The weather cooperated this weekend and I got to play today!
I was debating whether I would use a flat range, but instead opted for my secret canyon which is about 700-800 feet higher in elevation than my usual shooting spot (which only allows shots to about 100 yards without major elevation shifts). The ballistic difference shouldn't be enough to matter from the 4,200 feet used on the JBM program.
I went out with my handy rig. The .300 WTF is a 10.5" stainless steel barrel (Kryloned Black) made by Spook, a Spikes Tactical .22 upper, Yankee Hill free float quadrail, Magpul AFG, Harris Bipod with the pivot spring, Vltor modstock and Magpul MOE pistol Grip (stuffed with a ziplock bag containing all the hex wrenches for scope and mounts). The receiver is my form 1 Battle Born billet lower by U.S. Firearms Academy here in Reno, Nevada with a standard trigger setup that I ground the hammer to a speed hammer profile and I am using JP reduced power springs so that my 5.5" .22LR upper will function smoothly and the pull is around 4-4.5 lbs. The scope is the Sightmark 1.5-5x30 and the rings are the 6 screw high Weaver Tactical (US Made) with Yankee Hill mini-risers. The suppressor is an HTG M30-A .308 with standard 5/8x24 threads. Additional toys included my Caldwell bag for steady shooting and my trusty Bushnell Elite 1500 range finder (I've gotten it out to 1,100 yards). Being the earth-conscious responsible individual I am, the clay pigeons are biodegradable.
I set up the range using a clay pigeon to mark my shooting position and bringing the range finder on my brisk jaunt around the canyon. I set up a 50 yard, 75 yard and 100 yard known distance setup to see if I was close on tracking. The remaining few I set up where they were not going to be impeded by rocks, bushes, vegetation or other obstructions at unknown distances way out there. I figured this would challenge me to use the knobs in a real life situation where everything isn't at 25 yard increments.
Upon returning, I engaged my 50 yard target first to confirm that I hadn't screwed up my zero playing with the knob. It drilled a hole in the center of the first pigeon without shattering it, so I knew it was within minute of clay-pigeon to my zero. I then set it for the 75 yard pigeon on my new ballistic knob.
Clay pigeon guts rained down the mountain side.
My 100 yard distance had two targets and I easily hit them both (4 for 4 at this point). The wind had blown my 150ish and 175ish targets off the branches I hung them on (it took a lot longer to set them up than to blow them up) so I was left with one on a rock that ranged at 192 yards. I backed down 1 click from 200 and shot over, so I backed off another click and it kablooeyed.
I ranged the next target and it said it was 204 yards, but I later figured out that the rock just below it was 204 and the clay pigeon was sitting safe and comfortably at 232 yards. I walked out to see where the bullets were hitting (thinking it was close, but needing windage), I realized that I was far more than 10 yards from the rock that I shattered the other target on. I added another pigeon next to the the untouched far one but when I re-ranged and it, I realized my error and adjusted the turret two clicks past the 225 marker on the turret. I shot right due to a mild wind and adjusted two clicks of windage left and shattered them both with sequential shots. I then returned to a new target at 75 to ensure tracking was working. 75 shattered orange and black bits on the snow. I found a small rock at 50 yards with my rangefinder and returned the turret to zero and broke the rock into jumping pieces of igneous debris. My cheap little Sightmark and home-made ballistic turrets had tracked perfectly out to 232 yards and back (the canyon limited shots to high angles if I were to test out to 300 yards - but I know it works to at least 28.5 MOA).
The reticle on 5 power was thick enough to cover the majority of the pigeon at 232 yards, but I could still still see little bits of orange around the center of it.
So in summary, my setup was reliable, quiet and when I ranged the targets properly, dead on! I am very happy!
As a side note, even though I went out alone, I have a witness to this that watched me from an oblique angle while I shot. She even whinnied at me asking what I was doing.
No wild mustangs were harmed during the making of this report, but where I shoot you always have to be cognizant of them when setting up targets since they are so accustomed to shooters and people that they will often wander down the hill into your field of fire without a care in the world even when you are shooting without a suppressor.
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