90 grain Sierra Match King's at 1,018 yards

[bigblue]

80 grain SMK's loaded on a Dillon 650 with TAC powder & CCI 450 primers through a White Oak Armament 20" SDM fluted upper:

(The 25.4 was basically for shits & giggles to see if all of the powder had been burned in the bbl at that point)


On to the 90 gr:

Oh and yeah, I know that's a lot of powder and yes I'm checking cases.

As promised, the case/primer pics:

You can see the primers start to really flatten and push back as the loads increase. I don't need the max loads here anyways: 23 grains of TAC behind the 90 gr SMK gets me 2591 FPS at 20' which is 1206 FPS at 1,000 y for exactly 10.0 MIL's of elevation.

- - - Updated - - -


My SMK / TAC loads had plenty of accuracy yesterday: 80 grains had no trouble out to 950 yards (I brought 20 and ran out hitting the 44% IPSC torsos at 750 & 950) and the 90's connected with a 2/3 IPSC torso at 1,015. I am still unsure which load to stay with so I think further testing would be called for (more shooting ) before I settle on 80 or 90. The wind varied quite a bit from tail winds to cross winds and that was my biggest struggle and why I would opt for the heavier bullet.

I had a great spotter (thanks Lawrence) who helped a great deal with the wind and was able to dial in his adjustments on the SWFA scope like a pro. Very happy with the White Oak SDM, Geiselle NM DMR trigger, SWFA 3-15x scope, and the Sierra Match King bullets yesterday. Very happy.

There are a few things that I can do to tighten up accuracy: Weigh powder charges for each round, use a single stage press (these were on a 650), and seat off the lands as previously suggested. For basic reloads of 90 grain SMK's and a fairly cheap powder I am more than pleased with the results.

A comparison between a 77 grain SMK magazine length round and the 90 grain SMK round loaded at 2.54 OAL:

Comparator kit & OAL gauges:
http://www.hornady.com/store/Bullet-Comparator-Kits/ http://www.hornady.com/store/OAL-Gauges/

 

[Mountain]

Great work and write-up! I had to look it up, I wasn't familiar with TAC powder. Spherical, so it should be pretty consistent in a powder measure. I had trouble getting consistent throws in an old Lyman with Varget, but no trouble with Benchmark which is spherical or at least granular. TAC looks to be ~$5-$6 cheaper than Benchmark.

I put a JP high pressure bolt in my latest 6.5 CM AR build, in case I want to run some hotter loads. With a standard bolt I was already getting a little cratering (like your hottest loads) with Hornady Superformance factory ammo, nada with the JP bolt. Firing pin fitted to a tighter tolerance.

Envious of the 1,000 yard range...

 

[DW357]

Very cool. I can't get over how massive those bullets are

 

[NavelOfficer]

That's some very impressive shooting. I don't think you can improve much on that!
I'm thrilled to be able to get a 3" group or even all shots on the paper at 100 meters!

 

[bigblue]

Everybody says TAC isn't a precision powder, its temp sensitive, unreliable... Even I advised against using it for precision loads on lighter bullets but it is a superfine ball powder with the consistency of beach sand that meters well in the DPM which means that you can fit more powder with the heavier loads and measure it accurately. As you can see, I put 23.5 grains of TAC behind the 90 grain SMK's at an OAL of 2.54 with a magnum primer for roughly 2,650 FPS. At 1,000 the math puts it above 1200 FPS so it could probably stretch another 100 yards or so. The tail wind kept changing so I was +/- a MIL elevation at times which messed me up, then I would catch a cross wind that threw me off half a MIL windage. I also had good results with my 80 gr loads that were at a screaming 2840 FPS out to 950 but I only brought 20 of those and I ran out after a few hits at 950.

 

[xtry51]

If I can catch a nail on a rifle primer at the firing pin dimple, I back it down half a grain if shot warm/summer and a full grain if it's cold/winter. Those are pretty hot on the 25/25.4 and you're gonna blow one out eventually.

 

[MAD Geary]

Awesome! A lot of great info and hard work in here. I just got my membership to Granby the other week and will have to get over there to shoot sometime. I have a 6.5 Grendel build I want to shoot. I'm in Foxboro and have only got to shoot it at 300 yards. Maybe next time your planning on shooting out there we could meet up.

 

[mac1911]

1000 yards....you stink!
Nice !
I'm tickled when I get out to reading for 600 and can keep my shots on my target!

 

[bigblue]

If I can catch a nail on a rifle primer at the firing pin dimple, I back it down half a grain if shot warm/summer and a full grain if it's cold/winter. Those are pretty hot on the 25/25.4 and you're gonna blow one out eventually.

I did back it off. The hot loads were to get a reference for velocity. The 80 grain hits on steel at 950 yards were 24.5 grains TAC and the 90 grains that hit at 1,015 were only 23.5 grains of TAC. Those are backed off quite a bit from the max I tested and I also switched to CCI magnum primers from regular CCI small rifle primers.

I hand loaded each round into the rifle and checked them as they ejected for pressure signs. It was also 94 degrees out so I'm very confident the loads are safe.

I do keep an extra BCG in my bag in case.

 

[josh2600]

It is an awesome range. Lawrence and co. (sorry I don't know names) have done a phenomenal job. I qualified there Friday, but I was throwing .264 pills and it was a calm day so wind was a non issue. Made hits at all distances, no problem. Lawrence is a good spotter, so that helped as well.

I highly recommend getting out there if you can, joining is easy and qualifying on the long range isn't a big deal as long as you have some understanding of ballistics (bullet drop etc).

If you've never shot that far, as I hadn't. I'd recommend this book before going to qualify. There is a kindle version.

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Range-Shooting-Handbook-Cleckner/dp/151865472X (Obviously, if you've shot at reading, you don't need that)

 

[bigblue]

80 & 90 grain Sierra Match King's at 1,015 yards

With Lawrence spotting it was easier to shoot at 1,015 than I expected. My max previous distance was 350 and his help with the tail and cross winds definitely made the difference.

I used the Shooter ballistic app which has a great bullet library and accounts for the wind, temp, atmospheric pressure, and a bunch of other factors. Very pleased with the app in real world conditions.

 

[xtry51]

I like the CCI 41 primers for hot loads. They're pretty thick and you can push them a decent amount further. The downside of course is if you ever switched back to a normal primer cup on that hot load you'd prolly toast a firing pin/bolt face

 

[bigblue]

80 & 90 grain Sierra Match King's at 1,015 yards

I like the CCI 41 primers for hot loads. They're pretty thick and you can push them a decent amount further. The downside of course is if you ever switched back to a normal primer cup on that hot load you'd prolly toast a firing pin/bolt face

Which is why I tested the loads with regular primers then switched to the heavier primers afterwards. That way I know it's safe if I accidentally mix up primers.

I think my next batch of 90's will get weighed and measured individually. If I can get the throat measured too I think putting them on target at 1,000 yards becomes more repeatable. Well that and less variable wind...

My goal next time is to get slow motion video of the contrail on a hit at 1,000.

 

[bigblue]

80 & 90 grain Sierra Match King's at 1,015 yards

Oh, before I forget, the Celestron 100mm spotting scope also performed well at 1,000 yards. I like the wide fov: I can focus at distance and still keep a wide view to watch the contrail come in. Also where there are multiple targets at certain distances it's easy to switch between them without moving or adjusting anything.

 

[PatMcD]

Is the accuracy data in there somewhere? I'm not used to reading tables like that. What kind of spread were you getting at 1000?

 

[bigblue]

80 & 90 grain Sierra Match King's at 1,015 yards

That's chrono data so while group size is recorded and there, I wasn't shooting for groups.

I would say that I was about half a MIL at 1,000 over seven shots. The tail and cross winds were challenging as I stated above so I wouldn't really call them "groups". I put 7 shots downrange at 1,000. Of those, 5 were +/- 0.2 MIL, 1 was a full MIL short when the tail wind suddenly died, and one hit pretty much center mass. I'm not sure what you would call that for a group? Do you normally shoot for groups at 1,000 with a .223?

 

[mac1911]

That's chrono data so while group size is recorded and there I wasn't shooting for groups.

I would say that I was about half a MIL at 1,000 over seven shots. The tail and cross winds were challenging as I stated above so I wouldn't really call them "groups". I put 7 shots downrange at 1,000. Of those, 5 were +/- 0.2 MIL, 1 was a full MIL short when the tail wind suddenly died, and one hit pretty much center mass. I'm not sure what you would call that for a group? Do you normally shoot for groups at 1,000 with a .223?

1/2 mil is what a 18" spread at 1000 yards....not to shabby for a 223 AR...my math might suck but that's under 2moa right....there are those with more capable cals looking to shoot that well.
How big is your target?

and yes I would be shooting for groups with 223 @ 1000 yards..phhsstt
Anyone can get hits on target

 

[bigblue]

80 & 90 grain Sierra Match King's at 1,015 yards

lol right. The key to hits was consistent wind from one shot to the next. There are two opposite cross winds that sort of cancel each other out and a 110 degree tail wind. Think of the wind like shooting from one edge of a swirl across the center to the other side. Even with the 90 grain .223 bullet it gets buffeted and moved quite a bit over the course of 1,015 yards. Maintaining a 0.2 MIL group was certainly the result of great spotting, decent shooting, and some fairly good hand loads.

Can I do better than that? Hell yeah! This was my first time shooting past 350 and even attempting to take the wind into account on my shots. Most of my shooting up to this point was at 100 & 200 on a fairly calm range.

I think the target was either half IPSC or full IPSC. I would need to confirm with Lawrence on that since I didn't see them up close. They were maybe a quarter MIL across and half a MIL high at 1,000? If I remember right?

ETA It might be a 66% or 3/4 IPSC torso at 1,000 that seems to make sense. The 950 is 44% and there is a 1/4 IPSC at 750.

I am by no means pinpoint precision at that distance with this rifle.

 

[84ta406]

Awesome looking range and great shooting! Id love to bring my .308 there sometime thats for sure!

 

[5 DOLLAR FOOT LONG]

Nice shooting, those look like some hot rounds.

 

[mac1911]

lol right. The key to hits was consistent wind from one shot to the next. There are two opposite cross winds that sort of cancel each other out and a 110 degree tail wind. Think of the wind like shooting from one edge of a swirl across the center to the other side. Even with the 90 grain .223 bullet it gets buffeted and moved quite a bit over the course of 1,015 yards. Maintaining a 0.2 MIL group was certainly the result of great spotting, decent shooting, and some fairly good hand loads.

Can I do better than that? Hell yeah! This was my first time shooting past 350 and even attempting to take the wind into account on my shots. Most of my shooting up to this point was at 100 & 200 on a fairly calm range.

I think the target was either half IPSC or full IPSC. I would need to confirm with Lawrence on that since I didn't see them up close. They were maybe a quarter MIL across and half a MIL high at 1,000? If I remember right?

ETA It might be a 66% or 3/4 IPSC torso at 1,000 that seems to make sense. The 950 is 44% and there is a 1/4 IPSC at 750.

I am by no means pinpoint precision at that distance with this rifle.

Well considering the 9 ring on a F class target is 20" and your holding 18" that's pretty darn good for a first attempt at 1000... last time I even came close to 1000 was on the power lines in ME 20 plus years ago..we would take Kentucky windage shots with what ever gun and ammo the elders would let us use.
I,think in the few years we did it we might collectively made 15 hits on that rusty drum

 

[bigblue]

The tail wind ended up being a full MIL of elevation which I compensated for and kept elevation consistent except for the single shot where the wind died. The cross winds and possible trigger jerk pushed me right 0.2 MIL and we kept trying to correct for it but were only successful one out of six shots at 1,015. I was so happy to actually connect on the sixth shot that I turned the seventh round upside down and ended it there. HUGE sigh of relief to hear the hit confirmation and I'm not sure my nerves would have held up for another shot.

Anyways, it was a great learning experience and we will be back with more rounds, more knowledge, and hopefully more precise reloads. Oh, and a data book. Definitely need a data book now.

 

[bigblue]

I totally forgot a shout out to Granby Bow & Gun Club: http://granbybowandgun.club

 

[PatMcD]

Cool. I didn't realize there was a 1000yd range in NE.

 

[warwickben]

I must come with you next time

 

[bigblue]

Cool. I didn't realize there was a 1000yd range in NE.

It just opened: Friday and Saturday were the first qualifying for shooting it. Andy, Nick, & Lawrence have done a ton of work on their own felling trees and moving earth. To the best of my knowledge it's the only public 1,000 range in New England. It will grow and get more refined: They have some very cool plans up their sleeves.


Ben, you need to join & qualify: No stamp no shoot. We can have visitors on the short range but I'm sure that you understand that they don't want random visitors launching bullets at 1,015 yards.

 

[warwickben]

It just opened: Friday and Saturday were the first qualifying for shooting it. Andy, Nick, & Lawrence have done a ton of work on their own felling trees and moving earth. To the best of my knowledge it's the only public 1,000 range in New England. It will grow and get more refined: They have some very cool plans up their sleeves.


Ben, you need to join & qualify: No stamp no shoot. We can have visitors on the short range but I'm sure that you understand that they don't want random visitors launching bullets at 1,015 yards.

Figured as much . Was mainly meaning come and hang out etc .

 

[bigblue]

80 & 90 grain Sierra Match King's at 1,015 yards

Figured as much . Was mainly meaning come and hang out etc .

Sure you were lol

Honestly it's fifty bucks for a single membership.

http://granbybowandgun.club/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/GBGCMembership-App-New.docx

 

[josh2600]

The tail wind ended up being a full MIL of elevation which I compensated for and kept elevation consistent except for the single shot where the wind died. The cross winds and possible trigger jerk pushed me right 0.2 MIL and we kept trying to correct for it but were only successful one out of six shots at 1,015. I was so happy to actually connect on the sixth shot that I turned the seventh round upside down and ended it there. HUGE sigh of relief to hear the hit confirmation and I'm not sure my nerves would have held up for another shot.

Anyways, it was a great learning experience and we will be back with more rounds, more knowledge, and hopefully more precise reloads. Oh, and a data book. Definitely need a data book now.

Went back up today, that tail wind kept making 140smks skim the top of the target at 750, I'd adjust and the wind would stop as I pulled the trigger. 142s were soaking it right up, dinging the shit out of the 1/4 there. Made a few hits at 1000, but w/o a spotter the wind was making it tough. You can see when you hit and you can see your splashes, but at that distance, at such a small target, it's tough to tell exactly where the splash was. So I mostly stuck to the 750.

 

[bigblue]

Went back up today, that tail wind kept making 140smks skim the top of the target at 750, I'd adjust and the wind would stop as I pulled the trigger. 142s were soaking it right up, dinging the shit out of the 1/4 there. Made a few hits at 1000, but w/o a spotter the wind was making it tough. You can see when you hit and you can see your splashes, but at that distance, at such a small target, it's tough to tell exactly where the splash was. So I mostly stuck to the 750.

Nice!
Spotting is a skill I will have to learn, both for improving my own shots and for helping others shoot. I think if you paint the 1,000 yard steel that you could see hits but it could take you 45 minutes to get up there & back.

Any idea how far we can get with a Jeep? I don't want to try the same route my buddy did two weeks ago but there is a logging road part of the way.