Well, I finally made time to put about 15 rounds (200 grain Wildcat @ 2700 fps) down range with the 7mm Dakota center-grip XP-100 last Friday.
My biggest problem was getting a location where I could shoot out to 1k with steel targets-Now I finally have a place
I can't use steel at my shooting range, even though they have a 600 yard range
My scope is a Leupold Mark 4 8.5-25 w/M1 knobs.
I recently had Darrel Holland put his ART reticle in this scope and I really like it.
I had to re-install the scope and set-up a piece of steel @ 105 yards rather than the usual 200 yard zero.
I have found a portable bench (Hart) which I like better than anything I have tried to this point. It is very solid and adjustable.
Once sighted in @ 100 yards I got out Exbal and plugged in all the data from my Kestrel, which of course was different than when I shot it last in Nebraska (May). I also changed my sight in distance. My larger target was set-up @ 525 yards with a red dot in the center. I was shooting off the Hart bench but was using the Harris BR bi-pod with one of my little sandbags filled with corn cob media.
I dialed in 9.75 MOA into the elevation as the wind was pretty much in my face.
I didn't have a spotter with me, but heard the slap of steel a short time after the shot. Then, I got back into the scope to see where it hit. To my great pleasure it hit the red dot. I then fired three more shots and they made a nice 3" cluster @ 7 O'Clock just off the dot (I guess the wind was from the SSW and yes, it was gusting some. It ended up being a 4-shot 5" group but it could have been better. I didn't like a bozo throw up some grass and check direction-need to pay better attention to all the details.
I just wanted to shoot and had made up my mind I wasn't going to dope wind.
Then I had three shots left so I decided to go prone but because of high grass I had my bi-pod on it's highest adjustment.
I wasn't comfortable and my bag wasn't really designed for this height, but I put three shots in 6", one of which, the 3rd shot either the wind dropped completely, it was me, or a combo of the two, but it was the furthest shot to the right.
I will soon be getting lower rings and that will help a lot.
The farmer was to my North sowing some triticali (Spelling?) while I was shooting and he gave me some ideas when I shoot there next time that would give me better FOV when prone and I can shoot out to 950 yards-Yipee
The great thing is that it is less than 10 miles from my house.
I took some pictures-no digital, but it will be a while before they get processed.
Today I was able again to make it out to pop some steel, but it did involve some misses (high wind alert!!!).
Started @ 392 yards and dialed in 6.25 minutes (MOA for 400 yds.) and put my 2-shots just over the red-dot just under 3 inches, prone with the bi-pod.
When I got there the wind was at a low of about 10 mph to when I got done shooting gusting to 26 mph. I was shooting in a southerly direction and the wind was switching from a South to a SSE direction. Also the lay of the land where the target was set-up played a part in making the wind more of SE wind.
After feeling okay about the sub 400 yd shots, I backed up to 850 yards.
I put my target in a different place today to avoid driving as much on the pasture, but this presented me with a problem of a fence and a bush @ the 5 O'Clock of my line of sight. Lasering was difficult and the mirage was terrible with my Leupold Mark 4 @ this distance. I put 21.25 MOA in for elevation and made the windage adjustments. I had to keep fiddling with that as the wind was not cooperating
I fired two shots but I couldn't hear any steel clank (double hearing protection & the wind).
I couldn't tell by looking because of the mirage.
So I drove back to the target and sure enough-no hits
To make a long story short I tried two more shots @ 850 with no hits
I decided because of all the "nice" conditions I would get closer and lasered (difficult time) 625 yards.
Now I was shooting into a direct headwind, most of the time.
First shot connection
, but it was lower than I expected and so were the subsequent shots, but I was grouping good (4-shots @ 6 inches with three of them just under 3 inches stringing vertical/wind). I moved over to the right side of the target and ran .75 MOA into the elevation and bingo, my vertical was where it was supposed to be, but I was dialed in now for 650 yards :nuts:
But I turned in another three shots in just a tad over three inches.
My last shot I returned my elevation to zero and used the ART reticle and put my last shot 3" of the center of the bull @ 5 O'Clock
As I was driving back to the target I was still confused about the vertical issue and missing @ 850. When I got back to my target, I noticed one thing quickly. About 25 yards in front of the target There was a step-up in the terrain. I wasn't noticeable @ 850, but between the bush and the terrain it made sense why I was getting shorter distances.
I had lasered 650 yards 2x's but the majority of the time it was lasering closer.
Being off by 25 yards (not to mention the switching wind could have got me) makes me 17" low @ 875 yards.
I am going to move my target in a different location next time to help avoid that problem. Of course, the wind bouncing me around didn't make lasering any easier
All in all it was a good time of shooting and learning.
Practicing in difficult conditions teaches me a lot more than shooting in good conditions.
At the 650 yard mark the mirage had cleared up quite a bit with the help of some clouds and I was pretty much shooting straight into the wind.
Now the winds as I type are South @ 26 mph with gusts to 43 MPH!
I have pics from last weeks practice (35mm) and took pics of todays shooting (35mm-no digital) and will try to get last weeks pics posted soon.
FWIW it is a lot harder to work with the wind when you are by yourself.
When you have a spotter he can call the wind to you while you are setting up so you can make adjustments easier.
