Had the pleasure of meeting another forum member yesterday (varmintsinc), and burning some powder together at long range.

Todd was shooting a 270 launching 140 gr Berger at 2950 fps. I was shooting a 308 launching 208 AMax at 2580 fps. Conditions were pretty nice. About 40F, 15 mph variable wind, 4600ft elevation.

We worked on targets from 331 yards, out to a little past 1 mile. Both rifles did well out to about 1200 considering the conditions, 1500 was a little tougher.

We managed to get a hit on a 12" rock at a little past a mile with the 308, after figuring out the wind hold, and a few near misses. I had 30 mils dialed into the erector on the SWFA 12X, and was holding 3 mils wind. Little good luck in there somewhere, but I'll take it.

I was shooting this old standby. Rem varmint 700, 308 Win, 1/12 twist, cut to 20.5". 208 Amax at 2580 fps via RL-17. SWFA 12X scope, 40-MOA Nightforce rail.

How are you liking the 12X? I just got one, haven't used it much.

I really like the 12X. Have it on a couple of rifles.

Seems to be a great balance of fov, magnification, brightness, and overall size for most of my LR shooting. Then it has 43 mils erector travel, that's great for LR.

I was using fixed 16X before, but prefer the SWFA 12X by a huge margin.

Still have a SWFA 16X on one of the 308s, but look to replace it eventually.

Thanks for posting this and the other taking the 30-06 out. I enjoy these kinds of threads.

Just curious, what range finder do you use to range out that far?

Terry,

I'm using a Leica CRF 1200, it's only good to about 1000 in bright sun, and I've hit 1300+ on a cloudy day.

One of my neighbors/shooting buds has a PLRF-10, it can reach out there well beyond a mile. I think it goes to 3000, maybe more. So some of the distances were already known.

I've used online mappers and GPS to measure some long stuff too.

Hmm where are all the naysayers and gaysayers about the glorious .270 on this thread

Mike

Awesome shooting. Makes me want to try a 12x super chicken.

Hey, given the love for 6x's - twice the power should be double as effective!

Used a 12x a good bit, never found lacking on long shots n smaller targets. Fov would be for closer shots on larger targets. Higher fixed powers IME had shortcomings. For field use.

The 140 Bergers in .277 may well be undervalued/underutilized - hint.

It was interesting shooting both chamberings/loads side-by-side. We had enough wind to make the wind drift/correction very visible.

The 270 had an MV advantage of about 370 fps, but the high BC on the 208 AMax really rode the wind better at all distances.

The 270 saved some elevation at all distances out to 1500. I think I was dialing about 3 more mils elevation on average, from about 900-1500.

Running some calcs in JBM, it looks like both of our bullets were retaining about 1520 fps at 1000 yards. The heavier bullet caused a visibly bigger splash way out there.

It was a great day of shooting with some very interesting phenomena.

My drop data was obtained on a flat range at sea level and I just plugged in the local altitude, weather etc. When shooting north across a deeper canyon at about 600-800 yards, rounds were impacting almost .5 mil high. We turned south shooting over multiple shallow canyons and impacts were exactly as the data predicted. My best guess is a vertical updraft but I have limited mountain experience. Even my hunting spots here in Central and Eastern Montana are over flat ground and I have not observed the differences in comeups. For me it was also a first that I was able to be in an environment where I could pivot 180 degrees from one target and have completely different wind conditions etc for new targets.

I did a lot of digging on the .270 and settled on the 140 Berger as the best balanced load past 600 yards (the Hornady 140 is also another sleeper) but I was consistently using .5-1.0 mil more of windage at the longer ranges vs the heavy .308. I know everyone likes to reach for the heavy slugs for long range stuff but I also run the 110TTSX at 3400fps and under 500 yards it is significantly flatter and better in the wind than anything else I can load in a .270, just some food for thought.

I also run a simple SWFA 3x9 with no parallax adjustments. Under 800 yards I keep it down at 6x so I can spot most of my hits which can be tough at times with a lighter rifle. It is mounted in a flat DNZ base and I only have about 12.5 mils of elevation left in the turret which takes me to 1200 yards. At one point I was using all 12.5 and still adding another 5 of hold to try to hit some of the targets he was pointing out. That is the farthest I have ever pushed the combo and data said I was going subsonic at the longest ranges. Also for what it is worth we were dialing from a called shot, back down to base zero and then dialing back up for the next shot. I did not see a single instance of dialed elevation not matching the needed elevation and no need to turn past the point and come back for an accurate comeup. The SWFA flat out work and there is a reason I pick them for every new rifle I set up.

I know we all like to think high tech and dedicated rigs for long range. With proper equipment selection you can build a capable hunting rig that will not break the bank to set it up or break your back to pack it up the mountain. My rig is under 8lb as pictured and I have about $1000 total into it. It might not fit the image of a long range rig but I have filled freezers with pigs taken from 20 feet to a little over 800 yards and there is nothing I would change about it.

Thanks again Shane, great day of shooting.

Excellent stuff gentlemen....

Couldn't agree more on the 12x SS... long been my personal favorite of the bunch, and always a great choice on lighter recoiling rigs where spotting hits is a bit easier.

.270 Win/140 Berger seems about equal to the .260/123s ballistically... which puts it in the wonderful 600yd gun class.... and it's pretty capable out to a grand.... but the wheels fall off quick. I dig the texture job on the Tikka, that's a pretty kick ass full-on hunting rifle man.

Nice write up Shane....how many rounds you got through the tube on your 308? I thinks there is something to be said for heavy bullets with a high BC in the wind.

I've never kept a round-count log, but this 308 probably has somewhere around 4000 rounds.

When we were out shooting this day, I was using some really old and tired Win brass that had been loaded almost exclusively with a Lee Collet die. No exaggeration it was loaded well over 20 times, probably closer to 30 times, and annealed a couple times.

I had recently pushed the brass through a Redding body die, and worked the brass near the web. Well, apparently the brass ahead of the web was getting really thin/brittle, as I had about 10 case-head separations, out of 43 rounds fired.

I tossed all of that lot of brass when I got home.

I did learn that pulling out the bolt and jamming a stick up into the chamber worked very well as a field-expedient broken shell extractor. A friction jam fit in the brass, and it pulled right out.

haha..I had to use the same extraction method with an SMLE 303.

I shoot 150gr bergers out of my 270wby..its a pretty capable duo.

I've shot a lot of 140 Bergers out of a .270 and can vouch for them on game. It's a good one.

No doubt BCs benefits grow w distance. Good report

I'm a novice LR shooter at best, but I would have thought 1-12 would not have stabilised that bullet.

Interesting info. Thanks.

Am just setting up a 308 Win for long range myself. Using 168g Amaxes. Might try your 208 Amax in my 1-12 barrel.

bobnob17,

It's definitely worth a try. I've tried a few 200+ gr bullets in the 1/12 and most of them did well.

208 Amax - consistent sub-moa
210 Berger - consistent sub moa
215 Berger - sub moa in 26" bbl, moa+ in 20" bbl
220 Sierra Matchking - consistent sub-moa
225 Hornady - consistent sub-moa


Shane

I'm an old LR HP shooter that always operated under that assumption too but MontanaMarine has long debunked that theory.

I have a buddy who shot a 12 twist M1a at 1000 yds and smk 190's very well.

I would still say as a general rule faster twist stabilize heavies better, BUT! I wouldn't go swapping out a barrel for a faster twist until you have tried it.

Hey varmitsinc, is that a t3 std contour in a mickey stock?

Southwind and Shane, thanks for the insight.

I've enjoyed wringing out this 308 so far. The heavy sleek bullets hold interest for sure if I can get them to shoot straight.

- Bob

Southwind that is a T3 lite in a BC stock. I had a BC and a Manners side by side and for me (Im sure someones head will explode at this) I could not justify the extra expense. I cannot honestly say what a Manners would do for me that the BC doesnt. My failure to read a wind correctly will have far more outcome in the field than any mechanical advantages a $700 stock might offer.

If you want some side by side photos of the BC with a OEM let me know.

I am not one to flog you over owning a B&C, I own 4 myself. All work well and fit well. I have some HS Precision and Micky's as well certainly can't find any fault in my B&C's

Funny, never had a game animal yet register a complaint about be harvested by a rifle with a B&C stock on it.

I do have a Tikka 338 win mag with a B&C too, fits beautifully and shoots lights out like all Tikkas I have shot.

I thought I could see checkering on your stock in the photo but it may just be my eyes.

Good shooting and take care.

Not checkering. Im a texturing fool with the devcon, cant help myself from doing it on every synthetic stock I have.

Close up of one stock

I like it! The whole rig looks good. Do you sand the original surface to prep for your devcon. Are you a krylon finish guy or do you use something else?

The stock is high tech krylon with sea sponges done by my kids. If I want to go high tech I will coat the whole thing with clear cerakote. The base rifle and scope and done in sniper grey cerakote.

Shane is my hero behind the .308, and I don't have many heroes. Always pushing the envelope of accepted thinking. A true pioneer. Shane what is your COAL with the 208s?

I'm loading the 208s to 3.05" OAL. They kiss lands at 3.08", but at that length a loaded round will not fully extract/eject without releasing the bolt.

If I push them down to 2.98" they will load and feed from the Wyatt's box, and still shoot ok, but a fair amount of compression and sometimes they will 'grow' especially if moly'd.

I just finished this rig in .308. Once I get her broken in, I'm gonna try to feed her some 208's.

Since one of the subject rifles here is a 270 Win., I will throw my hat in the ring. Just yesterday I took a fella out to shoot some LR, he had never done it before. I was shooting my Jon Beanland built 6.5 Creedmoor, but I let the new guy shoot my sons 270. It is built on a Rem 721 by Mike Bryant, trued and with a Hart barrel in an HS stock. I kept it all sporter weight as a pack-able hunting rifle, and for glass it just has the old tried and true SWFA fixed 10x42. No fancy Bergers in it either, just a plain old 140 NBT running right at 3000 fps. But it reaches out a grand just fine, even though the wind really starts playing with that NBT the further you push it. Out to 700-900 it shoots really nice though, the ranges it is intended for deer.

I really need to go apologize to that fellas wife, I think I just cost them some money. He had a real good time stretching that thing out.

Here is what it looks like.

Nice looking rigs, Grand and JTP.

I got a 1938 Atlas Craftsman 12x36 lathe when a friend died of a heart attack while hunting. I built a rifle with it.

1956 Winchester M70 action
22" PacNor lightweight taper barrel
Bordon Rimrock stock
Weaver Aluminum scope mounts
Medium Aluminum 4 screw rings
Leupold 2x7x33 scope
Stoney point knob
Harris HBLS 8.5" - 12.5" type S bipod
Butler Creek stretchy sling
Butler Creek objective cover
Dvorak instruments soft eye cover
_____________________
8.9 pounds unloaded

I killed (8) mule deer between 329 and 510 yards with that rifle.

tag for future reference.