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Long range shooting scope?

R

RunSilentRunDeep

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Hi everyone,
just curious as to what folks are using or would recommend for long range shooting, i.e. 300yards plus sort of thing. As im thinking about getting a .308 on my FAC ticket as recently passed my BASC DSC Level 1 and keen to get into deer stalking but also the long range accuracy shooting also. so ideally looking for a scope that could accomodate both disciplines i dont have any ideas about budget as yet so all ends of the pricing spectrum are welcome, should they be very pricey then ill just save up longer for the one i want :)
i like the idea of the scopes ive seen/heard of on youtube etc where they have several zero points with a target turrent arrangement i think it was, please correct me if i misheard/got the wrong end of the stick so to speak.
any other information or hints and tips advice would be greatly appreciated on this topic so please feel free to expand on this!
useful comments only would be great as this is a serious venture im heading into so not the usual deviation from topic please folks! :)
many thanks

Dan
 
RunSilentRunDeep said:
Hi everyone,
just curious as to what folks are using or would recommend for long range shooting, i.e. 300yards plus sort of thing. As im thinking about getting a .308 on my FAC ticket as recently passed my BASC DSC Level 1 and keen to get into deer stalking but also the long range accuracy shooting also. so ideally looking for a scope that could accomodate both disciplines i dont have any ideas about budget as yet so all ends of the pricing spectrum are welcome, should they be very pricey then ill just save up longer for the one i want :)
i like the idea of the scopes ive seen/heard of on youtube etc where they have several zero points with a target turrent arrangement i think it was, please correct me if i misheard/got the wrong end of the stick so to speak.
any other information or hints and tips advice would be greatly appreciated on this topic so please feel free to expand on this!
useful comments only would be great as this is a serious venture im heading into so not the usual deviation from topic please folks! :)
many thanks

Dan
Click to expand...

Useful comments? On here? :eek: ;)

There are two basic approaches. The first is Bullet Drop Compensating Turrets, where you have turrets customised to specific calibres, which give a greater range of possible adjustments. These can be supplied by the manufacturer as add-ons, or you can buy a scope already set up for your preferred calibre.

The second is BDC reticles, which can also be set up for specific calibres and loads.

As I understand it, the major issue is that you need to stick to the same load, unless you're prepared to constantly re-zero the scope with different cartridges. The reticle approach seems to allow for using different calibres/loads, but I think the turret approach requires a change of turrets if you change calibres.

From what I read, they're reasonably common on seriously expensive scopes like Swarowski and Zeiss. Not sure how common they are on more affordable scopes, you'd need to do some research on t'Internet to see what's available.

Joining a few relevant forums would probably a good place to start asking questions, e.g. the UK Long Range Shooting forum, here: http://s6.zetaboards.com/UK_Long_Range/index/
 
Useful comments? On here? :eek: ;)
Click to expand...

just curious as to what folks are using or would recommend for long range shooting, i.e. 300yards plus sort of thing.
Click to expand...

300 yards.:eek::eek::eek::eek: Some of us are still trying to crack 30 yards.:p On a more serious note, is there a shooting club you can join locally where you could shoot different rifle set ups and pick the brains of the shooters doing the different disciplines? Might help to put all that internet research into perspective too.
 
thanks CH, some very useful advice there and ive joined that forum but having snags with using it as keep getting error messages so not sure whats going on with that site! :/ bit of a shame really. but shall keep trying haha.
but yup deffo a lot more research to do before i commit myself to any one scope/rifle set up also getting the variation on my ticket would be the first port of call prior to doing anything like buying a £1K scope or the such! be a bit wasted on my air rifle or even my .22LR haha.
 
grandadfatboy said:
300 yards.:eek::eek::eek::eek: Some of us are still trying to crack 30 yards.:p On a more serious note, is there a shooting club you can join locally where you could shoot different rifle set ups and pick the brains of the shooters doing the different disciplines? Might help to put all that internet research into perspective too.
Click to expand...

not sure about the long range shooting side of things by clubs but i am a member of the yealmpton rifle club so when i next get chance to get there i shall ask the members there as im sure theres someone that will have some info regards ranges with longer distances. i would guess the military ranges would be a good start with the exception of the fact im due to leave the forces immenently! so probably would be a bit of a reach to get to use it, unless one of my oppos was going to be there as the range officer for shooting practice then i may get chance to get down and use it but even that would be a bit of an ask really and wouldnt be a long term or steady place to go regularly. i shall keep on googling until i find what im after as well as picking folks brains! :)
 
BDC reticles and turrets sound great but in practice you a very damn lucky if they work as the makers claim. Using the same load, measuring its speed and entering it's specifics into a ballistic calculator and using a Mil-Dot scope may be the way to go. If you use factory ammo, you can get close, but stated and actual speeds can differ, and a chronograph is still best. This will tell you if you how to use a Mil-Dot scope and bullet with known performance:

http://www.millettsights.com/resources/shooting-tips/calculating-mil-dot-reticle-holdovers/

You could shoot at targets at measured ranges and get a spotter to see where the bullet strikes as an alternative.

To dial in you calculate the bullet drop and then adjust the turrets by the required amount of clicks given the clicks value (which on cheaper scopes will not be the stated 1/4" MOA at 100 yards or whatever). Expensive stuff like Swarovskis do have true click values and can be pre-set by multiple adjustable turrets for set distances.

I have a Falcon 4.5 - 18 x 56 that is useful for hunting and target work. For hunting I set it to 6x mag and 275 yard parallax. This gives a clear sight picture from 25 to well over a hundred yards for fast target acquisition. For targets I play around with the mag and parallax until it is crystal clear. The target is not likely to run away...
 
Dan, it might be ok to shoot people at + 300 yards but certainly not animals. :mad:

There's a couple of reasons for this.

1) What if you wound it? Can you administer the coup de grace quickly, even if you can find it?

2) Shooting large animals at ranges above 200 yards is fraught with problems. On open ground it is a tad easier due to line of sight, but on hill country it is very difficult to find a beast that's been shot. It can take days to find the bugger unless you know the land.

3) Even if you find the beast that you've shot and it's cleanly killed, you've still got to get it off the hill. Trust me it ain't fecking easy.

Apart from my moanings, I say go for it...get a big feck off scope and shoot everything at 300 yards and then try and find the bodies. :p
 
hi spock,
i wouldnt be doing long range animal shooting for a looong time if at all, until i was at a stage where i felt i would humanely kill whatever i was aiming at with the first shot, although the same can be said for much closer range vermin and nearly everyone will miss/wound something thats at closer ranges as well as the long ones at some point. obviously if its closer its easier to do a follow up shot etc but if i were to be knocking deer over i wouldnt be doing that from any greater distances than probably 150 metres to start with once ive got the confidence with non living targets as centre fires are a much more powerful beast to air rifles and rimfires to which ive yet to gain my variation for them to start with but also to ensure i am competent with shot placements out at distances likely to be taken whilst stalking. but saying that deer stalking is all about the stalking part and not the how far can i shoot this deer from as it kind of defeats the point. but i would like to be able to say i can comfortably take a shot at 300 yards and be happy that i would not miss.
theres a fella on youtube as an example '260 rips' and hes an amazing shot! taking unbelievable long distance shots and humanely killing what hes aiming at. admittedly thats years of experience and thousands of shots fired but id like to get to a point where im as good but maybe not as far out as you say its a blimmin long walk!haha.
but yes certainly not looking forward to the humping of the carcass off/down a hill haha but be worth it for the venison that will be had! nom nom!
 
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