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Long Range Coyotes And The Custom Specialty Pistol |
Now, back to the business at hand. There are several aerodynamic, quick-expanding, polymer-tipped bullets available for the 6.5 cartridges that’ll get you out there a ways, beginning with Nosler’s 120-grain Ballistic Tip with a ballistic coefficient (BC) of 0.46, and ending with the big, sleek Hornady 140-grain A-Max bullet, BC of 0.55.
This coyote, described in article, was taken at 475 yards with author's custom XP-100 6.5-284 Winchester, Burris 3-12x LER scope with Ballistic Plex reticle, and Leica Rangemaster CRF 1200.
For this special project I decided to go with a gunsmith who my partners and I had worked with in the past. Greg Tannel of Gre’-Tan Rifles out of Kersey, Colorado, is well-known in the industry for his accuracy tooling designs for gunsmiths. When I called him and told him about the project he was all for it, and after explaining my requirements I left it in his hands to gather the parts and supplies, and put together an accurate pistol that would get me out to long range. To say that I was impressed when the finished product arrived is an understatement. It was truly a thing of beauty and excellent craftsmanship. The gun has an 18", 1:9" twist, heavy-taper, Shilen Select Match barrel with a tight chamber, H-S Precision benchrest-style stock, Vais muzzle brake, and tuned factory trigger. I immediately installed the primo long-range pistol scope of modern times — the 3-12x Burris LER with Ballistic Plex reticle and target turrets in Burris Posi-Align rings, and Redfield base. This optic is ideally suited for its purpose. The range of magnification is about right for long-range handgunners. The parallax-adjustable objective is an important feature for any long-range rig, and coupled with the option of the Ballistic Plex reticle and target turrets it makes a good combination for long-range precision. And it’s just the right size at only 10.3 inches overall length and 16 ounces — perfect for my uses as a walking long-range hunter.
Two of these three coyotes were taken at long range by author's handgun hunting partner Ernie Bishop of Gillette, Wyoming, with a custom Remington XP-100 in 284 Winchester.
The bullet I really began to take a shine to was Hornady’s 129-grain SST design. Although intended for big game use, I believe this polymer-tipped bullet should be a good compromise between high velocity and BC. The forward section of the SST’s Interlock system is designed to open quickly, which means that it should give decent terminal performance even on thin-skinned coyotes. With a BC of 0.485, I thought it would get me out to longer ranges about as well as anything. After some load development I obtained 2,825 fps muzzle velocity with an extreme spread of about 20 fps, while maintaining excellent accuracy using Lapua brass, Ramshot Magnum powder, and Federal Magnum Match primers.
Although the four-stadia (tick mark) Burris Ballistic Plex reticle is designed to be zeroed at 100 or 200 yards, and set up for even 100-yard intervals for each of the four lower stadia, I’ve found some loads don’t match up well to this kind of zeroing system. In fact, Burris actually provides a disclaimer of sorts in their catalog for the handgun Ballistic Plex reticles. Trajectories from handguns are so varied that no reticle pattern could possibly be made to adapt to even hundred- or fifty-yard intervals for all the possibilities. It’s explained right up front in the catalog. So what I’ve done is establish a system of downrange zeroing that provides a more precise reference for long-range shooting. Once I have all the pertinent data, I simply run a ballistics program profile for my chosen load, and note where each of the stadia line’s zeros coincide with the program’s calculations. As I’ve mentioned several times in previous articles, the ballistics program that I’ve really taken a liking to is Perry-Systems Exbal ballistic calculator. This program is a powerful external ballistics tool, and provides a number of options for long-range shooters. One of these is a ballistic reticle zeroing system that allows a user to calculate computer model zeros for any ballistic or ranging reticle pattern imaginable with a simple click of the mouse button. Once the initial trajectory is computed in the main screen, the user simply selects the Ballistic Reticle Analysis option in the tool bar, chooses his reticle, and Exbal computes the reticle’s stadia zeros for you. Simple! Go to the range, verify the zeros, and you’ll then be ready to calculate the interpolative zeroing system for the “in-between stadia” ranges in 25- or 50-yard increments.
Interpolative zeroing is actually a little more complicated, and is described in my on-line article “Tactical Ballistic and Ranging Reticle Analysis” noted in the references at the end of this article. Basically, the computer-calculated drop for each additional 50-yard interval between any two particular stadia is divided by the total subtension (measurement) between those stadia to reference holdover in tenths of each “gap.” I also calculate additional turret zeros beyond the lowest stadia, if needed, using that particular stadia as a reference zero. Although it may seem complicated, it really does not take a math genius to figure it all out. Simple addition, subtraction, multiplying, and dividing will suffice.
To establish a complete tactical system for long range, a shooter also should calculate windage reference. The nice thing about it is that the Ballistic Plex reticle has two stadia points that easily can be applied for windage — the tips of the horizontal plex posts. According to the Burris Specifications page of their catalog (available on the Web, as well), the plex post tips subtend 2.0 inches per hundred yards either side of the reticle’s vertical axis. Now simply refer back to the ballistics program for the 10 mph crosswind figures for each 50-yard vertical compensation calculated above, divide those figures by the plex tip subtension of 2.0, and you have your horizontal zeros for each range as well that’s referenced interpolatively the same as the vertical. This is about the only thing I’d like to see changed with this optic. It would be nice to see a wider subtension for a more accurate windage reference using the plex post tips. Something on the order of, say, 4.0 inches per hundred yards either side of the vertical axis would be much easier to apply in the field. Put all this “dope” on a sticker and attach it to both your scope and laser, and you’re set to go.
The range sticker itself is a very important resource for a long-range shooter. It should be easily accessed, and most important should be simple to use … containing only the necessary information. For my needs this means range, elevation, and windage reference … and that’s all. Headings aren’t even necessary, as I know that each reference is in the order noted above. Range is referenced in 25- or 50-yard intervals only. Oftentimes I may not even know what a particular stadia’s zero actually is in the field if it doesn’t fall on the 25- or 50-yard interval. For my uses the stadia themselves function as a reference for calculations, and interpolative zeroing only.
If you can still find one, the Speedtech Weather Watch is a handy tool to have (unfortunately they’re not being produced anymore). It’s simply your average weather station watch that provides temperature, barometric pressure, and altitude stats, with one huge difference. It also has a pop-up anemometer (wind meter) that gives wind velocity in several different units. Now, is that one slick gizmo, or what? Really, the best thing about it is its portability — right there on your wrist, ready to go whenever needed. There certainly are many different makes of anemometers out there. Just Google it (anemometers ) and you’ll have many to choose from (it should be noted here that windage compensation is a tricky affair at best, and shots should be limited in range when the wind is really starting to crank).
For long-range testing it’s sometimes difficult to find a range that’s more than 100 yards long. But oftentimes ranchers or farmers will be open to shooting on their land to help with long-range zeroing. I have a number of portable steel silhouettes that my partners and I use for long-range testing and they are much more fun (and audibly gratifying, as well) than just shooting at paper, and provide all the information a long-ranger really needs. The system allows a shooter to obtain feedback immediately, as the bullet strike is quite obvious and can be seen easily at longer ranges.
When it comes to rangefinding I employ two methods. The first, of course, is a laser rangefinder. Ever since the Bushnell Yardage Pros were introduced to hunters I rarely have been caught without one in the field. That was more than a decade ago now, and to say technology has made some advances with laser-ranging design and application is an understatement. Now there are more models, designs, and price tags available than one can wade through, but my personal favorites for my applications are the Leica and Swarovski units. It’s my personal opinion that they deliver the best service for the buck. Leica also has excellent binocular rangefinders available that would eliminate the need for carrying two optical devices … if you have deeper pockets than I do. Their recent additions include the slick little Leica Rangemaster CRF 1200 and 900 units that are not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes. As I’ve recently found, they fit perfectly in my BDU-style leg pocket.
Another backup rangefinding system I use is calculated with the reticle itself. The system is based on a modification of the mil dot mil-ranging formula, but really is beyond the scope of this article. The details can be found in the aforementioned online article referenced above, or in the magazine article “Reticle Rangefinding Made Easy” in the April ’07 issue of TVHM.
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