110smk @ ELR and “The Complete .50 Caliber Sniper Course: Hard Target Interdiction”

[The_Next_Generation]

Came across a copy of “The Complete .50 Caliber Sniper Course: Hard Target Interdiction” today and was wondering if anybody here has read it? I’m looking forward to diving into it these next few weeks but was looking to start some kind of “book club” with this thread.

I have an AI AX (post ‘14) that I’m taking plinking to a mile next week and am hoping to gain some extra knowledge. Sending the 110smk out of a 26” 1:8 @ 3070ft/s with my current load. Any tips on shooting this bullet to the end of(and slightly beyond) it’s sonic range? I had a 6.5CM that I stretched that far with minimal success, but the conditions were pretty rough. 2ft of snow in the clear cut, dwindling light, and I was running out of elevation.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

I know the only way to really know is to just shoot it, which I’m fine with. But if there is a tip I should have in the ‘ol tool-kit...send it.

 

[CJS-6.5]

Bwahahaha...T-Rex?

 

[CJS-6.5]

Long story short. You become a better shot by shooting. Not reading. Reading is hard on your eyes, and lessens perception due to believing, rather than actually finding out. If you actually have a long range place you can shoot, go and do it until you can hit a moa target from 100 to 2000 yards consistently. Then read the book to get a good laugh.

 

[THEIS]

Hi,

I would be willing to bet that a vast majority of those members that post in this subsection have read that book. It was ahead of its' time back when it was published, but now days even the free online ballistic programs tend to make the ballistic information in the book obsolete.
Nonetheless, the book is a good read..if for nothing more than the terminology and their descriptions. As most of them are still in use today.

Sincerely,
Theis

 

[Milo 2.5]

I have an AI AX (post ‘14) that I’m taking plinking to a mile next week and am hoping to gain some extra knowledge. Sending the 110smk out of a 26” 1:8 @ 3070ft/s with my current load. Any tips on shooting this bullet to the end of(and slightly beyond) it’s sonic range? I had a 6.5CM that I stretched that far with minimal success, but the conditions were pretty rough. 2ft of snow in the clear cut, dwindling light, and I was running out of elevation.

I may be able to help some, I shoot the 110 out of 2 XC's at 3080fps. At 4700 ft, DA of 6300, the bullet was stable @ 1850 from an 8tw barrel. The other barrel a 7.5tw, I have not tried that far with that rifle.
At 2K, my bullet was tumbling, group size was measured in yards, not inches, feet would have been sweet lol. I want to say 20 yard grouping, so IMO need to stay supersonic with it.
A good ballistic calculator should indicate about how you can shoot.

 

[jasent]

I’m shooting 115gr vld at 2940. I’ve taken it out to 1580 so far but conditions need to be great to see your splash and hits. Snow makes it very tough (impossible could fit here) to see splash. Dry dusty conditions are what your wanting.

 

[CJS-6.5]

I've found that a small skiff of fresh dry snow on frozen ground can actually aid in seeing impacts. I was shooting 145eldx out of my .270 at a running coyote the other day. Even at 3/4 mile I could easily see my 1st shot as it blew up dirt into the air over a white backdrop of snow. However if the snow is thick, or wet forget about seeing impacts.

 

[nick338]

I may be able to help some, I shoot the 110 out of 2 XC's at 3080fps. At 4700 ft, DA of 6300, the bullet was stable @ 1850 from an 8tw barrel. The other barrel a 7.5tw, I have not tried that far with that rifle.
At 2K, my bullet was tumbling, group size was measured in yards, not inches, feet would have been sweet lol. I want to say 20 yard grouping, so IMO need to stay supersonic with it.
A good ballistic calculator should indicate about how you can shoot.

You just confirmed what I suspected with the 183 Sierra when I shot my 7 SAUM at a mile. Could not hit consistent with it at all and my thoughts were these new matchkings do not do well unless they are supersonic. I believe the very aggressive secant profile has exceeded the practical limits of dynamic stability.

 

[The_Next_Generation]

Thanks for all the responses guys, the book is definitely dated (just look at the size of those night optics!). Still looking forward to the read, for all the reasons already mentioned.

Yep, it’s definitely better to just shoot instead of research - I couldn’t agree more. Ballistic on my iPhone says I’ll run out of gas at just over 1,700yd...so we’ll see how it goes. I know my 143gr load in the 6.5cm was thoroughly subsonic at a mile, but still managed to group within maybe 6 feet....

I used to live out in Idaho and would shoot on public land every weekend between 1k and 1.4k yards depending on how far I felt like hiking the plates out. Ive been stuck in Fayettnam for about a year, and probably won’t be getting to greener pastures for at least 10 more months. The south is miserable when it comes to practicing any kind of long range shooting...

 

[pitdog85]

interesting about the new smk, Mark and Sam seem to be having good luck with the 6.5 150g at ELR??

 

[Milo 2.5]

You just confirmed what I suspected with the 183 Sierra when I shot my 7 SAUM at a mile. Could not hit consistent with it at all and my thoughts were these new matchkings do not do well unless they are supersonic. I believe the very aggressive secant profile has exceeded the practical limits of dynamic stability.

This is really the first Sierra bullet I have ever shot, usually rely on hybrids, never had a hybrid transition for me either though.

 

[Milo 2.5]

interesting about the new smk, Mark and Sam seem to be having good luck with the 6.5 150g at ELR??

Not sure who they are, but I'd imagine a faster twist barrel would help when approaching sub sonic speeds. At my elevation I doubt I will step down to a 7 tw.

 

[nick338]

interesting about the new smk, Mark and Sam seem to be having good luck with the 6.5 150g at ELR??

I have seen some of the videos. Not sure what to make of it as sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

 

[pitdog85]

Not sure who they are, but I'd imagine a faster twist barrel would help when approaching sub sonic speeds. At my elevation I doubt I will step down to a 7 tw.

Mark and Sam afterwork they have in my opinion the best youtube ELR channel by a mile great footage. Mark has a lot of views on things that are not mainstream, however he gets results. An example of that is twist rate, I have run the numbers on some of his rifles he tends to run twists on the slower side SG numbers well below 1.5. Recently he has been testing a 6.5-06AI and a 6.5 GAP SAUM with the 150smk out to 3000 yards.

 

[nick338]

This is really the first Sierra bullet I have ever shot, usually rely on hybrids, never had a hybrid transition for me either though.

I had much better results with the new 184 Berger F-open at a mile.

 

[nick338]

Not sure who they are, but I'd imagine a faster twist barrel would help when approaching sub sonic speeds. At my elevation I doubt I will step down to a 7 tw.

I was running a 7 twist and still had unacceptable results.

 

[jasent]

I’m running an sg of 1.72 and vld’s And have had great results through transonic down to 1000fps so far.