new to long range shooting

[7mminmt]

i was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on the basics i need. i currently have a 7mm ruger m77 and am looking for a reasonable scope. i want to start shooting around five hundred yards then work up from there to around eight hundred. i am also wondering if i need to reload for these kind of shots or buy ammo over the counter. any help would be awesome.

 

[dogdinger]

read this article about scopes...it would be a good place to start:
- Low Priced Long Range Scopes

there is a wealth of info on this site to get you going. as far as reloading VS factory, i guess that would depend on the amount of shooting and what your budget is. one of the fundamentals of LR shooting is lots of practice, my advice would to handload....good luck and be safe...AJ

 

[Guy M]

Where are you shooting? There's a hotbed of long-range precision shooting here in the Pacific Northwest and I could likely direct you to a range where you'd be able to shoot with some mighty fine LR shooters...

There are some good scopes that will work fine at 500 or 600 yards. You might even consider a used 4.5-14x Leupold with the 1" tube. There's a surprising amount of elevation adjustment avail in those particular scopes and they're affordable on the used market. Also, Leupold honors the lifetime warranty even if you buy the scope used.

I handload, but there are some very good factory options for the 7mm Rem mag. Look at Federal's 165 grain SPBT load - expensive but very good. HSM also offers a really nice load built around the 168 grain Sierra Matchking bullet that shoots quite well.

 

[7mminmt]

i shoot around missoula montana. i know we have a 1000 yard range but have not shot there yet and am still trying to get all the basics together first. also if you have any advice for judging distance and windage that would be very helpful. i dont know if there are any books or anything out there that cover any of this

 

[noone]

Both the Marine Corps and Army sniper manuals are great resources for people starting out. There are sections on distance judging in there that will help you alot.

A really good idea is to get a range finder. Then you can practice the old fashioned ways of range estimation and confirm the distance you estimated with the range finder. Over time you will get increasingly more accurate.

Although laser range finders are wonderful, they do break, batteries run down, or they won't work because of atmospheric conditions. So it is always good to have more than one way to get your range.

Computer programs you can put into a palm pilot type instrument are also a great help. They can help with both range estimation, and figuring out your elevation, lead, and other adjustments.