Posted on Jan 7, 2024
An Official Journal Of The NRA | The Forgotten Factor
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Posted 11 mo ago
Responses: 3
Long range shooting, or precision shooting, is a very therapeutic activity.
My wife, who suffers from PTSD and uncontrolled anxiety, uses distance shooting as a way of getting outside of herself and refocusing on the simple mechanics of shooting. It allows her to step back and relax.
While she was not in the military, she did have a high stress job as a respiratory therapist for about 20 years.
The whole process of breathing, relaxing, sight alignment, trigger squeeze and relaxing has made a huge difference for her.
As for myself, I love the challenge. One of the things I miss, having moved from California to Georgia, is the open areas where I could shoot 600 - 1000 yards. It is very difficult to find a location close to me that you can do that here. However, that just means that I need to focus more on the basics of precision.
6.5 Creedmore is my current choice for precision, however, 308 will work as well. The biggest differences are cost, recoil, and availability. The cost is becoming less of a deal the last couple of years as the price of 6.5 has come down and 308 has gone up.
I've fired 338 Lapua. I appreciate it's long distance legs, however, I don't appreciate it's cost.
My wife, who suffers from PTSD and uncontrolled anxiety, uses distance shooting as a way of getting outside of herself and refocusing on the simple mechanics of shooting. It allows her to step back and relax.
While she was not in the military, she did have a high stress job as a respiratory therapist for about 20 years.
The whole process of breathing, relaxing, sight alignment, trigger squeeze and relaxing has made a huge difference for her.
As for myself, I love the challenge. One of the things I miss, having moved from California to Georgia, is the open areas where I could shoot 600 - 1000 yards. It is very difficult to find a location close to me that you can do that here. However, that just means that I need to focus more on the basics of precision.
6.5 Creedmore is my current choice for precision, however, 308 will work as well. The biggest differences are cost, recoil, and availability. The cost is becoming less of a deal the last couple of years as the price of 6.5 has come down and 308 has gone up.
I've fired 338 Lapua. I appreciate it's long distance legs, however, I don't appreciate it's cost.
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If I were wanting a long range shooter, it would have to be a .300 Mag or a .50 cal platform. I've fired them. The.338 is one I have zero experience with.
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SGT (Join to see)
This author discounts the .308. It's my favorite cal, in an AR platform. Half mile is a doable shot. Never had the opportunity to fire a 50BMG.
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Sgt Ed Allen
SGT (Join to see) - It depends on the purpose of the long range shooting.
If you are a sniper, you want a round that makes an impact at distance.
If you are a precision shooter, you want a round that flies true and hits the target.
The .308, although a fantastic general round, does not perform as well at distance. The 6.5 Creedmore will go much further and does not get pushed off course as easily as the 308.
.338 Lapua and 50 BMG are designed for even greater distance, but also have a much higher recoil factor. The .300 Win Mag also has high recoil, bug the 338 and 50 can go much further.
I've shot 1000 yards with a 308/7.62x51 Nato. You can see the bullet start dropping rapidly after about 800 yards. I still love to shoot it and can get some great groupings with the right load, but for precision shooting at distance, it doesn't have the legs that other rounds do.
If you are a sniper, you want a round that makes an impact at distance.
If you are a precision shooter, you want a round that flies true and hits the target.
The .308, although a fantastic general round, does not perform as well at distance. The 6.5 Creedmore will go much further and does not get pushed off course as easily as the 308.
.338 Lapua and 50 BMG are designed for even greater distance, but also have a much higher recoil factor. The .300 Win Mag also has high recoil, bug the 338 and 50 can go much further.
I've shot 1000 yards with a 308/7.62x51 Nato. You can see the bullet start dropping rapidly after about 800 yards. I still love to shoot it and can get some great groupings with the right load, but for precision shooting at distance, it doesn't have the legs that other rounds do.
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