I’m not a long range shooter. Quite the opposite. As someone who primarily shoots handguns (playing and training for self-defense), I practice shooting at bad breath distances up to, I dunno, 25 yards. I leave the option of moving towards the target on the proverbial table. Yes, I love my rifles. They make it a lot easier to hit things that are far away. But I don’t shoot at targets in the Kingdom Of Far, Far Away . . .

I lack the math skills, patience and all around OCD-edness needed to be a successful long-range shooter. That said, I have rung steel at 1000 yards – when someone else set-up the rifle, hand-loaded the ammo, zeroed the gun, doped the wind, aimed the rifle at the target, squeezed off a few rounds to made sure everything was as it should be and said “your turn.” Question: have you shot out to 1000 yards – and beyond? What’s the longest shot you’ve ever taken and hit the target?

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93 COMMENTS

  2. I once took a rabbit at 120 yards with the original sights on my old Winchester .22.

    With a scope . . . probably not much farther than that, because hunting in the Coast Range of Oregon, there just aren’t many long shots.

    • Not my longest, but a shot I’m proud of. A garden raiding groundhog on the run at 80 measured yards. With a factory stock ruger 10-22 and generic bulk 40 grain bullets. One shot.

      Longest measured shot I’ve taken is 600 yards on a marine corps range with an m14.

      Generally speaking marines are nucking futs. But they have way cool ranges.

    • I hunt the coast for elk and I’ve taken elk at over 300 and seen them shot all the way out to 900+, it all depends on how you hunt the country

      • Yup. One of my favorite places to go long range plinking is in the coast range. I’ve got a nice place that I can get shots out to a mile.

  3. A long-range shot in most of New England is 300 yards; longer than that and you’re probably shooting across state lines.

  5. 1700m. 1000m just isn’t hard. Anything closer than 500m is downright mundane from the prone. To make it more challenging I’ve taken to doing it standing up. When you can land shots at 1000m standing up, then you’re doing something interesting.

      • More than one miss in a row in prone fire means, to me, that you don’t have the skills (or maybe the gear) to pay the bills at the range you’re attempting. At any number of meters one miss is fine as long as it’s followed by one hit and that ratio is carried throughout the day. Taking 18 shots to hit once doesn’t spell skill or quality gear. It spells out that they were lobbing rounds at a target and accidentally hit one.

        • By all means, show ’em how it’s done. Post a video when you can hit a target at 2.25 miles. You can do whatever you like, as long as you’re not using guided missiles.

        • @Russ Who cares how my sense of humor is. That doesn’t stop me from being 100% right and you not having intelligent thing 1 to respond with. All you had was ad hominem. Way to suck at this.

          @Isaac I do regularly shoot up to 1 mile and I don’t miss twenty times to do it. I don’t shoot to 2.25 miles because there’s not a damned point in it. Your comment though shows that you don’t have the skills to pay the bills and that you’re only capable of being an agitating troll. Way to go. You made it to the same status as a mythological Norse being that was NEVER helpful to a person by exhibiting the same behaviour. You’re not a good ambassador of our community and I think you should consider switching sides.

  6. I’m a long range freak.
    2,000 yards on a 16″ gong. I won’t say how many rounds it took to hit it, but I hit it.
    Luck?… I was aiming at the target, pulled the trigger and hit the gong.
    I’m anxious to go farther!

  8. I’ve hit targets out to 300 meters, but my greatest shot was a 30-30 case at 100 yards with an open sighted .22 rifle. I fire one shot and hit it. I declined to shoot anymore that day for fear of demonstrating my real shooting abilities.

    • Sounds familiar. My best shot was a 9mm case at 25 yards, with a standard Henry lever-action .22. Called it and nailed it, right through the middle. I keep it on my bookshelf as a reminder of how awesome I was that one time (never mind the rest).

      Long-range…I don’t have a true long-range gun and haven’t tried to stretch my .30-30 beyond about 200 yards. But I can take out milk jugs at that range (through Skinner peep sights) if I do my job right, and I figure that’s good enough for now.

  10. A ground squirrel at 225+ yards with a .22LR out of a Ruger 10/22 with iron sights. I knew the range exactly because I could simply count off the towers on a pivot. I had to walk the shots in, because at that range, a .22LR starts having the trajectory of a rainbow.

    Best single shot on a target? Another ground squirrel at about the same range with a .17 HMR, off-hand. Once you’ve used a .17 HMR on ground squirrels, you’ll never go back to a .22LR.

    Putting lead on long-range targets with a high powered rifle with hand loaded ammo, good optics and some math skills is easy out to 800 yards. After that, additional factors start coming into play that require more math.

    • I agree, particularly with regard to wind doping. At 800 yards it matters little, at 1000 yards it decides which block of 5 targets you may hit. At least with .308, other cartridges may be different.

      • Years ago my wife and I were out on the range. The wind was gusting and she commented ” I love the wind, there’s something romantic about it.”
        I don’t think I spoke to her for a week.
        The wind is my inconstant nemesis.

        • It’s hilarious for Wyomingites when we listen to you Texans complain about wind and shooting.

          Next you’re going to be telling us how you had to once shovel 1″ of snow off your car “that one time” and the engine took 10 seconds to start on a winter morning and your Lucchese boots got water stained in the slush.

          When you get winds that make trap targets launch out of the trap house and then go straight up 50 feet as they go backwards over the trap house… gimme a call. We’ll be the ones sounding like South Park: “Shoot it Ned! It’s coming straight towards us!”

  11. I tried 1000 yards once…to discover my ammo was out of gas and tumbling at that range. Nevertheless, I did come close to my “man silhouette” target.

    I have hit at 600 with both that rifle and a much less “precise” system.

  12. 1000 yards, in a match using a scoped but otherwise inappropriate CZ full stock in 6.5 Swede. Four chickens in a row, otherwise not so good.

    Unscoped, 600 yards using National Match M-14s in USMC division matches.

    • The 6.5×55 is one of the most under-appreciated cartridges in history, IMO. It should rank up there as one of the best cartridges of all time.

      Why such a nation as Sweden (with their history of military non-involvement) developed such an incredibly useful cartridge is a puzzle. But there it is.

      The Swede Mausers are also of very high quality. The CG-63 and CG-80 rifles are exceptional.

  13. Fairly consistently, 500 yards with a .45-70 black powder cartridge rifle (Shiloh Sharps), with iron (peep) sights, off cross-sticks. Of course, the target were steel rams – about 3ft wide by 2.5 ft tall. And I will say, that 520 grain cast bullet (Lyman #457125) with 68gr of FFg powder does knock them down every time.

  14. Crow 426 yards, ruger mini-14.

    Deer standing 210 yards, moving 127 yard head shot, I have 2 witnesses(hunting partner and the neighbor), I dropped it about 3 yards from the property property line the neighbor wasn’t happy

    • Our side of the line, and the deer were shot with a fixed 3 power scope and the crow a 9 power setting.

      I also know a 44 mag ruger semi auto drops about 12 inches at 200 yardsand it takes a little while to get there.

  15. Long range is easy to practice here in the southwest. The California, Arizona, and Nevada deserts are perfect environments to practice.

    Just 3 days ago outside of Las Vegas:
    A 24″ gong at 1950 yards was my longest so far. After 2 fouling, sighter shots and adjustments on the glass, I managed 8/8 shots to finish the magazine.

  16. Do handguns count? I’ve shot the GP100 out to 100 yards a couple of times. 4 out of 6 on a 12″ target. With a little practice I could probably put all 6 in a 6″ circle.

    • Long shots with handguns are the most fun. My best is 6 out of 10 on a 10″ gong at 100 yards with a 2″ 38 snub.

      • It was my 6″ GP100 I shot at 100 but at closer ranges the 3″ Wiley Clapp I carry is every bit as accurate. I don’t quite consider a 3″ a snubby, but it would surprise most semi-auto shooters how accurate a snubby can be.

  17. Estimated 300 yards on an impala (no, not the car). The chap was nice enough to stand still after my first shot missed. Second one got him clean through the neck.

  20. Was hunting jack rabbits one time. This big jack jumped up in front of me and I blasted away at it with my single 20 ga. The rabbit never flinched, kept running, made a large half circle, and sat down about 200, or 250 yards. The little CS just sat there, doing nothing that I could see from that distance.
    Just for the hell of it I pulled out my 22 Ruger pistol, i didn’t think I could hit it, but would give it a shot (pun intended). Just as I was ready to squeeze of a shot, the rabbit keeled over.
    We went over to where he was and checked him out very carefully. There was absolutely no blood anywhere.
    We finally concluded that one of the shotgun pellets must have gone right up his bung hole, and did some internal damage, but kept him going just long enough to run a few hundred yards.

      • So, you have have been keeping track of me. Yeah, I’ve never thought of it that way, but now that you mention it, Christ, it’s in the same location exactly!
        Curse you, dam jackrabbit!

        • “So, you have have been keeping track of me.”

          You’ve been fairly open about it. Thanks for taking my comment in the spirit it was intended. 🙂

          I wouldn’t wish your condition on anyone, not a pleasant way to have to live…

          EDIT – Eh, there might be some I would wish that on…

          No one here, tho…

          🙂

        • Well, you know Geoff, I try and keep it on the light side (my comments) some folks here maybe think too light. but what the hell, we only go around once in life.

  21. 1000 yards with a National Match M1A, with iron sights, at the National Matches, Camp Perry. Without looking through the peep sight, I couldn’t see the target, even then I couldn’t read the target number, black on white, but I could read the white on black next to it. With 100 targets, doesn’t pay to not shoot at your own. Used a frame hold, that is put the entire target frame balanced on top of the front sight, which covered about 2/3 of the front sight blade. Long range is very challenging!

  22. I’m glad I saw that. My friend recommended me to them for some precision rifle work I need done. There prices were a little spendy so I was on the fence…but if u can build somethin that can hit that far, I’m sold!

  23. In combat, 833 meters. For fun I’ve gone to a mile on silhouettes a few times. But the best shot of my life was a standing shot on a Catalina ram at 170 yards with a bone stock Ruger Bisley Hunter 44magnum. Very high angle with Iron sights, and my first shot nailed him. Unfortunately I hit him too far back to kill him quickly. Fortunately it did jolt him hard enough that it made him fall off the cliff he was standing on, 60 feet down, killing him instantly.

  24. 330 yards on a prairie dog in North Dakota with an amazing cross wind. I also hit the 10 ring at 1000 meters using someone else’s 50BMG at NRA Whittington Center.

    • I love shooting prairie dogs out in Mandan. Just set up on a hill and shoot at every one that pops up. It’s like playing Whack-a-Mole. I can do it all day.

      Seeing them explode is so rewarding…

      • If I ever win the lottery, I’m going to design a rocket-based defence system usable by prairie dogs and donate ’em to towns throughout the Midwest.

        Should make things a tidge more interestin’…

  25. Longest with M16A2 and M249 – 800 yards at area targets. Longest at point target with M16A2 500 yards with M855 and peep sights. M240 out to 1000 yards? Longest with M2 – far away and can’t remember. Longest with M203 about 350 yards. Longest with Mk 19 – roughly 1500 yards. Longest hunting shot about 320 yards with .30-06 and Hornady 180 grain ammo.

    Had .308 set up out to 600 yards 2 years ago only to shoot a deer at 40 yards in a Wisconsin swamp. When I take long range guns I just get a hard time.

    Currently working on blowing out west hunt budget on an M1A, 2 mint Colt Pythons, and a Colt Kodiak stainless .44.

  27. Basketball size target 600 yards 18 bullseyes out of 20 attempts, open sights, shooting jacket, prone, random M16A2 pulled from the armory. 1992 Camp Pendleton Marine Corps National rifle match.

  28. I put a round right through a deer’s heart at 140 yards, which would not be all that spectacular except:
    (1) It was quartering away from me which meant I had to hit roughly in the middle of the deer.
    (2) It was walking at a brisk pace.

    By the way, that was a situation where the 3100 fps muzzle velocity of .270 Winchester was really nice … you only need about 5 inches of lead at 140 yards in that scenario.

  29. Rang a 2 foot steel gong at 947 yards w/ my Tikka in 30-06. There is not much more fun than hearing the bang of your rifle and then a few later hearing a faint clang of the round striking the plate. I was quite happy.

  30. 50 yards with a .22lr.

    Anything longer and I’m crossing property/village boundaries. Living in the city sucks.

    Outdoor ranges are 2+ hours away.

  32. My best long shot was a 1,000 yard hit (steel target) on the FIRST TRY with a Remington 7-mm Magnum. 😀

    I’ve also hit at 1,000 yds with a .308 Lapua and .50-cal Barrett. But, those had to be walked in with a spotter.

    All rifles borrowed (not mine). I was able to consistently hit the target at 500 yards with my own AR-15 (set up for “medium range”). That day was my one and only “long range” experience.

  33. 10 inch round steel at 417 yards with my AR-10 and an ACOG 3x, I was hitting 50%. I would love to do some real long range shooting.

  34. 200 yards although my rifle could shoot a lot further.
    80 yards on a groundhog with the bullets grouping the size of a dime in the neck.

  36. 1000yd shots at 2 different shooting facilities in my area. My first ever trigger pull on a 1000yd target resulted in a scoreable hit on an F class target. I felt pretty good about it…Ive heard rumors of a 2000yd “range” on a farm down east but I dont have any artillery suitable for that distance, yet.

  37. 100 yards with a stock 10/22 at a 9″ paper plate using sandbags.
    And the same 10/22 with sandbags 150 yards at a middle-of-it-shot-out metal “round” 2 out of 5 hit.

  40. This is ridiculous. Anyone can hit that target with 2 spotters and 18 shots. I would’ve been impressed if he hit it within the first 5 shots.

  41. Hmm…. it was maybe 500m or so; at least 3 rounds from a 6-8 round burst from my M2 hit the haji with a PK, who helpfully ignored the first couple rounds I sent which went a little high. The misses nailed a donkey-shed which was a known 1km out, and the berm PK-haji was humping ran parallel to the MSR at about half that distance. After that it was surprisingly easy to track a little and drop it on him, made even easier because he didn’t know or didn’t care that I was shooting at him, or he might’ve been a bit target-fixated by those big juicy white KBR trucks.
    So yeah, I’m gonna say 500m with an M2 on a free pintle, from a shitty 998 moving at around 25mph. After that, I stopped counting sillouette-hits made on those comfy 1-2km pop-up ranges back at Graf or Baumholder while using a T&E…..

  42. 500 yrds, Paris Island. m16a2.
    Have always wanted to go out longer, but finding a place to do so has not happened.

  43. Once took a buck at about 650 yards; that was of course blind luck with iron sights, even on a windless day.

  45. Numerous running jackrabbits at about 400 yards with a Browning .22 SAR, iron sights. Usually third shot, correcting aim from the dust kicked up.

  46. The wife came up with this analogy: “What they’re doing is basically throwing the hammer at the nail and they accidentally hit it after almost 20 tries. That’s not using the tool correctly. ”

    The reason for the great dispersal of the projectiles (over 2MOA) was that they were pushing them through supersonic, through the entire transonic region and into the subsonic region. That repeated change in flight dynamics regimes caused groups to open up and precision to go to the toilet. The max range of a precision long range rifle is where it will still hold sub-MOA groups, not where the bullets suddenly fall out of the damned sky.

  47. I like to take my 30.06 and pick off water filled kitty litter containers at 250 yds. But my best shot was a squirrel at 76 yds, according to my laser range measure, that was a perfect head shot with my Marlin .22 magnum… He was sitting up munching on a nut as I was sighting him in with a 3×9 Bushnell.

  48. 60 yards roughly – jack rabbit Palmdale desert in 1969 with a Ruger 10/22 about round 6 or 7 into the magazine. Rabbit was running away straight line AT about 2 o’clock diagonally from me. Lucky shot.

  49. 300 meters while qualifying with the M16A2 in days long ago with a lot younger eyes. 12 out of 12 at 100 yards with my Ruger .41 mag shooting across a chrony. My buddy next to me was spotting for me after he realized I actually hit the target. 8 out of 12 in 4 inch group high right. I was more surprised than he was.

  51. New Zealand, iron sights, 22 short, about 200 yards at a rabbit. I had to guess the final location because the sights covered the rabbit, sight the rabbit, lift the front a smidgen and squeeze. I don’t know if I hit the rabbit but he was gone. My guide said I hit it or got so close I scarred it away. I would have gone and looked but he wanted to move on.No double standards put the DC politicians on Obamacare and SS.Thanks for your support and vote.Pass the word. mrpresident2016.com

  53. I am in awe of those folks that can hit targets at 2K and 3K.

    Our local members range has small animal silhouettes at various distances out to 960 Yards (yes, just shy of 1K due to a hill).

    So:

    • Repeatable, consistent hits at 820Y with .223 (up to a light cross wind; after than my brain melts).

    • 960Y with .308 on larger silhouettes, about 50/50 on small silhouettes.

    • My oft-time favorite is slinging bulk (Wolf/Tula) steel-cased 7.62×39 out of my little CZ527 carbine at 550Y targets. I don’t know why it is just fun. Drop gets a bit crazy after that.

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