There are many Thingys available to make Long Range Shooting for hunting or targets more accurate and repeatable.

The accessories, rests, and field shooting positions used vary greatly between shooters. What works for someone may not be preferred by others

Post some pictures of your gear and shooting positions you assume that help you!

Question:
What shooting accessories do you use to consistently make accurate long range shots?

Please reply and elaborate as to what you use exactly and why!

Choices:
Pre-printed data card on your stock or scope
PDA "in the field" ballistic program
Rear bag
Binoculars
Range finder
Wind meter/portable weather station
All or some of the above

Question:
What do you use for a front rest for your rifle?

Do you change what you use for the field or bench?

Choices:
Bipod...what style?
Sticks
Back Pack or similar
Benchrest front rest
Trees, stumps and other natural environment

Question:
When shooting unsupported off-hand from the sitting, kneeling, prone, and standing positions, what accessories do you use for accuracy? Post some pictures as comfortable unsupported postitions vary greatly as to what works for each shooter!

Choices:
Shooting sling
none

 

So far(with 1-vote in) I totally agree with the results.

Range Card, Left front breast pocket.
Binocular:, always when hunting.
Range finder: Yes, the best I can find.
Wind Meter: I HUNT IN WYOMING, YES.
6-12 inch front mount bipod.
2 day assult pack when hiking

Sling when unsupported? Usually, but it depends on the rifles.

All of my long range shooting is done from the sitting position with a bipod and shooting sling. The odds of being able to shoot prone are not nearly as high as shooting sitting. My position is dead steady.

I always use a shooting sling. I dry fire every morning from the sitting position.

Today I shot at 750 yards sitting with a sling with a .300 RUM and then switched to a .300 SAUM and shot from 700, 600, and 500 and shot sitting with and without a bipod.

Funny, as much as I complain about mirage, today it was thick as hell; in fact, it was fairly hard to see my 3 inch cirlce at 700 yards using the Horus scope - the combination of the grid and mirage made shooting at 700 a bit challenging.

I sure thought there would be more responses than this. Maybe they are all out shooting.

I've used 10x50 binoculars for so long that other sizes don't feel just right to me. I originally got them because the highest Power I had available on my scopes was either 9x or 10x. That way when I spotted a Deer off in the distance, the size perspective of it did not change when I shifted to the rifle scope. Now that I have rifle scopes with more Power, it occasionally helps to "Zoom-Up" once I get on the Deer.

I still use a Drop Chart that has been verified by actual shooting. I believe it is irresponsible to shoot beyond a distance where a person has actually practiced. Anyone that doesn't practice at the distances they intend to take shots should be flogged or made to inventory each and every one of Mr. Woods Thingys(not sure which would be worse ).

I always use whatever nature provides to steady myself and ALWAYS use a Hasty Sling when shooting at distance. Once I'm in the Sling, I'm pretty solid in my position - not like Sand Bags - but about as good as it gets.

Shot a few rifles with the Bipods many years ago and wasn't all that impressed. They seemed to be a bit unsteady, and/or wiggly. Could have just been early designs and those folks did not have a Sling set up to use with the Hasty Method. So, as with anything else, I would expect the ones available today are much better.

I've seen Drunk Swab Jockies steadier than trying to use a Mono-Pod(aka a single Stick).

I do not carry a Wind Meter for the terrain I Hunt. I can see where it would be an advantage in some places though. The broken woods/fields or rolling hills I Hunt just have the currents shifting so much that using the Weed Tips or Leaf movement seems to indicate very well if a shot is ethical or not.

It was difficult to vote as I use completely different techniques and equipment depending on circumstance.

For targets I have a fondness for peep sighted, what you guys would think of as Palma, style rifles with 32" barrels built on preWW1 era Mauser and Enfield, shot with a single point sling.

Those old beauties will hold MOA +- a tad out to a 1200 and do it with military ( albeit sniper grade ) ammunition. For them a score card, the wind flags every hundred yards and a single point sling is the only kit I want to use. I wear a old motorbiking jacket instead of one of those multi-coloured fetish suits too.

For F T/R shooting I use a short bipod and a rear bag but no wind aids apart from the range flags and scope mirage are allowed so aside from a wind plot sheet, again minimal kit.

In the field I don't set out to take any long shots generally as it's all woodland stalking down here and it's risky taking long shots in what is fairly densely populated countryside by all measures. I make most use of shooting sticks and binos in this scenario. the rifle ties in importance with the binos, the sticks come second as I am fairly handy at shooting from natural rests in woodland. What with the abundance of them and all you see!

Scotland is different and I take a heavy barrelled sako 308 with a laminate stock and target scope, range finder, wind meter if I an borrow one and 10x binos. My drops I can remember and I cannot imagine faffing about with a PDA, in fact I'd rather not touch a bit of technology more complicated than the range finder if I'm honest and even then I feel obliged to make a serious attempt at estimating the range first. Batteries can fail after all.

I don't use a rear bag in the field, it would piss me off immensely to carry it banging against me in a pocket and to go into a bag for might make a disturbance.

quote:

Originally posted by Hot Core:
I sure thought there would be more responses than this. Maybe they are all out shooting.

I've used 10x50 binoculars for so long that other sizes don't feel just right to me. I originally got them because the highest Power I had available on my scopes was either 9x or 10x. That way when I spotted a Deer off in the distance, the size perspective of it did not change when I shifted to the rifle scope. Now that I have rifle scopes with more Power, it occasionally helps to "Zoom-Up" once I get on the Deer.

I still use a Drop Chart that has been verified by actual shooting. I believe it is irresponsible to shoot beyond a distance where a person has actually practiced. Anyone that doesn't practice at the distances they intend to take shots should be flogged or made to inventory each and every one of Mr. Woods Thingys(not sure which would be worse ).

I always use whatever nature provides to steady myself and ALWAYS use a Hasty Sling when shooting at distance. Once I'm in the Sling, I'm pretty solid in my position - not like Sand Bags - but about as good as it gets.

Shot a few rifles with the Bipods many years ago and wasn't all that impressed. They seemed to be a bit unsteady, and/or wiggly. Could have just been early designs and those folks did not have a Sling set up to use with the Hasty Method. So, as with anything else, I would expect the ones available today are much better.

I've seen Drunk Swab Jockies steadier than trying to use a Mono-Pod(aka a single Stick).

I do not carry a Wind Meter for the terrain I Hunt. I can see where it would be an advantage in some places though. The broken woods/fields or rolling hills I Hunt just have the currents shifting so much that using the Weed Tips or Leaf movement seems to indicate very well if a shot is ethical or not.

Good post HC and thanks!

I would have like to be able to choose a few more items...

My choices:

1. Good ammo!
2. Stable rest (bipod or other)
3. Drop chart
4. Rear bag
5. Scope level (to prevent cant)
6. I like an adjustable cheekpiece for a good cheek weld.

quote:

Originally posted by ARWL:
I would have like to be able to choose a few more items...

My choices:

1. Good ammo!
2. Stable rest (bipod or other)
3. Drop chart
4. Rear bag
5. Scope level (to prevent cant)
6. I like an adjustable cheekpiece for a good cheek weld.

I use all of the above as well! Good additions!

wet finger to gauge wind....

quote:

Originally posted by ted thorn:
wet finger to gauge wind....

.

Hopefully just direction .

But still a good HC "BWDT" addition to the thread

To be sucessful at long range it would be impossible to first shot hit with any regularity without a range finder. These are "battery operated"and can fail obviously - especially in winter at low temps.
As a generalisation we overestimate range and regular use of a rangefinder helps to overcome this.
Similarly we overestimate wind strength - using a Kestrel regularly has helped me estimate wind strength by feel on my face / hands etc.
I caught the long range bug about 10 years ago and will keep learning until i can't shoot anymore.
F class target shooting has helped as well mainly with reading mirage.
APB

quote:

To be sucessful at long range it would be impossible to first shot hit with any regularity without a range finder.

And also a good scope with confirmed data to put into it!

My long range shooting is primarily for Prairie Dogs. The set up we use is a portable bench in the shade of a motorhome.


Range finder is a WW2 Swiss Wild optical range finder. It works great for prairie dogs because you can range them in tall grass out to as far as anyone can shoot.



The binos go in a home made mount attached to the bench and are bore sighted to the rifle scope. The rifle shown is a 700 Remington .243 Ackley Improved with 6.5-20 VX3 Leupold in a 40X stock. The muzzle break allows you to spot your hits.

Wind flag and wind meter is a must. We print out our drop cards and mount them on plastic sheets. I also keep notes on the shots so I can adjust if conditions change


I'd like to say that I make consistent kills at 1000 yards, but I can't. I'm working on it.

Been a long time since I've been on this forum. Here's my kit and why.

Mil-Dot scope for rangeing. I do not use a range finder. They can be broken or the batteries can fail. On one hunt, a friend had a range finder that the batteries leaked in and completely ruined his "crutch". The same reason that outfitters in Alaska will ask if you have a compass and know how to use it. If the GPS fails, you better know how to navigate the "Old Timey" way.

Harris bi-pod for prone. Adjustable mil-sling for sitting. Offhand shots are normally for elk in the black timber up close or whitetails on the riverbottom.

My wind meter is the little Dwyer BB type meter that I bought at Midway for less than $20. If you are shooting out to 1000 yards, it's OK to have a good idea of what the wind is doing at the firing line, but you really need to be able to judge wind speed and direction by mirage (as well as other physical indicators) at long range. What is so at the firing line ain't necesarily so between you and the target. Mother Nature humbles me on many occasions. Nothing beats alot of practice shooting in alot of different conditions. I have my dope card in my vest pocket for easy reference.