Long Range Shooting Under Field Conditions (Lazzeroni)
No article on long range shooting would be complete without a word about the moral arguments.
I was hunting white-tailed deer in Arizona a couple of years ago. My brother and I had gotten to within 400 yards or so of a pair of nice bucks that were bedded down toward the top of a mountain peak. We checked the terrain and decided we could close the distance by another 100 yards. We had just started to close the distance when shots began from two hunters approximately 800 yards below us. While shooting at the deer they managed to kill a doe that had jumped up close to the bucks. They never hit either of the deer we presumed they were shooting at and never made the climb to see if they had even hit a thing! That kind of behavior will cost all of us our game animals and our hunting privileges.
There is a phenomenon emerging that I call '30-378-itis'. A hunter with little or no experience at long range shooting will purchase one of these so called 'super rifles' and instantly think that he or she can shoot animals in the field out to 1000 yards. Nothing could be further from reality.
To prepare yourself for long range shooting in the field you must begin with good equipment and that starts with the rifle. The long range hunting rifle must be able to put three shots into a 6 inch bullseye at 600 yards using 'premium hunting bullets' and put them there with enough energy left to effectively kill the animal with one shot.
These requirements are not easy to meet and demand rifles chambered in calibers with very high velocities, match-grade barrels, precision bolt action receivers and stocks professionally bedded.
Whether or not to use a muzzle brake is the shooter's choice. Muzzle brakes affect accuracy, point of impact and require that EVERYONE near you utilizes adequate ear protection AT ALL TIMES.
The shooter must work with the rifle until he or she can consistently hit a 6 inch bullseye at 600 yards. One inch groups at 100 yards do not prove a thing.
You may need to adjust your shooting techniques. The new larger caliber 'Super Magnums' normally require a different grip or method of holding the rifle as compared to bench-rest rifles.
The shooter may need to handload to obtain adequate long range accuracy utilizing components such as once-fired cases, bench-rest quality primers and lubricated hunting bullets. It is important to do whatever it takes to prepare the rifle and the shooter for that kind of accuracy.
Optics must be of the highest quality to withstand heavy recoil and have top power ranges between 12 and 24X. It is important to develop a technique that works for you.
I sight in my own personal rifles dead on at 300 yards using a Schmidt and Bender 4-16X50 or 3-12X50 scope with mil dot reticle. With the Lazzeroni muzzle velocities the fastest in the world in their respective calibers, this puts the path of the bullet no more than 2.8" above the point of aim out to 300 yards.
If the animal is at 400 yards, I center the animals chest between the horizontal crosshair and the first mil dot, while in the prone position using a good bipod. At 500 yards I place the first mil dot in the center of the kill zone. If the animal is farther than 500 yards or there is a significant crosswind, I don't shoot.
Each shooter has to develop his own system by spending time actually shooting at long distances. The old saying; sight in 3" high at a hundred and you're ready for anything is "Baloney". You must spend the time at the range to become familiar with your rifle's point of impact at the different ranges.
A top quality range finder is absolutely essential. Variations in terrain and vegetation will render human range estimation past 250 yards or so useless.
Spend the time to develop confidence (not ego) in your long range shooting abilities and your hunting trips will give you more satisfaction and personal pride, not to mention more game meat on your table.
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I would add that a clean gun does not shoot the same as one that has a round or two through it. You want a fouling round or two before you really site as you are not shooting a perfectly clean gun in the field. If you are going to hit the field with a gun that hasn't been fired then you should go to the range and fire a 3 shot group just to get the gun fouled a little.
Tip from a friend of mine who was a long range shooter at NRA competitions.
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