Originally Posted by slm9s
Originally Posted by Jordan Smith
You don’t need a bigger gun, you just need to keep practicing at a mile. The further you go, the more critical your wind reading skills become.

My .243AI/105AM has outshot a .338LapuaAI/300Scenar at a mile, due to shootability, familiarity with the load and DOPE, and the ability to easily spot shots through the scope due to much less concussive blast at the shot.


I could be wrong, but didn't you say "the ability to easily spot shots through the scope" when discussing shooting your .243AI/105AM at a mile?

Well yeah, in that particular instance. That phrase you quoted wasn't meant as a general statement for small bullets at a mile in any possible terrain. In the case I mentioned, and in that particular terrain, the splash from both bullets was easy to see. But the reduced recoil and blast made it physically easier to stay on the scope after the shot, and consequently spot the miss/hit with the .243AI. But more importantly, the increased blast from the .338LAI had a greater cumulative effect on the shooter's ability to place the bullet with precision than did the .243AI. I also had better DOPE for the .243AI than my friend did for his .338LapuaAI, due to round count and volume of shooting with the .243AI vs .338LAI.

Maybe this'll help clarify what I'm referring to. The 5 small splashes are from the .243AI. The 3 large ones are from the .338LAI.

[Linked Image]


Again, I'm not saying that the .243AI is a better 1-mile rifle than the .338LAI. I'm simply saying that there are more important factors to focus on for someone new to extended-range shooting, like learning to read and call the wind at that distance, than the size of the rifle/bullet. A 6.5 147 ELD at 3100fps is ballistically plenty competitive, and the 7WSM/180 ELD matches (or beats) the drift and drop numbers of the .338 Lapua with 300gr VLD or 285 ELD to at least a mile. The OP has a decent rifle for what he's doing. He just needs to do a bunch of shooting at his 1-mile plate to learn his DOPE and to read the wind at his locale.