Beginner with new gun.

[jbeesley75]

I am new to the sport of Long Distance shooting. My uncle offered me a deal that I could not refuse on a 7mm Weatherby. With my lack of knowledge when it comes Long range shooting I have a few questions, 1st is it a good gun to use? 2nd what if any modifications will need to be made to it to make it into a 1000yd gun? Any and all comments will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dosh]

jb, welcome to the forum. You will find lots of help here, which model, Mark V or Vanguard?

 

[MudRunner2005]

I am new to the sport of Long Distance shooting. My uncle offered me a deal that I could not refuse on a 7mm Weatherby. With my lack of knowledge when it comes Long range shooting I have a few questions, 1st is it a good gun to use? 2nd what if any modifications will need to be made to it to make it into a 1000yd gun? Any and all comments will be greatly appreciated.

If you are this new to guns and shooting, it will be a long time before you're bangin steel at 1K.

However, don't let that discourage you. It's not something anyone masters overnight, no matter how good of a crackshot you are.

Alot depends on whether or not that gun can shoot consistsntly at 1K. My suggestion is to find someone local who can help you out with learning how to reload, proper shooting techniques, how to dial yardage on (dope) your scope, etc...

 

[WildRose]

If you are this new to guns and shooting, it will be a long time before you're bangin steel at 1K.

However, don't let that discourage you. It's not something anyone masters overnight, no matter how good of a crackshot you are.

Alot depends on whether or not that gun can shoot consistsntly at 1K. My suggestion is to find someone local who can help you out with learning how to reload, proper shooting techniques, how to dial yardage on (dope) your scope, etc...

Yep. Failing that if you can afford to go to one of the LR shooting schools often advertised here do it.

Read everything you can on this forum starting with the "Just Starting Out" sub forum.

And I echo MR's welcome.

 

[Unofficial Gun Addict (UGA)]

Beginner or not, please don't let the comments above discourage you. I don't think it will be a long time to bang steel at 1k... If you can read, take advice and put it into action, and have good feel and control of your body. Guess though it depends on the size of the steel too .

So... First things first... The gun needs to be capable of holding around 1 moa at 100 yards, or approximately 1 inch. Read some webpages about shooting fundamentals for accurate shooting. It will speak to breath control, trigger placement, etc.... Also, I've found that a consistent hold/grip, pressure & placement into your shoulder, and cheek weld help to create consistent groups. Then practice... Dry firing can help with many of these factors and there are dummy rounds made specifically for this purpose (some people just use a spent cartridge). Next, you have to find ammo that your rifle likes. This can get expensive in your caliber if you have a finicky rifle unless you reload, and if you don't reload, getting into reloading can set you back coin.

Now it's just a matter of getting out to the range and stretching your distance...using what you've learned above. Knowing your velocity and using a good tool to calculate your trajectory for the bullets you use will help get you close and save some ammo in the process.

Or if you don't want to go through all the above on your own, find a buddy at the range who shoots distance well, and he will likely be more than happy to help you.

Shooting well is mostly more about mind over matter.... And consistency. It's really not that difficult.

Oh... And if your 300 Weatherby doesn't have a decent brake...get one. A flinch from heavy recoil rifles will ruin the long distance game of most good shooters and teach you some bad habits in the process. If it hurts... You will have a hard time wanting to shoot regularly, and your body will instinctively attempt to withdraw from it. You can even go so far as to buy a cheaper 223 and practice with it...as ammo is cheap and plentiful. I would have suggested a 22 lr in the past... But ammo can be hard to find now a days.

Good luck and welcome!

 

[WildRose]

Beginner or not, please don't let the comments above discourage you. I don't think it will be a long time to bang steel at 1k... If you can read, take advice and put it into action, and have good feel and control of your body. Guess though it depends on the size of the steel too .

So... First things first... The gun needs to be capable of holding around 1 moa at 100 yards, or approximately 1 inch. Read some webpages about shooting fundamentals for accurate shooting. It will speak to breath control, trigger placement, etc.... Also, I've found that a consistent hold/grip, pressure & placement into your shoulder, and cheek weld help to create consistent groups. Then practice... Dry firing can help with many of these factors and there are dummy rounds made specifically for this purpose (some people just use a spent cartridge). Next, you have to find ammo that your rifle likes. This can get expensive in your caliber if you have a finicky rifle unless you reload, and if you don't reload, getting into reloading can set you back coin.

Now it's just a matter of getting out to the range and stretching your distance...using what you've learned above. Knowing your velocity and using a good tool to calculate your trajectory for the bullets you use will help get you close and save some ammo in the process.

Or if you don't want to go through all the above on your own, find a buddy at the range who shoots distance well, and he will likely be more than happy to help you.

Shooting well is mostly more about mind over matter.... And consistency. It's really not that difficult.

Oh... And if your 300 Weatherby doesn't have a decent brake...get one. A flinch from heavy recoil rifles will ruin the long distance game of most good shooters and teach you some bad habits in the process. If it hurts... You will have a hard time wanting to shoot regularly, and your body will instinctively attempt to withdraw from it. You can even go so far as to buy a cheaper 223 and practice with it...as ammo is cheap and plentiful. I would have suggested a 22 lr in the past... But ammo can be hard to find now a days.

Good luck and welcome!

I want to echo this. Out to 1000 if you have a sub MOA capable rifle and load there's very little difference in shooting at 50, 500, 750, or 1000 IF your dope is right.

The fundamentals of marksmanship do not change with range, it's just that every error is magnified many times over with every 100yds you move out.

Again, got to "The Basics" subforum and read everything you can under the stickied headings at the top.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f26/

 

[JOHNNIE WALKER]

My dad always told me-"You never know till you pull the trigger." Experience is the best teacher. The best way to learn is to shoot the rifle. The more you shoot the better you will get.

 

[Bigeclipse]

I am new to the sport of Long Distance shooting. My uncle offered me a deal that I could not refuse on a 7mm Weatherby. With my lack of knowledge when it comes Long range shooting I have a few questions, 1st is it a good gun to use? 2nd what if any modifications will need to be made to it to make it into a 1000yd gun? Any and all comments will be greatly appreciated.

Another thing to consider is optics...shooting to 1k you will need good optics, especially if your long term goal is to hunt out to 1k. Having a scope that reliably adjusts moa or mils and is clear to see targets in different lighting conditions is very costly. You can plan on spending 1000$ if not more. Just my two cents.

As far as your rifle is concerned...you will need to find a load shooting 1MOA or better. Testing this at only 100 yards will give you a clue but not the whole story. Many rifles will shoot 1 MOA at 100 and 200 but then further it might increase...or it actually might get better due to bullet stabilization. Your best bet is try to find a load that shoots well at 100 and then start stretching it out to 300, 400, 500 etc.

 

[roninflag]

what rifle ?? what scope??

 

[jbeesley75]

Thank you to all who have commented on my behalf. I do have have a few things going for me in the right direction, I do reload, I have do have a 243 that I have shot out to 700 yards, and I am a fast learner. I guess my biggest concern was some of the comments that I came across while searching to see if the Weatherby Mark V is a good gun for this or not.
If any one has any comments on that I would appreciate it.
First time in a chat forum and I am very impressed with every ones willingness to help.
Thanks

 

[jbeesley75]

It is a 7mm Weatherby Mag Mark V. I will be putting a Vortex Viper on it 4x16

 

[jbeesley75]

It is the mark v

 

[roninflag]

the 7mm weatherby is a great long range round (looking at any ballistic table). the trigger on the mark V i have shot were good too. shoot the rifle and let us know

 

[Unofficial Gun Addict (UGA)]

Mk v rifles are typically excellent shooters.