Forums / Gun Discussion / Long distance shooting

Congrats on the school work.
The rifle and scope are only part of the package, time at the range and loading bench weigh just as heavily if not more in the quest for long range accuracy. That being said, I would go to some ranges, find out when distance matches are held and attend to observe and learn. Find the group of guys you mesh with and see what they are using. My favorite round is the .243 Win. Fast, flat and isn't too susceptible to wind drift.(the .243/6mm offers a lot of different projectile and casing choices too) Lots of shooters run the 6mm PPC and .22 PPC.

Ruger model 77 MKII is my favorite bolt action rifle.
You didn't say what distance you were interested in shooting. That may limit your choice of shooting facilities.

CON GRADS ON SCHOOL :>) if $$$money$$$ is nothing go for the 50 cal big gun you can have bolt or semi and a lot of them coming around and standard ammo.
If you goggle best sniper rifle your'll find lots of them where the maker of the rifle also made up the round.Think long distance,but in time as in how long will you be able to buy ammo?Come up with the ray gun and we all will be buying :>) ............................................TY

It really depends on what you're wanting to do with it. If you're shooting competition, different classes have different restrictions. You'll want to decide if you want a bolt or gas rifle. For caliber, I would personally go with something thats common and you have a lot of different choices for loads (like .308), but there are a lot of other cool choices out there. I would do a lot of research and try to decide exactly what you're trying to get out of the rifle. Check out G.A Precision to get a good idea of some rifles. They do great work on all types of set ups. If you want a gas gun, check out the GAP-10 or OBR. Glass will depend on what you're wanting out or your rig and distance you'll be shooting.

As far as getting started, there are a lot of videos online that outline the basic fundamentals and techniques, but nothing will replace trigger time.

Thanks everyone. I hadn't even thought about alot of this stuff. The distances I am interested in shooting are around 1000 yds. But I have NO idea where there are places to shoot that. I shot 500 yds all the time in the Marines, so I'm basically just wanting to 'stretch my legs'.

I am completely lost in the loading bench department. Its something that I have always been interested in but have never had the time to look into it let alone partake.

Calibers that I was considering using have been mainly either the .308 or .50 BMG. I had also considered (Heavily considered) trying the .338 Lapua. I have a buddy who used it during his service time (Forgot the details. He was a Marine Scout Sniper. Went through boot camp with him.)

As far as the rifle systems I am considering, my absolute dream rifle is the m200 from Cheytac. But 12 grand is still too much for me. Other than that I had already been heavily looking at GA Precision rifles. Mostly the GAP-10 or the M40A5 for the .308 WIN. As for the .50 BMG, I am really interested in the EDM Windrunner. Other than that I would love to have a M107A1. But lets face it who wouldn't =P.

I personally perfer the .308. It is a tested and proven round. I would love to have a .50BMG, but a lot of ranges around here won't let you fire them and as much as I shoot, I would have to get a 3rd morgage on my house to pay for the bullets. LOL! I'm still at about the 800-850 range, but will get to the 1K mark soon. I use an FN1A1SPR

Very nice. And yeah that's the only issue I see with the .50 BMG. Thinking back on it though, If I decide to get a rifle in .308, I may just get a Springfield M1A and add a Sage International EBR stock to it.

Even with all my toys..... I still want one. :)

They're a classic. Something everyone should have. Ever see anyone use them in a distance shoot though?

I was looking at the SOCOM M1 a while back, but have seen them shot at a couple of tournaments. I did a CMP shoot with the army a couple of years ago. Want to go to the warehouse and get one soon.

I'm also asking for a kestral weather station for christmas. Hoping that and a deacent ballistics program will help me hit the 1000m mark.

Yeah. I'd imagine that the M1 does great. My thinking behind the EBR stock was the Marine Corps' use of the M39 EMR. As far as I can figure, The M1 with the EBR stock is closest thing to the M39.

Which model are you looking at getting?

prob the 2500...

November 10 soulless..............................................TY

check this out:
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2841...

I have a scout in the regular synthetic OD springer stock, but I may change it out someday.

Personaly, if money was no matter, I would buy a quality base rifle in an afordable calibur, and then take it to a compentent gunsmith and have it built up with barrel, action, trigger job, bedded stock, quality optic's, and hand lapped barrel. .300 win mag or perhaps a .30-06.

Not slamming on your choices, but what is your reasoning behind 30-06 or .300 WinMag?

I'm still catching up with old posts, so I may be a bit behind here, but here's my suggestion. For caliber, it's hard to beat the .308, but at extended ranges, 800-1000 yards, wind can play hell with the bullet. When Carlos Hathcock won his first (I think) Camp Perry shoot, he was using a .30-06 and the wind was casuing the bullets to drift up to 107 inches at 1000 yds. The .300 win mag bucks the wind much better, but can also wear out barrels fairly quickly.

You say money isn't much of a concern, but to practice as often as you should, it's definitely more than just a one time investment. The .338 Lapua is a great round and, if I remember correctly, currently boasts the longest killshot in history at over twice the range you're talking about. The issue there is availability and cost of good components, as well as recoil, although a good muzzle brake (not muzzle break) will tame it quite a bit.

For real satisfaction, bulding your own rifle can't be beat, but there are some very good made-to-order companies out there. My first choice for custom rifles can be found at tacticalrifles.net. They guarantee their rifles shoot within 1/2 MOA (Minute Of Angle) which roughly translates to a half inch at 100 yards, one inch at 200 yards, and so on. Their guarantee is made using factory ammunition, so your rifle will do even better with good handloads dialed in for your particular rifle.

My choice, if I had the money, would be a Tactical Rifles M40-300 in the .300 Win Short Magnum cartridge, with a Leupold LR/T 6.5-20 x 50mm scope on a 20 MOA base

hey brother (my family tree just went down hill) have you ever been to camp Perry..

Gary went a couple of times.. observer not competitor.. so i've heard a lot of storys, like to get your feelings on the place Dave, and if you've ever shoot on the field..

Did not know that Carlos ever won there.. Not surprising tho.. if you can hit a NVA scope at 400 yds.. wow.. love that story.. and the documentary where he says a min later and it would have been him..

Just checked to see if you had answered my update request on the boy.. how's he doing?

He went through another transfusion, and they took the needle out of his head (veins collapsed in his arms and legs). They still have a heat lamp on him, but his mom and dad got to go in and see him. He's smiling and nursing, so he's doing better, but still not out of the woods. He's a fighter, though. Doesn't surprise me, his dad is one hardass infantryman. The guy was actually one of the dudes firing into Oday and Qusay Hussein's house and "may have" been there when we dropped a bomb on al Zarqawi. Prayers are definitely appreciated, from all sources, but certainly from Guns Lot's Chaplain.

I haven't been to Camp Perry. I'm not much of a long range shooter, although that's going to change as I work on upgrading my 7mm. Long range rifle and skeet shooting are two of the things I definitely need to work on to round out my shooting.

The 2012 All-Army Small Arms Championships are coming up at the end of February, and I'm trying to get a team together to go down to Ft Benning and try and represent Ft Leonard Wood. The cagekicking fags in GITMO didn't want to foot the bill to send a team from there, so I'm hoping to get more interest from the command here.

i was hoping you would respond and got back on to check..

The prayer part is very much for real Dave.. All our prayers have the same power, but i was serious when i asked for the cross, and excepted the "padre" post.. The little guys in mine..

as to the lop mistake on the 1919 and BAR... guess i was thinking of the 1921huh... just say yes.. give a geezer a break,,

ok got my update.. and now gone ... later all..

edit...sheesh.. i got all excited there for a min.. for those who saw this before it was corrected.. yeah i DO know the 1917.. owned two of them.. early lend lease to the Brits were in 455.. then our .45 with half moon clips.. thats what happens when you get old and in a hurry

If I remember correctly, I think John Browning refused royalties on the weapon in exchange for having the first batch go to his son's regiment in Europe during WW1. The troops were using the Chauchat (sp), which was such a horrible design that troops were reported to have plugged the barrels and fired them with strings around the triggers to blow them up. The chauchat used lubricated bullets and a cutaway magazine, I think so the gunner could see how much ammo he had left, but of course with the combination of lubrication on the ammo and huge pieces of metal cut from the magazines, dirt and debris was guaranteed to get into the action.

Again, I think my recollection on the Chauchat is correct, but I don't feel like googling it right now.

Quick edit before bed- The 1921 is the Thompson SMG