Indholdsfortegnelse for Long Range Shooting SIP #3 i Gun Digest

Delving Into the Details

I fell in love with archery long before I was old enough to fall in love with a woman (yes, I know this is a gun magazine, but hold on just a minute … ). Ted Nugent is notorious for citing the “mystical flight of the arrow” as the source of attraction that drew him to bowhunting, and there is certainly something to that. Watching an arrow take flight, rise and drop into a desired target many yards away stirs up some pretty wild emotions. In a way, it’s like watching time stop: Once that arrow is released, you’ve done all you can do as a shooter. There’s nothing left but to watch the journey unfold. But more than simply watching the flight of each arrow mature, I was drawn…

2 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

DIGITAL/NEW IN THE STORE

FROM THE ARTICLES AT GUNDIGEST.COM CLASSIC GUNS 5 Classic Colt Guns You’ve Got to Own These are the five iconic Colt firearms that will crown your gun collection. CONCEALED CARRY Mastering Cirillo’s Coarse-Aim Shooting Technique Here’s how law enforcement legend Jim Cirillo got the drop on bad guys. SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT HANDLOADING Unlocking the Potential of the 7mm Rem. Mag. The 7mm Rem. Mag. has a ton of potential ... in addition to just being a hard-hitter. GEAR & ACCESS0RIES What’s the Best Concealed-Carry Holster? Looking to enhance going armed? Here are the best concealed-carry holsters around today. Find us on Facebook! facebook.com/gundigest Follow us on Twitter! @gundigest Follow us on Instagram! @Gun.Digest…

1 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

SPECIFICATIONS

MODEL: Bergara Premier HMR Pro WEIGHT: 9.2 lbs. (.22-250 Rem.), 9.4 lbs. (.223 Rem., .308 Win., 450 BM), 9.6 lbs. (6.5 CM), 9.7 lbs. (6mm CM) OVERALL LENGTH: 39.5 in. (.223 Rem., .308 Win.), 43.5 in. (6.5 CM, .22-250 Rem.), 45.5 in. (6mm CM) BARREL LENGTH: 20 in. (.223 Rem., .308 Win.), 24 in. (6.5 CM, .22-250 Rem.), 26 in. (6mm CM) MAGAZINE: AICS-style detachable MAG CAPACITY: 5-round mag TRIGGER: TriggerTech Frictionless Release Technology BARREL TAPER: No. 5.5 MUZZLE: Threaded 5/8x24 in. with knurled thread protector STOCK: Bergara HMR molded with mini-chassis SCOPE MOUNT: Remington 700 bases with 8x40 screws. Integrated QD flush cup sling mounts and swivel mounts REAR BUTTSTOCK: Adjustable cheek piece and length of pull. Full-length integrated mini-chassis for repeatable bedding; supports fully free- floated barrel MODEL:…

1 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

ACCESSIBLY ACCURATE BRAVO : HOWA KRG BRAVO

My first long-range rifle took a chunk out of my savings to the tune of nearly $6,000 ... and so did the second one I had built. These custom rifles also took better than six months to complete from the time ordered. Since those days (just a few short years ago), the cost of entry into long-range shooting has come way, way down. It’s benefitted from the repeatability of CNC machine tools and innovations in stock-to-action fit that promote accuracy. Partnerships between rifle makers and the burgeoning after-market stock industry help too. Expectations of sub-MOA precision are now assumed. The message from the shooting public: Make my groups small, and keep my rifle around $1,000. And companies such as the Japanese concern, Howa—whose products are imported and distributed by Legacy…

7 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

Three Affordable Chronograph Options

Caldwell Ballistic Precision Chronograph This chrony is arguably one of the best values available today. Sensitive enough to handle everything from a BB gun to a .50-caliber, the do-all Ballistic Precision unit is practically everything you need. In addition, the chronograph links up with your smart device to offer you some features not found on other options in the price range. Not only will it calculate average velocity, standard deviation, min, max and velocity spread for the shot string, it also archives your data, thereby giving you the ability to compare different shooting sessions. Of course, as an optical chronograph, it’s susceptible to environmental conditions and tends to be finicky indoors. But with a good light source, you’ll find it is as precise as the top models out there. MSRP:…

2 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

SECRETS OF THE SCOPE

Over the past three decades, I’ve had to extract every bit of accuracy potential from both my recreational and duty rifles. Coached by my precision-driven father on the handloading bench during my teenage years, I developed this same obsession at an early age. This passion has continued for me as a long-range hunter and a marksmanship, tactics and sniper instructor, as well as when developing and running my agency’s first Designated Marksman Observer (DMO) team in 2014. Throughout it all, attaining quarter-minute-of-angle (MOA) accuracy from any rifle system has been an objective. Today, the interest in long-range accuracy among the shooting community has never been greater. The exponential increase in the amount of precision rifle platforms over the past decade has been overwhelming for long-range shooting enthusiasts, with a plethora…

12 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

The 6.5-284 Norma

Historical Notes: Hornady now produces cases and will produce ammunition (depending upon rifle manufacturing) for this long-popular wildcat chambering. Originally, this version of the .284 Winchester was designed to offer a shorter hunting cartridge that approximates 6.5-06 ballistics; the long-range accuracy potential was recognized much later. This chambering has been used extensively in NRA High Power and elsewhere, where accuracy and barrel life are important. Peak pressure specification for this thoroughly modern cartridge is comparatively high. General Comments: A 28-inch barrel loaded with any of the better VLD (very low drag), moly-plated bullets between 130 and 155 grains in this cartridge easily achieves sufficient velocities for accurate 1,000-yard benchrest shooting. These combinations generate much less recoil than any effective .30- or .33-caliber 1,000-yard match combination. This contributes to precise shooting.…

1 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

BUILDING YOUR LONG-RANGE KIT

BADROCK SOUTH FORK RIFLE The South Fork 6.5 Creedmoor rifle teeters on custom-made performance. At the heart of the South Fork is a modified Remington Model 700 action, upgraded with a coned bolt nose, fixed ejector and modified controlled-round feed. Badrock mates its action with a 26-inch, match-grade, stainless-steel barrel and fits them into a Modular Driven Technology LSS-XL Gen2 chassis. Meant to meet production rifle standards for competition, the system does make sacrifices to achieve its price point. The scope base and muzzle device are extras. Nevertheless, for what you get on the South Fork as is, that’s not much to complain about. MSRP: $1,995 BERGER 95-GRAIN HYBRID CLASSIC HUNTER Most think of the 6mm Creedmoor primarily as a competition cartridge. Loaded correctly, however, the 6.5’s little brother is…

7 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

SCOPING THE SAVANNA

For those hunters who have never experienced Africa and perhaps haven’t yet been bitten by the allure of making tracks on the Dark Continent, I suspect that there are few things more annoying than listening to someone who has been there drone on and on about how magical the experience can be. I’d guess it’s like being at an already awkward party where everyone is struggling to make small talk and someone breaks out one of those “I guess you had to be there” stories. There was certainly a time when I, too, couldn’t have cared less about sitting on a plane for countless hours, trekking through the heat to find an animal I didn’t know the name of, all the while hauling special gear that I bought especially for…

9 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

HORNADY’S NEW A-TIP TECH

“Dial 14.8 mils elevation and hold a full 4 mils left for wind.” So came the instruction from Kyle Lynch, a fellow gun writer and my partner for some shooter/ spotter exercises we were participating in at the Leupold Optics Academy. I spun the elevation turret of the scope and backed off just a bit on the magnification to remove some of the mirage, holding on the 4-mil hash in the horizontal bar, and broke the trigger on the Ruger Precision rifle. It took a couple of seconds or so for the bullet to get to the steel, but the splatter at the center of the orange dot of the 1,500-yard steel was extremely gratifying, considering the wind, which was gusting to 20 mph on the Oregon high desert. Living…

9 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

What is ‘Standing Support’? I enjoyed Patrick Sweeney’s great article on the .375 H&H Magnum Mauser in the June 2019 issue. It did raise a few questions, however. On page 33, he says, “Only later did I discover the trick of a standing support for test-firing magnums.” My question: What the heck is a standing support, and where can I get one? Thanks for the great article! John Barnett III Jackson, MS A standing support is simple: Hunters call it “African sticks” or crossed sticks. The simplest method is three sticks, long enough to be a tripod you can use while standing. A more substantial one would be a 4x4 post with a firm base, along with a sandbag or shooting rest on top. You stand behind it, rest your…

4 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

AFFORDABLE 1,000-YARD RIFLES

Today’s shooters like to go long—that is, they enjoy the challenge of reaching out and touching targets at advanced ranges. Sometimes, the ability to fire accurately at 600-plus yards costs a lot of money; sometimes, it costs less. But the basics of enjoyable long-distance riflery don’t change: a good, straight barrel sitting in front of a durable, precise action, and a good trigger. Here are a few rifles that contain those basic elements and more—with the “more” meaning those extra dollars that bring bling to the targets you seek to ring. BERGARA PREMIER HMR PRO The Premier Series from Bergara has Custom Series features that are standardized for greater efficiencies in parts production and assembly. The Premier Pro upgrades the 2017 HMR (Hunting and Match Rifle) line, including a Cerakote…

11 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

Sig BDX System Specifics

Relinquishing control is something that’s never easy, and that’s exactly what you must do with Sig’s BDX System—to a certain extent. From Kentucky holdover, drop-compensating reticles, dialing turrets and now, to digital elevation-compensation technology, the art of aiming high has evolved very quickly in the past decade alone. Since the system’s public launch in 2018, I’ve been pelted with questions about the effectiveness and “trustability”of the BDX System—and for good reason: It’s a big step to allow gear to step into the shot process and make decisions for you, the rifleman. My answer? “You’ll love it, but don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s going to do all the work for you.” Doing the Work When it comes to any ballistic app, the technology is only as good as the…

3 min

Gun Digest|Long Range Shooting SIP #3

WATCH YOUR SPEED

There’s a fine line for gun gear. Too much, and you end up with bi-pods, slings and what-have-you moldering away in some closet or on some shelf. Too little, and you run the risk of limiting your potential as a marksman. Yes, you really might need to upgrade that 30-year-old hunting scope, even as patinaed as it is in nostalgia. It’ll make a difference. One of those bits of equipment riding the line of “Do I, or don’t I need it?” is the chronograph. It was an easy answer at one time. A couple of decades ago, the price was such that only diehard shooters, reloaders and wildcatters would pay for the brass tacks of bullet velocities. That’s not the case any longer. Certainly, you can break the bank with…

5 min