Self-explanatory question. Be nice to hear the stories.

I started reloading, saw how much more accurate they were than the factory ammo I could afford, and found shooting at close range boringly easy. Got a scope I could dial repeatedly and the fun began!

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Got a scope I could dial repeatedly and the fun began!

Geez Tyler, it's easy to see you are just a beginner .

Soon you'll find out that dialing is just for show and the Real Knowledgeable Longe Range Shooters all hold over their targets for the utmost accuracy!

Both Methods have their advantages. Crankin is good for Paper and Holding is excellent for Game.
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Been thinking about the question SS, and I almost said the MARINE CORPS, but mine really started with l-o-n-g distance 22RimFires. Using Standard Velocity 22LRs, if you are Zeroed at 25yds, the Drop is between 6"-7.5" at 100yds for most brands. Of course it has to be verified to know what the actual Drop is for your specific ammo.

Next up was a 22Sav High Power and a 30cal Wildcat. Got lots of G-Hog time with those in my youth at distances I did not initially realize were possible. Learned a whole lot about Drop Rate and Wind back then. You all would realllllly have enjoyed the Scopes of 5-decades ago.

Then into the CORPS where l-o-n-g distance occasionally had some very real advantages.

And then Deer Hunting - when you could actually see them. Four foot tall Beans with Deer walking in them just doesn't provide a good shot opportunity.

Pretty good stuff so far guys--interesting.

Serious answer now.

All my hunting life I had been interested in making long shots. I actually made some unbelievably long kills by holding over but they were just lucky holdover guesses.

Shot lots of prarie dogs as a younger dude with a 22-250. Got me pretty good with a rifle.

I got serious about developing the skill at the same time my buddy did just before our trophy mule deer hunt that was tough to draw. Got the proper equipment and did the work.

First real long range shot when I knew what I was doing was the 930 coyote. Dialed data and shot.

This really peaked my interest in the game. I then took the same little rifle and went to the SRM at Whittington. I was sucked in for good. I built rifles, properly outfitted them and got all kinds of other thingys to get better at the game.

I'm all in and love it

I started shooting ground squirrels in my 40s and kept shooting the colonies as the closer ones went to ground. I found out that I needed better equipment and ammunition.

I'm up to 680 yards on western ground squirrels, 792 yards on prairie dogs and 732 yards on coyotes.

Well, back in Highschool we hunted an area that contained some MONSTER mule deer. Well, those monsters were big for a reason, they were also really smart. You would seldom see them, and when you did they were usually 700+ yards out, in an area you couldn't stalk up on, and/or moving out at high speed. That's when I vowed I would learn the art of long distance shooting. Then in the early 1990's I discovered suprluss powder. I picked up some WC860 for $2.65 a pound. It was too slow for any rifles I had, so I needed to find a new rifle to burn it in. This lead me to the 7mm STW. I a mildot scope on it, and the rest is history.

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Originally posted by Antelope Sniper:
...I picked up some WC860 for $2.65 a pound. It was too slow for any rifles I had, so I needed to find a new rifle...

First there were a couple BB guns and then I got a Sheridan pellet rifle which was much more accurate and enabled me to shoot farther. Then there was a a .22 rimfire and a .22 Hornet when I was still in grade school. I got a possum at about 200 yards with it and a "chicken hawk" also at about 200 yards. When in high school I got a 7mm Weatherby and got coyotes out to 200 yards. My first deer was shot at less than 50 yards and at the time it was a little bit of a disapointment to shoot such a large target at such a close range. I got a number of antelope and coyotes at the 400 to 500 yard range by just estimating the range and holding over, but finally graduated to a better long range setup. That was a heavy barreled .338-.378 with a scope with range compensating dots and a 1200 yard rangefinder. Then Iowa opened up an antlerless deer season where rifles are legal with lots of available permits. So for the past several Januarys I've got a number of deer in the 500 to 750 yard range.

I guess I got interested in long range shooting from reading stories about Carlos Hathcock and his long shots with the 06. I had plenty of room to set up a range here at my home so I started. I met a man who was very good at long range shooting and he brought out several rifles to play with. I made my first good group at 1000 yds with a Robar 308 out of the 1st gulf war. I fell in love with a 6.5 x 284 that we shot here a little bit but there was no way I could afford either of those rifles. Now I shoot a 264 win mag and an M1A with iron sights. This is a very challenging pastime and I'm certainly glad I found a place in it.
I don't just shoot steel, the 264 is used for prarie dogs to elk and the M1 may make the trip to elk camp this year.

I got my first paying job riding a tractor on a 5,000 acre farm/ranch that grew Milo. 90-cents an hour. Lots of $$$ for a fourteen year old kid.
I was getting a 25-cent bonus for every groundhog or crow I shot. I out grew the 22lr pretty fast. A neighbor had a Krag sporter in .25 Krag,Lyman 310 Tong Tool dies and handles, mould, melting pot, kake-cutter, and an ancient Fecker 8X scope on it. My Father agreed to let me buy it for $100.

It has been downhill ever since.

When I enlisted in the Army in 1968 I wanted to be an Airborne Ranger. Since it was May, ten weeks after the 1968 TET Offensive, they had a couple openings. When I shipped out to RVN, I was assigned to the 23rd Infantry Division (Americal) where my brother was.

A few months later, I got the opportunity to attend the Division Sniper School. The OIC was a young ROTC Lt named Wiggers. They taught me to shoot LR.

Moved to Idaho in 1978. The high country here has a resident Rockchuck population of somewhere between five and six million of them.

In 1995 I attended the SHOT Show as part of the Precision Shooting Magazine staff. Met some nice folks from Leica, who happened to read the magazine. They "Loaned" me a pair of Geovids.

Load the P/U, head up, shoot 'Chucks during the day, catch a couple trout in the early evening for dinner, camp out, repeat for a couple day. Go home.

Rich

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Load the P/U, head up, shoot 'Chucks during the day, catch a couple trout in the early evening for dinner, camp out, repeat

So the world did come to and end and you were Raptured?

rabbit shooting in NZ. kept stretching the envelope with 222 imp; then 204 Ruger; 22/6mm imp at 1037 yds and now new 6.5x284
APB

I generally don't talk about what I'm going to do, but my first 1000 yard is the 25th. I shoot Service Rifle out to 600 yards. Our local monthly match has a 1000 yard shoot after the National Match Course. So I figure I'll give it a try. My first goal is to have a score card to turn in. There has been a little debate about Service Rifles at 1000 lately.