Dont be intimidated

[Cowboyblaster]

When i first joined this group to gain knowledge and ask questions of shooters with far more skill and money than i. I thought wow these guys have invested alot of money into rifles that can shoot like that. So i took my 500 dollar remington and put a good stock on it 500 bucks. I then put a 550 dollar 4x12 vortex scope on it and put a 65 dollar timney trigger in it. I shot the **** out of it like that. Surprised at how much better I was getting with it i thought its time to go for more. Last shift in camp i took 3 boxes of factory Winchester 180gr deer season shells went on a calm evening with a peice of I beam 16 inches by 12 . I placed it at the end of a straight away and painted it white. Drove 1.5 km ranged in on a rock 5 feet from my target (6 rounds till i hit it). I then proceeded to shoot 4 shots at my i beam 3hits in a 4 inch spread not sure where the 4th went . If i can do this so can you once ive gotten comfortable at this range ill be going for more.

 

[Dosh]

Amazing what we can improve on by reading posts on this forum.

 

[AZHTR]

Cowboyblaster! I was exactly like you. Unfortunately the story doesn't end well for us
1) A modification here and there, I now own a couple of "highly" modified 7 mags (Bartlein barrels/Jewell triggers/stocks etc.). Oh I forgot to mention scopes
2) All of my reloading equipment has been upgraded (dies, mandrels, A&D120 scale)
3) I have more powder, primers and bullets now than I ever shot over the last 30 years of reloading combined.

I started this hobby in 2015 with a goal of being very proficient out to 500 yards. Now I'm frustrated when I'm not shooting sub MOA at a 1000 yards. Just keeping track of loads/ranges/temperatures etc. is mind numbing.........all because I thought I wanted to be proficient shooting 500 yards

It's NOT over for you yet. You're at the beginning, but I will say the day you range find something, dial-up your scope and touch one off and you hit where you KNEW you could, it will be amazing.

Keep us posted on your progress! (Lots of experience on this site)
Be safe and have fun on your journey to the money pit

 

[-WARDOG-]

There was a thread on here a while back titled "What is a custom rifle" or something like that.
It pretty well outlined the steps other shooters took to get to their pinnacle of accuracy (or close enough) and reliability.
After 40 years of hunting, and all of my upgrades through the years, I have become a snob with my own equipment (triggers, barrels, actions, stocks, scope & rings, binoculars, spotting scopes, handloads, backpacks, etc).
Unfortunately for me I am also a large-bore handgun hunter, (.475 LB, .500 JRH, .414 SM) and had to take the same route with them as well.

 

[Cowboyblaster]

Cowboyblaster! I was exactly like you. Unfortunately the story doesn't end well for us
1) A modification here and there, I now own a couple of "highly" modified 7 mags (Bartlein barrels/Jewell triggers/stocks etc.). Oh I forgot to mention scopes
2) All of my reloading equipment has been upgraded (dies, mandrels, A&D120 scale)
3) I have more powder, primers and bullets now than I ever shot over the last 30 years of reloading combined.

I started this hobby in 2015 with a goal of being very proficient out to 500 yards. Now I'm frustrated when I'm not shooting sub MOA at a 1000 yards. Just keeping track of loads/ranges/temperatures etc. is mind numbing.........all because I thought I wanted to be proficient shooting 500 yards

It's NOT over for you yet. You're at the beginning, but I will say the day you range find something, dial-up your scope and touch one off and you hit where you KNEW you could, it will be amazing.

Keep us posted on your progress! (Lots of experience on this site)
Be safe and have fun on your journey to the money pit

I hear ya i dont know that i will ever be the shooter i could be. In my day to day job i do so much paperwork keeping logs on explosives in and out of mags in triplicate the blasting logs themselves are insane and it's all after 30 years given me a dislike for paperwork which as we all know will badly limit my abilities as a shooter without extremly acurate records of prety much every shot fired and every bullet loaded

 

[misterc01]

That sounds familiar!!! I decided to get a Bond Arms Backup for a conceal carry, and that led me to thinking -" Hey - I wonder if it hard to reload 45 ACP for it. With this thought rattling around, I was in a local gun store, and literally fell in love with a Savage Model 12 F/TR .308. I was able to get it a good price about four months later when talking to the owner about possible discount, and a couple of the works in the story said -"Hey - he is about the only one looking at the rifle because it is so specialized." And so I began learning how to shoot long range AND reload precision ammo at the same time. So, as others have said, I now have powders, primers, dies, and other "necessary" paraphernalia for reloading and long range shooting in the pursuit of what is now a fun hobby. So – "press" on and enjoy!!!!!!

 

[Ken61]

"I shot the **** out of it like that"
This is one important key to success.

 

[Muddyboots]

I shot the **** out of it like that. Surprised at how much better I was getting with it i thought its time to go for more.

Now you are headed down the proverbial "rabbit hole" for LRH. I'd say "Good Luck"! But I know it won't matter, you have been "infected" and no cure!

Just have fun at your pace and don't be concerned about where you are at in proficiency. Enjoy the journey is what makes it fun!

 

[stovepipe]

I've spent enough on rifles, scopes, range finders and different kinds of bullets and powder in the last 10 years to at least buy a new pickup... not necessarily just for chasing accuracy but for the fun of it..working up loads is my hobby . If a person has a consistent 1/2 MOA rifle, good quality reliable scope, wind meter and range finder and can practice enough at whatever range you are comfortable to be able make proper shot placement on whatever you are hunting you are good to go with that combo. If you are like me and seems like most of us here and have a ...let's say healthy desire for shooting and trying new things then there is always plenty of new things to spend your money on..good luck

 

[Quintus]

The accuracy bug can bite anyone, but the symptoms are pretty consistent. I was shooting with my daughter yesterday starting to get tuned up for this years hunts. After shooting around 1/2 minute at 200 and 300 yards with 3 rifles her mechanics fell apart for her last group and she shot a 2.5 at 300 and was absolutely disgusted. I do the loading, but she is quality control on load development (she shoots better than I do) and has cost me alot of time and money to improve equipment and process. It has been a fantastic joint venture and thankfully the process for better further is an endless one! It is amazing to look back through the log books and see the progression of shooter, gear, and documentation over the years.

 

[seattleman1969]

I am the same, I have not yet (YET) bought a custom rifle, but I have modified several of my own to reach the performance I desired.

It's about the journey, not the destination (Mostly)!

 

[AZHTR]

I am the same, I have not yet (YET) bought a custom rifle, but I have modified several of my own to reach the performance I desired.

It's about the journey, not the destination (Mostly)!

EXACTLY - I consider a custom rifle, but then I wouldn't have learned anything!

It is about the journey. I learn something new every time I shoot!

 

[J-B welder]

I will probably never own a custom rifle. I've always been an off-the-rack guy. The fun for me is taking that plain vanilla factory gun and finding the perfect load for it. Right now that takes a while because I don't have the time to shoot the [urine] out of a gun.

At present I have enough time to maintain sufficient proficiency (or is that proficient sufficiency?) to ethically hunt at the ranges that are presented here in the northeast. Very much looking forward to retiring, at which time I anticipate increasing my annual number of rounds fired ten-fold and maybe start banging some faraway steel just for grins.

 

[rewiltshire]

A quick bit of advice. Never, and I mean never, tell the better half how much you have really spent getting to this point. - LOL>>>