Getting on Target at 0.8 Miles

If you’re interested in taking long shots past 1,000 yards, I’ll teach you how to get on target!

Disclaimer

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Equipment

Harold, our four-foot-tall rock chuck at 1,390 yards, is one of our favorite targets at Ultimate Reloader. It takes some planning and the right equipment to send the Caldwell Flash Bangs flashing.

Impact at 1,390 Yards from Longshot HAWK View

For this demonstration, I decided to use the custom 7mm PRC I built on the channel.

It consists of a BAT HR action in an Ultradyne UD7 chassis with 28” Bartlein barrel.

Scope selection is very important. I chose the Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56mm and a mount from Audere.

The Mark 5HD has significant elevation travel for long range shots, but you also need to think about the rail your scope mount is sitting on.

The BAT HR action has a Picatinny rail with 20 MOA inclination built in.

Integrated Bubble Level on the Audere Adversus Gen 2

The robust Audere scope mount I decided to use also has 20 MOA built in as well as an integral bubble level.

Audere Adversus Gen 2 Scope Mount Box Contents

It is critical that your scope be level and properly mounted. While mounting the scope, I also took the opportunity to add a few other accessories from MK Machining, a turret magnifier, throw lever, parallax dial, and objective scope cap.

The turret magnifier allows you to quickly see where your scope is dialed to while the throw lever makes it faster to adjust magnification.

Looking Through the MK Machining Gen II Pro Series Turret Magnifier

The throw lever location also provides a visual indicator of where the magnification is set in your peripheral.

The parallax dial clips over the focus knob, making it more tactile and easier to manipulate.

If available, parallax should be adjusted at each shooting distance to focus the target and to eliminate point of aim shift as you move your head side to side. Scope caps protect the optic from damage and weather when not in use.

I also decided to swap out the rifle’s rubber grip for a RECCE Vertical Crossover Grip from MK Machining.

This grip includes a thumb shelf, a feature I’ve always appreciated to prevent steering the rifle.

Range Time

Once you have a capable rifle, it’s time to zero and begin calculating ballistics solutions.

I started at my 100 yard known distance range. With the rifle on a rest, I removed the bolt to bore-sight the rifle. This process gets it approximately on target. I looked down the bore and lined it up so I could see the target down the barrel. Taking care not to move the rifle, I adjusted the scope so that the reticle is centered on the target. Fine tune this adjustment by taking a shot and adjusting the elevation and windage accordingly.

This may take several tries. Don’t forget to shoot a group to confirm zero – do not just rely on a single shot.

I also always have a chronograph set up to record velocities, this time the new Athlon Rangecraft. Having accurate velocities is vital to a proper ballistics solution.

My standard deviation was approximately 10 fps. This will keep our vertical stringing to a minimum at distance.

There are a number of different ballistics apps and software. I started with the Shooter app as I already had a 7mm PRC profile set up. The solver will ask for values like the sight height for the rifle, twist rate, G7 BC of the bullet, velocity, and target distance.

I used Athlon’s Cronus Rangefinding Binoculars to confirm the distance of my first — 662 yards. It’s important to remember that the further the distance you are attempting to range, the steadier you have to hold your rangefinder. MK Machining’s binocular lens covers allow me to mount the binoculars to an ARCA tripod.

Based on your inputs, the ballistics solver will provide an elevation adjustment in MILs or MOA (whichever you select). I also input a 5 mph wind at 90 degrees for a 0.4 MIL hold. You can choose to dial this or hold. My MIL reticle has subtensions which make it easy to hold.

I center-punched the 662-yard IPSC target twice, confirming the ballistics solution, before moving to 1,390 yards. At this distance with 7mm PRC, the bullet drops 542.5”. I estimated the wind speed and determined direction based on the mirage. If I wanted to be more exact, I could use a Kestrel.

Kyle served as my spotter, helping me to spot my misses.

Dust Cloud from Near Miss at 1,390 Yards

This information helped me determine where to hold to impact at 0.8 miles. I did have to add some elevation.

If I were to do this again, I would have used Hornady’s 4DOF app from the get-go.

The Shooter app I was using is very simple, but did not give me the correct elevation for 1,390 yards.

I entered the same parameters in Hornady’s ballistic calculator and received the proper elevation.

Conclusion

There are many key factors to ensure you can make long distance hits. Selecting a carriage like 7mm PRC or .300 PRC that can run high BC bullets to buck the wind with great long range performance is ideal.