Long Range Shooting
Martha Vanschaick
With an AR-10 platform if you wanted to do some extended long-range shooting you may be better off selecting the 260 Remington or the 6.5 Creedmoor due to the higher BC than what you would be able to get out of a .308 win.
PRIME ammo is typically my go-to when I buy match ammo. They have great prices and produce quality ammunition. Not only do they use top bullet manufacturers like Sierra or Norma Diamond Line bullets, but they also use temperature-stable powders.
When selecting a bullet for your needs think about what you need within three categories: internal, external, and terminal ballistics. All of these categories matter when selecting the right bullet for what you want to do.
Internal ballistics deals with everything that happens before the bullet leaves the barrel. A lot regarding internal ballistics has to do with the rifle, but I mentioned temperature-stable powders. This refers to the powder propelling the bullet.
The rifle is designed to feel like an AR-style rifle with the pistol grip and the way the safety selector lever manipulates. Also, included is a folding stock with adjustable length of pull and height of comb, plus many other options you can find with a simple google search.
When selecting an optic, first determine what your build is for and what ranges are you typically going to be using your rifle? Do you plan on rapidly engaging multiple targets like in a hog hunting scenario or maybe extreme long-range deer or elk hunting?
Then, I look to see if the optic is a first focal plane or second focal plane scope. As you adjust the magnification ring with a first focal plane scope the value of your MILs stay the same. The reticle will appear to shrink or grow as you manipulate the magnification ring.
I prefer a first focal plane scope because I shoot mostly holdovers instead of dialing my data on the turret. Shooting holdovers is using the reticle to make the elevation adjustment and leaving your turret at the range you zeroed your rifle. A first focal plane scope also opens my field of view so I have better situational awareness.
With a second focal plane scope the reticle only has its true value at full magnification. For example, a 15 power second focal plan MIL dot scope would need to be at 15 power for one MIL to equal one MIL. Anytime you change the magnification lower than full power, then the value will change.
For example, a 15 power MIL dot scope zoomed out to 7.5x magnification (half of the full power) the value of one MIL dot just became two MIL dots because the reticle stays the same size but the magnification changes.
It normally took about two training days for our team to do this! Think about how much ammo we had to use. Technology has finally caught up to long-range shooting, and after entering a few items into the ballistic engine you can zero and collect data in less than an hour using a fraction of the ammo, saving you time and money!
I would like to try it, but just cannot afford it. Many of these guys have more tied up in their rifles, scopes, and accessories than I have in a used car. I take my hat off to you if you can enjoy it. Best of luck always.
After leaving Interstate 80, I had been wending my way east-southeast on Pennsylvania State Route 322 for over an hour. Western and central Pennsylvania is both hilly and heavily wooded, and I was on the outskirts of the Appalachian Mountains. As usual, the air was heavy with humidity, coating the distant hills in a thin gray haze. Which made it seem like I was completely lost. Hunters in that part of the country rarely got a shot on game beyond 100 yards, and I was looking for a rifle range that stretched beyond 1,000 yards to attend the Long Distance Shooting class put on by Renaissance Firearms Instruction. In the bed of the truck, I had a new Gunwerks Nexus rifle in 6.5 PRC, topped with a Nightforce ATACR 4-16x42 F1 and a couple cases of ammo for the task. I took the indicated exit off 322, and the first thing I saw was a roadside sign indicating I should be mindful of horse-drawn carriages.
Past 100 yards, course attendees shot at steel targets, including full-size USPSA silhouettes at 1,040 yards. Here Frank and Barb Melloni set up a swinging steel target, which will get a fresh coat of paint before the class. (Firearms News photo)
The view from the 1,040-yard line, 0.6 of a mile. The farther out they shot, the more of an up angle the shooters had to deal with. The 1,040-yard line is about a 10-degree up angle. (Firearms News photo)
For the class, Tarr was using a new Gunwerks Nexus, a high-end hunting rifle chambered in 6.5 PRC, with a 20-inch carbon fiber barrel, Swagger SEA12 bipod, and Nightforce ATACR 4-16 scope. (Firearms News photo)
Attendees brought all sorts of rifles for the course, everything from heavy-barreled chassis Ruger Precision rifles to wood-stocked hunting rifles. Two shooters shared a bench. While one shot, the other spotted for him, and usually an instructor was behind them on a spotting scope, calling hits, misses, and making suggestions.
The flexible Swagger SEA12 bipod is a good choice for a hunting rifle, but both it and the flat-based, soft nose bullet in the Federal Fusion load handicapped Tarr, Instructor Jeromy Knepp points out all the mistakes Tarr has made in his life to but were a realistic test for the rifle. (Firearms News photo)
Students spent a lot of time spotting for their bench partner, calling hits and misses as they worked their way out. At distance, you were often back on target soon enough to spot your hit. (Firearms News photo)
We started the shooting part of the day by confirming zero at 100 yards on paper targets. Every attendee was supposed to have zeroed their rifle, but travel, as well as different environmental conditions, can affect zero. I think everyone was shooting factory-made bolt action rifles. There were a number of people shooting .308s and 6.5 Creedmoors, as well as a few shooting 223/5.56. I saw ammo from Frontier, Berger, Hornady, Federal, Norma, PMC, and Nosler. Most guys were shooting factory ammunition, but a few were shooting handloads.
At 500 yards, we were shooting at 2/3 size USPSA steel silhouettes. Most people have never shot that far, and those targets were large enough to give the shooters confidence. The berms behind the targets were bare earth, so misses were usually easily spotted. My software-guesstimated come-up for 500 was 2.6 Mils, and I dialed in 3. I had a first-round hit at 500, but it was low on the steel, and my final elevation setting was 3.2 Mils. The wind had mostly died at this point, so everyone was quickly getting hits. It was while shooting at 500 yards that I really started getting a feel for the Gunwerks Nexus. I called one shot a bit low, and the bullet hit two inches low. Recoil of the 6.5 PRC cartridge was stout, but not abusive, the muzzle brake effective, and I never worried about developing a flinch. The light, crisp trigger of the rifle was definitely helpful.
The observed trajectory from my bullet showed me that, past 800 yards, it just started to drop like a stone. 1.7 Mils drop between 800 and 900, and 1.8 from 900 to 1,040. In truth, all of the RFI instructors were impressed that the Gunwerks rifle was able to do as well as it did with the hunting ammunition. I found the carbon fiber barrel heated up faster than steel, but cooled down faster. Everyone in the class was able to get hits at 1,040 yards, even the guys shooting .223/5.56.
The second course of fire was hitting targets at 500, 400, and 600 yards, no time limit, just the lowest number of shots. Lots of people did it in just three shots. The wind picked up during my attempt, and my first three shots went off the right edge of the 500-yard target. Then I went three-for-three. The third challenge COF had competitors firing at 800, 1040, and 700 yards, for time. Did I mention how much I hate that tiny 700-yard target? I do. Screw that guy. After shooting out beyond 1,000 yards, shooting at 400 and 600 yards seemed easy. Almost close range. Which is, to some extent, the point of the class. To show you what you and your equipment can do. And most people found they could hit targets at distance far easier than they thought. Provided the wind cooperated.
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