After ringing steel, then what?

[del2les]

Shooting smaller steel targets like MOA can help, but if you are not there yet, then use 1.5-2 MOA. Also, a good spotting scope with a spotter can greatly help. Find someone who also enjoys shooting or being at the range and take turns spotting for each other, calling shots, wind, etc. When spotting for other shooters and calling their wind, I always found this as a great training tool to improve my own shooting and to take a break from the prone aches. Even on heavily impacted steel targets at 600, it is fairly easy to see impacts and lead dust clouds on steel, and often with proper lighting, even the bullet in flight just before impact.

 

[Jeffrey Van Zandt]

I've taken a couple long-range shooting courses in the past year and have joined a local range (Cowtown in north Phoenix, AZ). The range has a 100 yard zeroing bay and a swath of desert with a bunch of steel targets ranging from 200 to just over 1,000 yards. Steel targets are not accessible to members. I'll start a range day zeroing my rifle at the 100 yard bay using paper targets, then move to the steel targets. I shoot a Tikka Tact A1 65CM with factory Federal GM 140gr SMK or Berger Hybrid (no comments from the Peanut Gallery please...unless you can't help yourself!). The goal is to build habit patterns and skills for long range shooting and eventually long range hunting (but maybe not with this rifle). Shooting prone, I feel somewhat confident in my ability to consistently hit various sized steel targets up to 600 or 700 yards. The problem is, I can make the steel ring, but I have no clue how accurate my shots are. I can typically guess where a shot hits by how the steel moves. But this is very different from what many of you do where you are able to repaint your steel targets or use paper targets long range to actually see the group size (precision) and POI (accuracy). With my range limitations, what should I focus on next? Should I start with the larger steel targets and then work to get consistent with smaller and smaller targets? I think some of the larger round targets are probably 36" and maybe the small round ones are down to 8", but I'll have to confirm this with the range officers. I guess I could go into the desert and set up my own long-range paper targets (many do this in the Queen Valley area east of Phoenix). I just feel that ringing steel gets me so far in my development, and I'd like to know what I should do to continue my development. I could participate in the local Arizona Precision Rifle club matches which might be good for practicing various shooting positions. Thoughts on all of this?

get your own steel and get the right size MOA for the ranges and paint them then fide a place to shoot them

 

[cakes]

Get yourself a Shotmarker. In the big scheme of things, probably no more expensive than that big scope on your rifle. Most LR ranges have gone to these for competition as it gets rid of pulling targets down in the pits and speeds things up. Lot of shooters get their own for load development as well. Adam makes a great powder trickler too. Eric in DL

 

[Arcola]

When I don't have anyone to spot my shots, I use my spotter and phonescope. If you record in slow motion, you'll learn a lot. And you can obsess over awesome vapor trails if you're shooting Hammers!

 

[sp6x6]

Im lucky out west here.I can canyon shoot in a lot of areas with few people ever and shoot rocks. My lighter recoilers I can spots hit most times, gets harder with my 338NM.But I can drive to other sides and check.

 

[Wedgy]

I shoot to a mile with 6mm and 6.5 and yes it is really difficult to see hits compared to .30 and .338 but a phone skope type adapter(I have a cheap $20 from amazon) on a spotting scope makes it pretty easy to see unless there is heavy mirage. I typically aim at a baseball size rock on the side of a hill with no brush or grass, preferably with dirt around it so I can see the bullets splash. I used to aim at bigger rocks but I've learned the you don't get much dust off them to see anything. I bought a remanufactured $50 Galaxy S8 from ebay as it has a single lens video camera, my newer cell phone has several lenses and switches as you zoom in so it isn't practical for digi scoping. You can also wifi the recording to a laptop for a bigger viewing screen. So in order I get the rifle and scope dialed on the target, set the labradar, chamber the round, then start the video camera, shoot, stop the camera, record the data, then watch the shot. Most times I can see it in the scope but if not I rely on the video.

 

[lancetkenyon]

You need a GOOD spotter to go with you.
I happen to be a member at Cowtown also.

And....there is a 1398 yard target WAAAY out there...visible from Platform Delta only.

 

[lancetkenyon]

get your own steel and get the right size MOA for the ranges and paint them then fide a place to shoot them

While that is a good idea, the convenience of having about 50+ pieces of steel up at ranges from a 2×3" silhouette at 180 to an IPSC at 1390, and 50 others scattered across 7 hills, from prairie dogs and 4" triangles, to bobcats, rounds, bowling pins, coke bottles, from 1/2 MOA to 2 MOA and 250 to 1100 sure is easy.

 

[JimFromAZ]

I film and review post range session. Works pretty well unless it's really hit and I'm dealing with heat waves.

We have some serious heat mirage here in the desert!

 

[JimFromAZ]

Shooting off a rest is great..... when you can do it...... BUT......
when hunting a quick offhand shot is sometimes offered....
Practice a few offhand shots with your hunting gun.....

Thank you, Bill. Makes a lot of sense. I most likely need to add a lighter weight hunting rifle to my Wish List.

 

[JimFromAZ]

Shooting smaller steel targets like MOA can help, but if you are not there yet, then use 1.5-2 MOA. Also, a good spotting scope with a spotter can greatly help. Find someone who also enjoys shooting or being at the range and take turns spotting for each other, calling shots, wind, etc. When spotting for other shooters and calling their wind, I always found this as a great training tool to improve my own shooting and to take a break from the prone aches. Even on heavily impacted steel targets at 600, it is fairly easy to see impacts and lead dust clouds on steel, and often with proper lighting, even the bullet in flight just before impact.

I agree with everything you are recommending. And even here in the dry desert we can see vapor trails in many cases. Sometimes shooting at steel on a ridgeline, the vapor trail is the only thing we can use to tell if a miss was to the left or right of, or below the target!

 

[JimFromAZ]

Get yourself a Shotmarker. In the big scheme of things, probably no more expensive than that big scope on your rifle. Most LR ranges have gone to these for competition as it gets rid of pulling targets down in the pits and speeds things up. Lot of shooters get their own for load development as well. Adam makes a great powder trickler too. Eric in DL

Yeah, that ShotMarker is pretty impressive and I need to give it some serious thought as to where I can use it. Our LR shooting competitions here at the Cowtown range are based on the shooter hitting steel. Nothing in the way of hitting the 10 ring and so on. If/when I go down the hand reloading rabbit hole, I have Adam's autotrickler combined with the A&D FX-120i scale on my list. Thanks for the advice!

 

[JimFromAZ]

When I don't have anyone to spot my shots, I use my spotter and phonescope. If you record in slow motion, you'll learn a lot. And you can obsess over awesome vapor trails if you're shooting Hammers!

Thanks! Looks like the phonescope is recommended by several on this forum. Yeah, those vapor trails are pretty cool.

 

[JimFromAZ]

Im lucky out west here.I can canyon shoot in a lot of areas with few people ever and shoot rocks. My lighter recoilers I can spots hit most times, gets harder with my 338NM.But I can drive to other sides and check.

We took a family trip to NW Montana (Whitefish, Kalispell, Glacier National Park), and loved it. Wouldn't mind living there during the warmer months. Having access to canyon shooting sounds like a great benefit there. My rifle is low recoil, so I can spot my hits/misses most times.