Rough day at the 300 yard line with my AR Comp Load

[1911man]

So I took off work today to go out and get my AR comp load on paper at 300 and 600 yards today.This range has a rule that in order to shoot at the 600 yard line you first have to put 5 shots in the white on one of their targets. The target size is 2 MOA. Driving up to the place the wind seemed fine but once I got out of my car and looked at the windage flags I realized I may be in for a long day. My weather app said the wind was NNW at 12mph but it was gusting at what I thought was 10-15 mph. It started out right, then would shift left, then would be a head wind. So needless to say I had a fun day of shooting. Their range setup is kind of odd and its one where you drive out and put your own targets up. The problem is the framing that you staple your targets to is so large that you have to have one of their targets to fit. So I have several shots on one piece of paper because I would peel and stick one of my targets on there. Fire 10 rounds and then go pull those targets off, etc. My first 10 or so shots were low and all over the place. I looked down at my DOPE book to see if I messed something up and I noticed I had put 2800 fps in my Strelok calculator instead of the 2480 fps that my load actually runs at. The wind was shifting all over the place so I eventually stopped doping the wind on my turrets and started using holds. Once I did that my groups got alot better. I had a 4.5" group to start, then I adjusted my turrets to the correct elevation and had a 5.5" group but at least the elevation was on. Then I changed my approach on the wind as mentioned above and had a 3.01" group, then a 2.86", and my best of the day was 2.035". All 5 shots. The sad thing is that I decided I was going to go ahead and qualify to move to 600 and didnt. So I put up their official target and ended up with 2 shots high in the red and I could not qualify to move up. So no 600 yard groups today. I have a picture of the white/orange target. It was a real bummer.I kept trying to let the wind die down between shots but it was rare. There were a couple of times where I was able to break off two shots with no wind and I actually had a couple of hole in hole shots, but overall it wasnt my best day of shooting. I have attached pictures of the results. The load is 28.3 grains of AR comp, 123 Amax, 2.255 OAL. 18" 1x9 BHW barrel.
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[BluntForceTrauma]

Hey, learning experience, right? No way I could shoot that good on a calm day!

[1911man]

Hey, learning experience, right? No way I could shoot that good on a calm day!

Exactly, definitely the most unpredictable wind I have seen in my 8 years shooting rifles. I guess the positive to take away from it is that I was still able to put up a couple decent groups. If this were a match situation with these conditions I think I would have zeroed several stages.

[COTNTOP]

I am using same load and length in a 16in. AA barrel with 3/4 moa results. Probably could get better groups using a bipod, shooting off bags with light barrel and slim handguard is a bit of a challenge.

[1911man]

I am using same load and length in a 16in. AA barrel with 3/4 moa results. Probably could get better groups using a bipod, shooting off bags with light barrel and slim handguard is a bit of a challenge.

That is pretty much what I am getting out of it as well. I get the occasional 1/2 MOA group and the occasional 1MOA group but I very consistently see 3/4 MOA. I actually keep track of every 5 shot group I shoot at 100 yards with this load and I believe they all average out to .800". Its been very consistent for me. Have you Chronographed it in your rifle? I have only chronoed 5 shots with it and they averaged 2480 fps. I am looking to get a couple of 10 shot strings on the chrono soon.

[COTNTOP]

Gonna chrono the weekend.

[LRRPF52]

I rarely dial for wind unless it's an all-day affair from the same shooting location, with constant conditions from a certain clock position.

I almost always hold for wind, and will move all over with the wind signs. I've been reading and calling the wind for a long time, at least over 20 years, and it is the most perishable skill, but I enjoy the challenge of it more than any other aspect of long-range shooting.

I'm at the point where I think of wind calls in Mils in my reticle, rather than the initial mph readings I will see on the Kestrel and in the field. There are some interesting mathematical relationships that start to show that are easy to use when accounting for wind.

[kmon]

Have often said wind calls are more of an art form that is only improved on through shooting.

Some days groups are more of a weather report than a shooting report, still fun and informative to shoot those days.

[1911man]

I rarely dial for wind unless it's an all-day affair from the same shooting location, with constant conditions from a certain clock position.

I almost always hold for wind, and will move all over with the wind signs. I've been reading and calling the wind for a long time, at least over 20 years, and it is the most perishable skill, but I enjoy the challenge of it more than any other aspect of long-range shooting.

I'm at the point where I think of wind calls in Mils in my reticle, rather than the initial mph readings I will see on the Kestrel and in the field. There are some interesting mathematical relationships that start to show that are easy to use when accounting for wind.

It depends on the conditions but alot of times I do both. In the beginning I thought I was just getting gusts from left to right so I adjusted my turrets about half what I thought it needed so if the wind died down between a shot I would basically have rounds on either side of the bullseye the same distance wide. My goal was just to get those 5 shots in the 6 inch white circle. I am no pro, but I have been shooting for my entire adult life and I have never seen winds this unpredictable. To boot it had been a while since I had shot past 100 yards so I was pretty rusty. It was a good learning experience, I tested myself more than the load. I am going to try to find a more mild day to put some additional groups up at 300 and also 600.

[LRRPF52]

I don't shoot paper at those distances unless I'm checking accuracy nodes like you were, so I shoot steel mostly. You can see groups on freshly painted steel as well.

If you want unpredictable wind changes, go up to Douglas, Wyoming or Steel Safari in Logan, NM. There are some great there run by Competition Dynamics every year.

[1911man]

I don't shoot paper at those distances unless I'm checking accuracy nodes like you were, so I shoot steel mostly. You can see groups on freshly painted steel as well.

If you want unpredictable wind changes, go up to Douglas, Wyoming or Steel Safari in Logan, NM. There are some great there run by Competition Dynamics every year.

That looks like a blast! Is that you shooting a Grendel is this video? In all of the matches I have shot I dont think I have seen any AR's. I was joking with a group of guys at the last match I was at about bringing my Grendel out next time and they about laughed my off the property. Unfortunately I dont see myself leaving Texas any time soon for any matches. I barely make it to matches inside my own state.I have a pretty flexible schedule but my job requires me to be available when called so that keeps me within a few hours of home at all times. I dont get any vacation days so its tough to find time for long trips. Great video.

[NugginFutz]

That looks like a blast! Is that you shooting a Grendel is this video? In all of the matches I have shot I dont think I have seen any AR's. I was joking with a group of guys at the last match I was at about bringing my Grendel out next time and they about laughed my off the property. Unfortunately I dont see myself leaving Texas any time soon for any matches. I barely make it to matches inside my own state.I have a pretty flexible schedule but my job requires me to be available when called so that keeps me within a few hours of home at all times. I dont get any vacation days so its tough to find time for long trips. Great video.

That wasn't LRRPF52 on the semi - that guy had too many misses!

[LRRPF52]

Not me. I have used AR's in many different competitions though because I'm stubborn. Long range shooting will definitely humble you though. You can be a world-class shooter, and have a bad match for whatever reasons. The guys that consistently place are true professionals at their discipline.

I was forced to carry the M24 bolt gun in the field and always felt it was a hindrance to self protection or being able to actually fight, so I just avoid bolt guns as much as I can.

I've competed in matches with very accomplished shooters from all over. At one particular match, I was the only one with a gas gun and the only one who cut paper at 600yds in the only paper target stage they had in the match. That was with my 22" .260 Rem gasser when I had just barely got my 16" Grendel, which I would not take to that match against 26" 6mm, 6.5mm, and 7mm cases with 40gr+ capacity. I attribute it to my wind call though. I think most everyone else didn't hold, whereas I could see wind effects downrange that I felt needed to be compensated for.

On stages that require speed, the gasser is the way to go unless you are blazing fast with bolt manipulation.

A lot of competitions are set up to favor bolt guns.

Set up a competition to require rapid engagement of multiple targets at distance, and things change for the gas gun's favor, like in real life. A Sniper Adventure Challenge, you see more and more 6.5 Grendel's each year. It makes an excellent cartridge/rifle combo in the AR15 for the carbines and even long guns in that match, although you will be going up against a lot of 6.5 Creedmoor bolt guns for the long rifle.

A 6.5 Grendel AR15 also makes a great gun for the Team competitions like Steel Safari and Team Challenge, instead of a .223 Wylde AR for the other team member.

[1911man]

Not me. I have used AR's in many different competitions though because I'm stubborn. Long range shooting will definitely humble you though. You can be a world-class shooter, and have a bad match for whatever reasons. The guys that consistently place are true professionals at their discipline.

I was forced to carry the M24 bolt gun in the field and always felt it was a hindrance to self protection or being able to actually fight, so I just avoid bolt guns as much as I can.

I've competed in matches with very accomplished shooters from all over. At one particular match, I was the only one with a gas gun and the only one who cut paper at 600yds in the only paper target stage they had in the match. That was with my 22" .260 Rem gasser when I had just barely got my 16" Grendel, which I would not take to that match against 26" 6mm, 6.5mm, and 7mm cases with 40gr+ capacity. I attribute it to my wind call though. I think most everyone else didn't hold, whereas I could see wind effects downrange that I felt needed to be compensated for.

On stages that require speed, the gasser is the way to go unless you are blazing fast with bolt manipulation.

A lot of competitions are set up to favor bolt guns.

Set up a competition to require rapid engagement of multiple targets at distance, and things change for the gas gun's favor, like in real life. A Sniper Adventure Challenge, you see more and more 6.5 Grendel's each year. It makes an excellent cartridge/rifle combo in the AR15 for the carbines and even long guns in that match, although you will be going up against a lot of 6.5 Creedmoor bolt guns for the long rifle.

A 6.5 Grendel AR15 also makes a great gun for the Team competitions like Steel Safari and Team Challenge, instead of a .223 Wylde AR for the other team member.

Yeah, I am shooting a 6.5 Creedmoor bolt gun for competition. I have often thought about building a creedmoor gas gun for matches where you have to shoot fast and engage multiple targets, however the AR10 platform is not cheap to build on and my overwhelming thought is that I dont want to have a malfunction in the field that would keep me from finishing a match. In reality I know I will never win and I am just there for fun, I dont want to ruin my day by not finishing. Although, I see alot of guys with busted gear and I thankfully have not had that happen yet.

Thank you for your input and sharing your experience.