Setting Up For The Long Range Shot, by Shawn Carlock

[VLGIII]

I have recently taken one of Shawn's long range hunting classes and it has put all of the things in his article in to focus. His explanation of MOA and figuring wind in the field has made me a more confident shooter. When we began class he told me that after we were done, shooting 600 yards will be no big deal and he is right. Emphasis was put on quality optics for a good reason. Optics are one of the few things where you get what you pay for. He also spent a lot of the class teaching how to be a good spotter. I learned a lot from behind the spotting scope calling corrections. I highly recomend this class if you want to get into long range hunting.

[wildcat]

Shawn,

Excellent article!!!!!!

I really want to attend one of your classes one of these days. I have had some bad luck with work issues this year, I was laid off after 10 years working at my job, so I had to sell all five of my custom long range rifles. However, I am getting ready to have a rifle built and it should be built buy 2008. When will your classes be held in 2008.

Wildcat

[NYLES]

Good info for sure...Now I have to figure out the wind on a 900 yard shot....

Ill see if you guys can help here...terrain is flat I know the wind will 99.9% be right to left(15-25mph). I have one long range platform spot picked out...its a high spot on a turn row wide open to wind for at least a 1000 to 1500 yards(this is the edge of fields) now the question part at about 400 yards a heavy 250 yard wide treeline protrudes straight towards me all deer will be on the left(wind blocked) side of that treeline..

how do i ajust for windage from 15-25 mph to almost nill halfway through the shot?

300WM 180 gr Accubond till Kirby sends my AM

[Boss Hoss]

Shawn you have touched on some very good points and I am sure that your article will help a lot of shooters. One area that is always a challenge is the wind and that will have a very significant impact on defining success. Learn to use it and the wind is your friend without the ability to successfully compensate for its effects long range shooting is an exercise in futility to say the least. In competition or in the field it does not matter if I do everything else perfect mechanically that single variable is the toughest of them all to master.

[Shawn Carlock]

Wildcat,

I will have the 08 class schedual on my website around the end of the year. In general classes will run from May to August.

Shawn

[Shawn Carlock]

Nyles,

Tough call on paper, but a rather easy solution for you. Impossible to say without seeing it. I would go to the area and practice the shots you might have. You will quickly develop a "feel" for the effects of the conditions you are shooting in. It sounds like this maybe a posibility for you to practice this. It won't take alot of shots but rather a few shots in alot of varing conditions from this post. Mathmatically you could take a stab at it, but doping the wind will still always be your best guess.

[Shawn Carlock]

Boss,

You are absolutley correct on wind being the key issue. What most people fail to look at is the terrains effect on wind conditions.