If wind were constant like gravity, making long-range first shot hits would be easy. Just let your ballistic calculator do the math and press the trigger properly. However, the wind isn’t constant—it’s always changing, often second to second. To add complexity to the matter, it’s not at all uncommon for wind conditions to change throughout […]
How to Adjust for Wind: Long-Range Shooting
One wouldn’t think wind could have much effect on a tiny and aerodynamic bullet zipping along at two or three thousand feet per second when long range shooting. But one would be wrong. Even though most bullets are dense, being made of lead, and moving fast, a small to moderate wind can cause big misses […]
First and Second Focal Plane in Rifle Scopes for Dummies
When you hear terminology like “focal plane” it sounds like serious physics is about come at you like an amped up spider monkey, but it’s actually a pretty simple concept. Here’s why. The reticle that you see through a scope is a physical thing. Back in the day, reticles were made from actual Wooly Mammoth […]
Quick Turrets & Reticle How To Primer for Long-Range Shooters
Turrets and reticles generally compliment each other, although sometimes they can perform the same function. On old-school rifles, one commonly used the turrets for initial zeroing and the reticle for shooting. As the “turrets” were capped and required a screwdriver or coin to make adjustments, they weren’t conducive to on the fly adjustments in the […]
How to Use a Ballistic Computer for Long Range Shooting
While the term “ballistic computer” sounds like an arcane piece of gear from the Apollo Space Program, but its purpose is simple. It’s designed to help you predict where a bullet will land—before you fire. Knowing How to use a ballistic computer can tell you lots of interesting things like: How much a bullet will […]
How to Zero a Scope and Rifle for Long Range Shooting
If you’re going to shoot long range, you need to make sure your zero is perfect. Small errors at 100 yards become big ones at 1,000 yards, so if your zero is off by just ½-inch at the 100-yard mark, you’re talking five full inches down range. We’re going to take a close look at […]
Long-Range AR Rifle Options: 6.5mm Creedmoor and .224 Valkyrie
This article originally appeared at Ammoland. Two of the hottest long-range cartridges for general purpose use (if there is such a thing) are 6.5mm Creedmoor and the brand new .224 Valkyrie. The 6.5mm Creedmoor cartridge had its tenth birthday last year, so it’s not a new kid on the block. Developed by Hornady back in […]
What’s the Distance? The Long Range Shooting Guide, Part 3
This article originally appeared at Ammoland. If you’re at a competitive shoot range, figuring out the distance variable is easy – just look at the match program or ask the guy or girl next to you. In the field, things become slightly more complicated if you’re not in a position where you can pace off […]
The Long Range Shooting Guide, Part 2: Mils, Minutes and Math
This article originally appeared at Ammoland. In part one of the Long Range Shooting Guide, we made the astounding observation that gravity happens. The very picosecond that a bullet leaves the muzzle, it begins it’s slow and inevitable downward death spiral, ultimately ending in a collision with the ground – unless it hits something else […]
The Long Range Shooting Guide, Part 1: Theory
This article originally appeared at Ammoland. Long range shooting is kind of like throwing a baseball from right field to home plate. When you boil down all the complexity, you really only have to worry about two things: how far the bullet falls before it hits the target and how far the wind blows it […]