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Thread: Just Starting in Precision Rifle

  1. #1
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    Just Starting in Precision Rifle

    Hey Everyone,

    Just got into the long game. I was able to pick up a Bergara HMR Pro in 6.5 CM and I just finished a four day class and on first day out shooting was able to work my way out to 700 for a hit. Pretty happy with that, but that was on the fourth shot. First question, I am using Strelok pro and am a little confused on how to "true" up the ballistics. (am I even saying that correctly). So, I input all the info and then the shots are still off based on the data. So, after more adjustments, I get a hit, but now I need to adjust (True) my app, right? How do I do that?

    Thanks in advance.

    Cole
    Cead Mile Failte

    "Gentlemen. You can't fight in here. This is the War Room."

  2. #2
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    Are you missing high or low? If you're missing high or low, it sounds like your FPS is incorrect. Which chrono are you using, and are you dialing or doing holdovers? If you are dialing, you can see how many mils or moa you "truly" need to hold to hit at that distance, and then reverse engineer your fps to get the true speed. For example, your ballistic calculator says to dial 5.4 mils, but really, you have to dial to 5.9 mils to make your impact, so you can see what true fps gives you a 5.9 mil call.

    Also, keep in mind, most barrels will actually speed up after the first 100 rounds, sometimes by as much as 50+ fps, so you may be seeing an fps increase.

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    I am doing holdovers. I was high and low. I think there was def some user error. We used a Magneto (?) on day three of the class to chrono the fps. Did ten rounds. I am heading out this weekend again. I'll see how it groups. Thanks!
    Cead Mile Failte

    "Gentlemen. You can't fight in here. This is the War Room."

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    Quote Originally Posted by CReynolds View Post
    I am doing holdovers. I was high and low. I think there was def some user error. We used a Magneto (?) on day three of the class to chrono the fps. Did ten rounds. I am heading out this weekend again. I'll see how it groups. Thanks!
    What scope are you using? Can you dial? As a general rule, unless i'm competing on a timed stage where I have to make multiple quick shots at different differences, i almost ALWAYS dial for elevation, and only do holds for wind, or quick follow up shots. You can easily get lost when doing holdovers, and generally using the center crosshair will be more precise.

    Also, if you're shooting at distance, and not under time, make sure you get as stable as possible. A good bipod and good rear bag is essential to help you get super stable, so you take out as much human error as possible.

    Let us know how it goes, and i would chrono again to see if that changed since you chrono'd last.

  5. #5
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    Thanks! I'll check back in next week.

    Cheers!
    Cead Mile Failte

    "Gentlemen. You can't fight in here. This is the War Room."

  6. #6
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    a few tips:

    if you want to get good, forget about distance for a while, and forget about all the ballistics etc. Just dry fire indoors a few hundred times. Focus on getting a decent prone position (not bench), aiming at a tiny target with no wobble, and pulling the trigger straight back. try to minimize the movement of the crosshairs relative to the target. They should move less than a tenth of a mil when dry firing. note which direction they move and work your body position until you can control it.

    next, go to the range and set up a paper target at 100yds with as many 1/2" dots as you can. Preferably at least ten rows of 5+ dots, 2-3" apart. Dryfire 2,3, or 4 times, then take a shot. Focus on pulling the trigger straight back and keeping your eyes open, and absolutely call your shots. The goal is to know a good trigger pull from a bad one, and which direction you missed. This is the basis for self-diagnosis, without which, you'll never really progress. HOWEVER, your rifle/ammo combo may naturally group somewhere between .5 and 1.5 MOA, so just because a round went .5" left doesn't mean you pulled it left. You'll get a feel for what is your fault and what is the guns' after a few hundred rounds. Keep dry firing several times before each live round, and shoot as many dots as you can afford ammo.

    once you have some confidence and know how your gun shoots, and get some consistency, you can stretch it out. if you stretch it out first, it will take you 10x as many rounds to figure out if you missed because of your trigger pull, or position, or the wind, or dope etc. once you do spend a little time at distance, like 300-500 yards and get consistent groups, go home and dry fire thousands of times.

    then start learning the wind. then positions.

  7. #7
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    I can’t answer your question because I don’t use the ballistics calculators.

    However, if you don’t mind my asking, were you shooting in PA and if so, where?
    Quote Originally Posted by CReynolds View Post
    Hey Everyone,

    Just got into the long game. I was able to pick up a Bergara HMR Pro in 6.5 CM and I just finished a four day class and on first day out shooting was able to work my way out to 700 for a hit. Pretty happy with that, but that was on the fourth shot. First question, I am using Strelok pro and am a little confused on how to "true" up the ballistics. (am I even saying that correctly). So, I input all the info and then the shots are still off based on the data. So, after more adjustments, I get a hit, but now I need to adjust (True) my app, right? How do I do that?

    Thanks in advance.

    Cole

  8. #8
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    As Jacob at Rifles Only always says believe the bullet. What is the actual drop and drift? Get that and truing a calculator gets a lot easier.

    I’d much rather get hard dope at distance and record that. Thats what the bullet is actually doing. Knowing that your setup takes 2.6 mils at a certain distance and 5.4 at another is confidence inspiring. I’ll create a drop card of hard dope, shot on paper first.

    Then you can true your ballistic calculator to match what your bullet is doing. Velocity first, then BC works for me.

    Best of luck.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Send it... View Post
    As Jacob at Rifles Only always says believe the bullet. What is the actual drop and drift? Get that and truing a calculator gets a lot easier.

    I’d much rather get hard dope at distance and record that. Thats what the bullet is actually doing. Knowing that your setup takes 2.6 mils at a certain distance and 5.4 at another is confidence inspiring. I’ll create a drop card of hard dope, shot on paper first.

    Then you can true your ballistic calculator to match what your bullet is doing. Velocity first, then BC works for me.

    Best of luck.
    This is the truth.

    Write down your data from your app for each distance you’re shooting. Record any adjustments at the range in a separate column.

    When you get home tweak the calculator until you get them to match up. It’s not something I would recommend doing at the range. Next time you’re out you should be able to verify the data and build confidence.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  10. #10
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    Sorry I cannot answer about the ballistics calculator either, because all I ever used was a Hornady online drop calculator. The only data I had to input was the caliber, bullet weight in grains, bc, muzzle speed (fps), zero distance and altitude. I didn't bother calculating wind at that time. I planned to hold for it.

    I took a 308 Savage from 0.75 MOA at 300 yards to on target at 1,000 the very next shot from a bench rest. All I did was dial my scope to the point between what my bullet drop print out said and what my spotter/coach calculated on his plastic cards. I was about a foot low at first, then came up another full MOA (4 clicks) and I made 10 hits spread across the 1m target but in a straight horizontal line like an equator in the middle of North and South pole. Coach told me that's good, your drop is calculated and precise. Now it's all bout practicing for wind holds and not pushing the muzzle left or right on let off. I just needed to practice from there on out. It was finalized at 29.5 MOA come up from 300 to 1000 IIRC. It's written on a paper and rolled up inside the stock of the gun now. Sad to say I was using rolled up towels as my rests. I was such a noob.

    What I had that you have not mentioned was a really good spotter behind me with a 60x scope and a guy in a "pit" below the targets. They communicated on radios. You had the 4 day class, so I'm sure you had something of the sort. But did anyone at the class identify if your misses were all in the same direction or if they were all over the place? Same question for the hits. Were they grouping at all?

    FWIW about a month after that (with a proper bipod and a rear squeeze bag) I had my wife out there in the pit and I was practicing again from the bench. After I was happy with my grouping that day I let her sit behind the rifle and I was in the pit. Now, she's never looked through a scope at anything beyond 100 yards, much less shot at it. I can proudly say she was on target the first shot and 9 more times after that one too at 1,000 yards. Grouped about a foot to the right. All I'm saying is, once you have all your equipment dialed in it is a beautiful thing.
    Last edited by matemike; 03-25-21 at 09:53.
    “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
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