First shot hits

[Greyfox]

All very good stuff. For you guys with more experience. Do you find that you get accurate shooting solutions from these devices each and every time you use them? My concern is that I live in the Midwest at 1400' and where I hunt is between 5400' and 8900'. If I know that my system works perfectly at 1400 feet and I take it a thousand miles west and a couple thousand feet higher and the barometer has changed and the air density is different are the calculation that are made by these devices accurate?

I have high confidence with the Gunwerks G7. It has produced accurate drops over a several year period at various locations with widely different atmospheric conditions. My locations range from 350Ft to 5000ft with temperatures from 10F to 80F. While I haven't put the Sig2400 through s full season yet but it looks promising. An important factor is to make sure that the temperature effects on your powder(effecting velocity)is either understood and corrected, or a temperature insensitive powder is used. The Hogdon Extreme powders have worked very well for me with minimal effects from temperature variations.

 

[snookntarpon]

powder temperature is important! yes. Teh Sig lets you enter velocities for different temperatures, so the more data you give it teh better it will perform. Shoot your loads in the cold, heat and in between and your unit will be that much smarter.

 

[BUSTINDOGS]

Abba money, money, money, just started playing in my head.

 

[blinderthanascope]

I just can't commit to using a phone to shoot long range I like the spotter, but shooting has changed. when I was shooting long distance in the 80's very few people done it, now everybody is shooting LR but that's a good thing, I just stick with my old way it will prolly be the only way in time. I don't even have a cell phone but I have been delving into some of the dope it seems like a lot of fun

 

[blinderthanascope]

there is a lot of variables when it comes to making a shot on a elk at 1600 or so and hitting the vitals, it has been done but there has been a lot of stray shots also, but it sure is fun to take one down at long range

 

[tuscan]

All very good stuff. For you guys with more experience. Do you find that you get accurate shooting solutions from these devices each and every time you use them? My concern is that I live in the Midwest at 1400' and where I hunt is between 5400' and 8900'. If I know that my system works perfectly at 1400 feet and I take it a thousand miles west and a couple thousand feet higher and the barometer has changed and the air density is different are the calculation that are made by these devices accurate?

Just tried my Sig Kilo 2400 last week with nearly exactly the situation you describe. I live in the Midwest at 700 ft, and hunt/shoot in CO at 7000-9000. The Sig Kilo made those kind of adjustments perfectly. The sensors it uses for temp, absolute pressure, and angle made the adjustments perfectly for me. Now for me it is SigPWL. A note on wind - the meter included with the Sig is ok, but then you have to use a smart phone. I was shooting straight down wind, blowing about 8-10mph, no issue at 200-500, until i went at my 740 yard gong, which is also across a ravine and on an upslope. Guess where my shots went? High. Downrange, the wind was going upslope about 60 deg at target. Wind is always teaching us lessons.

 

[Recon$$]

The kestrel with AB is a great tool. You can turn the weather feature on and off and update it as conditions change. If you true your rifle and add the data into your range card for distances in transonic and subsonic bullet flight, it is very accurate. They are $600-700 but they work.

 

[FearNoWind]

I don't own anything more than a range finder; not even a cell phone. If I have to take a LINPACK supercomputer into the field every time I want to do a little hunting I'll trade my rifles in for a set of golf clubs (which I also do not own)

 

[codyadams]

The best thing you can do to make a first round hit, by FAR, is practice. Alot. And practice in the areas you hunt. Canyons, valleys, plains, mountains, wherever you plan on taking an animal, you need to practice in similar areas. And as stated, ballistic calculators on our smartphones and other devices can account for many, many things, but they CANNOT account for down range wind in a hunting scenario. That is YOUR job, and that is where the practice comes in. Learn to read wind, and not just for horizontal drift, but also learn when updrafts and downdrafts will have an effect, and how much effect. The skill of reading wind and getting a proper wind call will pay dividends in the end.

 

[FearNoWind]

The best thing you can do to make a first round hit, by FAR, is practice. Alot. And practice in the areas you hunt. Canyons, valleys, plains, mountains, wherever you plan on taking an animal, you need to practice in similar areas. And as stated, ballistic calculators on our smartphones and other devices can account for many, many things, but they CANNOT account for down range wind in a hunting scenario. That is YOUR job, and that is where the practice comes in. Learn to read wind, and not just for horizontal drift, but also learn when updrafts and downdrafts will have an effect, and how much effect. The skill of reading wind and getting a proper wind call will pay dividends in the end.

 

[JTB]

For me, the most important variable to confirm is first shot accuracy in conditions similar to actual hunting conditions. I go out on several occasions carefully dialing in the first shot at 300 yards and confirming accuracy at 500, 750, 1000 and finally 1200 yards, allowing the rifle to completely cool between shots. A reliable hunting app (there are a few) will suffice as long as I confirm the actual ballistic curve with that ballistic app out to the distances I will be shooting. Setting barometric pressure to absolute and entering the value (I use iPhone 6+) generally is all I need to adjust for air density. I leave the rifle and ammo in the same condition I confirmed accuracy under. If there is any substantial wind I simply will not take a long shot (>700 yards). In early mornings with no to minimal wind, I have made a few first shots kills out to 1000 yards using this method. Know the rifle/ammo and become comfortable with it and your capabilities before you take the shot. If I can not get the rifle to shoot 1/2 MOA (preferably 1/3) at 300 yards I am not comfortable taking long range shots at large game.

 

[jdmecomber]

Ballistic knowledge
Same recoil management as your zero
Proper zero
Practice
Consistent ammo
Gun temperature
Ammo temperature
Scope value Knowledge

Just a few additions

 

[buckfvr]

Very good information from advanced shooters here. I would like to mention the need for as much practice as is affordable/practical in conditions that as closely as possible, match hunting conditions. Wind is humbling for all shooters, some more than others.

Practicing on steel and or paper targets will get you to where you can establish your personal parameters as a hunter. When hunting, Id expect us all to mentally engage our hunting ethics and not attempt any shots on game animals beyond our individual abilities. I only mention this as a reminder to us all.........practice makes us good, not perfect.

 

[jdmecomber]

In the spirit of one shot kills!

This is something to think about. We are not talking tactical or speed or conditions. Just what scope can dial closer to the bullseye

Scopes
Mil
.250 moa
.125 moa

Here are your options. Your shooting 1000 yards. It doesn't matter if you can even adjust for these errors. It's just math. I am not bringing shooting conditions into this at all.

Let's say this is a grading scale percentage 100% being the best. This is the ability of the rifle to dial a bullseye and the max amount of error you can have.

The mil scope starts out with a 82% so your at an 18% disadvantage
1 mil is 3.6 inches at 100.
1 mill is 36 inches at 1000
Example. Your scope dials tenths

So there are 3.6 inches per click .1
If your solution calls for 10.15 mils, Your options are 10.1 or 10.2 so your error would be .05 mills that you cant dial. Which would be half of 3.6 inches or 1.8 inches.

So your ability to dial a perfect bullseye, the max error would 1.8" away from the bullseye.

.250 moa scopes
Start out at an 86.91% so they have a max error of 1.309 inches.

True moa
1 moa at 100 yards is 1.047 inches
1 moa at 1000 yards is 10.472

So your scope dials .25 moa clicks
Let's say your solution calls for 24.375 moa, You can dial 24.25 or 24.5. So your max amount of error is .125 moa which calculated at 1000 is. 1.309"

So your ability to dial a perfect bullseye, the max error would be 1.309 " away from the bullseye.

.125 moa Scopes start out at 93.51% so they have a max error of .649 inches

1 moa at 1000 yards is 10.472 inches

If your solution calls for 24.937 You can dial 24.875 or 25. So 24.937 is in the middle of those two so the max amount of error you have is .649 inches at 1000 yards.

I know lots of stuff is involved with shooting. I like to take as much error out of everything I do. Fun fact to look at