Long range shooting

Long range shooting
Highest governing body International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA)
Nicknames Long range
Characteristics
Equipment Rifle
Venue Shooting range or in the terrain
Presence
Olympic No
World Championships Yes
Paralympic No
BCM Europearms F Class is a rifle designed for F-Class long range competitions.
Modern military snipers are often skilled at long range shooting. Behind the shooter lies a spotter, looking for the bullet impact and suggesting adjustments. Teams of spotters and shooters are often used in both civilian and military shooting.

Long range shooting is a collective term for shooting disciplines where the shooter has to engage targets at such long distances that he has to calculate ballistics, especially in regards to wind. While shooting at shorter or "regular" ranges, one usually has to adjust the sights only in regards to gravity (which is constant) but, when the range is extended, wind drift will be the first factor affecting precision to the extent that it must be taken into account. Some would argue that long range shooting starts where assessment of wind, distance, and various atmospheric conditions are equally important for the results as pure shooting skills - meaning that even if one conducts a technically perfect shot, the shooter will miss the target because of incorrect calculations, or forgetting to take some element into consideration. It is widely accepted within interdisciplinary circles that long range means the target is more than 600 yards or meters away, while extreme long range is generally accepted as the target distance is more than 1000 yards or meters away from the shooter.

There are several competitive match circuits that typically consist of targets at long range. Bench rest is often 600 and 1000 yard events, F Class is typically the same with 600 and 1000 yard matches in the Midwest US. A growing form of interdisciplinary shooting, becoming known as Practical Precision, places targets at virtually any distance from 200-2000 yards/ meters and the scoring is hit/ miss on steel targets of various sizes and from various positions (standing, kneeling, prone) This type of match is quickly becoming more popular than F Class.

Few complete resources exist for teaching the art of shooting long ranges but there are some dedicated resources and organizations with education a primary goal.

Defining "long range"

The distances normally considered to be "long range" is caliber dependent, and long range may be defined as stretching the distance which the firearm and ammunition is capable of making consistent hits. Generally some may claim that for the .22 LR cartridge any distances over 100 meters (109 yards) is considered long range. For centerfire intermediate rifle calibers, some might say that everything over 300 to 400 m is considered long range, while some may claim that long range "starts" at 500 m. At the longer ranges the bullets will have a long flight time, and on days with good weather conditions one can spot the bullets spinning through the air. Some believe you really get "the feel" of long range shooting when you have time to see the bullet fly towards the target, and then dive below or swing past, just when you were sure you would hit it. Weather conditions may also affect what is considered long range for a given firearm configuration. For instance a professional shooter may be able to repeatably hit a given size target, i.e. a 100 mm ring, at 1000 meters (0.1 mil) in low and predictable wind, while the same 100 mm target may be near impossible to hit in heavy and varying wind at 200 meters (0.5 mil).

Calculation of trajectory

To succeed at long range shooting, one must have good shooting skill fundamentals, a rifle with good precision and as consistent ammunition as possible (mainly to achieve a consistent muzzle velocity). In addition, a variety of external factors must be taken into account with regard to ballistics calculation, including:

etc.

All these parameters can also be used at shorter distances, but the effect they pose is so small that they generally can be disregarded. At short distances the accuracy of the shooter, rifle and ammunition will often mask the very small effect these factors will have.

Wind estimation

Observing mirage, seen as "waves" above this hot road, is often used to estimate wind speed in long range shooting.

For long shooting it is important to compensate for the wind by observing the wind's strength and direction, and then adjust the sights accordingly by rules of thumb. Wind force can be estimated by feeling the at the shooting position and seeing signs of it in the terrain. After for instance guessing the wind strength in meters per second (m/s), this wind value can be transferred to a sight correction in number of clicks. This rule of thumb applies to winds that come 90 degree from the side (full value), however winds coming from an angle must be taken into account by applying less sight adjustment.

Long range wind estimation table based on the Beaufort scale
Wind speed
(m/s and mph)		 Land conditions
Calm
<0.3 m/s
<1 mph		 Smoke rises vertically.
Light Air
0.3-1.5 m/s
1–3 mph		 Direction shown by smoke drift but not by wind vanes.
Light Breeze
1.6–3.3 m/s
4–7 mph		 Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; wind vane moved by wind.
Gentle breeze
3.4–5.5 m/s
8–12 mph		 Leaves and small twigs in constant motion; light flags extended.
Moderate breeze
5.5–7.9 m/s
13–18 mph		 Raises dust and loose paper; small branches moved.
Fresh breeze
8-10.7 m/s
19–24 mph		 Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters.
Strong breeze
10.8–13.8 m/s
25–31 mph		 Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telegraph wires; umbrellas used with difficulty.

Competitions

There are many different long range disciplines, competing both at known (KD) and unknown distances (UKD), individually or in teams (shooter and spotter). In UKD competitions the marksman must also judge the distances, for example by comparing a known size target with angular mil hashmarks inside their scope (called "milling") to calculate the distance. Sometimes a laser rangefinder may also be used, if permitted.

Precision Rifle Competition

Precision Rifle Competitions is a relatively new long range competition format which seeks to find a balance between speed and precision, often involving movement and shooting from unusual positions with a time limit, at both known and unknown distances.

The competition seeks to find a balance between speed and precision at long range shooting. Shooting distances can vary from between 10 and 1,000 meters/ yards,[10] and therefore the competitor must know the ballistics of his firearm very well. A competition usually consists of several courses of fire, and requires some physical activity since the shooter has a time limit to move between the various courses of fire. Each course usually has a set maximum time (par time), and the shooter is awarded points according to how many targets he manages to hit during that time. Both cardboard and steel targets are used, and the targets presented are usually relatively small. In the PRS-series for instance, the targets are usually between 0.3-0.9 MIL (3-9 cm at 100 m, approximately 1-3 MOA).[10]

F-Class

F-Class is a rapidly growing long range shooting discipline internationally governed by the International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations. F-Class carry many similarities to traditional high power rifle, except that it is only fired at distances between 300 and 1200 yards (or meters), and the targets are half the size of regular targets. They compete in two categories:

  • F-Open (Open Class): All rifle calibers up to .35 may be used, along with a scope, and one can choose between using front rest and rear bag, or a bipod/ backpack. The weight limit including optics is 22 lbs (10 kg).[11]
  • F-TR ("Target", Standard Class): A restricted class permitting a scope, bipod/ backpack and rear bag (no front rest), but the rifle has to be of either caliber .223 Remington or .308 Winchester. In addition, the weight limit including optics is 18.15 lbs (8.25 kg).[11]

T-Class

Over the past 50 years, the sport Dynamic shooting emerged, also called Practical shooting.[12] While it involves shooting with semi-auto pistols, semi-auto rifles and even shotguns, this sport utilizes the idea that speed is equally important as the precision of the shooting, hence the use of the so called Hit Factor in Practical shooting is implemented. Also, many of the shooting stages are dynamic, meaning that the shooter has to move rapidly between the various scenes, has to be able to handle the weapons safely under stressful conditions.

T-Class shooting sport successfully merges the above. It uses precision rifle systems for shooting at various short and long distances (known and unknown), but it is a dynamic sport. The competitor has to be able to move between the scenes of a shooting stage, to use successfully his theoretical background about making a precise long range shot along with the physically demanding challenges to reach and quickly assume stable or unstable shooting positions, under the limitations of time. The main idea behind this sport is to recreate realistic shooting scenarios, which resemble the practical sniping used in combat situations by police and military forces around the world.

There are five major Disciplines in T-Class competitions.

  1. T-Class Tactical Sniper. It uses precision rifle systems (sniper rifles) for shooting in reproduced but realistic stages with shooting distances from 10 meters to 1000 meters.
  2. T-Class Multigun. Sniper rifles, semi-auto assault rifles and semi-auto pistols are used in different or in the same scenes of the shooting stage.
  3. T-Class Ultra Long Range. Sniper rifle shooting at very long distances of 1600 meters or more.
  4. T-Class Extreme Long Range. Sniper rifle shooting at distances from 1000 meters to 1600 meters.
  5. T-Class Rimfire. Target rifle shooting with .22LR caliber rifles.
  6. T-Class Support and Backup weapons. Shooting with semi-auto assault rifles and semi-auto pistols in order to improve those specific skills, required for combined shooting with different weapon systems.

Each T-Class competition is divided into three Modules of shooting stages, which will eventually test and evaluate the basic or advanced marksmanship qualities of the competitor - precision, speed, physical and mental resilience.

T-Class competitions can be held as individual or teamwork challenges. Teamwork T-Class competitions involve two-men teams in which the results and rankings of both competitors are scored together as a team.

The differences between T-Class shooting sport and the others mentioned above relate onto several features - the Multigun competitions, Teamwork competitions and the Scoring system.

Scoring System

Each target in every exercise should be measured in milliradians (MRAD), in regard to it’s size and distance. There are also no-shoot or penalty-shoot targets, but the MRAD system allows the usage of virtually all kinds of targets, like golf balls, coke cans, clay targets, metal plates, paper targets and so on. Scoring is made with points, which are attributed to the angular measurements of the target, according to pre-defined tables. For some shooting stages of Module 2 and 3, the so called Hit Factor is applied (the number of hits per target divided by the time, needed by the competitor to complete the course of fire).

The scoring is calculated by adding the results from all module’s stages. The competitor with highest summarized result is awarded with 100 percent. The scoring for the other competitors is made proportionally in relation to the highest summarized score, with calculation up to two decimal places. The calculated sum in percentage from all the three Modules assembles the Match ranking and demonstrates the winner.

Sanctioning Organization

The International T-Class Confederation[13] (ITCC) was founded in 2014 for the purpose of promotion of the T-Class shooting sport internationally, with headquarters residing in Bulgaria. It offers the Set of Rules which regulates the design and management of T-Class Competitions.

Currently, there are three ITCC licensed regions:

  • Baltic States (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia)[14]
  • Bulgaria[15]
  • The Russian Federation[16]

Sight magnification

View through a 20x power scope sight with mil-dots at 300 yards (274 meters).

The ideal scope sight magnification for different types of long range shooting depends on application, scope quality and user preference. Different applications may have different shooting distances, light conditions, target sizes and target contrast against the background. Ideally scope magnification should be high enough while still being comfortable and safe to use.

Pros of high scope magnification are:

  • Easier to see the target at distance.[17]
  • Easier to spot whether the round was a hit or miss, and easier to estimate sight corrections.

Cons of high scope magnification are:

  • The sight picture appears to shake easier by movement of the shooter.[18]
  • Mirage becomes more visible.[19]
  • Less field of view makes it more difficult to initially find the target, and to see the surroundings of the target.[20]
  • Less light transmission gives a darker image in the scope when compared to a scope with larger tube and objective diameter or inside the same scope at a lower magnification.
  • Smaller exit pupil diameter makes it more difficult to get in the correct position behind the scope.

Mirage is a light distortion caused by temperature differences between the air and ground making it difficult to get a clear sight picture of the target. Mirage becomes more apparent the higher the magnification, but at what magnification mirage starts to become an issue depends on weather conditions.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Wind Reading Tips for F-Class and Long Range Shooting « Daily Bulletin
  2. ↑ Long Range Hunting Online Magazine - Reading The Wind
  3. ↑ A Better Ballistic Coefficient | By Bryan Litz | Berger Bullets Blog
  4. ↑ Ballistics: Altitude and Air Pressure within AccurateShooter.com
  5. ↑ Long Range Shooter| Temperature Effects on Zero
  6. ↑ Long Range Shooting: External Ballistics - Spin Drift | The Arms Guide
  7. ↑ Long Range Shooting: External Ballistics - The Coriolis Effect | The Arms Guide
  8. ↑ Long Range BPCR and Mirage
  9. ↑ Long Range Hunting Online Magazine - Angle Shooting
  10. 1 2 Precision Rifle Series - FAQ Archived 2015-03-28 at Archive.is
  11. 1 2 NRA High Power Rifle Rules, Revised January 2014, p. 67-70
  12. ↑ International Practical Shooting Confederation
  13. ↑ International T-Class Confederation
  14. ↑ Lithuanian Long Range Shooting Federation
  15. ↑ Bulgarian T-Class Federation
  16. ↑ The Russian High Precision Shooting Federation
  17. ↑ Ultra-High Magnification 8-80x56mm March Riflescope « Daily Bulletin
  18. ↑ Best Scope Magnification: How Much is Too Much? | Gun Digest
  19. ↑ 8541 Tactical - Scope Magnification, How much or how little?
  20. ↑ Magnification Level & Target Transitions - AccuracyTech
  21. ↑ Snipers and Mirage: Tip of the Week | The Loadout Room
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