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Let's talk long range shooting... #5984368 10/19/15 10:22 PM
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Hey guys,

I have been wanting to put together a great long range rifle 600-1000 yards. Not necessarily for taking those types of shots for hunting but more for targets and fun. Although, I would still use it for hunting.

I was thinking a:

7mm STW Magnum
Eliminator III, LasorScope 4-16x50
Shooting Hornady’s 162 grain SST

I'm not exactly sure about the scope until I get some more info on it but I figured some of you guys might have some opinions.

Thanks,
CM

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984378 10/19/15 10:37 PM
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any reason for the 7mm STW, there are a lot of calibers that are cheaper to shoot and have better barrel life for 600-1000? Ive always been interested in the STW calibers but I have no experience with them.

Last edited by San Antonio FJ; 10/20/15 12:33 AM.
Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984382 10/19/15 10:39 PM
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Ditch the scope, everything else sounds good.

I like the Vortex Viper PST for a budget friendly LR scope. I'd also change the caliber to a 6.5Creed, works great in those ranges and won't punish the shoulder.


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Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984389 10/19/15 10:44 PM
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I have heard that it has a short barrel life too. But I like it because hunters and anyone else who needs a flat-shooting, hard-hitting medium bore cartridge then this is it. As an upside, long, heavy-for-caliber bullets don’t drift as much in surging crosswinds. The STW may not be as popular as the 7mm Remington Magnum, but it is a long-range cartridge with few equals.

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: BigPig] #5984403 10/19/15 10:50 PM
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Originally Posted By: BigPig
I'd also change the caliber to a 6.5Creed, works great in those ranges and won't punish the shoulder.


But what about using the 6.5Creed for hunting?

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984441 10/19/15 11:19 PM
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Sounds like you already know everything and have a strong opinion of what you want

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984459 10/19/15 11:31 PM
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6.5 creed, 6.5x284 or 7mm would be great.


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Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984483 10/19/15 11:47 PM
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If you are new to it, don't start with a heavy recoiling cartridge like the 7 STW, the 6.5 Creedmoor will do everything you want it to do, and be easier on the shoulder and the wallet.

Skip that scope. Vortex Viper PST, Bushnell Elite, SS 5-20 are on the mid grade price range that will get the job done for many years to come. And for God's sake get Mil instead of MOA.

A 162 gr out of a 7 STW is making it a gelding. Focus more on BC and less on MV. 140 gr A-maxes or Berger VLDs will be the ticket in a 6.5 Creedmoor. And yes they will do a fine job hunting anything to 400 yards as well as shooting targets well beyond 1000 yards.


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Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984575 10/20/15 12:27 AM
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I hate to bring in another caliber but the 7-08 has really proven itself in my household. It is an excellent hunting round in the 140g bullet class at any reasonable distance. And has proven itself time and again at the range with a 1.062 group at 600 and solid hits at 1000 today. It is also noteworthy that the 140g 6.5s that were shooting today did not take the paint off the 1000 yard steel but the 162 Amax out of my 7-08 did a fine job of it.

Note the top right is a 6.5x47 and the other 4 are 7-08


Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984677 10/20/15 01:18 AM
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Sticking with the 7mm's, competitively speaking the 284 Win and 7mm RSAUM are winners. Also, as was previously noted... look to bigger BC's. Skip the 160 range and step up to a 180 with any of big 7mm's (including the STW). If you have the horsepower, and all of those 3 do, go with the heavier bullet. The first two are going to be easier to get to shoot better at long distance than the STW. If you chose to shoot a scope with an MOA reticle, the sky will not fall. You might even like it.

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Strongbad] #5984701 10/20/15 01:29 AM
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MOA sucks, and I will never relent.


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Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984728 10/20/15 01:38 AM
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Chunky,

The 7 STW is an outstanding choice for long range work, both target and hunting. It delivers high BC bullets at very respectable velocities. Heavy 7mm bullets are also great at helping cheat the wind at longer distances. There are great selections of loaded ammunition available from the light weight screamers to the heavy hitters. If you hand load for it the possiblilities are even greater.

There are a few caveats that go with the 7 STW though.
Factory ammunition will be more difficult to find and cost more than the more mainstream calibers. You probably won't be able to run to your local dealer and pick up a couple of boxes for $30 or $40. If you are going to hand load for it the brass can also be harder to find and again cost more than say the 7 Rem Mag.
Recoil may be a consideration also. Pushing a heavy bullet on top of 80 plus grains of H1000 is going to have a little kick to it.

You should also consider the rifle. For a 7 STW you will probably be looking at re-barreling an existing rifle or even a full custom from an experienced gunsmith.

Depending on your experience and long term goals, a good 6.5mm might be a better choice. They can deliver a high BC bullet at reasonable velocities and perform very well in the wind. Like a few others have mentioned the 6.5 Creedmore is a popular choice with the 6.5x47 Lapua and 6.5-284 being great choices also. There is very good availability of factory ammunition at reasonable prices for the Creedmore and 6.5-284. If you plan on hand loading then the Lapua becomes a great choice. They all work well for both targets and game animals. Even the venerable .308 can be a great choice for long range shooting. It uses moderate BC bullets at moderate velocities and really makes the shooter hone their skill.

As far as optics you will probably be much happier in the long run skipping the Burris and getting a Vortex, Bushnell or any of the other dozen scope available in that price range. The choice comes down to what you expect to do with the rifle/scope combination.
If you decide to dive into the deep end then you would probably want to look at Night Force, Schmidt & Bender, Vortex Razor or any of the other top end optics.
When shooting long and extended long ranges you will want to seperate the responsibilities of range finding and ballistic shot corrections away from the scope. The best long term choice is a very good rangefinder, an accurate ballistic computer and a solid, repeatable scope that you dial for your shooting solutions.

A good choice before you start buying and assembling a long range package is to shoot with some people that have similar goals. See what's working for them and take that into consideration before you start investing money into something that may or may not work for you.

In the end the choice is yours. There are people that slowly build their equipment into an effective long range system and others that jump straight in with top shelf components.

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: J.G.] #5984730 10/20/15 01:39 AM
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Originally Posted By: FiremanJG
MOA sucks, and I will never relent.

MOA is the only way to go aim

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984772 10/20/15 01:58 AM
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I shot a 7stw for years and eventually switched to a 300 win mag. Brass is hard to get as they are produced in limited runs by R&P and nosler. Reloading for the 7stw is pretty much the only choice as the loaded ammo where I am is hard to find. R&P brass was no good as I would get around 2 loads out of it before the primer pockets expanded and Nosler brass is expensive.

JMO on the caliber. Recoil is pretty close to the 300 win (maybe slightly more) but shooting any magnum rifle more than a few times without a brake will make you flinch...I dont care how many big bad [censored] keyboard gangsters say otherwise.

Last edited by fast88; 10/20/15 02:01 AM.
Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984848 10/20/15 02:27 AM
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Had a 7STW for a while and it had a break on it. Recoil wasn't bad but burning 84 grains of powder plus the break made muzzle blast pretty stout. While it did well to 600 yards (as far as I took it) I would not want to use it for lots of long range shooting. Burn 2X the powder as say a 6.5 Creedmoor is just one reason. You could think of the Creedmoor as a short version of the 6.5X55 which has been doing the job for over 120 years and still going.

If you are getting into the long range game get into reloading tuning a load to your rifle helps accuracy and with accuracy comes confidence.

The 7mm-08 and 284 Win that have been suggested will get out to your 1000 yards but you will need to reload them for the better bullets for long range (higher BC)

Scopes agree with the ones that have mentioned ditch the Burris and get a good dedicated rangefinder and good scope. One that is a little more but lots of scope for the $ is Bushnell tactical 3.5X21.

MOA or MIL doesn't matter to me both are effective if the person driving them knows how. For someone just learning them MIL might be easier to learn. FFO the marks for range and wind hold will be the correct markings for all magnification levels while SFP scopes are only accurate for advertised values at one magnification.


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Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984888 10/20/15 02:42 AM
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Thanks for the advice. What about the 26 Nosler?

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5984904 10/20/15 02:49 AM
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140 amax vs steel @ 1000 yards. Maybe a little tighter than those 162 amax as well

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: wp75169] #5984926 10/20/15 02:58 AM
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Originally Posted By: wp75169
I hate to bring in another caliber but the 7-08 has really proven itself in my household. It is an excellent hunting round in the 140g bullet class at any reasonable distance. And has proven itself time and again at the range with a 1.062 group at 600 and solid hits at 1000 today. It is also noteworthy that the 140g 6.5s that were shooting today did not take the paint off the 1000 yard steel but the 162 Amax out of my 7-08 did a fine job of it.

Note the top right is a 6.5x47 and the other 4 are 7-08




This is why I'm currently putting together an AR-10 in 7-08.

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: jeff1383] #5985018 10/20/15 03:55 AM
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Originally Posted By: jeff1383

140 amax vs steel @ 1000 yards. Maybe a little tighter than those 162 amax as well


That's for sure. But hey I'm quiet pleased with hitting the plate at all. That was my first 4 shots ever at that distance. I flat missed the 5th. I don't know that my abilities will ever allow it to tighten up much.

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: wp75169] #5985199 10/20/15 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted By: wp75169
Originally Posted By: jeff1383

140 amax vs steel @ 1000 yards. Maybe a little tighter than those 162 amax as well


That's for sure. But hey I'm quiet pleased with hitting the plate at all. That was my first 4 shots ever at that distance. I flat missed the 5th. I don't know that my abilities will ever allow it to tighten up much.

I'm just giving you a hard time.

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5985242 10/20/15 12:30 PM
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unless you reload stick with a common caliber like 6.5 Creedmoor..

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5985284 10/20/15 12:57 PM
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STW is a bit much for a beginner plus barrel life sucks and brass is impossible to find. Several other calibers in the 7mm or 6.5 will work just fine. I use a 6mm for my long range comp gun and it works just fine but does sacrifice barrel life a bit.

I would also recommend a different scope as well not that the one you listed wouldn't work but imo it trys to do too many things I'm one package and electronics break.


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Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: J.G.] #5985922 10/20/15 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted By: FiremanJG
If you are new to it, don't start with a heavy recoiling cartridge like the 7 STW, the 6.5 Creedmoor will do everything you want it to do, and be easier on the shoulder and the wallet.

Skip that scope. Vortex Viper PST, Bushnell Elite, SS 5-20 are on the mid grade price range that will get the job done for many years to come. And for God's sake get Mil instead of MOA.

A 162 gr out of a 7 STW is making it a gelding. Focus more on BC and less on MV. 140 gr A-maxes or Berger VLDs will be the ticket in a 6.5 Creedmoor. And yes they will do a fine job hunting anything to 400 yards as well as shooting targets well beyond 1000 yards.


This.

Take a class from him instead of letting a computer do everything for you. You'll be a better shooter for it because you'll understand ballistics better.

Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: tenyearsgone] #5985972 10/20/15 08:36 PM
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Thank you sir. yingyang


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Re: Let's talk long range shooting... [Re: Chunky Monkey] #5986314 10/21/15 12:22 AM
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Savage 10 in 308, topped off with Vortex Viper 4-16x44, Outback ammo, 165g



3 shots, 200 yards, the orange is a 1 inch dot...........nuf said



BTW, cant do that all the time lol

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