First attempt at 1000 yards! Success!!!

[Ga6570]

Took some time on Saturday to explore some public land and find a place to shoot my X-bolt 6.5 PRC out to 1000 yards. I've got range access to 550 but that's as far as our local range goes.

I setup at 100 yards for sight checking. Then set my target stands out at 800 yards and what ended up being 1004 yards. I hung two milk jugs on each stand and put a cardboard backer on each as well.

Wind was variable from 6 to 15mph but I was able to setup with it in my face.

I use the shooter app and it has served me well. I started with cold bore shots at 800 and then sent a few out to 1000. None appeared to impact my water filled milk jugs so I shot my 100 yard target and made a slight scope adjustment. Then drove out to the longer targets to see what was up.

I sure felt better about it all after checking the target close up. Several impacts in the cardboard below the jugs...

Dialed up an extra 1 MOA at 800 and shot. Then dialed out to 1k and added 1.5 MOA to the calculator numbers. Super excited when I saw impact at 1004 yards and saw the water splash! Super exciting.

turned out I handle nicked it at 800 and center punched it at 1004. Also noted the bullet didn't expand at all at that distance and started to tumble in the water jug and it keyholed the cardboard.

im looking forward to doing this again and again...

I'm sure many will be curious so I'll put it here.
26" barrel on a factory Browning C-Bolt Hells Canyon Long Range. Only modification is lighter trigger spring. It is crisp and breaks at 1#8oz and passes the 4' drop test.
Rifle shoots 143gr ELDX factory ammo and hand loads the same. During fall last year I was averaging 3010fps.
scope is Burris Signature 5-25x50 - love the scope!! It is in Burris XTR signature low rings.
Lieca 1600 rangefinder

harvested 6 deer and an elk with this in 2020.

 

[Huntnful]

Very cool! And good documentation of the bullet not expanding also. Definitely want to know at what distance it performs well out to.

 

[can1010]

very nice write up and good shooting. you just went below minimum expansion velocity at 1000 yds that is most likely the expansion and keyhole problem. check velocities and try to stay above 1800 fps at target distance

 

[Ga6570]

very nice write up and good shooting. you just went below minimum expansion velocity at 1000 yds that is most likely the expansion and keyhole problem. check velocities and try to stay above 1800 fps at target distance

That makes sense!

 

[Ga6570]

I just went to review the data in shooter and noticed a option to turn on "powder temperature" when I did so the adjustments line up with what I edited my field adjustments to. Good to know! 23 MOA up is what I used.

 

[can1010]

looks like you were right down there at the minimum velocities. good lesson learned on a target not an animal
good luck and keep at it

 

[Tiny Tim]

Congratulations and thanks for a great story!

 

[Awin321]

nice

 

[Jon Bischof]

Truly impressive...your marksmanship may have somehow played some part

 

[COBrad]

Good shooting! At those ranges I've been very happy with the Berger HVLD's. From elk at 1100 yds to marmots at 1400 I've gotten decent bullet expansion from them... that's also why I don't use them for short to midrange big game, too explosive for me.

 

[Ga6570]

Thanks. I guess I had overlooked the skill part. Having been doing a lot of shooting in the last year from 100-550 yards I've tried to hone some skills and be more patient with my shots. I still have lots to learn but I'm excited to be on the right track.

 

[JakeC]

Good for you, OP. That must have put a few kinds of grin on your face.

 

[cajun]

Nice. Were you shooting factory or hand loads and what powder are you using if hand loads.

 

[TAZMAN]

It's great to see factory produced rifles making some of these shots.