The 1,000 Yard Rifle

[jim10801]

I purchased a Accuracy International AT308 and have several additional barrels for it. The gun range where I have been a member for the last 30 years has a 100/200/300 yard (member only) range. It is only recently that I have traveled to a different gun club where they have a 600 yard range and a monthly shoot open to the public.
That is the reality. But the need/desire for the rifle capable of hitting the pie plate sized target at 1,000 yards certainly is appealing even though I have yet to fire a single round at that distance. That Accuracy International of mine is capable of that long distance shot, but I have yet to be tasked. I hope to get that opportunity this summer.
There must be others here who own the rifles for the 1,000+ yard shot but have not gone the distance?

 

[pmclaine]

What region of the country do you live in?

Up here in the NE land is at a premium but places exist if you will pay.

I take courses at the Sig Sauer Academy and couple training with accessing 1000 yards.

Precision shooting seems to be becoming more popular to me. Local ranges are expanding if they can. Granby, MA recently gained a 1K range and I hope to take a class there this June.

You may have to travel but Im sure you can find the distance.

 

[longshot2000]

I have a number of rifles. Each for certain distances. For 1,000 yrds, it is just between a reach for my 7.62 guns and a lay-up for my .300 WM. My go-to WM is a Mk-13 Mod 7 clone with a 26" Lilja barrel and a Stiller action on an AI chassis. Then I grab my Kestrel and go after the math. When you think about making each shot, and a pie tin is 12", you are talking over 1 MOA, so very do-able.

 

[FourT6and2]

What region of the country do you live in?

Up here in the NE land is at a premium but places exist if you will pay.

I take courses at the Sig Sauer Academy and couple training with accessing 1000 yards.

Precision shooting seems to be becoming more popular to me. Local ranges are expanding if they can. Granby, MA recently gained a 1K range and I hope to take a class there this June.

You may have to travel but Im sure you can find the distance.

I am from CT and visit there often. And in looking at the Granby range, it's pretty expensive. $200 to shoot there? Wow. I live in CA now, but I go back east to visit family sometimes. I've thought about bringing my rifle to shoot there. It's only an hour drive from me in CT. Do you know MA law by chance? Am I allowed to bring a bolt-action there and shoot at a range? I've done a Google search but most I can find seems to say you need an actual state license to do that...

 

[Raptor005]

1,000 yards is just the beginning... Once you hit 1,000, you're going to want to get to 1 mile.

 

[pmclaine]

I am from CT and visit there often. And in looking at the Granby range, it's pretty expensive. $200 to shoot there? Wow. I live in CA now, but I go back east to visit family sometimes. I've thought about bringing my rifle to shoot there. It's only an hour drive from me in CT. Do you know MA law by chance? Am I allowed to bring a bolt-action there and shoot at a range? I've done a Google search but most I can find seems to say you need an actual state license to do that...

Granby just increased. They are just coming on line and I think they will become a great attraction in the NE. Keep in mind $100 of the $200 is a one time fee. Your next years dues will be $100.

I live in the Boston area. I plan on joining at some point but at a three hour ride and my schedule I only picture being able to make it out there two times a year. Im hoping to use those two days this year talking a class at Granby so my dues/time are allotted for the class.

Granby has a qualification requirement so don't expect you can drop in and shoot 1K. Part of the perils of living in the congested NE, they are doing their due diligence to ensure nothing gets past the berm. That's good policy for our sport.

I try to know a little bit about MA Law. Ive been asked lots of times from people out of state what the deal is bringing guns into the state.

First don't do something that causes interaction with the law, obey traffic law. Don't put yourself in a position to find out how one individual guy interprets our stacked laws .

Two be in compliance with your own state laws. If you are a prohibited person in CT Im guessing you would be prohibited here.

Three secure the rifle properly for MA. Cased. Not in immediate availability of operator or passengers, trunk or locked tool box if possible, back seat at minimum, remove bolt, use trigger lock or action blocking cable device.

Four leave your concealed carry stuff at home, sorry.

Five carry some literature from the place you are going to - down load Granbys face sheet. If you are attending a qualification or event print out the page that shows the date/time of the event. Print out the information that shows the club is available for open use at certain times or get a contact for the club so if need be a call could be made to show it would be expected you can shoot there. There is an exemption to travel to or from a "range" your buddies land might not be as acceptable.

Our laws suck but they are not the worst. That might be CT. Still they stack, overlap, and are myriad.

Have a reasonable story and if interaction occurs hope for a reasonable officer. If you get stopped I don't think the first comment should be "I have a rifle in the trunk". If you get asked where your going say Granby MA. If you get asked what there say "Im participating in a range event/some target shooting". If you get asked if there is a gun in the car don't lie say "Yes, in the trunk" and make sure its in compliance with Two. Hopefully you get a gun guy that asks what you have and nods approvingly.


Note - So called "assault weapons" require a little more scrutiny. MA complies and carried over the 1994 ban. Our AG recently went full retard and stated the AWB to include "any copy". So she went beyond the evil features to include means of operation (exempting .22 caliber not realizing most "AWB" are .22 cal or that other legal firearms are gas operated). You can bring in an AR but be even more stringent with the points above.

See this link for more/better info.....

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbu...ion-or-hunting

I believe some of the posters are PO.

 

[FourT6and2]

I'm just trying to find out if I can even legally bring a bolt-action rifle into MA for the purpose of target shooting. I know I can transport THROUGH the state, thanks to FOPA. But I've been reading that you actually need a MA LTC to even bring a gun into the state to use there? As far as how to interact with a cop, I think I'm all good on that front lol. Man, I thought CA gun laws were crap. But it seems like New England has that market cornered. Ironic.

EDIT: I also see on the Granby range qualification form, they ask for your MA Firearms License number. So I think that kinda answers my question. I guess I'll leave my rifle at home. I can get out to 2,000 yards here in CA. But I figured it'd be fun to bring my nephew to the range (he lives in CT). And there are not long-distance ranges there.

 

[pmclaine]

I indicated that if you are going to "a shooting event" or a "range" you can bring your rifle to the event or formal range in MA. No MA Lic needed for long arms. If hunting you need the appropriate non resident hunting license and can hunt in state.

Shooters from VT shoot events at Granby. No license of any kind only a pulse.

Sorry my response must have been unclear. Bottom line is you can bring and shoot your guns in MA.

 

[anthonylapoint]

The between the lines for MA is that its acceptable to shoot matches and transport through but dont get caught with one otherwise. If youre visiting MA overnight and get caught, the rules change. When traveling through, the state sometimes like a heads up. Call the state police and tell them. Not completely necessary though. There is a 1 year temporary permit you can get and renew every year. Hard to find someone who can do the class with you. If you really need one, let me know and i can find you someone for a 1 year permit. No promises though.

I havent been to Granby but between Granby, Green Mountain and Dalton NH the New England prs is looking flush. Finally!!!!!

 

[FourT6and2]

Ok great, thanks for the clarification!

 

[XTR]

That may not be the case. There has been a lot of discussion recently that the way the MA law is written it requires that your state of residence have laws that meet the MA requirements, and nobody does. Some of the legal pro T2A types are advising that any travel to MA with out a MA license can result in a felony charge, and some of the states up here treat FOPA as an after the fact defense, you still get charged.

I'm living in New Hampshire these days, based on what I'm reading I will not be attending any matches in MA in the near future.

Good information on firearms in this godforsaken corner of the US can be found here:

 

[Greg Langelius *]

There must be others here who own the rifles for the 1,000+ yard shot but have not gone the distance?

I'm sure there are many, many here who fit this category. Honestly, what of it? I have yet to locate the really right place to shoot beyond 300m here in Southern Arizona since moving here last May, but I have several rifles which can reach the 1Kyd mark and further.

No matter; I will probably manage the trick before old age closes my book. Meanwhile, I do some back burner load development with a new bullet for my .260. have a new .308 to work up, and most of my training gets done with .223.

Somewhere in all of this, I also intend to make my back-of-the-cabinet Axis II .30-'06 hunter be all it can be.

I have a few years worth of regional 1000yd F-Open competitive shooting under my belt, and may be just a tad over the hill for resuming that in a serious manner. That won't stop me from trying.

My life these days is seldom driven in overdrive anymore. But shooting is still a key part of it. Our Granddaughter has moved down to live with us and has started down the path of competitive shooting and we have a shooting pit that reaches past 100yd within five minutes of where we live. Being her enabler is rapidly reshaping my own activities, and life has gotten even better for me.

On my own track, I have set myself s number of goals that equate to project rifles. Each rifle in my collection gets a serious round of load development, and then gets a reasonable stock of that load laid in for future reference. I still have a few left. The Savage 10FCM Scout 7.62x39 is becoming a very rewarding load development project. Work with the 110gr V-Max is done, and I'm moving on to the 110gr GMX. I see fun ahead.

Greg

 

[Nik H]

I'm just trying to find out if I can even legally bring a bolt-action rifle into MA for the purpose of target shooting. I know I can transport THROUGH the state, thanks to FOPA. But I've been reading that you actually need a MA LTC to even bring a gun into the state to use there? As far as how to interact with a cop, I think I'm all good on that front lol. Man, I thought CA gun laws were crap. But it seems like New England has that market cornered. Ironic.

EDIT: I also see on the Granby range qualification form, they ask for your MA Firearms License number. So I think that kinda answers my question. I guess I'll leave my rifle at home. I can get out to 2,000 yards here in CA. But I figured it'd be fun to bring my nephew to the range (he lives in CT). And there are not long-distance ranges there.

Yes you can bring your rifle and shoot in MA because it is a bolt action.

I shoot at a 500 yard range in Dartmouth, MA all the time. I also do some Appleseed events in MA. I am a RI resident and have never had an issue. I keep the rifle in a drag back with a lock on the zippers to keep it from opening. Bolt is removed. Rifle is in the trunk. Bullets are in the driver's compartment. I also have my membership card with me in case I am stopped. MA typically only cares about handguns or ARs.

There is nothing more to it than that. I also believe that the Granby requirement for a MA license is for handguns and not rifle. Rob the moderator shoots there a lot and is a CT resident as well. I would PM him

 

[FourT6and2]

Yes you can bring your rifle and shoot in MA because it is a bolt action.

I shoot at a 500 yard range in Dartmouth, MA all the time. I also do some Appleseed events in MA. I am a RI resident and have never had an issue. I keep the rifle in a drag back with a lock on the zippers to keep it from opening. Bolt is removed. Rifle is in the trunk. Bullets are in the driver's compartment. I also have my membership card with me in case I am stopped. MA typically only cares about handguns or ARs.

There is nothing more to it than that. I also believe that the Granby requirement for a MA license is for handguns and not rifle. Rob the moderator shoots there a lot and is a CT resident as well. I would PM him

Thanks for the info! Who is Rob the moderator? What's his screen name here?

 

[diverdon]

Thanks for the info! Who is Rob the moderator? What's his screen name here?

Rob01
Super Moderator

He is a good instructor. I took a course with Him, Tony, and Curt last year and learned a lot.

 

[spife7980]

Thanks for the info! Who is Rob the moderator? What's his screen name here?

Rob01

 

[Dirty D]

Where in CA do you live? There is LOTS of BLM land inland in SoCal.

I willl be making an offer on a house less than 2 miles from Ben Avery range in Phoenix within the next two weeks. There is BLM land 10 minutes from there where you can shoot out to two miles.

 

[FourT6and2]

Where in CA do you live? There is LOTS of BLM land inland in SoCal.

I willl be making an offer on a house less than 2 miles from Ben Avery range in Phoenix within the next two weeks. There is BLM land 10 minutes from there where you can shoot out to two miles.

Oh I know there's plenty of BLM land here. I've shot on it. Found some spots where you can get out to 2,000+ yards easy. Lots of others that are 1,000+. That's not the issue though. I was asking about shooting at a specific range in New England if/when I go back to visit family. I'd like to take my nephew and brother-in-law shooting. They live in CT. Other than that, my local range here in CA (San Francisco) is 1,000 yards. I hear Arizona is nice too!

 

[Mr_Happyface]

Shit, I have a mile rifle that I can only shoot at 1K!

If somebody knows of 1K+ in or near PA IM me!!

 

[FourT6and2]

Shit, I have a mile rifle that I can only shoot at 1K!

If somebody knows of 1K+ in or near PA IM me!!

Is there any BLM or national forest in PA?

 

[Nik H]

Oh I know there's plenty of BLM land here. I've shot on it. Found some spots where you can get out to 2,000+ yards easy. Lots of others that are 1,000+. That's not the issue though. I was asking about shooting at a specific range in New England if/when I go back to visit family. I'd like to take my nephew and brother-in-law shooting. They live in CT. Other than that, my local range here in CA (San Francisco) is 1,000 yards. I hear Arizona is nice too!

Where is there a 1,000 yard range in SF? I live part of every month in Sunnyvale. All I have found is 100 yard ranges

 

[domdoc]

Probably about anything you own will go 1000 yds. I went to qualify at 1000 yds once, and I didn't have enough elevation in the scope of my target rifle, so I got my Remington 721 out of the car and qualified with that, shooting .308 Win with Berger 185 hunting VLD's. Any 260 or 7mm should do it. A 260 shooting Berger or JLK 140 VLD's will be supersonic out to about 1200 yds without any effort, from a 22" barrel.

 

[FourT6and2]

Where is there a 1,000 yard range in SF? I live part of every month in Sunnyvale. All I have found is 100 yard ranges

Not "in" SF, haha. Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. The NCPPRC puts on monthly 1,000-yard and 600-yard "PRS style" matches. You're welcome to come play. It's a 2-hour drive, but once a month ain't bad.

 

[NotMalware]

I agree with domdoc, the scope is the critical factor for getting out to 1000yds or so. The rifle will certainly do the job, but unless you want to walk it on you need accurate adjustments.

 

[Centuriator]

Asymmetric Solutions in Farmington, Missouri has two rifle ranges, one out to 750 yards, the other out to 2200 yards.

Their Florida facility has a rifle range out to 1600 yards.

FWIW

 

[Nik H]

Not "in" SF, haha. Sacramento Valley Shooting Center. The NCPPRC puts on monthly 1,000-yard and 600-yard "PRS style" matches. You're welcome to come play. It's a 2-hour drive, but once a month ain't bad.

OK

I know about that one but that is a heck of a drive

 

[FourT6and2]

OK

I know about that one but that is a heck of a drive

Well, not much else you can do unless you reeeeaaaally love shooting at 100 yards all the time.

 

[Nik H]

Going to buy a 2nd Annie to keep here. 100 yards will work