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Hard to beat big .338s for long range shooting
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I shoot once per week at 800 and 1190 yards (sometimes different ranges as well, but these are my two standard ranges). I set up, estimate/measure the wind (using a variety of methods), and shoot one bullet at each range. Since I shoot at rocks, I can see the bullet splash (at 1190 I can often see it in real time since the TOF is so long).

Lately I have been shooting my .338 Lapua's and my Edge. Hits (defined as within 5 inches of my aiming point) at 800 are so much easier than with lesser calibers; the only thing that compares is my .300 RUM shooting 210 Bergers. Yesterday I used my Stiller Lapua and Stiller Edge; first shot with the Lapua I held one MOA for wind and hit 2 inches right. I then shot at 1190, holding 2 MOA for wind (angle was a bit different). My bullet was 3 inches left and 3 inches high. I then fired my Edge at 800. Wind was blowing harder so I held 1.5 MOA for wind; hit 3 inches to the right (wind in all cases was left to right). I then shot at 1190, this time holding 2.5 MOA, and hit just to the right of my 3 inch circle, about 4 inches left.

I normally don't do that well at 1190, but it has been a long time since I missed my first shot at 800. Granted, my wind hold has not exceeded 2 MOA recently, but I must say, it is hard to beat a 285 gr ELD moving out at 2700 to 2800 fps.

One thing I now do is set up my LabRadar and log the velocity of every shot, the temperature, the wind, and the bullet strike. I have also been annealing every case each time I reload it using my AMP machine.

Finally, I would say this: you can't have too much accuracy or too low an MV SD at these ranges...but even more important is the learning curve when you do this at least once per week. I think you learn 100 times more about the wind if you shoot one bullet on ten different days than if you shoot 10 bullets in one session.


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Posts: 7570 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Our club shoots the 1,000 yard match on odd numbered months and the 800, 900 & 1,000 yard Palma course on even numbered months. Once in a great while someone will shoot a 300 magnum but out to 1,000 yards everyone shoots 22 - 30 caliber in mostly short action chamberings.

You have to shoot well over 390 points (out of 40 shots) to have a chance. (I don't win much).


Frank



"I don't know what there is about buffalo that frightens me so.....He looks like he hates you personally. He looks like you owe him money."
- Robert Ruark, Horn of the Hunter, 1953

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Posts: 12501 | Location: Kentucky, USA | Registered: 30 December 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by Fjold:
Our club shoots the 1,000 yard match on odd numbered months and the 800, 900 & 1,000 yard Palma course on even numbered months. Once in a great while someone will shoot a 300 magnum but out to 1,000 yards everyone shoots 22 - 30 caliber in mostly short action chamberings.

You have to shoot well over 390 points (out of 40 shots) to have a chance. (I don't win much).


Frank:

I agree no one is going to use a Lapua at a match like that, but at a match you get sighters, you have flags, you can see what others are doing, you often hear guys talk about the wind, etc.

By yourself, you have nothing. My point is, when you have to connect at long range on the first shot, I have been a lot more successful with my big .338s than anything else at 800 and beyond. Yesterday I shot four times, then went bird hunting. Recoil beating is not an issue.

I also shoot a .220 Swift with 80 AMAX bullets at 3200, a 6mm Hagar, a 7 STW, and .308 at extended ranges, and none are as forgiving in the wind as an accurate .338 shooting heavy bullets.

That said, my next gun will be a 6.5 Creed...


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Posts: 7570 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I shoot once per week at 800 and 1190 yards...


It sure is fun, isn't it! I have some steel set up in the mountains from 500 to 1600 and I can back up another 300 with a bit of a hike. Lately I've been starting at 1600 if the wind isn't too bad and I've got 3 cold bore hits now with the 7mm. The wind is really squirrely in the mountains sometimes. I've been out shooting when it was snowing lightly, so it was easy to see what the wind was doing and it was in 3 different directions along the trajectory.

I've been shooting long range out on the flats with a 30MPH cross wind and had an easier time, because at least the wind was consistent.

The 7mm stuff out now is not that far behind the 338. It's surprising how much difference the barrel makes on BC, which I had not considered before. The hornady 180 is right up there with the 285:

https://www.hornady.com/support/ballistic-coefficient
 
Posts: 861 | Registered: 13 November 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Originally posted by jpl:
quote:
Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
I shoot once per week at 800 and 1190 yards...


It sure is fun, isn't it! I have some steel set up in the mountains from 500 to 1600 and I can back up another 300 with a bit of a hike. Lately I've been starting at 1600 if the wind isn't too bad and I've got 3 cold bore hits now with the 7mm. The wind is really squirrely in the mountains sometimes. I've been out shooting when it was snowing lightly, so it was easy to see what the wind was doing and it was in 3 different directions along the trajectory.

I've been shooting long range out on the flats with a 30MPH cross wind and had an easier time, because at least the wind was consistent.

The 7mm stuff out now is not that far behind the 338. It's surprising how much difference the barrel makes on BC, which I had not considered before. The hornady 180 is right up there with the 285:

https://www.hornady.com/support/ballistic-coefficient


Wow, you are right about that 7mm bullet. My problem is my 7STW twist isn't fast enough. Tried the Berger 190s and couldn't keep them on a 20 inch plate at 500.

What is your 7mm? What kind of velocity are you getting with the 180s?

You have me thinking now that the .28 Nosler might be a great build...


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Posts: 7570 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Here's what I normally use for long range stuff:



From L to R: 338/300RUM, 7WSM loaded long for F-class (single shot), 7mm WSM loaded to mag length for tactical games, and a 7mm WSSM wildcat for the local tactical matches that are mostly shorter range. I just swap out barrels depending what I'm playing around with. From memory, the single shot WSM is pushing 180's around 3100, the mag length WSM is around 2950, and the WSSM is around 2850. The 7WSSM is described here:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6521043/m/7191005091

I have a long 338 blank that I've been meaning to chamber, but the 7's have kept me entertained, particularly the WSSM because it's easy on barrels. I have a different 338/300RUM with a short barrel that is kinda fun at long range too. For just messing around, I also have the 510WSM that can launch the API tips. Those are pretty fun at long range. Rainbow trajectory with a big flash of light when they land on the side of a mountain, then a second echoing boom.


If I lived on the east coast maybe I'd be into sail boats or something like that, but out here long range shooting is a fun way to enjoy the outdoors.
 
Posts: 861 | Registered: 13 November 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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You're exactly right AAZW, I shoot a big .33 that chunks 300 gr Nosler Accubonds at 3000 fps, the ferocity that that cartridge leaves on long range steel is like nothing else I've ever [heard] seen in a sporting rifle cartridge.

Elk, moose, or big bear, near or far wont shrug off a hit like that.
 
Posts: 789 | Registered: 18 February 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Jerry:

I shot one of my Lapuas at steel today at 500; the guys in the pits (to the right of the gongs) say it sounds like a grenade going off.


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Posts: 7570 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Bwaahahaha,
I dont doubt it, I started playing around with this game more than 30 years ago, my rifle is a 338-378 WBY [I know I know ;] the cool cartridges like the 338 Lapua weren't heard of at that time, or at least by me or anyone I know.

I started with necking down 378 WBY brass and using H-870, AA-8700 and H-50 BMG powders, it's well into it's second 28" 10 twist stainless Shilen barrel now, I dusted it off a couple weeks ago, after a couple sighters, put four of those 300 gr Accubonds into a ragged hole at 100, the old girl still has some fight left in her.
 
Posts: 789 | Registered: 18 February 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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A mate of mine has a a 338 Edge and loves it.

Best bullet so far has been the 285 Hornady.

He's also playing around with a 26 Nosler....

I am sticking to my 6mm/06 for the moment, I killed a roo with it at 1140 yards with my first shot. Big Grin
 
Posts: 15784 | Location: Australia and Saint Germain en Laye | Registered: 30 December 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I have found the 375 RUM loaded with 350 gr SMKs out of a 28" barrel also does a good job on rocks at 1000+ yards.
 
Posts: 1421 | Location: WA St, USA | Registered: 28 August 2016Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Not for game, but I shoot he lowly 308 and a 22-250 w/ 7 twist/80 or 90gr SMK's for long range matches. I have found the best bullet for the 308 being shot at 1000yds. to be the SMK 190's.
However, the "darling of the day" is the 6.5 Creedmore cartridge and if starting out today would give it a serious look. Some say they are doing well even at 1500yds?? Keep in mind that such distances are shot at steel plates so don't know how well it would do in keeping them in the 10 or X ring. A hit and a score hit are two different items.
 
Posts: 1050 | Location: S.Charleston, WV | Registered: 18 June 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I shot again yesterday at 800 and 1190, this time with my Savage Lapua and my Stiller Edge. Wind was pretty gentle left to right; could see mirage pretty well in the spotter. Figured 2-3 mph, was going to hold 1 MOA wind, but when I got ready to shoot the little shock corded wind flag in front of me died and the mirage boiled in my scope when I focused at about 400. Debated shooting no wind but thought I would just wait to get the prevailing wind back. When it did I held 1 MOA and hit the three inch circle on the edge at 4 o'clock. Then I shifted to 1190, which is a different angle. Wind was now right to left, clear mirage, but not strong. Held 1 MOA the other way after coming up 33.5 MOA above my 200 zero. Shot hit 1 MOA low even though my velocity was good (was actually a bit higher than normal). Windage was perfect.

Switched to my Savage. Wind was dead, or looked like it, so I held just on the left edge of the 3 inch circle to allow a bit of spin drift. Hit 1/2 MOA right. Went out to 1190. Wind was right to left, faint, held 1 MOA right and hit about 5-6 inches to the right. Elevation was perfect.

Of course, in real life, if I was shooting at an animal at 800 I could stalk to 400 in the time it took me to dope the wind. 1190? Man, you can't even see the massive rock I shoot at with your naked eye; unless you had a rangefinder with a GPS and compass that could tell you are at the spot you shot at, there is a good chance you wouldn't find it, to say nothing of the fact it could move in the time it takes for the bullet to travel that far (it is stunning).


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Posts: 7570 | Location: Arizona and off grid in CO | Registered: 28 July 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I built a bigun a couple years ago for playing at extended ranges. 338-408ct improved. At 140grs of 50bmg powder moves a 300gr matchking at 3200fps. I haven’t tried any of the higher bc bullets but that hornady eld is on the short list. I should see what that does at 3200+


Shoot straight, shoot often.
Matt
 
Posts: 1168 | Location: Wisconsin | Registered: 19 July 2001Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Originally posted by matt salm:
I built a bigun a couple years ago for playing at extended ranges. 338-408ct improved. At 140grs of 50bmg powder moves a 300gr matchking at 3200fps. I haven’t tried any of the higher bc bullets but that hornady eld is on the short list. I should see what that does at 3200+


An old Buddy of mine that passed on a few years ago used to run a 338 Allen Magnum, he fired the big 300 gr Bergers to 3300 fps, it was amazing to watch him shoot out to 1500 yards.

The big 33's are indeed HAMMERS. Cool
 
Posts: 789 | Registered: 18 February 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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