ELR in South Dakota

[Graham]

Stiggy and I took a few days off last week for an ELR Prairie Dog trip.

We set up about 150 feet from the valley floor on a ridge line:

To find the target look across the valley, past the trees on the valley floor, up the slope. Center-left in the photo, just below the horizon, where a ridge bisects that slope, you can see two blobs of green. They are trees. The target is the base of the tree on the left.

Temp: 98 degrees, in the shade.
Humidity: 33%
Pressure: 28.44hg

Load: 300 Win Mag, 72.6 RE22 behind a JLK 210 VLD LBT.

Distance: 1875 yards.

Wind: 7mph at 9 o'clock at the gun, gusting 14mph at 9 o'clock through the valley.

I dialed 11 MOA left wind. With that much windage on the scope it topped out just above 66 MOA, so I dialed 66 MOA and held an additional 1 Mil.

First impact was 1/4 Mil low and 1.5 Mils to the right.

I dialed to 16 MOA windage and held 1.5 Mils.

Second impact was just below the base of the target.

Siggy gave the call: "No correction; send another."

Third impact was a hit at the base of the target.

Rifle is a John Pierce custom build in a McRees stock, with a 29 1/4" 10-twist barrel chambered for the 210 VLD's. Scope is a NF 5.5-22x50:

[The target is just below the horizon, the dark green blob seen above and to the left of the left edge of the scope elevation turret].

Someobody please tell me again why I need a .338 and/or why I need to spend more than $1.50 per round for an ELR rifle.

 

[C.K]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

You guy on the rosebud reservation??

 

[Graham]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

Yup: for some of it. Rosebud is Sioux country; nice people.

 

[desertHK]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

That's nice shooting there Graham. (don't forget the pictures of the target next time -- Not that we don't trust you or anything.). Nice shooting range also. Damn, I envy you bro.

With regards to the 338 LM question, some of us, or at least me, are not as skilled as you are so we need the extra help.

Should be getting my 300 win mag from GAP back in August (got a call from them yesterday). Definitely will try some long distance on that. BTW, what was your starting load for the 210 VLD bullets with RL22? I am using the 208 AMAX and plan to use RL22 also. Thanks for the help.

 

[Graham]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

The target was the base of the tree, a mound of packed dirt, so we could see our hits. There's no paper on that one but I do have a witness.... well paid, mind you.

Me? Skilled? I think it was luck.

Either that, or a good spotter.

72.6 RE22 is my starting load with 210 JLK's:

2880fps at the lands with regular primers at 60 degrees
2925fps into the lands with magnum primers at 70 degrees
2980fps into the lands with mag primers at 98 degrees, gives sticky extraction.

 

[skinney_7]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C.K</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You guy on the rosebud reservation?? </div></div>
live 1 mile from the rosebud res, how much you guys have to pay for the dog license?

 

[Graham]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

http://www.rstgfp.net/?id=10

 

[C.K]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

Live in mission??

 

[steve123]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

Good shooting Graham!.

An example of why.

I was out this morning with new shooting buddy that had never shot ELR.We were shooting at 1450 yards at a steel plate that is 28 inches wide and 21 inches tall.Winds were 3-8 mph.We both shot my 375CT and my 30-375R which is similar to a 300WM.Long story short,with the 375 it was easy to hit the plate in spite of the wind.Not so with the 30-375R.Although we did hit it often when we called the wind right,when we didn't,we would miss by as much as a plate or two.I will admit that it was more fun with the 30 cal simply because it was a good challenge reading the wind correctly.Truth be told I prefer my 30cal for 'out to a mile shooting' when the winds not blowing too much.

Steve

 

[Graham]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

The day before we were working mostly between 925 and 1120 yards with the .223's and .308's.

With the .308, 168SMK factory match ammo at 2700fps, it took 9 Mils of elevation to get to 925 yards and I was holding 3 Mils of wind. The 168's then ran out of steam.

In contrast, my JLK 180 VLD LBT's, at the same velocity, took only 8 Mils of elevation and 1.5 Mils of wind at 925, and remained supersonic beyond 1175 yards. - That's HALF the wind of the 168's.

With the .223, and 80JLK's, 25 minutes got me to 925 yards, 28 Minutes to 1000 yards, and holding over another 3 Mils beyond that got me to 1175 - supersonic. The 80JLK's also took noticeably less wind than the .308 with 168 SMK's.

I was very impressed with the .223 and 80JLK's beyond 1000 yards.

 

[steve123]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

Sounds like a fun time for you guys.I like JLK's too but they are $34 now for the 105gr 6mm's.I think I'll go back to Bergers at $26 a box instead.Supposedly Berger is coming out with a 230 grain 30 cal this year.I'm looking forward to trying them.Did you get any Prairie Dogs?Farthest kill?

Steve

 

[Graham]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

We got some, but we didn't keep records like the Varmint Hunter Magazine guys do.

The farthest first round hit was probably in what we called 'the bowl' at 1120, or at the fence line at 925. But anyone can get lucky; hits like that were not the norm.

The movers at 650-800 were fun, but very few shots connected on six to twelve-inch running targets in a double-digit crosswind. The value was in the practice, and in the practice ranging targets at UKD.

 

[Niles Coyote]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Graham</div><div class="ubbcode-body">With the .308, 168SMK factory match ammo at 2700fps, it took 9 Mils of elevation to get to 925 yards and I was holding 3 Mils of wind. The 168's then ran out of steam.

In contrast, my JLK 180 VLD LBT's, at the same velocity, took only 8 Mils of elevation and 1.5 Mils of wind at 925, and remained supersonic beyond 1175 yards. - That's HALF the wind of the 168's.</div></div>

Good info, thanks.

 

[Graham]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

A hot 83 degrees, a low 27.79hg barometer, and even at a chrono'd 2710fps the 168's were beginning to drop out of the sky at 925 yards.

I don't mind holding extra wind, but at 1300fps, with the 168's running out of gas, the wind calls got messed up because the impacts were unpredictable.

But the JLK's were laser beams to 1100.

 

[steve123]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

WOW! 1100 on PD that's a long shot,LOL

 

[Graham]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

The .300WM was a breeze under 700, and reliable at 1000 when dialed in for the wind. But there was a world of difference between hit potential with the .308's at 925, and at 1100, even with the good bullets.

 

[skinney_7]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C.K</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Live in mission?? </div></div>

30 miles from mission.

 

[tpichevy]

Re: ELR in South Dakota

Subed sound like a blast