Long range shooting

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.

Defining "long range"

The distance considered to be "long range" is caliber dependent. Generally one may say that for the .22 LR cartridge any distances over 100 meters (or yards) is considered long range. For regular 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.

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:

Wind (both by the shooter and along the whole flight path to the target).^[1]^[2]
Bullet shape and weight, trying to achieve the highest possible ballistic coefficient ("BC")^[3]
Air pressure, altitude and (to a certain degree) humidity^[4]
Temperature (including air, ammunition and barrel temperature) ^[5]
Spindrift,^[6] an effect caused by the rotation of the bullet
Coriolis effect,^[7] caused by the Earth's rotation
Mirage,^[8] which causes the shooter to hit high and to the side if there is a little wind
Angle to the target (called "cosine angle"),^[9] either up or downhill

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.

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.

F-Class

F-Class is a rapidly growing discipline carrying 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).^[10]
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).^[10]

References

External links

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