we went to the mountain house this weekend where there is the most perfect shooting range I have ever been to. Industrial clay throwers, steel targets at various distances, and a 12" plate 600 yards up the mountain... the best part, we're the only people allowed to shoot there! It was a private range owned by a couple that let anyone shoot there, people started disrespecting it, so they shut it down... except to us!

anyways, we were dealing with 10-15mph cross winds all day so it was a challenge for me to figure that out, being as the farthest I'd shot before then was 150 yards.

The gun we were using was a remington 700 in a magpul chassis, triggertech trigger, SWFA 3-15, and an AAC cyclone. Not the highest end gun, but definitely gave me the itch to start ordering parts for my own build.

the load out

Why did you take two lowers with no uppers? One doesn't even have a buffer tube or stock...

quote:

Originally posted by exx1976:
Why did you take two lowers with no uppers? One doesn't even have a buffer tube or stock...

a buddy had put the lower with no buffer tube together for me and brought it so I could take it home, the other I had just finished and wanted to throw one of the other AR uppers on to make sure it functions.

Excellent. Now, you're hooked.

Very cool you have a range to yourselves! No doubt a 12-15mph was pushing your bullet around at 600yds. No doubt a little tougher then 150yds!

Hard for me not to watch someone shoot and not critique them. So here it goes....you need to work on your trigger follow through. You're coming off your trigger way to soon. At 600yds, you shouldn't be off the trigger until you see the impact at least. A dry fire drill I was taught, done it countless times. Say out loud or to yourself, pressure, pressure, pressure....slowly putting pressure on the trigger. Trigger breaks, say out loud or to yourself, pressure, pressure, pressure... holding the trigger to the back, then release. Don't break your sight picture/cheek position until you release the trigger.

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Very cool you have a range to yourselves! No doubt a 12-15mph was pushing your bullet around at 600yds. No doubt a little tougher then 150yds!

Hard for me not to watch someone shoot and not critique them. So here it goes....you need to work on your trigger follow through. You're coming off your trigger way to soon. At 600yds, you shouldn't be off the trigger until you see the impact at least. A dry fire drill I was taught, done it countless times. Say out loud or to yourself, pressure, pressure, pressure....slowly putting pressure on the trigger. Trigger breaks, say out loud or to yourself, pressure, pressure, pressure... holding the trigger to the back, then release. Don't break your sight picture/cheek position until you release the trigger.

thank you for the feedback. Watching the video that stood out to me as well. The trigger was set so low (maybe 1lb) I think the rifle going off almost surprised me, I was also trying to focus on my breathing I obviously neglected the trigger control. I know with pistols and AR's I am very cognizant of the reset.

I have a lot to learn, I've been following you guys in the LR thread for a year or two and am excited to just be getting into it now (not that 600 is long range, but it's a start)

Yep, absolutely don't come out of the trigger early.

I spent a weekend getting yelled at by Jim See for various shooting errors. The first one was "follow through on the trigger!!"

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:
I was also trying to focus on my breathing I obviously neglected the trigger control.

Yep, that's the challenge of trying to concentrate on a number of things at once. Until any given technique is ingrained, we tend to fall back on old habits.

On a positive note there are some good things going on:
- You aren't "dragging wood" with your trigger hand. Which means there's a little space between the buttstock and the base of your trigger finger. This allows a more straight back trigger press.
- You kept your head down on the buttstock and your eye in your scope following the shot.
- It appears you stayed straight behind the rifle during the recoil cycle, and your sights may still have been pretty close to being on target after the gun settled down.

quote:

Originally posted by fritz:

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:
I was also trying to focus on my breathing I obviously neglected the trigger control.

Yep, that's the challenge of trying to concentrate on a number of things at once. Until any given technique is ingrained, we tend to fall back on old habits.

On a positive note there are some good things going on:
- You aren't "dragging wood" with your trigger hand. Which means there's a little space between the buttstock and the base of your trigger finger. This allows a more straight back trigger press.
- You kept your head down on the buttstock and your eye in your scope following the shot.
- It appears you stayed straight behind the rifle during the recoil cycle, and your sights may still have been pretty close to being on target after the gun settled down.

thank you again for taking the time to write all that out. The only way I'll get better is to know what to focus on.

What do you guys think of the Ruger Precision Rifles? I was thinking one of them in 308, proof research barrel, timney trigger, and a can?

Do you reload?

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Do you reload?

Sort of. My best friend that I call brother reloads 45 and 308, he said he'd get me set up and running if I wanted to get into it. I was considering going the 6.5 route and taking him up on that, but running my business has me away from home anywhere from 5-7am to 7-10pm so I'm not sure I'd actually do it, even if it was set up for me.

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:

quote:

Originally posted by offgrid:
Do you reload?

Sort of. My best friend that I call brother reloads 45 and 308, he said he'd get me set up and running if I wanted to get into it. I was considering going the 6.5 route and taking him up on that, but running my business has me away from home anywhere from 5-7am to 7-10pm so I'm not sure I'd actually do it, even if it was set up for me.

6.5 route is the way to go! 6.5 Creedmoor factory ammo is available for about the same price as 308 Federal Gold Medal. fritz doesn't reload, shoots factory ammo. He too works a ton of hours. If you're friend will reload for you or help you get started, 6.5x47 would be my choice.

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:
What do you guys think of the Ruger Precision Rifles? I was thinking one of them in 308, proof research barrel, timney trigger, and a can?

I have fondled two RPRs and watched a guy in another squad shoot one in a handful of steel match stations. For the money, for a complete rifle, it's a pretty good deal. I think a person could go a long way shooting such rifle in steel/tactical matches.

Understand that the low-milage Ruger's actions I've played with don't have the buttery smooth feel of the top custom actions -- such as Defiance, Surgeon, AI, Big Horn. After many thousands of rounds of bolt cycles, the Ruger should feel smoother. Ruger's trigger is decent, although it's a bit different than the tuned Remy triggers I have.

It would be better if the Ruger's hand guard sat lower. Because it's the same height as the picatinny rail, the scope must be mounted a little higher than normal.

I'm used to a more traditional McMillan buttstock, therefore the Ruger's feels different to me. I also like the balance of the McMillan stock -- the Ruger feels a little front heavy.

Unless you're dead set on 308, consider 6.5 Creedmoor. The 6.5s (any 6.5) offer better ballistics and lower recoil than a 308. The downside of a 6.5 is shorter barrel life -- maybe 50-60% of that of a 308. I don't really know yet, but my 6.5 has 3,000 rounds down the tube and my 308 has 4,500 down the tube. Both Bartlein barrels still shoot well, however I'm likely on the ragged edge of the 6.5's barrel becoming a purdy tomato stake.

Factory ammo options for 6.5 Creedmoor have increased dramatically over the past couple of years. One isn't limited to Hornady anymore, although I have no issues with Hornady ammo.

IMO Proof Research barrels are nice, however one can find equal or better barrels for a lower cost. When you start changing out parts immediately on a production rifle (barrel & trigger), it means that rifle isn't what you really want. In such situations, consider starting with the action/barrel/trigger you really want, then build the rest of the rifle around it.

That's a good point on replacing parts. I was on a few manufacturers websites and got a little overwhelmed with what I was looking at. Lets say I wanted to stick with 308, can one be built in the $2500 range? Not including optics?

quote:

Originally posted by cmr076:
That's a good point on replacing parts. I was on a few manufacturers websites and got a little overwhelmed with what I was looking at. Lets say I wanted to stick with 308, can one be built in the $2500 range? Not including optics?

You can try.

It's a sickness and you've now got the bug...