The Gun Digest Book of Long-Range Shooting

464 Pages·2007·24.37 MB·English

by  Lp Brezny

The Gun Digest® Book of
LONG-RANGE
SHOOTING
L.P. Brezny
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©2007 L. P. Brezny
Published by
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All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
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system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief
passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically
transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.
NOTE: The reloading data cited in this book is presented for informational purposes only. The author and
Krause Publications specifically disavow any responsibility for the actual use of such data and recommend
that the reader consult reloading tables published by reputable loading component manufacturers.
Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2006935752
ISBN-13: 978-0-89689471-6
ISBN-10: 0-89689-471-1
eISBN: 978-1-44022-428-7
Designed by Paul Birling
Edited by Derrek Sigler Printed in United States of America
To
My wife Colleen
It takes special understanding to live life around a gun writer and
outdoorsman.
Ross Metzger
My friend and teacher in a complicated subjects dealing with ballistics.
He never failed to be there for help and assistance over these many
years.
Jim Korzenowski
1943-2005
RIP
When I was about to give up the search for better ideas in ballistics my
good friend pushed me on. Thanks, Jimmy.
The shooting sports industry
Without their continued support over these many years, little would
have been gained by this writer.
My readers
The most important folks out there in the world of shooting. Without
you, there would be no industry – or anything to write about!

The Gun Digest® Book of
LONG-RANGE SHOOTING
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Special Offers
Chapter 1: An Overview of Long Range Shooting
Chapter 2: Getting Started
Chapter 3: Selecting a Long-Range Cartridge
Chapter 4: Barrels, Triggers and Other Stuff
Chapter 5: Applied Physics and the Rule of 400
Chapter 6: Light Rifles and Cartridges
Chapter 7: A Rest is Best: Cross-Wind Shooting
Chapter 8: Ranging for Accuracy
Chapter 9: Big Rifles and Long Shots
Chapter 10: Practice Makes Perfect
Chapter 11: Basic Ballistics for Long-Range Shooters
Chapter 12: Handloads
Chapter 13: Where to Shoot Long-Range
Chapter 14: Bullet Performance:
The Business End of Long-Range Shooting
Chapter 15: Exotic Long-Range Shooting Systems
Chapter 16: Conclusion
Appendix I: Maintaining for Accuracy
Appendix II: Resources for the Long-Range Shooter
Chapter 1
An Overview of
Long-Range Shooting
It was 1964 when the box arrived from the NRA DCM program. That was a
program that allowed members of the NRA to buy up military surplus rifles for
as little as a 10-dollar bill. My brand new, soaked-in-grease Springfield that had
been manufactured in the Remington Arms plant in 1944 had arrived. The rifle
was the Springfield 30-06/03 series two-groover. That meant it had been
manufactured using a less costly and time-consuming two-groove rifling system
that had been found to produce good accuracy, at least in terms of hunting the
enemy during WWII. These Springfield’s had been turned into effective sniper
rifles for the task of reaching long-range pill box targets in the island wars of the
Pacific, or taking on a German bell tower artillery spotter in a small French town
on the other side of the world.
Stripping the military stock, turning back the bolt handle, and removing the
iron sights was a start toward this rifle’s life as a reworked centerfire long-range
rifle. With the help of the Herter’s company, a stock blank with enough wood to
allow me to carve a wide, beaver-tail forend was purchased out of the original
Waseka, Minnesota store’s budget box. A pound of fiberglass bedding
compound, sling studs, and a recoil pad finished off the deal.