coming at this backwards...

[elk addict]

hi, i'm Rob, and i have a problem.

back story:
grew up on a ranch (or 2) in Mt, started shooting at a young age, shot alot, got bored with it, sold my soul to archery in my 20's, got fed up with compounds about 3 years ago & started making my own longbows, got introduced to long range shooting by a friend, got a trigger job on my 7WSM, found out i can put together a 6"-14" group at 800 with it- at which point i ran out of travel on my loopy 6-18...

which brings me to the reason i started lurking here last fall:
not alot of support for guys looking to shoot past 600 in most gun shops, so i turned to the interweb for advice/corruption. it seems like you tactical guys are a good source for the info i seek!

i've made a few local friends who shoot LR comps, and i don't have the $$ to jump straight in- besides, i need to develop the skills first so i don't look like a complete fool when i do enter one.

ulterior motive:
recently expanded my hunting from elk/speedies/elk/deer/elk to include "furry things that like to eat elk"- problem is, they tend to disappear when i get inside 1000 yds.

side note:
i just ordered a savage 111 in 338lm.

the plan:
develop a nice load with 162 amax's for the 7short, work my comfort zone out to 1000 with it, then start tossing five dollar bills down range with the 338 until i can hit something on purpose at a mile.

work in progress:
ordering a ss10x42 to start learning mil ranging (followed by a 5-20 for the 338 when i get the tax return), stocking up on RL25, looking for a screaming deal on a manners, practice, practice, practice.

thank you for all that i've read here already- i wouldn't be investing my time or money without your combined knowledge.

 

[steve123]

Re: coming at this backwards...

Hi Rob,

Welcome to the Hide.

Are you asking anything in particular or just commenting?

 

[mwroseberry]

Re: coming at this backwards...

Welcome to the hide. The 7WSM you speak of will have no trouble what so ever getting to 1 mile. My suggestion would be work on that caliber if I was you. You can push the 180s at a speed which will easily make it to a mile all day and hit your intended target. My 7-08 has no trouble getting my 162BTHP to 1 mile so I know your rig will do it. Which action is the WSM on? I would cancel your order, deck out the action you have with a good barrel, some good glass and start removing preditors from the area.

Good luck,
Merritt

 

[USMC_03XX]

Re: coming at this backwards...

Welcome! Im fairly new here as well, and as I read your post a couple things came to mind. With respect to spending time learning the mil-ranging - That is tough, mostly due to your target not providing a silhouette, terrain considerations, as well as brush/concealment. On top of that is the non-standard target size. When talking about shooting out to 0-800m more accurate 'SWAG's' can be made due to the relative proximity of your target, when shooting 800m plus your dope must be much more precise as the external ballistics of even the most flat shooting round will not leave much room for a 6" error in your SWAG. For shooting steel, this isnt an issue, for shooting 2 or 4 legged targets the range estimation becomes the long pole in the tent. While familiarity with the mil system in terms of ranging is a critical skill, mastering it when shooting moving targets of non-standard size will consume your life.

Short Answer/Recommendation - invest in a good LRF (Leica for example) and use it to not only range your target when able, but use it to develop a field sketch where you grab ranges of landmarks and your dope comes from the targets proximity to those landmarks (tree/bush/etc).

As I said I am a fairly new member, but I do have real world experience with this dilemma, hopefully this helps.

 

[elk addict]

Re: coming at this backwards...

Steve- thank you!
more of an introduction & disclaimer that i <span style="font-weight: bold">have</span> used the search function a few times before i start asking stoopid questions...

Merrit- thank you!
win 70 short action- don't think the 180's will feed (i don't like single shots).
i'm not overly worried about the 338 being a bad investment either, i'm getting a good enough deal on it

i spent some quality time with a 338 win mag a few years ago & i kinda miss it. could be vanity, but i got a kick out of the reactions at the range when i had it. 338's have a nice way of making things DRT, i like em.

USMC_03XX- thank you!
my urge to learn mil ranging is more for medium range, i've had a few good opportunities go by (~400-700 out at a dead run) before i could get a range with the laser. on the longer shots i usually have time to get a range, provided i can get a reading... i like the leicas & swaros, and i use my little loopy rx-II to range random things whenever i go out, but it doesn't pick up much of anything past 450.
if i can't stumble into a screamin deal on a leica or swaro (or better), i think i'll get a pair of bushnell ranging binos (been reading good things about them), but in the meantime, i can use the mil ranging to develop a good shot routine. it'll help me slow down my firing rate so i can improve consistency.
there's no shortage of open space to shoot here, and scrap steel is pretty easy to come by, so it makes sense to me to cut out some silhouettes (plywood with steel vitals) & get after it.

 

[USMC_03XX]

Re: coming at this backwards...

Elk addict, I hear you on the leicas, damn expensive. Sounds like you have a great setup for training, on the silhouettes, I would try to cover the full range of sizes from small to large, dont just stick to one size. And place them at quartering intervals (i.e. quartering to and away from you and all intervals in between), that will help with the range estimation/mil solution development. Keep us posted on the training, I am jealous, I really wish I had a nice span of land with no neighbors and could train like that. Have fun.