I've enjoyed this site for years but never joined. I don't know of any place in Maine where I can shoot beyond 600 yards, and that's at a gun club. There's nothing wrong with shooting 600 yards, it's a lot of fun, and there are ways to make it more interesting if it gets too easy or boring. Shooting off-hand with the M1A at D5 targets at 500 was fun. But there's nothing like shooting at 1000 yards, and I can only imagine the pleasure and adventure of becoming proficient at 1200, 1500, 2000, or more. Maine has a lot of woods and mountains, and landowners that are understandably nervous these days about liability. Exit long range shooting.
We had a place on paper company land 25 years ago, all they required was for me to get an insurance rider for 1 million in personal liability coverage, which cost me $17 per year at the time. It was on a dead end woods road with a high wooded hill just beyond the cul-de-sac where we set up the target stands. We had the range measured and marked in 100 yard increments out to 1000, and probably could have developed it out another 200 yards for 1200 total but the smallest circle in our Shepherd scopes was for 1000, and we were happy. We rarely saw anyone out there except for the occasional deer or moose, it was 4.3 miles off from the pavement. We loaded up my van with guns, ammo, and food, left at dawn, was up there in an hour and a half, and shot all day. We left in the late afternoon on Saturday, went back up on Sunday and did it all over again, every weekend weather permitting, all summer long.
Can you shoot hot-loaded 190 SMK's out of a Remington PSS all day long without getting a sore shoulder? Yep, after the first 3-4 weekends. I handloaded during the week to shoot on the weekends. We shot a boat load of milsurp corrosive, by the case, and it figured out to a little less than $2 per 20 at the time. We couldn't load anything for 308 rounds that cheap, even once we had the brass. In fact, the cost of that mil-surp stuff was the big reason I bought rifles in 308 instead of 7mm-08 or 280 Remington. The corrosive shot under MOA out to about 750-800, but didn't tolerate much for wind at that range. I had a Savage 10FP, a Remington PSS, and an M1A National Match (the real thing, with "NM" stamped in all of the appropriate places). I didn't shoot corrosive in the M1A, didn't like the wear on the bedding from removing the barrelled action or the tear down. They're gone now, I miss the Savage most.
But 25 years later I still can't get it out of my system, the dream will not die. So thanks for being here.
We had a place on paper company land 25 years ago, all they required was for me to get an insurance rider for 1 million in personal liability coverage, which cost me $17 per year at the time. It was on a dead end woods road with a high wooded hill just beyond the cul-de-sac where we set up the target stands. We had the range measured and marked in 100 yard increments out to 1000, and probably could have developed it out another 200 yards for 1200 total but the smallest circle in our Shepherd scopes was for 1000, and we were happy. We rarely saw anyone out there except for the occasional deer or moose, it was 4.3 miles off from the pavement. We loaded up my van with guns, ammo, and food, left at dawn, was up there in an hour and a half, and shot all day. We left in the late afternoon on Saturday, went back up on Sunday and did it all over again, every weekend weather permitting, all summer long.
Can you shoot hot-loaded 190 SMK's out of a Remington PSS all day long without getting a sore shoulder? Yep, after the first 3-4 weekends. I handloaded during the week to shoot on the weekends. We shot a boat load of milsurp corrosive, by the case, and it figured out to a little less than $2 per 20 at the time. We couldn't load anything for 308 rounds that cheap, even once we had the brass. In fact, the cost of that mil-surp stuff was the big reason I bought rifles in 308 instead of 7mm-08 or 280 Remington. The corrosive shot under MOA out to about 750-800, but didn't tolerate much for wind at that range. I had a Savage 10FP, a Remington PSS, and an M1A National Match (the real thing, with "NM" stamped in all of the appropriate places). I didn't shoot corrosive in the M1A, didn't like the wear on the bedding from removing the barrelled action or the tear down. They're gone now, I miss the Savage most.
But 25 years later I still can't get it out of my system, the dream will not die. So thanks for being here.
