Beginner Question - What distances do you practice at?

[rohrer]

Preparing to shoot further than 200yds for the first time. Have a MIL Dot scope and downloaded Hornady's ballistic calculator app. My question is how many distances do you shoot at when you are practicing? Do you shoot a group at one or two hundred yards, then again at five hundred and call it good? Or should I shoot a group every hundred yards out as far as I can go and check the drop at each distance?

Also is there any sort of consensus on a maximum distance for beginners? I got it in my head that I should try to stick within 500yds while hunting, assuming I can shoot a consistent group at that distance.

 

[Stefan]

I like to change it up. I'll warm up at 100 then move through the steel up to the max distance available depending on what range I am shooting on. Sometimes I'll just confirm at 100 and then step right up 700. I'll run the .308 to 1k yards and the .300wm farther for target shooting and not for hunting. If I could get back to Spearpoint Ranch in Kansas I would love to play with their 2000 yard steel again with my .338 (it was a blast literally to shoot 2000 yards). A ballistic app is a great tool to help you get on targets for practice, when first shooting out farther, it is not something I would rely on for hunting.

If you are just starting out I would suggest working up to the distances and build your range dope initially, get to know your rifle/gear better. I like to work in 100 yard increments but I will shoot the in-betweens, so really for what you are wanting to do I would suggest going in 50 yard increments. As you shoot farther you will see a greater rate of drop in the projectile and loss of velocity. Depending on the round this could be a vital hit or not if you don't know what your rifle will do at 750yards vs 700 yards. As an example (I posted a link to help make a point) you will see the drop between 700 and 750 yards which is pretty substantial and even 450 to 500 is enough to cause you problems. https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=wcLDPST8&id=E5F5CFAA4B634541F754356E0B15D162B1219DA5&thid=OIP.wcLDPST8q88iQSynALftQwHaEA&mediaurl=http://images18.fotki.com/v438/photos/5/41655/8123919/65G_16in_ballistics-vi.jpg&exph=406&expw=750&q=ballistic+chart+.308+175+grain+smk+drop+in+inches&simid=608026795057221294&ck=6152767D1AAAB7EACF1C169FCA02A96E&selectedIndex=11&FORM=IRPRST&ajaxhist=0

This is just a way and not the way. I like to have fun and enjoy myself shooting.

For hunting, I would first ensure that I was completely familiar with the tools I have and proficient. You have to decide what you can ethically take at certain ranges while looking at the capability of the rifle/caliber/projectile, type of game and your skill level. So looking at ballistic charts helps you to determine the capability of the system you are using. I won't ever rely on a ballistic app for hunting. I will potentially use it(a ballistic) as a confirmation but I should not need it because I should have rehearsed shooting at the specific range and know where my rifle will hit. I should also understand the game I am hunting. Just my .02

 

[rohrer]

Just my .02

Thank you for the in-depth response and advice, I need to get out and shoot. I think I'll start at 200yds and just take it slow, stretching it out 50 yards at a time.

Follow up question: Do you always practice with the same ammo you use for hunting? I bought some Hornady EL-X rounds, would you recommend sticking with that every time I practice to be familiar with one specific round?

 

[Krieg Hetzen]

I target shoot with what I hunt with. I like to know how my round will perform when it comes to drop and drift, especially if I don’t have time to pull up my ballistics app.

Generally speaking, get out and shoot is the best advice. Knowing what your equipment is capable of is key. I find shooting groups to be rather boring and usually wont do it except for my initial zero. If I do shoot a group it’s in a staggered fashion i.e. 3 targets at various distances, 3 shots per target but cycling through targets one shot at a time. I believe that switching positions, reestablishing my shooting position, possible wind call difference, different target distance etc serves to help me more. Essentially hammering home the fundamentals every shot.

Lastly I don’t believe in having a certain quota of shots to take every session either. Some of my best days were only 6 rounds going down range, just work on making sure that every shot is a quality one. Keep a log, call your shots, compare what you think you did vs what actually happened, take notes on how the range session went so that you can judge what needs improvement.

There isn’t a big difference between taking an animal at 100 yards vs 400 yards with most magnums or something like a 6.5 CM. There’s a huge difference between 400 yards and 600 yards though which is why practice and knowing your limitations and that of your equipment is key.

Good luck with exploring more distance, once you stretch your legs a bit its hard to go back to shooting paper at 100yards.

 

[Stefan]

You really need to use the ammunition you plan to hunt with to build your dope. Different ammunition produces different results which you will be able to see more readily at farther distances.

 

[Ohearchai]

Provided your ammo and rifle are capable 500 yards is doable with practice. I normally zero at 100, shoot groups at 300 and 500 and call it good. As mentioned above I stick with the same ammo lot or reloads so dope is consistent. Wind is the big thing, at 400 my drift is double than 300, at 500, triple.

 

[archp625]

I practice at all kinds of distance. I always sight my rifle in at 100 yards. Once you confirm your drops then I mix it up. I will say that I try and start at 500 yards with a cold barrel. I like to see if I can hit 500 at cold bore first shot. I always shoot at a 8" plate. I know if I cannot hit that plate every time then I sure as heck should no be shooting at an animal that far.

 

[rohrer]

Thanks all for the advice. I assumed as much but sounds like I really need to shell out the extra cash to only shoot the ammo I'll hunt with. Also really like the idea of trying a 500yd shot at an 8 inch plate first thing. If I can't hit that it's too far for hunting.

 

[Formidilosus]

If you use holdover in inches, or a BDC reticle or turrets- shoot your hunting ammo.

If you use holdover with MOA reticle or turrets and want to remember you drop/wind drift- shoot your hunting ammo.

However, if you use a mil/mil scope that is repeatable, or will always use a card/ballistic app to correct for drop/drift with an MOA scope that is repeatable, then zero, true, and proof with your hunting ammo, and practice with whatever you want. Rezero before hunt.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I couldn't hit shit beyond 350 yards until I got a really good NF scope (older eyes) and some tutoring from a competition shooter 1/3rd my age. Within two hours I was ringing steel at 1000 yards. All it took was downloading for the Strelok Pro app, determining the real FPS of my chosen ammo (not what the box claimed) and holding over to allow for wind. I carry a ballistics card with me now that tells me exactly what my holdover is at any distance out to 1000 yards (broken into 25 yard increments) if your gun and ammo are up to the task, it's really not that hard. A little trigger time and you're good to go.

Old scope


New scope

 

[WCB]

I shoot a mix of distances and once my dope is set I hardly ever shoot exact 50 or 100yd ranges. I just range a rock or drive out in a pasture and set up a gong and pick a random spot to shoot from.

I also have shot and do shoot different loads for practicing. I just have two dope charts. As long as you confirm your zero before going hunting and know your data is accurate time behind the gun is most important. Also, it is hard right now with the ammunition situation, but getting a smaller caliber and really learning wind is a much bigger issue to figure out than distance IMO. I regularly shoot my .223 out to 700 and my .17 hornet out to 500 and my left right misses or variation due to wind is always more noticeable than my vertical.

 

[rohrer]

I couldn't hit shit beyond 350 yards until I got a really good NF scope (older eyes) and some tutoring from a competition shooter 1/3rd my age. Within two hours I was ringing steel at 1000 yards. All it took was downloading for the Strelok Pro app, determining the real FPS of my chosen ammo (not what the box claimed) and holding over to allow for wind. I carry a ballistics card with me now that tells me exactly what my holdover is at any distance out to 1000 yards (broken into 25 yard increments) if your gun and ammo are up to the task, it's really not that hard. A little trigger time and you're good to go.

Old scope
View attachment 222805

New scope

View attachment 222806

That's encouraging to hear. If I do too poorly I'll just blame the scope.

And I really don't have a plan for wind. Just try to shoot more and see what happens.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Wind cannot be accurately measured mechanically, it requires trigger time to guesstimate well and is as much art as science bit seeing where your round hits is the best way to adjust quickly and reliably. People try to make LR shooting far more complicated than it actually is. Beyond 1000 yards it gets much trickier but if you're shooting something like a 300 winmag, it's really pretty easy. Zero the rifle at 200, work up your ballistics card and buy your ammo in bulk from the same lot. Then it's just a matter of practice. The Appleseed Project's course is well worth the time...for all rifle shooting.

 

[ghostmoney]

I always practice a couple hundred yards further than what I am willing to hunt at. My 260 rem I have shot out to 1200 yards but I wouldn’t hunt with it further then 7-800. Once I have my load dialed I don’t ever shoot closer than 500 yards. Instead of worrying about how many rounds to shoot in practice focus on making the first shot count. I focus on my first shot and if it’s a good hit I’ll send another just to confirm it wasn’t a fluke and then I move on to a new target. If I miss I stop to figure out why before I send another round and make notes in that rifles folder.
I think too many people walk onto the target with multiple shots and then think their rifle is dialed and they can hunt that distance.
Get a kestrel to read wind, it only gives you speed at your location, but you can use that information to judge wind at the target, I've used that method for first round hits out to a mile.

 

[wind gypsy]

People try to make LR shooting far more complicated than it actually is. Beyond 1000 yards it gets much trickier but if you're shooting something like a 300 winmag, it's really pretty easy. Zero the rifle at 200, work up your ballistics card and buy your ammo in bulk from the same lot. Then it's just a matter of practice. The Appleseed Project's course is well worth the time...for all rifle shooting.

Depends what you consider "Long Range". I'd love to see all the rokslide snipers get put in a variety of different situations with 700-1000 yard shots and see the cold bore hit % on a 1 MOA target. I bet it would be pretty low.

 

[Lawnboi]

I always try to start with a zero confirmation shot if I’m shooting to gather data, sometimes that includes getting some velocity numbers for the days weather.

After that i shoot as far as I can. As you might know steel is h the preferred target once you break 300 yards as you get instant feedback and don’t need to go for the long walk to see what happened.

 

[Lawnboi]

Depends what you consider "Long Range". I'd love to see all the rokslide snipers get put in a variety of different situations with 700-1000 yard shots and see the cold bore hit % on a 1 MOA target. I bet it would be pretty low.

Depends what you consider "Long Range". I'd love to see all the rokslide snipers get put in a variety of different situations with 700-1000 yard shots and see the cold bore hit % on a 1 MOA target. I bet it would be pretty low.

I’d bet your right. Taken off a square flat range I’d bet that goes down even more.

 

[Pro953]

Sometimes on game with the shakes, odd positions, glare etc... I feel like 100 yards is long range.

While I practice with my hunting ammo, I would argue that you buy the cheap stuff and shoot a LOT. But don’t just throw lead. Practice shots and read the targets. Shooting less with expensive ammo will do you no favors. Rarely is ammo the failure point on a missed shot. As they say, it’s the Indian, not the arrow!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Where's Bruce?]

I would never take a long shot on game, I just don't like the idea of killing something (or possibly wounding something) knowing it'll take several minutes and some searching to find the impact spot before I can begin trailing. The stalk is the fun.

 

[rootacres]

I do my load testing at 100, I get a good 200 yard zero and then take it out to 600. That Hornady app is on the money for me. Ive shot at distances between 200 and 600 but the longer shot are less forgiving. I feel it forces you to hone your skills. Once you have a good zero Id shoot at some distance and in different positions.