Are you ready for the long shot? I am..., shooting tips that work for me! Options

[shortpants]

Just wanted to share with you guys how I have prepared for taking the once in a lifetime shot at the next world record coues on my up coming hunt!
I went out for a final practice round this last thurs. to build up the confidence and prove to myself what my limitations are going into this hunt.
THATS STEP ONE: GET OUT AND PROVE WHAT YOU CAN DO BEFORE TAKING SHOTS ON GAME!
I have made several trips before this making sure the rifle was sighted in out to 800 yds. I actually shot all the ranges out to 800 (I did not rely on ballistic tables).

Here is how I set up for the final one shot one kill practice (groups mean nothing the day of final practice).



I also set up this howling coyote statue. I've been wanting to shoot this thing for years...




The circles on the target are 5'' in diameter and the deer sillouette (sp?) is the actual size of a mature coues buck (12'' chest).
I did my best to manage the swirling winds and later in the day the winds would prove my limitations!




Here's a pic of my Browning 300 wsm.




Here is the first few shots...





The numbers written in the circles are yds. For the third circle I needed to shoot a group first without holding for any wind to see what adjustments I needed. I then shot a second group holding for the wind from the last group BUT FAILED TO DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE WIND WAS EXACTLY THE SAME BEFORE SHOOTING THE SECOND GROUP! This was at 500yds.




Having understood the error I just made I knew I was ready to attempt a one shot one kill on the deer at 500 yds.





I hit the deer in the chest within 4 1/2'' of my aiming point which is under MOA so I was happy with that shot. But did I just get lucky? I needed to know so I ranged the much smaller howling coyote at 468 yds and let one fly...




Now to answer the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: WHAT ARE MY LIMITATIONS? I attempted a one shot one kill on the deer at 760 yds. 3 different times in constantly changing winds. These were not terrible wind conditions (2mph-8mph). That doesn't seem all that bad right? Well I missed both right and left of the deer due to the unpredictability of the wind. This was a valuable lesson for me and definitely told me I'm not ready to take this shot on live game! I didn't take pictures of the last 3 shots but here's the view I had at 760 yds.



Just wanted to share what works for me. I'm no expert just a guy who enjoys shooting and hunting. I'd love to here what works for you.

That world record buck better not get within 500yds. of me or he's goin down!

Good luck on your hunts and shoot straight!

[GameHauler]

Better get a 7MM
Just kidding.
Very nice write up and I greatly enjoyed the read.
Best of luck to you on your hunt and try to get some sleep at night
Look forward to your story when you get back.

[firstcoueswas80]

While I have not had nearly the time to practice with my 257 wby this year as I did last year (new career, and I bought a house a month ago) I still know I am ready for a 600 yard shot.


Jason, I have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off. I will PM ya right now and let ya know where we are camping if you want to camp with us.

[Bird Dog]

I commend you for this article. It seems people don't practice and understand what is happening and too often animals are shot out of "luck" by trial and error. I guess this range has much about trial and error.

[firstcoueswas80]

I commend you for this article. It seems people don't practice and understand what is happening and too often animals are shot out of "luck" by trial and error. I guess this range has much about trial and error.

+1 on that. My buddy sent me a pic of the nice coues he had just shot... Said he shot it at 920 yards. About made me puke, because he has never ever shot that far. He had never even shot the gun he was using. Make me kind of sick actually.

[DesertBull]

Do you find that wind measuring device useful in hunting situations? The only reason I ask is, there have been several instances when shooting acorss a canyon, that I have noticed the wind blowing a completley different direction and/or velocity on the other side, where the deer is. The wind will have more effect on the bullet as it slows, which means last 50 yards of travle will have more wind effect than the 1st 50 yards.

[CouesWhitetail]

Nice write-up and nice shooting! Amazing how much the little bit of wind mattered on that farthest shot.

Amanda

[Red Rabbit]

Good info on reading the wind. Article is linked in first post
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f5/...-carlock-24575/

[shortpants]

I just wanted to add that shooting off a bench is great for sighting in but not for a final practice situation.

This was my first time using a wind meter so I've still got a lot more to learn. I believe if you do use one every time you practice you will start to learn how to compensate for different winds. As you get better your limitations will become less and less. In my opinion you don't have to be a sniper to shoot at 500 yds. However it gets a whole lot harder at 600 yds. and beyond. You definitely have to understand your wind not just at your position but at your target as well.

Another tip I have is to use turrets or some kind of drop compensating scope. I have practiced long range shooting for years and several of those were with a standard duplex and no turrets. I found that I could make incredible shots all the way out to 1000 yds. BUT NOT ON THE FIRST SHOT!!!
Guessing where to hold is not as good in my opinion even though some of you are good at it I'm sure. I was good at it to but not as good as I am now.

[shortpants]

Good info on reading the wind. Article is linked in first post
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f5/...-carlock-24575/

Thanks Doug, great article and cool website!

I did learn to wait to break the shot until I felt it was blowing the same as the correction I dialed for as he mentioned in the article. THIS IS CRITICAL!!!

[Coues Sniper]

Good info on reading the wind. Article is linked in first post
http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f5/...-carlock-24575/

Thanks Doug, great article and cool website!

LRH.com us a great place to learn about longrange shooting. That article from Carlock is only the tip of the iceberg .

[elkaholic]

hello - nice write up - with ammo as costly as it is I hope you are areloader ! -lol - You missed one -what I think - very important topic on this long range shooting --- OPTICS - example - I just got a real nice beeman pellet gun - r1 sportsman - it came with 3x9 beeman scope - I spent a day dinkin with it and thought it wass sighted in - next time out i could not hit a pop can at 20 yrds - time to resight - it was way off - i dinked with it agin - same thing - like no way this thing can be that far off during the time it sat against the wall -

I just put a quality nikon scope on it an I'm shooting 1/2 in groups at 20 yrds. needless to say some critters will be in real danger next time out

Moral - Quality optics are what really count on any type of shooting - yes ,your skill and practice -windage and elevation etc . are also important - You need the best optics available - especically when trying to take one shot kills at extended ranges - just my opinion -

308- 7mm -300-all ultra and short mags are all capable of one shot kills at extended ranges - but quality optics are what really count !

Gary

[COOSEFAN]

Great write-up Shorty!

Qoute of the day: "THATS STEP ONE: GET OUT AND PROVE WHAT YOU CAN DO BEFORE TAKING SHOTS ON GAME!"


What I've learned from having the chance to hunt with lots of different folks from around the country is that most folks can't shoot consistently accurate past 300 yards. Nothing wrong with that, just as long as that is known and shots are kept within each persons capability. I get all worked up and frustrated when reading, hearing about, or actually seeing folks "throwing lead" at distances way beyond their capability. It's a luck game at that point and total disrespect for the critter. I'll stop at that


Ever since getting my last custom long range gun I've been like a sponge soaking up all that i can learn about what it takes to shoot consistently accurate at long range. What it takes to do it consistently is amazing, there are so many variables that come into play and so many things that need to be taken into consideration before pulling the trigger each and every time! One thing that most folks don't realize is that their guns just won't shoot consistently accurate, and it doesn't matter if you are the worlds' best shooter, the gun just won't do it. Basically, the more work you have done to your rifle as far as accurizing, floating, bedding, custom trigger, fancy scope, load work-up etc., the more consistently accurate your gun will be. At that point, once your gun is consistently accurate, you will start to realize how much human error is taking place in your shooting!

With my gun right now I can average about a 8" group at 700 yards while on my hunting set-up which is sitting behind my tripod, custom shooting fork on the head, and custom shooting sticks under the rear of the gun. This set-up is the only way that I shoot because my gun is sighted in this way. If I were to lay prone, i'd have a bigger group. Even if I were to have my shooting fork positioned in a different spot on the forearm of the stock, my group would get bigger! Everything has to be the same in order for my shot to hit where it's supposed to, if i vary even just a slight bit, i'll miss the target at those ranges! One thing that I always do prior to sighting in, or especially hunting is that I always shoot 2 fouling rounds through my gun after thoroughly cleaning it, my 3rd shot is always dead on and the 1st shot and sometimes the 2nd shot will be a flyer out of a clean barrel!

When shooting past 400 yards out to my 700 yard limit, wind is a huge factor. In practicing cross canyon shots, we've used optics to make a note of the vegetation around the target to see direction and speed of the wind. Sometimes it'll be blowing differently on the opposite side of a canyon or slope. Once it's determined what the wind is doing by the target, then you can use the focus on your scope or binos and try to see the mirage to see what the wind is doing between you and the target. If the wind is mild, you can adjust for it, if it's too windy, then I just wouldn't shoot! My friends will set multiple flags up between them and their targets at the range and practice adjusting for the wind all the time, they would be much more capable of making long shots in windy conditions than I.

[Coues Sniper]

Do you find that wind measuring device useful in hunting situations? The only reason I ask is, there have been several instances when shooting across a canyon, that I have noticed the wind blowing a completely different direction and/or velocity on the other side, where the deer is. The wind will have more effect on the bullet as it slows, which means last 50 yards of travel will have more wind effect than the 1st 50 yards.

That's a good point DB. I think the Kestral helps you though to learn to read the winds downrange. A good exercise is to try to guess the wind where you are at by reading how the grass blows or how much a tree moves and then pulling out the Kestral to see what it actually is. Once you start to get a feel for it you can use that info to better judge what the wind across the canyon is doing. You can also use low clouds or foggy mornings to see how the wind reacts to draws and ridges and save that info for later use and try to better judge how far one wind direction is acting on the bullet and when it changes, etc. I believe the article Doug posted goes into all that info much better than I ever could. Those DVD's Mr. Carlock puts out are very good also.

Another good thing to do is to practice shooting during the spring and summer in an area you actually plan to hunt that fall. Say you know of a buck that likes a certain ridge. You can set up where you might likely be shooting from and bust a few rocks where you think he may come out. It's great practice that gets you out in your area, helps you to know how to read the wind in that spot, and if he does happen to come out where you think he could, you've already (hopefully ) made that shot which gives you a ton of confidence.

[Non-Typical Solu...]

Good reading here too, thanks for the info.......I can't really see past 300 yards so I will have to stick to that