Yesterday I went to Pala shooting range with my Browning x-bolt Max Varmint/Target rifle in caliber 223. Pala is the longest distance range in southern California. It is owned by the Pala Tribe and has steel targets from 100yds to 890yds. I used the same type of ammo as it did on my 300yd range test namely: PMC 55gr, Wolf Gold 55gr, Federal Premium Match with 69gr sierra Matchking bullets and Norma Match with 77gr sierra Matchking HPBT bullets. All shots were at 600yds on primarily a 15inch steel circular target set a few inches off the ground. There is not much wind at Pala and I would consider it a very easy range at which to shoot long distance. The wind was approximately 2.5mph and changed direction throughout the shoot. Sometimes I needed as much as .7 MILS of hold-off and sometimes much less.
The most interesting thing was the difference in "come up" between the light weight bullets and the heavier bullets.
I had trajectory information from both JMB and Hornady ballistic calculators. I had doubled and triple checked my data entry to insure the most correct results. However, beyond 300yds none of the data from either calculators were accurate for my rifle. The zero stop on my Athlon Midas Tac scope was set at 100yds and hits were confirmed at that distance. It took 3.6MILS of elevation for the 55gr bullets to impact the 15inch steel at 600yds. The 69bullets needed another .4MILS for a total of 4.0MILS to impact the target at 600yds. The 77gr bullets needed a total of 4.8MILS impact the 15inch plate at 600yds.
There was a significant difference in hit ratio between the 55gr ammo and the very expensive 69 and 77 ammo with sierra Matchking bullets. When I could read the wind correctly, my hit ratio with the 69 and 77 grain bullets was very high-7 out of 10. However with the 55gr ammo my hit ratio was much much lower-about 3 out of 10. Obviously ballistic coefficient, weight, bullet quality and overall manufacturing precision are very important especially for long distance accuracy.
The heavier bullets impacted the 15inch steel plate with much greater force than the 55gr bullets. I could actually see the steel plate move just a tiny bit with the heavier bullets. Not so with the 55gr bullets. All I saw was the "splash". The Browning functioned perfectly. It feed, ejected and triggered primers smoothly and consistently. It was a pleasure to shoot. I fired at total of 60rds in a shooting session that lasted about 2 and 1/2 hours. There were 3 range breaks and at Pala. Shooters actually drive their vehicles on the range to change their paper targets out to 600yds and beyond. So, that burns up a some time.
It was a the most enjoyable shooting session I have experienced in a long long time. Although Pala is 106 miles round trip from my home and cost $25, I will continue to go there once a month. I will not renew my membership at the 25yd "indoor range" even though it is only 6.5 miles from my home.
My only regret is that I am a very very late starter at this long distance shooting thing-but I love it.
The most interesting thing was the difference in "come up" between the light weight bullets and the heavier bullets.
I had trajectory information from both JMB and Hornady ballistic calculators. I had doubled and triple checked my data entry to insure the most correct results. However, beyond 300yds none of the data from either calculators were accurate for my rifle. The zero stop on my Athlon Midas Tac scope was set at 100yds and hits were confirmed at that distance. It took 3.6MILS of elevation for the 55gr bullets to impact the 15inch steel at 600yds. The 69bullets needed another .4MILS for a total of 4.0MILS to impact the target at 600yds. The 77gr bullets needed a total of 4.8MILS impact the 15inch plate at 600yds.
There was a significant difference in hit ratio between the 55gr ammo and the very expensive 69 and 77 ammo with sierra Matchking bullets. When I could read the wind correctly, my hit ratio with the 69 and 77 grain bullets was very high-7 out of 10. However with the 55gr ammo my hit ratio was much much lower-about 3 out of 10. Obviously ballistic coefficient, weight, bullet quality and overall manufacturing precision are very important especially for long distance accuracy.
The heavier bullets impacted the 15inch steel plate with much greater force than the 55gr bullets. I could actually see the steel plate move just a tiny bit with the heavier bullets. Not so with the 55gr bullets. All I saw was the "splash". The Browning functioned perfectly. It feed, ejected and triggered primers smoothly and consistently. It was a pleasure to shoot. I fired at total of 60rds in a shooting session that lasted about 2 and 1/2 hours. There were 3 range breaks and at Pala. Shooters actually drive their vehicles on the range to change their paper targets out to 600yds and beyond. So, that burns up a some time.
It was a the most enjoyable shooting session I have experienced in a long long time. Although Pala is 106 miles round trip from my home and cost $25, I will continue to go there once a month. I will not renew my membership at the 25yd "indoor range" even though it is only 6.5 miles from my home.
My only regret is that I am a very very late starter at this long distance shooting thing-but I love it.
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