61chalk said:
I know the sights go up to 1200 yds.
I think they have competitions with them out to 1000 yds...the 30/06 travels far...Sgt. Hathcock with a bolt 30/06 had a confirmed in Vietnam of over a mile I believe.
61 Chalk sounds like a Ranger name!
Anyway, This is from Gunny Hathcock's own mouth,
Gunny Hathcock's best CONFIRMED kill was a hair over 1,200 yards, and it was with a .300 Win Mag in a 'Militarized' Winchester Model 70 with a Leatherwood ART 10X optic.
Unconfirmed kills at over 1,500 yards came later, but like I said (and he said),
"That's a "guestmate", since there weren't any reliable range finders back in those days,
And it wasn't like the north Vietnamese would let you measure it off!"
He later made shots at 1,000+ yards with an M-21 (National Match version of the M-14) with 10x Leatherwood ART optic on top.
He's also used Unertl optics and Leupold optics in both Viet Nam & Unnamed "Other Places"....
My guess would be Laos and Cambodia, & maybe Thailand, but who knows with the 'Cloke & Dagger' stuff that was going on back then...
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Second part,
I don't think there is a 'Boot' that can make reliable shots to 1,200 yards, but the rifle will certainly shoot that far!
Maximum range is like 1,800 yards, but I suspect the actual maximum distance is farther than that, some where around 1.25 to 1.5 miles for terminal ballistics...
Mine has Match grade barrel, 10X optics
(period specific Unertl scope and correct mount)
And it will bang out 24" groups at 1,000 yards all day long from rest,
And with good (modern) optics, you can get the groups down to about 15" with 'Good' ammo...
You will have to go with some bench grade handloads to get tighter groups than that,
And 15" groups at 1,000 yards will qualify you for Marine sniper today!
I'm not saying the CMP M-1's will do that by any means,
Many of the CMP rifles have CRAP for barrels, ill fitting bolts and all kinds of problems with the chambering/chambers,
but with good bolt, match grade barrel, and some other work to the rifle, it's good WAY out there!
If you want to take some of the kick out of yours, turn the gas down!
There are all kinds of aftermarket kits to keep the bolt from smacking the back of the receiver every time you fire!
Personally, I like the stainless steel versions that are made like the updated military versions.
They are TUNABLE for gas passage, and they look stock!
Work great, and are only about $60 or so....