westcliffe01
Veteran Member
Since getting my green card and being allowed to be a firearm owner again, I had a rather protracted and expensive lesson in long range shooting (and I should qualify that it really is medium range in the big scheme of things since we are talking of less than 500 yards typically). Most of my experience has been in killing coyotes that caused a lot of damage on a local sheep farm.
I learned a few basic things:
1) Forget about 55gr 223 bullets if you need to shoot 250-350 yards and the wind is blowing. The wind will blow them more than 2ft off course at 350 yards with ease.
2) Once you figure out that you need to shoot high ballistic coefficient bullets (high BC) you quickly find that most factory rifles can't stabilize them. So the twist rate in my Savage 24 222Rem was limiting the bullet weight/design. Then I got a Rem 700 SPS with a 1:12 twist and while it was much more accurate than the Savage 24, it could not shoot a bullet heavier than 55gr.
3) I got the Savage 10PC with a 1:9.25 twist and it was super accurate (1/2MOA) and could stabilize 75gr HPBT bullets but discovered that the 75gr bullets were hardly "flat shooting" and after some misses at ranges either side of my 250 yards zero distance, I ended up getting a custom turret made for the scope that is calibrated for that load and the average atmospheric conditions at the sheep farm. I also had caught on by then that re-barreling a Savage was a considerably less costly business than pretty much any other gun make out there.
4) While the 223 shooting the 75gr match bullets was a considerable improvement over where I started, it was still marginal at extended range and one had to be very accurate with ranging moving critters due to the trajectory of the bullet.
So this was the point that I got a Savage 12 in 243Win. It was the stainless barrel/action with a laminate stock. it was a heavy gun, but shot really nice and starting out it shot Hornady Superformance ammo well with 95gr SST's. This was a significant step up in BC and velocity and energy and after getting to know it and putting a really nice Vortex Viper 4-16x50 FFP scope on it, the number of misses at the coyotes went way down.
With that combo I got 2 of 2 coyotes that showed up during a snowstorm in Feb his year.
Here is a layout of the land where that took place
It is not obvious from the picture, but the entire swamp area along with its draw is about 80ft lower than the surrounding land. From the swamp the lend slopes upward towads the west and east so there is hardly anything flat on this land. The red dot is where I put in a permanent blind which overlooks the valley to the west and the higher ground to the west. From this position, it is 250 yards to the far edge of the pond and 350 yards to the farthest point on the slope to the east before one can no longer have a safe backstop given all the farm buildings. To the west it is about 130 yards to the edge of a brush patch that is in front of a mixed pine/hardwood forest. Access south is limited by a heavily brushed fence row.
I found that the coyotes could easily spot me from over 400 yards away if I tried to sneak into the area during daylight, so I had to change tactics and put in the permanent blind and sneak in more than an hour before daylight. The coyotes have in more than 2 years never come in to a caller of any description including some pretty expensive Foxpro models. So sniping has been the most effective solution.
Anyway, the 243 was substantially better than anything else I had tried up to that point but I knew it could be better, so I got a Shilen 243 Ackley Improved 1:8 twist match barrel for it. With the new barrel I was able to shoot the Berger 95 and 105gr VLD bullets and that has taken the performance of this rifle to another level. I have worked up a 105gr load, but I don't need it for the ranges I am dealing with on the farm.
One of the groups doing load development. One shot pulled slightly to the right.
Here is a picture of that rig now that I am done with it.
The only thing still on the "want" list is a tan cerakote finish to cut the shine...
That then lead to building a 308 with another Shilen match barrel with a 1:10 twist rate and some load development with 175 Sierra Match King bullets. The past 6 months has been a complete nightmare to get any components, even brass. I finally got it together in the last month and loaded a batch of ammo and then I shot this group while doing "quality control"
First test group
Last test group
Finished article (same comment regarding tan cerakote being on the "want" list)
So I have to say that this is a pretty fascinating hobby. I am hoping to close on some land in southern CO later this summer and out there my long range opportunities will be improved.
I have put up steel plates at 160 and 300 yards on the farm and even the 300 yard target is too easy now. But it does give me the means to stay in tune and remind the coyotes that someone is still active in the area. The coyotes appear to have withdrawn and so far this year they have hardly even been heard at night. 2 years ago, the farmer lost 80% of his lambs and up to 20% of his adult sheep.
I learned a few basic things:
1) Forget about 55gr 223 bullets if you need to shoot 250-350 yards and the wind is blowing. The wind will blow them more than 2ft off course at 350 yards with ease.
2) Once you figure out that you need to shoot high ballistic coefficient bullets (high BC) you quickly find that most factory rifles can't stabilize them. So the twist rate in my Savage 24 222Rem was limiting the bullet weight/design. Then I got a Rem 700 SPS with a 1:12 twist and while it was much more accurate than the Savage 24, it could not shoot a bullet heavier than 55gr.
3) I got the Savage 10PC with a 1:9.25 twist and it was super accurate (1/2MOA) and could stabilize 75gr HPBT bullets but discovered that the 75gr bullets were hardly "flat shooting" and after some misses at ranges either side of my 250 yards zero distance, I ended up getting a custom turret made for the scope that is calibrated for that load and the average atmospheric conditions at the sheep farm. I also had caught on by then that re-barreling a Savage was a considerably less costly business than pretty much any other gun make out there.
4) While the 223 shooting the 75gr match bullets was a considerable improvement over where I started, it was still marginal at extended range and one had to be very accurate with ranging moving critters due to the trajectory of the bullet.
So this was the point that I got a Savage 12 in 243Win. It was the stainless barrel/action with a laminate stock. it was a heavy gun, but shot really nice and starting out it shot Hornady Superformance ammo well with 95gr SST's. This was a significant step up in BC and velocity and energy and after getting to know it and putting a really nice Vortex Viper 4-16x50 FFP scope on it, the number of misses at the coyotes went way down.
With that combo I got 2 of 2 coyotes that showed up during a snowstorm in Feb his year.
Here is a layout of the land where that took place
It is not obvious from the picture, but the entire swamp area along with its draw is about 80ft lower than the surrounding land. From the swamp the lend slopes upward towads the west and east so there is hardly anything flat on this land. The red dot is where I put in a permanent blind which overlooks the valley to the west and the higher ground to the west. From this position, it is 250 yards to the far edge of the pond and 350 yards to the farthest point on the slope to the east before one can no longer have a safe backstop given all the farm buildings. To the west it is about 130 yards to the edge of a brush patch that is in front of a mixed pine/hardwood forest. Access south is limited by a heavily brushed fence row.
I found that the coyotes could easily spot me from over 400 yards away if I tried to sneak into the area during daylight, so I had to change tactics and put in the permanent blind and sneak in more than an hour before daylight. The coyotes have in more than 2 years never come in to a caller of any description including some pretty expensive Foxpro models. So sniping has been the most effective solution.
Anyway, the 243 was substantially better than anything else I had tried up to that point but I knew it could be better, so I got a Shilen 243 Ackley Improved 1:8 twist match barrel for it. With the new barrel I was able to shoot the Berger 95 and 105gr VLD bullets and that has taken the performance of this rifle to another level. I have worked up a 105gr load, but I don't need it for the ranges I am dealing with on the farm.
One of the groups doing load development. One shot pulled slightly to the right.
Here is a picture of that rig now that I am done with it.
The only thing still on the "want" list is a tan cerakote finish to cut the shine...
That then lead to building a 308 with another Shilen match barrel with a 1:10 twist rate and some load development with 175 Sierra Match King bullets. The past 6 months has been a complete nightmare to get any components, even brass. I finally got it together in the last month and loaded a batch of ammo and then I shot this group while doing "quality control"
First test group
Last test group
Finished article (same comment regarding tan cerakote being on the "want" list)
So I have to say that this is a pretty fascinating hobby. I am hoping to close on some land in southern CO later this summer and out there my long range opportunities will be improved.
I have put up steel plates at 160 and 300 yards on the farm and even the 300 yard target is too easy now. But it does give me the means to stay in tune and remind the coyotes that someone is still active in the area. The coyotes appear to have withdrawn and so far this year they have hardly even been heard at night. 2 years ago, the farmer lost 80% of his lambs and up to 20% of his adult sheep.
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