Hey Y'all.
A few weeks ago, I took a slow walk around my property and spotted some new possibilities for long range shooting off my deck. I managed to add in two more 100 yard targets, a 115 yard, two 125 yard, three 150 yard targets, and one at ~270+ yards! I say 270+ because it's on the side of a hill so, I can get 260 at the bottom and probably 300 further up. The long range stuff was something I only toyed around with once in a while. But, that changed when I got some Howler slugs!
A few days ago I was out with my Red Wold printing some very nice groups. So, I grabbed my Howlers and sent them down range. 100 was a joke, 125 was easy, and they were grouping very well out to 150. The wind had died down to a stand still so, I spun my DOA Shooting bench around to try the new lane. It's been a long time since I tried shooting anywhere near this far and never with the Red Wolf. I zoomed out the Hawke scope and sent a few down range but, couldn't tell where they were hitting. Finally, I saw the hit! It splashed right at the snow line. It was much higher than I expected. But, it also makes sense since I was shooting slugs. I clicked up a few clicks... ok a LOT of clicks, and took aim at an old dead tree stump. I heard a very faint smack a few seconds later.
It didn't take long before I was aiming to hit the small ragged pieces of wood that were sticking up from when the tree fell, long ago. Whenever I find myself looking for progressively smaller targets so quickly, I take it as a sign that this is within the range and shooting capabilities of the rifle, ammo, and myself. In other words, It's not luck.
I used to shoot the great big fat pine cones at my previous residence. I think they were out at 125 and they were a lot of fun to shoot in the calm Summer evenings, while relaxing on the back deck with my R400. I spotted some out there at ~270 and thought, "Why not?" These weren't the big 'ol fat ones though. These were normal size, a little bigger than a golf ball. I moved my rifle over to the right to see where I was hitting. I figured about 9, maybe 10, mils down. Saw the splash at about 8. So, I moved a little closer and sent another one to confirm my poi. Got it! 8.25. Then, I moved over for the shot and sent it. Off it went in a perfectly straight line. No wobble, no curving in the wind, just a nice straight line. BAP! NAILED IT!! First try! That little pine cone jumped up into the air and I jumped right up off the bench and let out a holler in celebration!
Now... I'm calling it 270 but, when I got the MTC Rapier range finder out again, it read ~185. At that distance and, with the slope of the hill side, it could have hit off the wrong spot. I'll have to walk out there, after I get back from work, and range my deck from the target area for a more accurate reading.
My setup - Daystate Red Wolf .22, Hawke scope (discontinued
), Sportsmatch height adjustable rings, 0db silencer, Accu-Tac FC-G2 bipod, Howler slugs (unsorted, straight out of the tin), DOA shooting bench, Caldwell rear bag, MTC Rapier range finder.
Happy Shooting!
A few weeks ago, I took a slow walk around my property and spotted some new possibilities for long range shooting off my deck. I managed to add in two more 100 yard targets, a 115 yard, two 125 yard, three 150 yard targets, and one at ~270+ yards! I say 270+ because it's on the side of a hill so, I can get 260 at the bottom and probably 300 further up. The long range stuff was something I only toyed around with once in a while. But, that changed when I got some Howler slugs!
A few days ago I was out with my Red Wold printing some very nice groups. So, I grabbed my Howlers and sent them down range. 100 was a joke, 125 was easy, and they were grouping very well out to 150. The wind had died down to a stand still so, I spun my DOA Shooting bench around to try the new lane. It's been a long time since I tried shooting anywhere near this far and never with the Red Wolf. I zoomed out the Hawke scope and sent a few down range but, couldn't tell where they were hitting. Finally, I saw the hit! It splashed right at the snow line. It was much higher than I expected. But, it also makes sense since I was shooting slugs. I clicked up a few clicks... ok a LOT of clicks, and took aim at an old dead tree stump. I heard a very faint smack a few seconds later.
It didn't take long before I was aiming to hit the small ragged pieces of wood that were sticking up from when the tree fell, long ago. Whenever I find myself looking for progressively smaller targets so quickly, I take it as a sign that this is within the range and shooting capabilities of the rifle, ammo, and myself. In other words, It's not luck.
I used to shoot the great big fat pine cones at my previous residence. I think they were out at 125 and they were a lot of fun to shoot in the calm Summer evenings, while relaxing on the back deck with my R400. I spotted some out there at ~270 and thought, "Why not?" These weren't the big 'ol fat ones though. These were normal size, a little bigger than a golf ball. I moved my rifle over to the right to see where I was hitting. I figured about 9, maybe 10, mils down. Saw the splash at about 8. So, I moved a little closer and sent another one to confirm my poi. Got it! 8.25. Then, I moved over for the shot and sent it. Off it went in a perfectly straight line. No wobble, no curving in the wind, just a nice straight line. BAP! NAILED IT!! First try! That little pine cone jumped up into the air and I jumped right up off the bench and let out a holler in celebration!
Now... I'm calling it 270 but, when I got the MTC Rapier range finder out again, it read ~185. At that distance and, with the slope of the hill side, it could have hit off the wrong spot. I'll have to walk out there, after I get back from work, and range my deck from the target area for a more accurate reading.
My setup - Daystate Red Wolf .22, Hawke scope (discontinued
), Sportsmatch height adjustable rings, 0db silencer, Accu-Tac FC-G2 bipod, Howler slugs (unsorted, straight out of the tin), DOA shooting bench, Caldwell rear bag, MTC Rapier range finder. Happy Shooting!
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