We in the West are blessed to have some of the most phenomenal long distance shooting opportunities in the country. Many of us only dream about getting to shoot at 500 yds or even 1000 yds. But I got an opportunity on Thursday to go rock shooting with MontanaMarine and Broz, from here on the Hide, at a place where ANY rifle any of us might show up with would be challenged for range.
We got set up at MM’s favorite local shooting spot and after a little conversation, Broz suggested we kick things off with a mile shot! All three of us, first Broz, with his 338LM, then MM with his 30-06 and then my 300WM, got on with one or two sighters and I could tell it was going to be a good day. After 1760 everything seems easy, and we shot at 830, 1200 and then Broz broke out his smallbores and we played around for awhile. Let me just say if you haven’t shot a heavy barreled 6BR with a BIG brake, well, you haven’t shot a rifle that doesn’t recoil!
I’ve been wanting to know for a while now just how far my rifle would shoot (I've made hits as far as 1900 yds.), so I asked Broz (who just happens to own a PRLF-10) to range me something over 2000 yds. He found me a small rock on the hillside across the canyon at 2296 yds and I settled in behind my rifle. I dialed in 25 mil (maxed out) and set about getting a good sight picture, NPA, etc, etc.
I’ll save you the suspense. I missed. I forgot to hold the 5.5 mil extra on my reticle to get the 30.5 estimated total elevation I'd need for the first shot.
But my second shot fell center mass with a zero wind hold, *just* short of my intended target. 
I was less concerned with actually hitting the target, than with how my rifle and load would perform at that that extreme range. So I fired a third and fourth round with the same hold and they hit in almost exactly the same spot as the second. I decided to try to actually hit the rock with the fifth, and held another ½ mil high and that round hit just up the hill from the first three. According to my spotter, MontanaMarine, the total group was “about ¼ mil”. That’s “about” 20”. Or “about” under 1 MOA.... at almost 2300 yds.
Needless to say we were all amazed. And with good reason. I wasn’t shooting a 50BMG, or a .338LM. I was shooting a 300WM... with a 22” barrel.
For you gearheads: 300WM, Winchester brass, CCI 250 primers, 78 gr H1000 pushing 208 Amax’s seated .010” off the lands (3.665" COAL). <span style="font-weight: bold">EST</span>. vel. 2900-2925 (I haven’t chrono’d the load I shot, I just finished working up this load for my Win. Brass, and although it groups well at 500 yds., I hadn’t gone so far as to chrono it yet, but back-calculating from JBM, 2900-2925 fits the data I collected from the field). I'll try to confirm this week. My go-to LR load chrono’s at 2870 out of this barrel and this new load prints 2” higher at 500 yds, so I’m pretty confident it’s running a lot hotter.
Obviously, 4 rounds does not make up a statistically significant sample size. So this post amounts to nothing more than a sharing of an experience. Nothing is meant to be implied here, so please... don't shit in this thread. But I continue to be curious and will keep working the limits of myself, my rifle and this cartridge as I feel that there is a lot more to be had. But I did want to share my experience with others and hopefully expand your horizons a bit.
This is what 2296 yds. looks like...
The Hardware:
A couple lousy pics from my broken camera. Broz sent me great pics, but didn't get any of all of us...
MontanaMarine and Broz scouting rocks for us to shoot:
MontanaMarine and his 22" 30-06, Broz spotting for him:
Thanks to MontanaMarine and Broz for an awesome day!
John
We got set up at MM’s favorite local shooting spot and after a little conversation, Broz suggested we kick things off with a mile shot! All three of us, first Broz, with his 338LM, then MM with his 30-06 and then my 300WM, got on with one or two sighters and I could tell it was going to be a good day. After 1760 everything seems easy, and we shot at 830, 1200 and then Broz broke out his smallbores and we played around for awhile. Let me just say if you haven’t shot a heavy barreled 6BR with a BIG brake, well, you haven’t shot a rifle that doesn’t recoil!
I’ve been wanting to know for a while now just how far my rifle would shoot (I've made hits as far as 1900 yds.), so I asked Broz (who just happens to own a PRLF-10) to range me something over 2000 yds. He found me a small rock on the hillside across the canyon at 2296 yds and I settled in behind my rifle. I dialed in 25 mil (maxed out) and set about getting a good sight picture, NPA, etc, etc.
I’ll save you the suspense. I missed. I forgot to hold the 5.5 mil extra on my reticle to get the 30.5 estimated total elevation I'd need for the first shot.
I was less concerned with actually hitting the target, than with how my rifle and load would perform at that that extreme range. So I fired a third and fourth round with the same hold and they hit in almost exactly the same spot as the second. I decided to try to actually hit the rock with the fifth, and held another ½ mil high and that round hit just up the hill from the first three. According to my spotter, MontanaMarine, the total group was “about ¼ mil”. That’s “about” 20”. Or “about” under 1 MOA.... at almost 2300 yds.
Needless to say we were all amazed. And with good reason. I wasn’t shooting a 50BMG, or a .338LM. I was shooting a 300WM... with a 22” barrel.
For you gearheads: 300WM, Winchester brass, CCI 250 primers, 78 gr H1000 pushing 208 Amax’s seated .010” off the lands (3.665" COAL). <span style="font-weight: bold">EST</span>. vel. 2900-2925 (I haven’t chrono’d the load I shot, I just finished working up this load for my Win. Brass, and although it groups well at 500 yds., I hadn’t gone so far as to chrono it yet, but back-calculating from JBM, 2900-2925 fits the data I collected from the field). I'll try to confirm this week. My go-to LR load chrono’s at 2870 out of this barrel and this new load prints 2” higher at 500 yds, so I’m pretty confident it’s running a lot hotter.
Obviously, 4 rounds does not make up a statistically significant sample size. So this post amounts to nothing more than a sharing of an experience. Nothing is meant to be implied here, so please... don't shit in this thread. But I continue to be curious and will keep working the limits of myself, my rifle and this cartridge as I feel that there is a lot more to be had. But I did want to share my experience with others and hopefully expand your horizons a bit.
This is what 2296 yds. looks like...
The Hardware:
A couple lousy pics from my broken camera. Broz sent me great pics, but didn't get any of all of us...
MontanaMarine and Broz scouting rocks for us to shoot:
MontanaMarine and his 22" 30-06, Broz spotting for him:
Thanks to MontanaMarine and Broz for an awesome day!
John
