Okay, this is my first post after MANY years of lurking quietly and listening to people with much more experience than my own, but I had so much fun at the range today that I just had to share.
Firstly, I have never shot at 200 yards before. My best (former marine) friend and I went to the range for a day of shooting. The wind was mostly at our backs and a little to our left and gusting up to 20 mph. We tried to wait between gusts to shoot. We shot seated but could have shot prone and I wish I had. Using a 4-14 sight, all of my shots with the M1a landed within a ten inch circle but diagonally in a two inch wide strip low at the right and high at the left. The day before I went to Bass Pro and sighted in at the underground range. With no wind I was able to get a 1 inch 5 rd group. Scott, my friend felt it was wind. I am not sure if it was wind or poor trigger technique. LOADS of fun. The wind really slowed down the use of ammunition. It took two hours to shoot 40 rounds.
I was shooting "American Tactical" ammo. It does not like the M1a and I had many, many failures to feed. I don't hate the ammo...it just gives me brass to reload.
I shot ten rounds through the iron factory sights. Surprisingly I was able consistently to hit clay pigeons on the ground at 200 yds....that was a heck of a lot of fun! I gained a lot of trust in the iron sights and would not hesitate to shoot a deer out to 200 yds with iron sights as long as i had pretested the point of impact of the bullet brand in advance.
I also shot my mak 90....with open sights at 200yds. I was surprised at how comfortably it shot. All of the stories I heard may not be true. I grant it isn't a tack driver but I was able to keep 10/10 shots within a pie plate. And the trigger feel on it is superior to my M1A...very easy to squeeze off. That really took me by surprise. I have put many rounds through it at closer ranges at soda cans, but none out that far.
All and all it was a great day at the range with my best friend. He sighted his Garand and .223 and I realized how much more skill it takes to go farther out. I won't get a chance to shoot again for many months but I hope to do MUCH more 200-300 yard range shooting sometime in the future.
Firstly, I have never shot at 200 yards before. My best (former marine) friend and I went to the range for a day of shooting. The wind was mostly at our backs and a little to our left and gusting up to 20 mph. We tried to wait between gusts to shoot. We shot seated but could have shot prone and I wish I had. Using a 4-14 sight, all of my shots with the M1a landed within a ten inch circle but diagonally in a two inch wide strip low at the right and high at the left. The day before I went to Bass Pro and sighted in at the underground range. With no wind I was able to get a 1 inch 5 rd group. Scott, my friend felt it was wind. I am not sure if it was wind or poor trigger technique. LOADS of fun. The wind really slowed down the use of ammunition. It took two hours to shoot 40 rounds.
I was shooting "American Tactical" ammo. It does not like the M1a and I had many, many failures to feed. I don't hate the ammo...it just gives me brass to reload.
I shot ten rounds through the iron factory sights. Surprisingly I was able consistently to hit clay pigeons on the ground at 200 yds....that was a heck of a lot of fun! I gained a lot of trust in the iron sights and would not hesitate to shoot a deer out to 200 yds with iron sights as long as i had pretested the point of impact of the bullet brand in advance.
I also shot my mak 90....with open sights at 200yds. I was surprised at how comfortably it shot. All of the stories I heard may not be true. I grant it isn't a tack driver but I was able to keep 10/10 shots within a pie plate. And the trigger feel on it is superior to my M1A...very easy to squeeze off. That really took me by surprise. I have put many rounds through it at closer ranges at soda cans, but none out that far.
All and all it was a great day at the range with my best friend. He sighted his Garand and .223 and I realized how much more skill it takes to go farther out. I won't get a chance to shoot again for many months but I hope to do MUCH more 200-300 yard range shooting sometime in the future.
The center group if you want to call it that...was twenty rounds shot at 100 yds from prone position and sandbags shooting turkish ammo "American Tactical." I honestly thought I had broken a scope mount! I had some of my handloads with me...the group on the lower right is 14 rounds of handloads with a flier that was the first shot high and to the left. unbelievable difference. :banghead: Not sure what to do with the approx 400 rds of turkish ammo I have left...I bought it for the brass to reload, but it isn't fun to shoot groups like that first one!
