long range

Since its introduction in 2007, Hornady has continued to hit the sweet spot among long-range shooters with the 6.5 Creedmoor. A modification of the .30 TC and ultimately an offspring of the .308 Win., the 6.5 Creedmoor is effective because it capably seats bullets with high sectional density and ballistic coefficients, which are remarkably adept at producing flat trajectories and handling the wind. The 6.5 is also popular among competition shooters because it successfully houses these long, sleek bullets in a case that still fits in standard AR-10-style magazines and short-action bolt guns. As a result, the cartridge has been popular in competition and among game hunters.

Until recent years, owning a high-end chassis rifle was restricted to those with an excess cash problem, as many such rifles easily hit and surpass the $10,000 mark. For the most part, these rifles — used in both Precision Rifle Series (PRS) competition and among hardcore long-range enthusiasts of all stripes — have been produced mostly by small manufacturers and custom shops, hence the crushing price tags often associated with them. 

At this year’s SHOT Show, “Sniper Jesus” told me the new NightForce ATACR 7-35X was the best deal going in optics. I have anxiously been wanting to put this to the test. I begged, borrowed, cajoled, harassed, and arguably stalked NightForce for a review sample. Arguably stalked is a loose interpretation or so my lawyer tells me.
Earlier this week a box arrived from Orofino. And you know what? It was absolutely worth the wait.

How do you tell if a riflescope is first or second focal plane?

When it comes to long-range competition, the automatic assumption is that you need a riflescope that’s equal or greater in cost to most people’s house payment in order to compete. While you can certainly go that route, there’s also a lot to be said about budget-friendly glass that’s still more than qualified to take on the benchmark 1,000-yard shot. A case in point is Nikon’s new Black X1000, a scope engineered from the ground up to tackle the precision rifle game.

Long range shooting is an expensive endeavor. A good rifle, nice scope and ancillary gear can easily set a marksman back several thousand dollars. Shooters on a budget, or those who want to get in a lot of training repetitions, may pick up a rifle that mimics their main long-range rifle relative to weight and feel, but that uses a less expensive round.

Since its introduction in 2007, the 6.5 Creedmoor has taken off like wildfire and Thompson Center (T/C) has delivered a rifle chambered in 6.5 that will go head to head with rifles a few weight classes above it. Thompson Center is one of the oldest names in American hunting. They’re known primarily for their muzzle loading guns that are without peer.

It seems like Savage rifles garner a love hate relationship with much of the shooting population. Some people love them because they’re an affordable rifle with features and a level of performance that hits well above their price point. Savage rifles are known for shooting exceptionally well while possessing a great adjustable trigger and a barrel nut system that makes barrel swaps relatively easy.

So how was it done? Walking around the 2017 SHOT Show, I vaguely remember seeing a device that could be snapped onto a scope that would immediately give an end user between 10 to 120 mils of elevation.