Desert Tech SRS-A1 6.5 Creedmoor at 1 Mile - my journey to a mile with pics...

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SMTGWKD

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Mar 3, 2017
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#1
Thought I'd chime in with my path to shooting at 1 mile (1768 yards) as I've received quite a bit of interest from friends in the process. Hopefully it's of use to someone considering a similar goal set - if not, hopefully it's a fun read from an enthusiastic amateur. :)

I've had a goal to make hits at a mile for the past 2 years and have been building/practicing/reloading to that end. Once I was able to make at least 8/10 hits on a 12x20" with my first long range rifle (Remington 700 AAC-SD build) with my own loads I promised myself I'd buy my "holy grail" rifle - the DTA SRS-A1.

Stage 1: Setup...

DTA SRS-A1 with 6.5 Creedmoor Conversion
Vortex Razor AMG MRAD - incredibly clear scope glass. I could easily see my hits at 1 mile on the plate - very, very, very clear!
ARC M10 QD-L Mount (Standard) 30 MOA- great mount, but the bubble level wasn't level to the rail so it's quite off relative to the scope reticle/rifle/lo pro level.
Vortex Lo Pro Bubble
Atlas Bipod with ADM QD Mount
Silencerco ASR Brake
Silencerco Omega Silencer

DTA Side.jpg
​DTA Front.jpg

Scope Clearance.jpg


 
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#2
Stage 2: Break In/Zero...

Decided to do a break in process with factory Hornady 147 ELD-M (BC of .696) by cleaning after each of the first 3 shots (M-Pro and Patches - no brushing), then a 3-round group, clean, then a 4-round group, clean, then shot an 8-round group off zero to retain the target cross hair and used the last 2 rounds to get a perfect Zero. Pics below show the 4, and 8-round groups. If you overlay the two targets the 4 shots fall right through the 8-round hole. The 4-shot group was shot off the bipod and rear monopod, 8-shot was using a rear bag. Measurements are noted on the pics - used an RCBS electronic caliper for a "close enough" measurement...

4-shot.jpg8-shot.jpg
 
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#3
Stage 3: Zero at 1000 yards and "true" factory loads...

4360 ft elevation
5208 DA
54.9 degrees farenheit
25.8 in Hg
3.5 mph wind
4 degree down angle

I've used Strelok for the past couple of years with good success; however, I was intrigued by the BallisticsARC app with the Weatherflow Weathermeter and thought I'd try it out. I zero'd the rifle in two shots on a 16" plate at 982 yards and used the "trueing" feature which resulted in a trued muzzle velocity of 2615.5 fps (box claims 2685 fps or thereabouts). After zinging the plate another 7 times I loaded a round, updated my drop chart, and took aim at the 30" square plate I setup at 1768 yards (verified using gps and Sig rangefinder - they were within a yard or two back and forth). BallisticsARC gave an elevation call of 22.3 MILs and .7 MILS for wind/spin/etc. My scope has exactly 21 MILs of elevation with the 30 MOA mount and a 100 yard zero so I maxed out the turret and.....forgot to hold the additional 1.3 MILs!!! My first shot was perfectly in line for windage and impacted just in front of the target - the moment it hit I realized my mistake and cussed to myself as I self-sabotaged my first shot at a mile. Loaded another round, held the 1.3 for elevation and sent it - impact 8" right off center with perfect elevation. I was absolutely thrilled - with the remaining 9 rounds I tried to hold the exact same location (difficult for an amateur shooter who isn't used to holding in between hash marks on the reticle) to see what type of group I could muster. The result is 7 hits out of 10 shots with a max horizontal spread of 8.5" without the bullet that got wonky going transonic and 18" with it included and verticle spread of 23 inches. the 3 misses were just off the right side of the plate between the frame and the plate - total horizontal spread is about 12" without the tumbler and 22" with it. I'm VERY pleased with the results and am hopeful that I can tighten up the vertical spread with my reloads as I get the best SD and ES possible. I ended up only using one box of 20 - saved the other for next time. :)

Both targets are barely visible in this photo - one at 980 yards and one at 1768 yards. Mile target is at the base of the far mountain just over the first small mountain to the far right at the end of the next valley...

Shooting Range.jpg
BallisticsARC.png
One Mile target through Razor AMG at 24x

Scope View.jpg

Was thrilled with my results for the first time at 1 mile - you can clearly see which bullet tumbled. I retrieved all but one of the bullet remnants...

Target.jpg
 

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#4
That's some damn fine shooting. And with factory ammo no less.... Congrats! I bet you're dying to know if that first attempt at a mile would've been an impact with the proper hold. I do stuff like that constantly, using the wrong hold or even shooting the wrong targets.


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#5
spelunk said:
That's some damn fine shooting. And with factory ammo no less.... Congrats! I bet you're dying to know if that first attempt at a mile would've been an impact with the proper hold. I do stuff like that constantly, using the wrong hold or even shooting the wrong targets.


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Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words - 2 things are driving me nuts from that shooting day:

1. Would my first shot at a mile have been a hit? Lame, lame, lame...
2. Could I have mustered 10/10 hits if I had changed my hold instead of getting cocky and shooting for a group? (I hit the first 4 shots in a row, then missed two just off the right edge, hit one, missed one, then hit the last two)

Something about precision shooting brings the most particular, precise, and perfectionist type of characters out to play - stuff like this keeps me coming back for more.
 
#7
Same here with the photos. But that is a great accomplishment! I too am actually looking to hit a mile with a 6.5 and factory ammo.


Covert is as Covert does.

Plenty of good feedback on the scout site.
 
#16
Covertnoob5 said:
Same here with the photos. But that is a great accomplishment! I too am actually looking to hit a mile with a 6.5 and factory ammo.


Covert is as Covert does.

Plenty of good feedback on the scout site.
Click to expand...

See if they show up now and let me know - from my very limited experience, the Creedmoor DTA is VERY capable at that distance. In the pics you'll see that all but one of the impacts hit with authority (i.e. no tumbling or wobbling) so the 147 grain bullet seems to work well in the transition from super to sub.

Are you using a DTA conversion or a shorter Covert custom barrel?
 
#23
Went to the same spot yesterday shooting with my 3 daughters (ages 5, 8, and 11). The 11 and 8 year old daughters took 3 shots each at a 12" target at 600 yards and both hit all 3 shots - neither complained at all about recoil or otherwise with this setup and wanted to keep shooting until I ran out of rounds. Next step for both of them is 1000 yards. :) I'll add links below to each video - they are, if anything, humorous, if nothing else...

I also posted a long, and terribly boring video of the mile range setup and shooting - next time I'll bring a friend or bring a camera mount to catch the important parts!
 
#27
Thought I'd share my first Ladder Test with Reloader 17. First true one-hole group I've ever shot...the group at 41.9 may have been one hole as well, but I pulled the second shot badly when a braked 300 UM lit off down the line.

I'll post again once I take this load to one mile again. If it shoots as well at a mile as it does at 100 yards the group should be off the hook! :)
 

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#29
atomic41 said:
That's awesome, thanks for sharing. I'm jealous of your rifle and that beautiful range you've got there. How long is the barrel?
Click to expand...

I'm using a standard Desert Tech conversion with 26" barrel. Really happy with the combination - some don't like the DTA for varying reasons but the advantages suite me perfectly while I'm willing to put up with the disadvantages.
 
#31
Badfinger said:
i-Bm2bFPg.gif
Impressive! I think it's great that you took the family along it means a lot to them. I know.
Click to expand...

I just saw your post - I appreciate your feedback (apparently from personal experience). More fun to help my kids hit targets at 600 yards than to hit a mile myself. Funny how that works...
 
#32
SMTGWKD said:
I'm using a standard Desert Tech conversion with 26" barrel. Really happy with the combination - some don't like the DTA for varying reasons but the advantages suite me perfectly while I'm willing to put up with the disadvantages.
Click to expand...

I'm with ya, it's a great rifle. I've had the pleasure of spending trigger time on one in .308 and I fell in love. I plan to get one someday.
 
#33
SMTGWKD said:
See if they show up now and let me know - from my very limited experience, the Creedmoor DTA is VERY capable at that distance. In the pics you'll see that all but one of the impacts hit with authority (i.e. no tumbling or wobbling) so the 147 grain bullet seems to work well in the transition from super to sub.

Are you using a DTA conversion or a shorter Covert custom barrel?
Click to expand...

I'm using a 22.5" hawk hill from Ty. Great barrel!


Covert is as Covert does.

Plenty of good feedback on the scout site.
 
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