Not everyone is comfortable sharing their knowledge with just anyone, anymore. We’re all beginners at something sometime and we all have to start from somewhere. Many times we’ll find an interest and want to learn more. Reading books and articles isn’t too intimidating however, being new at something and approaching someone who is a veteran or an expert is tough. Its humbling to admit we simply don’t know it all.
Ralph Hicks sent us his story about what he learned in his first year of long range shooting. I’d like to call it “The Quest to 1K” but out of respect for Ralph we’re leaving his words exactly as they came to us.
We want to thank Ralph for unselfishly allowing us to share this. It’s guys like Ralph who make the world a better place to live in.
Congratulations Ralph!
Long distant Shooting Year-One
By: Ralph Hicks
I began this journey a year ago and fast discovered there was no place for a novice rifleman to find all the basics of long distance shooting in one location. There are many great blogs and a few good books, but no definitive source for the novice shooter who has yet to hit that 1000 yard mark. I read several books, articles, and blogs and tried to absorb all the advice I could get from experts at the range before I had a comprehensive understanding of how to conquer all the factors that come with shooting long. Now, after less than a year I can consistently shoot to 1000 yards with my Savage Long Range Hunter after I replaced its stock from Tactical Works along with a monopod, and skimmed bedding it.
The folks at Tactical Works are simply the best they provide the best customer service I have experienced.
I have practiced traditional martial arts all my life, and never would have thought that shooting a rifle over long distances is akin to being an accomplished martial artist. Shooting long distances requires a precision of focus that most martial artist only acquire after years of mental training. Similar to martial arts, I found that there is a celebration of mind, body, and rifle when all the hard training comes together and the force of the bullet catapults the steel target; you see the paint on the target vaporize and for the first time you realize you have obtained your 1000 yard goal.
When done correctly there is a moment right before the trigger is pulled that the world seems to stop and in that moment of silence the mind sees where the impact of the bullet will occur, this silence is so profound you can literally hear your heart slowly beating. Then, without notice comes the conscious recognition that you have just pulled the trigger; two seconds later, as the sound waves travel back to your ear is the sound of your bullet hitting metal. This gong sound is the reward for your achievement. This is also the moment when we become hooked; it becomes an unstated drive of ambition to achieve greater perfection with each shot. Once hooked, we continually turn our thoughts to how we can shoot consistently, shoot in all weather conditions, and how we can make our groups smaller and smaller. This is my simple contribution to guide the novice in their journey, written as a novice to a novice.
Equipment
Buying inexpensive twice is more expensive than buying quality once. Buying good optics is as an important as the purchase of a good rifle.
This first step, if done right allows you to keep your scope as you move to more precise rifles, and the great news about this sport is that there is no end to how much you can spend, which I am sure will thrill your spouse. The cost of your scope is going to be about the same cost as your rifle, or more, it’s just something you have to accept from the very beginning.
The very first choice you have to make is the caliber size. Today there are so many calibers to choose from it can be overwhelming. You have to ask if the gun is for a single purpose or will it serve many roles such as hunting, target, or perhaps a property defensive weapon. If it serves more than one purpose then every expert will tell you that compromises will have to be made. Compromises start with the caliber you select. The trend today is towards the 338 Lapua, the same caliber our great American snipers used in the sandbox to dispatch targets from a mile and half away. The 338 Lapua is truly a fantastic round and is designed to offset the disadvantages of the .308 and 50 cal. rounds. The 338 warms up at 1000 yards and has the ability to cut through body armor a 700 yards. There are, however, two big issues: costs and land. Ask yourself do you really have enough land area to safely fire it, and is your pocket book big enough for $6.00 a round? If you have both the money and the land, go with the 338 Lapua. Safety comes first, so keep in mind you have to look beyond your target to ensure you will not injure someone beyond your target range. For the 338 Lapua that means a clear path for two and half miles or a big mountain to stop its force. On the other hand, if you are only shooting target or smaller game, the 6.5 round has great ballistics and are easy to reload. My choice was .308. This round has served the sniper community for decades and is still what most expert long distance shooters use. My caliber needs are suited around shooting long plus protecting my small ranch in San Diego.
After the caliber is selected the fun part begins, the purchase of the rifle. Precision shooting at long distances requires a bolt action rifle. There are many great semi-autos; however, for precision shooting a bolt action is the best path because you can finely tune the ammo to the rifle. Today there are so many great guns at affordable prices that any list here would be incomplete. FNH, Remington, Savage, Tika, Howa, and others can be bought for less than $2,000. I started with a Savage but fell in love with FNH SPR series of rifles. I went to an FNH rifle because of the criteria I put a rifle through, which is whether the military, law enforcement, or top ranked shooters are using it. The FBI chose FNH and so has many top competitive shooters, so I joined the FNH family too. When buying a rifle take a hard look at the type of barrel, trigger, action, and stock. All have to work together to form a precision rifle. Few out of the box rifles have the complete package. The FNH A3G shoots sub MOA and FNH backs what they produce.
A great barrel and precision trigger leads to success. As you become more advanced the action and stock become the areas to refine. There are many types of barrels but a heavy barrel will provide the weight and the stability needed when shooting past 600 yards. Stainless steel typically carries the day but the chrome mollies are also incredible. A fluted barrel vs. non-fluted seems to be controversial for reasons that escape me. My best advice is to go to a good barrel maker’s web site and read what they have to say on this topic. I chose the FNH fluted barrel rifle for its cooling and lighter weight advantages. Most top barrel makers have reached the same conclusion when it comes to a fluted barrel.
It seems like all manufactures are now proclaiming 1 MOA precision from their rifles. Many rifles can achieve 1 inch groups at 100 yards; and many hold that level of precision past 100 yards. The question you need to ask is what type of ammo is needed to hit 1 MOA or sub MOA and what happens to the groups when shooting past 100 yards? Few rifle manufactures will ever say sub MOA with factory ammo past 100 yards, so dig past these claims, look at the complete rifle package and what others are saying about it on the many great web sites out there: The Long Range Hunter, Snipers Hide, or Sniper Central are all a wealth of information and the experts freely dispense advice to the humble beginner. A MOA (1/60 of 1 degree of angle) is just one measurement and it only measures one element of the rifle; look at the barrel, its twist rate, is it heavy or light, is the trigger adjustable, is the stock stable, beaded, and stiff, is the action reliable and finely tuned, and how will it hold up after several thousand rounds have gone through the barrel are questions you need to ask before you buy. When the FBI chose the FNH they put 5,000 rounds through it without a single failure.
There are a number of “rules of thumb” formulas that you should understand to be proficient in long range shooting. Once you start shooting you will want to measure group size to determine how the gun is performing and what ammo produces the best results. The way to measure group size is to take the average group size in inches and multiply it by 95.5 then divided it by the distance in yards (Group size x 95.5/distant=MOA),of course the real reason for knowing group size is so you can brag to your friends.
The trigger should be adjustable and crisp, here are many great aftermarket triggers as there are barrels. More rifles are coming out with adjustable triggers. Adjustability is important because as your shooting skills improve you can lower the amount of pressure required to pull the trigger, but starting with a light trigger, less than 2 pounds could cause an accidental discharge and could end your shooting career tragically. As your skills become consistent and shots become longer, the trigger weight should come down or the trigger should be replaced with a good aftermarket trigger.
Ammo
A term you will hear is “twist rates.” Twist rate is the amount of groves cut into the barrel that forms the rifling, it is what keeps and gets the bullet spinning. A barrel’s twist rate must match the weight of the bullet. Most manufactures know how to match barrel to bullet size and in the beginning stages of shooting you should not get over concerned with twist rate. You will see twist rate like: 1:10, 1:11 or
1:12 in most 308’s. The lower the number, the faster the rifling sends the bullet spinning. A heavy bullet usually requires a faster rate of twist rate; however a 1:12 rate will handle 155-180 grain bullets. In the 308: 155, 168, 175 grain bullets are the most common. In most cases the heavy bullets will do better in higher wind conditions and be more consistent to the target, I use 175 Sierra Match Kings. However, a lighter bullet that produces higher velocities will allow the bullet to hit the target faster. Speed equals power, so the faster the velocity the flatter the trajectory.
Not all ammo is created equal. Cheap ammo will produce poor consistency and dirty the barrel. It does not pay to go with cheap ammo. Federal Gold Match, SSA, Black Hills and Hornady and others make great ammo.
Cheap ammo past 500 yards will have you chasing your scope dope and lead to a very frustrating day, and once home you it will take twice as long to clean your rifle.
Ballistics
Basic ballistics is something every shooter needs to know. A bullet is impacted by numerous environmental factors along with the internal mechanics of the rifle, a bullet made to kill game is a lot different than a bullet made to hit a piece of steel at a 1000 yards and both have very different ballistics. You will need a ballistic calculator to set the correct elevation and windage DOPE (Data on Personal Equipment) on your scope. There are at least three things you need to know about your round before plugging data into a ballistic calculator: its ballistic coefficient, the grain weight, and the velocity for the caliber of the bullet you’re using. Most manufactures post velocities on their web pages. A ballistic coefficient determines the aero dynamics of the bullet, it is stated as ”BC”. The higher the BC, the better the fight path. For example a 175 grain bullet typically has a BC of 505 and the
168 grain has a BC of .488. Plug this data into the many online calculators and you will save ammo and prevent frustration. I use the JBM calculator. The BC is also often found on the web. The best way to determine velocity is to purchase a $200 chronograph which is set up about ten feet down range from the rifle and a round is shooting through a triangle of heavy gage wires; a digital readout then gives the bullet’s precise velocity.
Weather Conditions
How your bullet travels is called trajectory which is impacted by wind, temperature, elevation, humidity, and density. These key weather conditions need to be plugged into the ballistic calculator as well.
Hand held weather stations can be purchased and will provide this data. Kestrel makes a fine hand held station and is used by many shooters, but learning to read wind speed and its direction with your own instincts and observations will set you apart from the pack and can be practiced off range anytime.
Wind
Wind impacts the horizontal path of the bullet and in some cases the vertical path. The first step is to determine the wind direction. The angle of the wind to the path of the bullet will either have a big impact on the horizontal travel of the bullet or a minor impact. The angle of the wind is expressed in “values.” A full value wind is a 90 degree wind blowing either ‘right to left’ or ‘left to right’ across the barrel of the rifle. A half value wind blowing at a 45 degrees has half the deflect impact on a bullet then a full value wind, and a 30 degree wind has a third of the value of a full impact wind. As an example, if you have a 10 mph wind blowing across your rifle at 90 degrees the windage adjustment will be greater than the same speed wind from a 45 degree direction. If you have a 10 MPH full value wind and a range of 500 yards the bullet will deflect off course by 18 inches and the adjustment needed is about 3.4 MOA for a 175 grain bullet while a half value wind will only blow the bullet of course by 9 inches and the MOA adjustment is 1.7.
There are three basic ways to determine speed and direction, without the expense of a handheld station;
- How the wind is causing grass or parts of a tree to move,
- The direction and angle of the flags on the shooting range, or
- A mirage.
There are books written just on this topic alone. Gentle breeze on your face with the grass moving just a bit is approximately a 5 MPH wind. When tree leaves are moving more rapidly and the grass is bending over the wind speed is 8 to 10 MPH. When tree branches are bent or swaying the wind speed is typically moving in excess of 12 to 15 MPH. Once you start getting past 20 MPH of a full value wind it may be wise for the novice to call it a day. A full value wind at 20 MPH will send a 175 grain bullet 33 inches off course at 500 yards, and at 1000 yards 163 inches off target (that’s 13.5 feet off course at 1000 yards).
Experienced shooters make these wind reads and adjustments without issue, but a beginning shooter should stay within their limits. Remember winds are rarely a constant, wind gusts or a sudden drop in wind speed is more the norm. The more experienced shooter will adjust to these changing conditions by holding over the sight, adjust windage on the scope, or wait before a shot is taken in a high or unstable wind condition.
The second way to determine wind speed and direction is by range flags. Range flags are easier to read and basic math can be used to determine speed. The first observation is to determine the direction of the flag and determine rather it is a full, half or third value wind. Also observe if the wind is blowing right to left or left to right. The direction of the wind determines if you should dial your windage clockwise or counter clockwise. Next determine the angle of the flag. A flag posting at 90 degrees is a strong wind and you can determine the speed by dividing 90 degrees by 4, equaling a 22 MPH wind or more. If the angle of the flag is at 45 degrees, again divide by 4 and you have an 11 MPH wind, and a flag posting at 30 degrees is a 7.5 MPH wind.
The third and most difficult method of reading the wind is by mirage. Mirage can help or hurt you. A mirage is caused by the heat rising off the surface of the range. It can be read much the same way as a flag. If you look inside the mirage you can see both direction of the wind, (by how it is being pushed from one side to the other), and you can determine speed by how the wind is bending the mirage. Like the flag math in the above example you can also determine if it has a 90, 45, 30, or 15 degree angle wind. (Angle of bend/4=MPH).
But mirages can also deceive you. You may think you are shooting straight at the target but it may only be an optical illusion; no different than if you place a stick in a clear stream and see how it looks bent once you dip it in the water. Your shot could go left or right when shooting into a mirage. To overcome this illusion try and follow how the mirage is moving across the target and then hold over off center of the target. This is a tough skill to learn and just understand that a mirage is both your friend and your enemy at the same time.
Temperature
Temperature impacts the vertical travel of the bullet. The higher temperature creates less density in the air so there is less drag on the bullet. Less density means the faster the bullet will travel upward. A
20 degree shift in temperature can cause a 1 MOA difference, if you zeroed your scope in 50 degree weather and then shoot it in 70 degree conditions you may be off by one inch for every 100 yards. No big deal at 100 yards but at 500 yards your shot will be off by 1 MOA or 5 inches; and at 1000 yards a 1 MOA difference is a 10 inch miss.
Elevation
The same is true with elevation, if you zero your scope at 3000 feet elevation and then climb up to 5000 feet your shot will be off 1 MOA. As a general rule, for every 2000 feet in gain of elevation there is a 1 MOA upward travel of the bullet. The reverse is true when you go from a high elevation to a low elevation; again as a general rule, the bullet will travel downwards 1 MOA for every 2000 feet of elevation decline.
Rain
Rain and humidity play a role as well. Humidity impacts the drag on the bullet. The more moisture the more drag. Some use this rule: for every 20 percent increase in humidity the shooter adjusts up by 1 MOA.
Other factors
Spin drift of the bullet causes the bullet to slide off course in small increments over longer distances, but with good data input to your ballistic calculator spin drift will be taken into consideration. The earth curvature at extreme ranges impacts trajectory as well, however, shooting out to 1000 the earth’s curvature has little impact.
Shooting Up or Downhill
If you shoot at a high angle, up a canyon wall or down into a valley, both will have the same impact, the bullet will travel high. The cause for this over shot is because there is a lower gravitational force applied to the bullet’s path based on how steep the angle is to the target and the distance to the target.
A steeper angle has less gravitational force on the bullet and therefore less bullet drop. There is a math formula that compensates for a lower bullet drop used when shooting up or down. First you have to determine the distance to the target (by a range finder or the mil dots on your scope), the cosine of the angle, and the bullet drop at the distance in inches shown on your ballistic chart.
A five degree angle has a cosine of .99; a 10 degree angle .98; a 15 degree angle .96; a 20 degree angle .94; a 25 degree angle .91; and 30 degree angle has a cosine of .87.
The math solution is (bullet drop at range x cosine = new bullet drop) you can refer back to your ballistic chart and determine your new shorter range by subtracting the new bullet drop.
For example if you range is 500 yards with a bullet drop of 57 inches and you angle is 20 degrees; the math is: 57x.94=53.5. So you need to adjust by 3.4 inches. The longer the distance and the steeper the angle it becomes more important to apply this formula.
A cosine device can be purchased that mounts on your scope, or if you are using a range finder some provide both distance and angle to the target.
Taking the Shot
Just aiming and shooting may work fine at short distances and at big targets; but the more distance between you and the target the more technique required, and especially trigger control.
We start by working backwards from the muzzle to the butt of the stock.
First, you secure your bi-pod; is it tight to the stock is its legs level, are you resting the legs on a soft or hard surface, if the legs are on concrete vs. dirt you have lost a stable platform. Your hard rifle needs a soft surface to fire from in order to provide a solid base. A rifle grounded to a hard surface will produce an unstable firing platform. If you do not use a bi-pod use bean bags or the cup of your hand to a tree branch to provide a soft contact point for the rifle to absorb the shock waves from the recoil pulse. When using a bi-pod move slightly forward to provide proper tension to its legs before the trigger pull.
The Prone position is the most stable shooting position your gun and body. Position your hips behind the gun, legs spread past your shoulders, and ankles flat to the ground. Legs and hips must stay still or you will cause lateral movement in your shot. Your non-firing hand needs to cup the butt end of the stock and place it firmly to your shoulder.
The rifle needs to be level; a canted rifle will send the bullet on a curved path away from the target. The more the rifle is off center and the greater the distance, the bigger the miss. An anti-cant device, (an overpriced bubble level), mounted to the scope will eliminate this issue.
The next step is to find your natural point of aim. Looking through your scope set your body firm into the ground until there is no horizontal movement in the scope. When you have found that place where the only movement you see is straight up and down, (the scope’s vertical axis), you have found the natural point of aim. The only movement that should be seen is the vertical movement up and down the vertical center line of your scope as you inhale and exhale. Each inhale and exhale moves the target up and then down from the center point of aim. Once you have reached physical and mental stillness take one breath in and exhale slowly, then hold it as you pull the trigger straight back at a 90 degree angle.
In the brief moment before the trigger is pulled, your mind should start entering into a zone of precision focus, your mind should become crystal clear. You may even hear your heart beat, and all the noise around you may seem like it has disappeared. Everything goes perfectly quiet now that your mind is in a meditative state; in this zone there is no thinking and there are no distractions, the rifle becomes you and you become the rifle.
In your mind you see where the bullet will hit before the trigger is even pulled, you already know its path because you have focused all of your will to its outcome, and before the trigger is pulled you breath is merged into the trigger.
What seems like a simple act to pull the trigger are the last and the most important final body contact you make with the gun. It alone will determine a good shot from a bad one. The second pad of your index finger should rest just above the curve of the trigger, your hand is firm around the stock, as firm as a handshake, your index finger is at a
90 degree angle to the trigger, your pull is smooth and uninterrupted, the force is consistent, and the finger holds the trigger until the recoil pulse has ended. A sight pull to the right of the trigger finger and the bullet goes left; a pull to the left, the bullet goes right. After the recoil pulse settles down you may find there is brief moment of silence, the finger can now be released.
And once you have taken your shot, all the learning, experiments, the practice, the quality of gun, scope, and bullet come down to this moment and it is the reason we shoot. You hear the gong, (bullet hitting steel), and you see the violent jerking movement of the target from the pure power of the bullet’s impact, your body surges in adrenaline created by you own success. Nobody else shares this success. It is all you, and that is why we shoot long.
Ralph Hicks
