Boomershoot - the good stuff
Well, as I said before, I arrived onsite at Boomershoot Friday late afternoon - early enough to set up the trailer, watch the Friday afternoon cleanup, and get some brisket and beans ready for dinner for Rivrdog and I. Good stuff.
Saturday morning started the REALLY good stuff though - especially as we'd made it through a VERY cold night comfortably; the camper keeps heat in well, and the Mr. Heater Big Buddy did a great job keeping us comfortable.
Gene Econ rocks - as do his assistants. My rifle is easily sub-MOA; I'd determined that back right after Lisa got it for me as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. But that was off a rock-solid bench, with no wind. My goal for Boomershoot was to learn to use that rifle properly, at long range, with wind being a problem to solve.
Gene Econ, and his assistants, taught me to do just that.
I also learned how to be a decent spotter - which is just as challenging a task as being a good shooter. VERY good information and instruction.
I was, after a bit of practice (and renewed self-discipline - get over the "buck" or "boomer" fever and settle down) able to nail dead-center 3 inch targets at 380 yards, out to 5 inch targets at 625 yards. That's something I'm damn proud of.
And that's with a very lightweight rifle, that's capable of taking pretty much any game in North America - a Tikka T3 Lite; without scope, it weighs only about six pounds, and fires a .308 Winchester cartridge.
Overall, I'm REALLY happy with my trip to Boomershoot. I have a lot more skill and confidence than I had before; as far as I'm concerned, that was worth the trip from Texas to Idaho.
Next up, I'll post some more pictures, and some stuff about the great people I met at Boomershoot.
Saturday morning started the REALLY good stuff though - especially as we'd made it through a VERY cold night comfortably; the camper keeps heat in well, and the Mr. Heater Big Buddy did a great job keeping us comfortable.
Gene Econ rocks - as do his assistants. My rifle is easily sub-MOA; I'd determined that back right after Lisa got it for me as a Christmas present a couple of years ago. But that was off a rock-solid bench, with no wind. My goal for Boomershoot was to learn to use that rifle properly, at long range, with wind being a problem to solve.
Gene Econ, and his assistants, taught me to do just that.
I also learned how to be a decent spotter - which is just as challenging a task as being a good shooter. VERY good information and instruction.
I was, after a bit of practice (and renewed self-discipline - get over the "buck" or "boomer" fever and settle down) able to nail dead-center 3 inch targets at 380 yards, out to 5 inch targets at 625 yards. That's something I'm damn proud of.
And that's with a very lightweight rifle, that's capable of taking pretty much any game in North America - a Tikka T3 Lite; without scope, it weighs only about six pounds, and fires a .308 Winchester cartridge.
Overall, I'm REALLY happy with my trip to Boomershoot. I have a lot more skill and confidence than I had before; as far as I'm concerned, that was worth the trip from Texas to Idaho.
Next up, I'll post some more pictures, and some stuff about the great people I met at Boomershoot.
posted by Aaron Neal at 7:42 PM
6 Comments:
I need to step up from 223 - get another 300 win mag or something.
Ry, the guy on the other side of me in #76 was an excellent benchrester, but the one rifle he was inconsistent with was his accurized AR15.
It seems like the AR, in addition to it's tiny bullet problems, might just lack the oomph in most loadings to reliably set off the boomers at 380 yards.
From my experience and from others', it seems that, to get into the guaranteed, set off that hill boomer when you hit it caliber, you need to be into at least a 300 WIN Mag, maybe a 7mm mag.
I've been all over Gun Broker.com, and there are literally DOZENS of 300 WIN Mag m70s there. Prices are reasonable unless you want a pre-64 one. There are even one or two bull models there.
I'm thinking a WIN M70 in 300 Win Mag, restock it into a heavy synthetic stock, add a decent scope and Harris bipod, and that is pretty much the quintessential Boomershoot rifle.
My 223 is OK at the treeline, but not useful beyond. Once I get re-employed, I'll seriously look at a 300 win mag. I gave the one I had away in a moment of irritation.
As for now - have to get a job and get money coming in. ;)
Guys,
If you reload, look for 7mm WSM vs the 300.
The 7mm shoots flatter and drifts less.
7mm WSM ammo is a tad harder to find, but if you reload it doesn't matter.
Because it's less popular with the wannabes, you may find a better deal on it.
I'll look into 7mm. I'm not addicted to 300WM or anything.
The WSM cartridges also have the advantage of using a shorter receiver, thus a stiffer receiver, thus improved accuracy.
Any of you are welcome to try mine next year!
After shooting 6.5 Grendel, (yes it makes Boomers explode consistently), the extra recoil took a little getting used to, but one day was all, and it shoots beautifully.
My personal record was 9 consecutive 4 inch boomers at the 380 line, and 7 at 600-650.
And I am not a great shooter like Monte!
Bill
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