Just another attempt to create activity on this site and typing is good therapy for my arm/hand If you read any of my other “articles” you know my back ground in shooting, if you haven’t read them then you’re probably not going to read this one so it doesn’t matter. But back in late 70’s reading a lot of hand gun magazine articles I learned about hand gun silhouette where they were shooting targets out to 200 meters. For the most part it was almost 40 years before I got to shoot my 1st. 200 meters handgun match! Which I guess you could say was the beginning of my long-range shooting but these “specialty pistols” I was shooting at 200 meters were fine for that but lacked the mustard for my dream of shooting 1K. Somewhere along 2016 I Ran across and bought a Savage Striker that had been rebarreled from the factory 14” 308 to a 16” 6.5×284 and came complete with brass and dies. The savage was a new deal to me all my other “SP’s” are Break open Contenders or Remington bolt action XP’s but this 6.5×284 Striker should have the mustard to reach 1k. Now the problem is I don’t have anywhere to shoot pass 300 much less 600 or 1K. Just when I thought this boat was dead in the water two things happen 1st. my nephew “John Robert” known at RB as John Sanders. Moved to the Tuscaloosa area. Now John being raised a shooter when I told him my goal and my bump in the road he grinned and said I may have a place, we have a power line, gas line on the club that should get you further than you’ve shot. So, I made us a big A frame target stand and John made us a couple of I think 12×12 steel AR plate targets with a big piece of card board behind them to help get on plate. So, one Sat. (neither one of us remember the date) we loaded up targets and A frame, sand bags for rests and a workmate for shooting bench we headed out. With relaying with a range finder, we set our target somewhere close to 600 yards we used most of our ammo getting on paper but was able to connect on the 12×12 plate a few times to say we were successful at shooting 600 yards!!!

Things learned from this 1st. truly long- range shooting:
1st. Midday 100 degrees and not a cloud in the sky is NOT ideal
2nd. Me using a long eye relieve 8X pistol scope with only 15 MOA adjustment is not meant for this
3rd. John hunting rifle and hunting ammo is not Ideal for this
Bottom line we shot at 600 and hit the target!
The 2nd Thing to happen was Somehow, I found where a guy named Surrell Franklin that went by “super sniper” Was hosting matches in Moundville about 15 miles from my home and he was shooting the same targets I shot in handgun silhouette from 50 to 200 meters free style but he was shooting them from 200 to 500 yards from benches with Rifles. I made contact with Surrell and ask him if I could come and shoot my pistol He laughed and said “come on down its your money” Well just so happen the next shoot was my weekend off so I load up the 6.5 x 284 Striker and headed that way. When I arrived, I found “SS” and he explained the course of fire when it was my time to shoot, I would start on Turkeys then shoot the Rams rotate off then come and shoot chicks and pigs. My time on the line I set up and put in what the app said for 400 yards which I had never shot. On the command fire I shot and hit the 1st. Turkey, then missed the next three before connecting on #5 so I went 2/5 @400 so I put in my 500 yard dope but when I started setting up on the Rams I noticed they were still on the ground, Confused I ask one the guys helping with the match “am I not supposed to shoot the Rams now “ he said yes and I said well they were never reset, His reply after the relay finishes we will set them up for you if you think you can hit them, my reply I paid to shoot at 20 target it don’t matter if I can hit them or not! So, the Rams were set and I go to the line ALL BY MYSELF with all eyes on me let’s just say I was a little bit Motivated! 5 shots= 5 Ram hits! Still somewhat motivated when I went back to the line, I cleaned the chicks and pigs. So, March of 2017 I competed in my 1st, ever “long Range match finishing with a 17/20and a was a happy camper. Main thing Surrell and this match let me meet some Reese Bottom regulars Kenneth, Don, Doug and of course Surrell to name just a few.
Part 2 of this journey to RB and 1K coming up later in the month.
if you do read just post some in the comments to let me know

jrs