Medium Range Shooting

[MattMan]

The threads about making relatively easy shots, and about how well a reticle from brand "X" matches a certain caliber or load made me want to share some easy info to help the average guy make a medium range shot. For our purposes medium range means a shot past the point blank range for the particular rifle, presenting the need to start thinking of where to hold. It's also likely not much past 500 yards, if at all, since we wouldn't be using a hold-over reticle to shoot that far, we'd be twirling turrets and have much more practice.

 

Let's start with the rifle. For our example, having been beaten up by various hard kicking long range demons, the shooter has decided to drop down to a lowly 260 Ruger Compact, shooting hand loaded 140 grain Accubonds, at an embarrassingly benign average muzzle velocity of 2600 fps from it's short 16.5" barrel. Somewhat sleek, the BC is a decent but not stellar .509.

 

Since the pear tree in the back yard hasn't started sprouting Benjamins, the rifle at the moment wears a lowly VXI 2-7x scope with a long range duplex reticle. It has two dots, touted on page 95 in the 2010 catalog as being appropriate for the average guy to take pot shots with the average load at animals at 300 and 400 yards. It also has the uber long range top of duplex reference for 500. First, forget about the designated distances for the marks... since after zeroing at 200 yards, the darn thing just doesn't match up or work right when we try to shoot 400, and the 500 yard mark is WAY off.

 

Looking at the bottom corner of page 95, we notice Leupold was kind enough to print the subtension for the reticle. First mark is 2.2 moa, second is 4.8, and the top of the duplex we see is 7.8.

 

So we download an excel ballistics spreadsheet filled with macros and input the data for our load and rifle. First we measure from the centerline of the bore (stockline is a good guess) to the center line of the scope (center of the emblem on the side of the scope) and that's 1.5". 2600 fps, BC = .509, wind = 10 mph, average coues elevation 4000', average temperature on early coues hunt, 900 degrees... oops, I mean 85 degrees. We also put in the recommended 200 yard zero, and go to the next sheet. (Unfamiliar with what the heck the rest of the data is, we leave it alone.)

 

We scroll down the MOA drop column, and find that for our particular situation, zero, and load, the MOA drop values are 2.7 moa at 300, 5.8 moa at 400, and 9.2 moa at 500. Doesn't match at all. No wonder we can't hit anything. But we notice the high point in the trajectory is little over 2", and decide we can stand to be 3" high at the most. So we go back to the first page and enter a zero of 225 yards.

 

 

Bingo. We now notice and find that for our particular situation, zero, and load, the MOA drop values are 2.1 moa at 300, 5.2 moa at 400, and 7.8 moa at 475. It doesn't match exactly at some ranges, and doesn't match Leupold's chart, but decide since 0.1 moa is about 1/4" at 300, 0.4 moa is about 2" at 400, and we're supposely dead on at 475, we're probably close enough. The 7.8 for the top of the duplex matches up at "only" 475 yards, and being responsible and ethical hunters we deem that to be the limit of our current equipment, so forget about shooting farther... since we don't shoot past our ability, risking simply wounding the animal we covet.

 

Then we wait for a day with relatively no wind, take the rifle to the range and sight in 2 3/4" high at 100 yards. At that point, we jump directly to 475 yards, which is no problem, cause we have a location to practice shooting at the actual ranges we plan on shooting at living targets. Using the top of the duplex post, we sight in so we are dead nuts at 475 with that reference mark. Then bringing the range closer we shoot at 300 and 400, and find out those match up great.

 

Being done with development and sight in, we head to the woods with a huge ice chest full of block ice, take the bags off, and set them up at various ranges from 250 to 500 yards. Then practice like crazy shattering them from different field positions in different wind conditions, so we're ready when the coues of a lifetime presents a shot at medium range... that way the day after we shoot at a deer we get to share a sixer of our favorite dark beer with friends and rest our muscles tired from the pack out... instead of rounding them all up to try to find the deer hobbling around on three legs or trying to breath through a punctured larynx.

 

 

[308Nut]

This is what I like to use. (I like the fact that you preach getting out there and actually testing and practicing this) Thanks for the info.

 

 

 

[oz31p]

Getting out and practicing is the fun part.

[CouesWhitetail]

Great post, thank you MattMan!