Beginner needs a little advice.

[DartonJager]

Putting together the final pieces of my equipment so I may begin my long range education. I am essentially on my own and instead of asking a lot of questions I would like at this point only some advice. The rifle is a SST/SYN Tikka T3 Lite in 300wsm
I am in the process of waiting for my LNIB Demo Conquest V6 3-18x50 W/ ZMOA-2 reticle, my 30mm High Burris signature Z rings (no need to lap), a Mountain tactical 20moa base all to arrive.

I have Norma brass and use Forster BR/FL die W/O sizing button to FL size and shoulder bump then 21st Century mandrel to size and set case neck tension then a Forster BR micrometer bullet seater. I own a Caldwell G2 chronograph.

I also have an original USA made bald eagle windage heavy rest and Protektor rabbit ear rear bag along with other shooting bags all filled with heavy sand. I also keep an exact log of each range session.

What I do not have at this point and would like are suggestions for is a great ballistics phone app and opinions on the fallowing long range shooting book I found that got 4.8/5 stars from over 2900 reviewers: "Long Range Shooting hand Book by Ryan M. Cleckner or if someone knows of a better book for a beginner please by means recommend it.
I am looking for one or two of the best books for beginners wishing to shoot longer ranges that will answer most of the questions I will ask on how to become proficient at longer range shooting instead of asking a lot of questions here.

I am also quite use to teaching my self anyhow so a great book or two on beginning long range is my best place to start.
I plan on reading and becoming educated to how to dial for drop and wind and once I have a solid understanding of the basics of shooting long range then I will start shooting. But i want to be able to have a good grasp of what I need to learn and then do before I start to avoid picking up bad habits or wasting time and making mistakes.

Thanks and be well.

 

[ShtrRdy]

Sounds like you're pulling together some good equipment. If you intend to do a lot of shooting there may be a more cost effective cartridge. Will you be using this firearm for hunting? If so what game animals do you intend to hunt.

There are a lot of Ballistic apps available. I use "Shooter" and like it very much.

The book you mentioned by Ryan Cleckner is a good one. I highly recommend it for beginners and intermediate shooters. After you understand the information Cleckner presents, and you're wondering more about External Ballistics, read the book by Bryan Litz, "Applied Ballistics for Long Range Shooting".

Personally in my quest to shoot long range I set a goal for myself to be able to hit within 1/2" of my aiming point at 100 yds. All things being equal this would mean that I can hit within a 10" circle at 1000 yds. But, as you probably know, it's not quite that simple. That's where learning to read the wind, reading the environment, and coming up with a firing solution come together to make a shot. It's also good to know how to estimate distance with your scope if you don't have a working laser range finder available.

 

[DartonJager]

"Sounds like you're pulling together some good equipment. If you intend to do a lot of shooting there may be a more cost effective cartridge. Will you be using this firearm for hunting? If so what game animals do you intend to hunt"

Speaking of cost effective, I did buy a Savage 10 FP in 308 for a price that I simply couldn't pass up. Came with a 5R heavy contour barrel, Accu-trigger, Accu-stock and DBM that I always planned on using to learn to shoot long range with. Have shot it to 300 yards and it is amazingly accurate with plane blue box Federal Vital Shock 150 and 180 grain ammo. It even shoots both essentially to the same POI 100-200 yards. I am very excited to see what it can do with some Lapua brass and Berger bullets.

90% for hunting and all else just confirming drop at longer ranges. My 308 Savage will be my rifle to learn long range shooting with.