high winds.


7-9lb rigs are diffidently not optimized for 900 yard shots. They are generalist rifles that are wonderful to carry and work extremely well from the muzzle to around 700 yards. Given a solid shooter/spotter and the right conditions a good one can be stretched to the thousand (+/-) yard line.

 

[Buffalobob]

Charles

There is no disagreement.

I am just pursuing my own line of thinking and had considered starting a thread on the difference between group size and shot placement and consistency. As hunting season draws nearer, group size means very little to me and shot placement and consistency mean everything.

I should have just started my own thread and not tried to bend this one around to what is on my mind.

 

[Ernie]

All of my specialty handguns (Save one that has had lead added to the stock to shoot LG class @ 1k) is in the 10lb class or under.
One of my lighter ones shot a 14" 10 shot group with a 1.5 lb trigger, center-grip stock, shooting off of bi-pod. In fact that was the first time I had ever shot it @ a match, and only the 2nd time I had shot it with that barrel (6x47 Lapua/105 Bergers).
My center-grip 7mm Dakota XP will run in the 2.5-3.5 inch 3-shot groups @ 600 yards off of a bipod. Again, with trigger pull about like the one mentioned above.

 

[Sapphire]

Ernie,

That 14" 10 shot group was at a K or at 600?

Ernie

 

[Ernie]

1,000