Starting from scratch. I want to learn to shoot at longer distances up to 1000 yds.

[Liftman101]

I am new to rifles in the last 2 years after starting with an Ar15 build. I have built and upgraded a bunch while enjoying shooting them at my local range. Their longest targets are at 240 yards. I am looking for advice on where to go close to Milwaukee, WI to shoot and learn. Schools, trainers, and some help with equipment selection. I currently have only shot semi auto only until recently.

I already got enticed by a good deal on a Weatherby custom shop Mark V 30 378 and a Nightforce 8x32 Nxs scope. It remains unfired. I regret the purchase because it is simply too much for a beginner. I am leaning toward picking up a 6.5 Creedmoor to get started with.

I really look forward to learning things on this site.

 

[TripleBull]

It depends in part of where you are at right now. Do you know shooting fundamentals, how to use a ballistics calculator, have access to a chronograph and rangefinder, how to call the wind? You can get a great start here:

https://www.snipershide.com/accessing-training/

A 6.5 CM is a good starting point. They can stretch well beyond 1K.

Not sure where you can go for a LR range in WI, but I'd guess you could find a spot close enough. If not, road trip! Plenty of good spots to get detailed training.

 

[Liftman101]

Thanks for the help. I literally know nothing but the basic concept of mils, moa and bullet ballistics. I love math so I am confident I can learn the numbers. I am looking for help finding out what tools I need. I am approaching retirement and life has been pretty good to me the last few years. I recently acquired a large tract of land in Florida and will be building my own 1k range. Until I retire, I only spend a few weeks a year there. I am enjoying what time I have spent at the range and am looking forward to stepping up.

 

[lash]

I concur that you are better off starting with a 6.5.

As mentioned, once you have a decent rifle and scope, start planning on a quality LR beginners class with class time and trigger time. There are a few great places in Florida offering these throughout the year. It just depends on your location. It's well worth traveling for high quality training in all of the fundamentals of LR shooting. A two day class is recommended.

 

[Devildog]

Check out Core Shooting Solutions they are in Florida they can help you with a rifle and accessories plus they offer training. There great people to deal with.
https://www.coreshooting.com/collections/courses/products/core-intro-to-precision-rifle

 

[TheOE800]

You don't need a lot of education to get started. I was in your position a more recently than I care to admit. Read up on the basics, get a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle you can grow with like a Ruger Precision/Tikka/Bergara, and then get out there. The fundamentals are truly easy and you'll be out to 1K in no time. Getting there consistently will be a matter of refining and building on core skills that as I said are truly easy.

 

[Tempest 455]

Just my $.02 on this but worked for me. Get into shooting some F class matches. Lodi (in WI not too far from Milwaukee) has 600 and 1,000 yard matches. You could shoot the 6.5 Creed in F open. Shooting competitively will help with your wind calls, which will help for ELR.

 

[B-P-UU]

Head to a Border Wars match in WI next spring.. there will be plenty of gear to check out and guys willing to help out a new shooter

border wars rifle series

 

[secondofangle2]

Not to be a buzzkill, but this is the 1000+ forum. The best way to get past 1000, which is where things really start to get challenging, is to master the stuff inside 1000 yards (with thousands of rounds of practice) and learn and minimize the variables that are often overlooked under 1000 because they don't matter there: spin drift, sight height, scope correction factors, velocity variation, confirmation of BC and drops @ shorter and longer ranges, fundamentals of marksmanship and shooter stuff, ranging errors, ballistics programs idiosyncrasies, improper inputs, atmospherics (which can change by the minute or hour), wind calls, etc.

I wish I had spent more time with that stuff before I set up a 36" by 36" target at a mile and started slinging lead and wasting time and money trying to figure out what my novice errors were. I did that. A lot. Hindsight is 20/20.

Also agree that a weatherby mag is a lot to handle unless it weighs 20#. Indeed, I find that I can hit a 12" plate at 800 yards with my 223 and learn a lot more by shooting more and not dealing with recoil than I can taking the beating of my 338 at that range. It adds a very distracting recoil variable that makes it way harder for me to focus on all the other stuff

 

[brianf]

dont even worry about what rifle to by, go to a school first and foremost.
as long as you can put 3-5 rounds in 1" @ 100 yards your AR will be fine for a school or training.

most schools even have a few school guns for guys just like you.

dont get caught up on the latest and greatest bullet and caliber (although a 6.5 is a very nice round).
we were hitting little things at long distance for a long time already.

if you plan on making your own range out to approx 1000 in nice and warm florida, a 308 will do just fine as well.
contrary to new beliefs a 308 doesnt hit a force field at 999 yards and drop to the ground,. lol
plus the barrel life is minimum 2-3 times a 6.5, if you plan on shooting full time.

and in my opinion the fun part is learning, practicing and adjusting. if i wanted guaranteed tight groups at any distance i would shoot a caliber that is good for twice that distance...
shooting a round that is not even "trying" at a distance lets you get away with a lot of bad habits that show up when you stretch it out farther.
i know and have seen more than a few people that shoot little tiny groups at 100 but are a mess at 300 because their fundamentals are crappy

 

[Mr. Z]

I live in Lodi a couple miles from the Winnequah gun club. It’s a fantastic range, 1200m max with steel animal targets out to 600 and full electronic scoring. Downsides: somewhat rare public events and it’s hard to get a membership.
good luck

 

[mdmp5]

That Weatherby is a serious cartridge. Do you reload? You can put together some damn good ammo with something like a Berger 230 and it will haul ass. Don’t regret the purchase, just keep it and break it out on special occasions for the long shots. Just make sure you have a brake or can for that thing and you can mitigate the recoil.

However, you don’t need that much bang to get to 1k. As a couple others posted, work your way up to 1k and get proficient. Honestly, everything past around 500 can be quite challenging, depending on what caliber you are shooting. The 6.5 CM is the new 308, and probably not a bad place to start.