I reach for your knowledge one more time!

I have a .300 Weatherby Magnum. Looking to shoot 500 - 750 yards and maybe further in the future....

Looking for recommendation on scopes and ammo... and any other advise that you might have on this weapon... Thanks in advance!

Scope: I'd recommend a MIL reticle and MIL turrets. There are lots of choices out there but don't scrimp on your optics. I have a very nice .308 and I have more invested in the base, rings, and scope than what I spent on the original price of the rifle. You will probably need a 20 MOA base to allow your elevation turret to have enough vertical travel to get to 750. There are plenty of ballistic calculators that will output your trajectory in MILs and, in my experience, produce a very solid starting point. The only way to acheive reliable dope is to test your scope adjustments in real world shooting at various ranges. Having a fine duplex significantly impair your ability to graph your shot in the reticle. I believe the prevailing wind is to dial elevation and hold for wind. That's the way I and many others do it.

Ammo: The best thing to do is load it your self. You can tailor load combinations that work best with your rifle. You're going to need a bullet with the highest Ballistic Coefficent as possible. In case you don't know the BC is, in simple terms, how aerodynamic the bullet is which will translate into sustained velocity at distance. The higher the BC the better. And you're going to need one that is .5 or greater to reach 750 yds. Easily attainable with that much powder.

This can be a long road ahead, don't expect to be able to send a round accuratly that far on your first day. It is something to work up to.

A thin reticle

VX3L w/ B&C ret. & 180gr ABs

what make and model rifle did you get?

Mark V....

I need to do some research on my "MIL reticle and MIL turrets".... not familiar with the terms...

I would get a Swarovski Z6 5x30 power scope with turrets. Talk to these guys about your rifle, caliber and the ammo you want to shoot ask their recommendations and have them make you a sample pack box of 4 different loads to shoot a group with to see what your rifle likes. http://www.superiorammo.com/

Nightforce seems to be a pretty universal choice for price/performance.

I've had great luck with Leupold Mark 4 LRTs and I have a Mark 4 PR that has been great as well.

As far as power I wouldn't go any lower than a 3.5x10 and preferably a 4.5x14 if you are hunting. For target shooting I'd get the highest power you can afford. My Son's .308 had a VX-III 2.5x8 mounted on it and he could knock 12" plates down all day long at 500 yards. It had one of those cheap stoney point turrets on the elevation dial and it worked ok, though not ideal. His rifle is now wearing a 4.5x14 because I robbed the little 2.5x8 and mounted on my 10/22.

.

Is this going to be a range gun or hunting rifle as well. Your reticle based on my statement can change and save you money over a true milling reticle

Mainly hunting...

What does MOA stand for? I am totally oblivious to long distance shooting or scopes in general... mainly a archery hunter!!!

MOA stands for "minute of angle". The rough calculation is 1" at 100 yds. Since it is an angle, that increase over distance. Again rough rounded off calculations are 2" @ 200yds., 3" @ 300yds., etc.

A rifle that shoots MOA is great for hunting, since most shots are less than 500yds.= 5" grouping. The rifle/round combo is still in the vitals.

Once you go longer and start getting into target competition, you want better. A rife that shoots 7" group at 700yds is still impressive, but you probably won't be winning any trophies, especially when you throw the human factor in there.

MOA stands for minute of angle and MIL stands for milr-adian, they are measurements used for trajectory. http://www.perry-systems.com/exbal_topics.htm

Are you using a rangefinder in the field?

I have a nightforce for sale with rings if you are interested in it but it does not have a ranging reticle.

http://www.bushnell.com/products/scopes/riflescopes/eliteTactical/ET3124F/

This is what I'm running on my .308 It has killed deer and scored points at rifle matches out to 1000 yards with no problem returning to zero. I was going to save for a Night
Force until I read the reviews for this scope. It was half the price of the Night Force and had every feature exept for zero stop and high speed turrets. Two features that are easy to live without.

Has anyone have/heard anything about this scope... Saw these guys at a hunting expo and seen there show a couple times on Tv. They've made some good shots.
http://huskemawoptics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=23

also heres a question... Watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TBkQQESGPc&feature=player_embedded#at=44



My question is, if the wind was blow 20 mph instead of 10mph you would hold it over four hash marks?

Swarvoski long range scope... On the ammo check out berger bullets check out the best of the west berger has long range ammo to the next level I shoot them 600 yards hold tight group I as well have a 300 wby..

Correct me if I'm wrong. They build a turret for your rifle/ load combination?

Do they base this on the load data you send to them including station pressure or altitude, temp, and relative humidity? What happens when you zero a rifle at say 500' elevation and then go use it at 3500' elevation and your dope is all wrong at the second location? I came up with those numbers because that is exactly the situation I'm in with my .22-250 that was zeroed in Collin County and will be used extensively in the NW corner of the panhandle.

This is why I, and thousands of other shooters, are a proponent of a MIL reticle. I have dope for Collin County and dope for where I'm going in 10 days because I input the load data into a reliable ballistic calculator and it gives me trajectory for 500' and 3500' elev. in MILs. The same can be done in MOA if that is your preference.

We have had Very good luck with 180 gr. Barnes triple shock. Several Elk in New Mexico have been harvested from 175yds. to 495yds. ONE shot hits, no tracking! 300 Wby.

You have to ask yourself 3 questions. 1) Is my equipment capable of making the shot. 2) Can I make the shot even with good equipment. 3) Do I have enough field experience to make all the adjustments necessary such as altitude, declination, temperature, wind, weather etc. Here are the sobering stats. The number of people who can hit a 12 inch bull with consistency and proper equipment from a cold barrel at a known distance of 300 meters under field conditions has been estimated at about 10%. Every 100 meters that number is cut by 50%. By 500 meters that number is 1 in every 400 and that's with a known distance. Beyond 500 meters you're in the realm of the military sniper. At 700 meters the number is 1 in 1600. You can easily double that under unknown distance and field conditions so you're in the range of 1 in 4000 shooters and that's probably a minimum. The majority of people who can do this are already in some form of distance competition or have had or are active military. They shoot all the time and have done so for years. Something to think about.