Understatement of the year right there! When you get out half that far it becomes as much art as science.
That is why they make Optics, SEA... for us Old Blind Farts... so we can "Reach out and Touch something" at 1000+ Yards.... even in our Old Age.... YMMV....
Thanks to the catskills and adarondak mtns, there is no way I could pull off a 1000 yard shot. Im my little valley 500-600 yards is the max range. With my Remmy 700 and Leupold scope i can make the shot count on whitetail deer so I am sure I can take out a threat at that distance as well. Someday I would like to go to a 1000 yard range just to see what kind of work I could put in on a target.
Hell, 1000 yards is like the next county. Literally! None of our roads are straight nor flat enough to see 300 yards. Except out by the freeway were during SHTF one could see maybe 1500 yards but waiting till they get closer would be a better bet. I've been seriously thinking about add a .308 to my collection. the remington 770 in .308 4+1 with detachable mags is probably going to be it. brand new with a scope for 300 bucks. will it do 1000 yards? prolly not in my hands If I can hit a dinner plate at 300 yards or so, I'll call it good.
Ohhhh man. This is so very far off the original topic. But I guess at this point it'll probably fit OK. And I'm fairly sure it could be useful. At least as far as food for thought goes . . It wasn't all that long ago I got bitten by the longer range bug (I have learned in the "long range" game that long range starts at 1000 yards). I've got a pretty nice .308 bolt gun. A Remmy 700P: As it turns out this rifle really likes Federal Gold Metal Match (FGMM) 158grHPBT. I mean really likes it. At this point 3.5" at 500 yards is consistently repeatible. Honest. The problem is that around here that ammunition goes for about $1.25 per round. If you but it in bulk (5 boxes or more). I can't practice with that. It is cost prohibitive! So . . after my first 300 yard session - planed on working out from there - it was crystal clear I was going to have to come up with a plan "B" if I was going to make it to 1000 yards ~ever~. I fired up my Google-Fu and started doing some serious research. Probably not surprisingly; I learned something. Here is what I learned: Yup. That is a savage MK II TRR-SR (with some of the rails removed) in .22LR. You see, here is the thing: Ballistically the .22LR (very specifically the Winchester Dynapoint 40gr hollowpoint) is exactly identical in terms of drop, wind drift, everything to the FGMM in a 2x1 format. Meaning 100 yards with the .22 is the same as 200 with the .308, 200 with the .22 is the same as 400 with the .308, 300 with the .22 is the same as 600 with the .308. Yes, the match is based on these two guns specifically (barrel length, rate of twist, etc) and may very well be different in different rifles (!!). So . . . I have found a way to learn reading the wind, using the scope, learning to shoot further than I can see without the scope, for about $8.00 per 500 rounds. And I'm telling you; it works. I absolutely assure you that I didn't get to the point I can say definitively in public that .308 shoots 3.5 inches at 500 yards at $1.25 per shot!! Think about it . . . . maybe it'll work for you.
I've had a NM M1a for 2 years now, good weapon and a better shooter than I am. The .308 is a great all purpose round suitable for deer, elk and man at a distance for me of no more than 300 meters through open sights. I've been looking for a bolt gun in .308 as a replacement for my Mark X 7mm Rem mag to keep the cal. in unison.
I have three rifles in 7.62X51 (NOT commercial .308Win) - my beloved "Spanish Lady" CETME, and two Spanish Mausers. The CETME currently wears glass, but our local range only goes to 100 yards. Hunting is almost never over 80 yards. I would like to let The Lady strut her stuff at a longer distance some fine day. My hunting/MC buddy has several Remington rifles (all from the Custom Shop) but nearly always ends up taking his .308 hunting - he just loves that particular rifle. He's darned good with it too!
Just a NOTE, here. If you can't afford to practice with the real thing, at factory ammo prices, then you really need to get a small reload setup and roll your own. With practice you can beat any Factory Load, rolling your own ammo. All it takes is Practice.... ..... YMMV....
The 338 bullet must be seated deeply so the OAL fits in a short action. Federal offers a nosler 180gr at 2830 and 7.62N is ~150 at ~2800; so the 338 shoots a heavier bullet faster than mil 7.62N. The 338 is intended to fit between the non magnums and most magnum calibers. Less recoil, less powder, and any of them can shoot farther than I get opportunities to shoot that far. Federal Premium - Rifle Ballistics
.338 Lapua Magnum or .300 Win Mag would be choice if I had consistent shots at 1000 yds. I think the 300 Win Mag has a slight edge, because its more common. Mil-Surp and LE brass is available for 300 Win Mag. In AZ, I didn't feel outgunned with my .308. I had a range where I could exercise to 600 yds regularly and I absolutely owned anything inside of that. Here in TN, 600 is about my max range now. Regular practice is now at 200 yds and under. The issue with 1000 yds, is target identification. Shovels can be mistaken for weapons. If you have that sort of distance, it might be wise to let the situation dissipate. *Most* people are not good enough at spotting to see you at that distance unless they are expecting you. Choose your fights. If SHTF, not everyone with a gun is a bad guy.
I'd be hard pressed to think of an appropriate - but realistic - situation where I would engage a target 1000 yards out. well you know; unless they started shooting first. My view is that it would be more to my benefit to have the skills and not need them, than to need them and not have them. I'd bet money that *darned near* no one can just pickup a rifle and hit a torso sized target at 1000 yards (or even close to that) "cold" - it takes developed skills. I'd sure hate to get in a situation where if I missed that one (proverbial) free shot, there would be a heavy price to pay for it. Besides, there is a LOT more to making a 1000 yard shot than pulling the trigger. Some of these component skills, like reading the wind, and accurately estimating range can have significant other applications in a survival situation. But I'd bet my last Indian head nickle most of you folks already know that.
It is a lot more challenging to shoot 500 yards in "field" conditions than at a 500 yard range. The 338 Lapua has the ballistic advantage and the 300win is more available.
Modern Optics can do a lot for 1000+ Yard shooters, and Laser Rangefinders are a must in todays distance shooting world. the reason I am interested in this skillset, if there is only one way IN and OUT, where I live, you HAVE to either come by BOAT, Or Airplane. I want the 1000+ Yard for the overwater shots, to keep intruders, offshore, as once they are on the beach, it becomes a brush fight, where I know the trails, and they may or may not. If they HiLo in here I will be toast, but who would care so much, as to fly this far out, in the alaskan bush, and jump out of a perfectly good aircraft, jut to do "Me" and Mine in? However, over water is the path, that ANY and ALL Miscreants, can and will use, should they decide I am an easy target. WebCams have that approach covered, with IR for night. .... YMMV... and most likely will....
I have a .308 Norma Magnum for a thousand yard and major game rifle... but it's expensive to shoot....
I know some of the new boutique rounds (Lapua, Creedmore) are very capable and a superior round to what they're intended to replace, but my thinking on the subject of what is my next rifle going to be goes like this: I think most of this has already been said ..... Need? (in this case distance) NATO match? (.308...assures plenty of CHEAP, surplus ammo) Those other rounds are just too expensive and not something you're likely to find in most places. You're more likely to find 30-30, 30-'06 and .308 on the shelves of mom-pop places and you can get NATO stuff by the 1000s for cheap compared to what you could pay for and buy those other rounds. I used to go out West hunting every year and I had a really expensive Weatherby bolt-action. At that time, composite stocks were sci-fi and the round I had shot phenomenally well, but they were $2-$3 per round and they were hard to find (at the time, only made by Weatherby). That got old...I sold that gun and now I can't find anything that .223 or a .308 won't cover. Plus...I tend to think of this way too: a cheap guitar in the hands of Eric Clapton or Brad Paisley is still going to sound good. A .308 in the hands of a Carlos Hathcock is going to get more hits than a .338 Lapua in mine. FYI...in additions to the good advice already given, which direction you're shooting has an effect on your hits. E to W and W to E have different outcomes for shot placement....but I think wind/humidity is more of an issue. It's called the Corealis effect or something like that (has to do with the Earth spinning).
FWIW, horizontal Coriolis drift for a small arms trajectory fired near 45 degrees North Latitude is about ~2.5-~3.0 inches to the right at 1000 yards. Time of flight affects the lateral distance; EG a mortar as compared to a 50. Usually wind and target movement will make matters more difficult than distance.
I saw my first one today at the gun show... I picked it up... I shouldered it.... I set it back down... I picked it up again to fill the balance... My wife walked up and ask me...What are you buying now !!! I set it down..I replied..Nothing Dear...Wife,Let's go walk around... Me,Yes Dear... I still have a tear in my eye...However... The Gun Show is running through Sunday...There's still Hope.!!! Ruger Gunsite Scout .308...That is all...
