Rifle shooting out to 400 yards +/-

[Adam Helmer]

I own a 60-acre farm and have a 20-acre hayfield up on top that is about 400yards by 250 yards. I do have a 100 yard range just up behind the house, but decided to "Range" my rifles out to 400 yards. Actually, I only get 375 yards (lasered) from my shooting bench to the target frame and two gongs. A verticle hill behind my gongs provides a safe backstop for all rounds fired.

I built several target frames 48" X 32" from scrap wood and placed them at 100, 200 and 375 yards. It takes a BIG target for 375 yards when one uses iron sights; a 5-minute or 20-inch bull will suffice for iron sights. For scopes, a 10-inch bull does fine out to 400 yards. My scoped rifles are sighted to print 2 inches high at 100 yards. I wanted to see where they printed at 200 and 375 yards. Before actually shooting, I studied the Sierra Ballistics Tables for my various bullets. Sierra was very close in the drop for all my arms tested.

I fired an M1 Garand with 150 grain spitzer handloads, a .243 with 100 grain spitzer handloads and a .25-06 with 87 grain spitzers and 117 grain spitzer handloads. My results were recorded in Volume 14 of my shooting logs. Bottom Line Is: all shooters should shoot beyond 100 yards for the information they will glean. Gravity always works! There are NO "Flat shooting rifles" and all bullets drop, some more than others. I will test fire a .264 Winchester Magnum, a .300 Weatherby Rem 700 and a .35 Whelen whenever this constant rain stops. I use my Polaris Ranger to dash up and back to patch targets.

Adam