"Not in an open forum, where truth has less value than opinions, where all opinions are equally welcome regardless of their origins, rationale, inanity, or truth, where opinions are neither of equal value nor decisive." Ken Howell
Here is a master rifleman. Dave Gullo is multi-time World and National Creedmoor champion with cartridge and muzzleloading rifles. Although this is billed as the world's longest rifle shot, it is not. But Dave might well be the world's greatest shot. Anyway, this is what long range shooting is all about.
By the by, Dave is also a really nice guy - which sort of matters in my book.
Here is a master rifleman. Dave Gullo is multi-time World and National Creedmoor champion with cartridge and muzzleloading rifles. Although this is billed as the world's longest rifle shot, it is not. But Dave might well be the world's greatest shot. Anyway, this is what long range shooting is all about.
By the by, Dave is also a really nice guy - which sort of matters in my book.
Great video. What is he shooting?
First smart a$$ to say a big white steel buffalo gets a cyber slapping.
Here is a master rifleman. Dave Gullo is multi-time World and National Creedmoor champion with cartridge and muzzleloading rifles. Although this is billed as the world's longest rifle shot, it is not. But Dave might well be the world's greatest shot. Anyway, this is what long range shooting is all about.
By the by, Dave is also a really nice guy - which sort of matters in my book.
Seriously impressive stuff. Hey B, totally different question (sorry), but you'd mentioned once the option of getting some high-end sights on my old '94 in (what else) .30-30. Assuming the sky's the limit, what kind of accuracy and out to how far (I realize fully that shooter, conditions, rifle, loads, wind, the price of pork bellies, etc.) will figure in, but ballpark, what kind of magic would it take to have quality sights on my old lever gun, please?
Also, just for S&G, what distances do folks like you and Jim feel 100% comfortable with, in HUNTING situations (assume perfect conditions) with your old Sharp/other hammers?
I know you thumped a lot of big plains game with one of yours. Were you pleased with how your rifle performed? This last one maybe a dumb question...
Great video. What is he shooting? First smart a$$ to say a big white steel buffalo gets a cyber slapping.
Black steel plate actually. The white steel buffalo was hiding behind it (tricky bastard)
The rifle is an original Sharps Borchardt also known as that Sharps 1878. The rifle has almost certainly been rebarreled, but I can't say that for certain. The chambering is either .45-90 or, more likely, .45-100 (aka .45 2.6").
KG San, no magic, just $$. An aperture sight is just a hole, supported by an adjustable shaft. One advantage over the simple barrel sight is the extra radius that contributes to the accuracy package - just trig.
The tang mounted sights used on serious long range single shots don't come cheap, ballpark $400-500. However, it would be pretty pointless to install such a sight on a lever action. A good tang peep sight like a Marbles or old Lyman would fit quite nicely.
BTW, Dave Gullo is the honcho of Buffalo Arms, or BACO, and their catalog is the wish book for all sorts of arms and accessories in the BPCR game, not exclusively single shots. He offers several types and brands of sights. Good source of loading supplies too, including brass in uncommon calibers.
Paul
Last edited by Paul39; 05/16/12. Reason: spelling honcho
Stupidity has its way, while its cousin, evil, runs rampant.
Leighton, Your .30-30 with good sights is easily a 200 yds rifle. With work and practice and so forth, probably 300 yds is very doable in hunting conditions. But I don't have much experience with lever rifles - just bought my first this winter. And the .30-30 is so new-fangled, that I just don't know much about it other than it is whiz-bang fast and shoots like a laser!
Compared to the stuff I know.
The furthest that I have killed anything is 260 yds. An antelope buck. I've killed a bunch of stuff over 200 but not over the 260 mark. Performance is fine and ballistically, it would be more than adequate for deer or elk at 1000. But there are a few things that come into play besides the killing power of the bullet at long range.
With the trajectory of my cartridges, small errors in estimating range make huge effects on the point of impact. Even air density (esp caused by elevation) make substantial effects on point of impact. So, if my rifles and sight tables are set in Iowa at 1000 ft elevation, they will be considerably off at 7000 ft or more in Wyoming.
Of course, I could (and often do) use range finders and the elevation thing can be dealt with pretty well in advance too. And estimating wind effects is doable with practice for considerable distances.
But for me, the outer limit that I have set for myself is 300 yds. It is a combination of several things. 1. How far can I estimate distances in all types of terrain w/o a laser? For me, that is 300 yds. Beyond that distance my estimation abilities, even after considerable practice, decline amazingly fast, misestimating by even 10 yds will be enough to miss a kill zone easily. And, as distance increases, due to the accelerating bullet drop, ranges must be estimated even more accurately for the same accuracy on the target.
2. Beyond 300, my abilities to estimate wind issues can be spotty. Of course the wind is often not an issue, esp. late and early in the day, but still, wind effects can't be ignored.
3. Time of flight. You might notice the delay in the video between Dave's shot and the bullet hitting the target. That is real. At 1000 yds, the time of flight is 3.5 seconds. Dave was shooting 1123 yds in that video. It is very easy to shoot and the roll over to spotting scope and see the bullet arrive. We do this all the time, even when shooting steel rams (500 m) or turkeys (385 m). Most folks don't think much about this issue but it matters. For my bullets, it takes about 3/4 of a second for the bullet to travel from muzzle to target at 300 yds. At 400 yds, the time of flight is over 1 second. Add to that lock time, reflex time, etc, and you end up with a whole lot of time between the moment my brain gives me the green light to make the shot and when the bullet hits. A lot of time for an animal to unpredictably change its position. So, in the end, this arbitrary distance and its attending time issue is where I draw the line in the sand as the longest ethical shot on game with my sorts of rifles. No amount of practice or calculation can shorten the time the bullet is in the air.
However, it would be pretty pointless to install such a sight on a lever action.
I respectfully disagree.
We shoot our leverguns out to 1200 yards with Montana Vintage Arms sights on Marlin 1895 (45-70) and Marlin 336 Cowboy (38-55) on targets you can barely see.
Here's the guy (and my friend, we share the YT channel) in the OP's original video doing a 1,000 yard OFFHAND shot at 1,000 yards (cuz it got a little boring regularly doing it off the sticks...)the target was 20" wide by 32 inches tall.
There ain't many that can do that. He did it again (2 for 5) off camera and the misses would have had you changing your drawers had you been downrange.
