Nice shooting jmayton, sure makes you feel good when you hear that steel target ring at long distances don't it. Dept F&G have a steel Moose set up out at 700 yards at the Rabbit Creek range down in Anchorage. Almost everyone saves their last round to take a pot shot at the Moose as they are leaving, just to hear it ring. This one sounds like a big Gong when hit.
Now to talk about our cheap guns.
My neighbor spent a lot of money building a .300 Win Mag for shooting out to 400 yards. Heavy 26" Bull Barrel. He glass bedded it into a McMillion stock. Ziess Scope, with custom rings. He developed his own loads using 168gr Berger Bullets. He kept bragging about his gun and how it was really coming in at 300 yards. So now he wants to go out and shoot at 400 for the first time. He wants someone to go with him so I'm free and I agree to go. (I think he wanted to impress me)
We go out on the riverbed and set up a bench and targets at 400 yards. Russ set up paper targets on a six foot square of cardboard. I set five 4" clay targets on an old log lying beside his target. Russ looked at me and said "You think you are going to hit those at that range with that single shot?" I said "I'll try". While he is sitting up on the bench, getting everything just so, I lean across the hood of my truck and using my Handi 30-06 blow up the first clay target. Russ gave me a dirty look. I then put the 30-06 away and got out the Ultra .223. I screwed up, took two shots to break the next clay. (That's what I get for being a show off)
Russ made his first shot 4" left 3" low. (Russ worked out a formula on where he should be at 400 yards from his last shooting at 300 and adjusted his scope accordingly) He made corrections and kept shooting till he was hitting two out of three in the 4" black circle of his targets. His groups were not real tight. He then starts shooting at the three remaining clays. First one disappeared, I don't think he hit it, just caused it to fall off the log by being close enough splinters caused it to move. He did hit the second one, it exploded. Then five shots and the last one is still sitting there. I pick up the 30-06 and bust it.
Before any one ask, I'm sited in for 300 yards. I have 14 inches of drop at 400, from my 300 yard site-in, so I dial the scope for 14 inches. And yes I am 6 inches high at about 200 yards, and that is something I just remember and don't adjust for with the scope. With the .223 I am shooting a Tacital type scope with calibrated turrents for the 55gr bullet at the speed if my loads. All I have to do is dial the scope to 400 yards.
