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What's wrong with Varminthunter #88 2000 yard club photos?

Well in the old days of artillery, if you launch enough rounds
sooner or later one would go down some poor sob.s fox hole
sight unseen. ;D
 
Although unlikely that both of them did it at the same time, it's not impossible. Maybe they just placed them there for a photo op. Who knows.

And those pics are taken in the exact same place, if look closely at the pattern of the laying grass.
 
I have killed two groundhogs between 1000 and 1100 yards with a 6XC. But groundhogs are a lot bigger than a prairie dog, and 1000 yards is a whole lot closer than 2000 yards. And I had a scope that went up to 50x.
I won't call BS, but I wouldn't even attempt a 2000 yard shot on a pd with the 6XC. If they lied, they are the ones that have to live with it.
 
Okay to all the skeptics on this topic. I am one of the guys that made this shot that was verified by three different "Varmint Hunter" members and one non-member. As I'm sure you all know, you must submit a picture for the "Down Range Club". That being the case we staged the PD near the vehicle so the pictures would be clear and our entire group wouldn't need to trek over a mile away to get the photos required. We did not shoot them in the waist high grass...that just would not make any sense. As for not being able to see them at 2000 yards with a 25 power Nightforce Scope...please give it a try...it's not very difficult. Also, the 6CX not being heavy enough to shoot 2000 yards...again, give it a try. If you want to call BS please look me up if you are ever in the Las Vegas area. I would be MORE than happy to demonstrate!

I always liked the shooting community and figured a lifetime achievement like a 2000+ yard shot on a PD would be worth a "congratulations" or "nice job" and not a bunch of ridicule. Again, don't believe me...come test me on it. I am now registered here and would be more than happy to share the set up used and help in any way I can. As for the haters...come see for yourself. Again, I live in Las Vegas and we have plenty of places in the desert to shoot a true 2000 yards. Come see for yourself. I'll even let you shoot my rifle. By the way...It has a true 100 yard zero and enough minutes to get to 2000. Chew on that one if you think the rest of this is BS. I do live in Vegas and this is a gambling town...bring your wallets and make sure you have plenty of cash to bet!

Its pretty sad that three independent "Varmint Hunter" members and one other non-member witnessed the shots but yet folks that weren't there are calling BS. Class...pure class!
 
Thanks to Chuck for bringing this post to our attention! You were there, you witnessed it and with you and Dad...that's all that counts. Behind every successful person is a pack of haters. It all works out...they keep me motivated. See you next year at 2500 yards.

Love,
2000 yard shot! (until I need to update next year to 2500+)
 
Absolutely. The guys I go with are my dad and a bunch of his buddies. I'm 42 and I'm the youngster. No need for them to walk over a mile in 90+ degree temps in South Dakota just to get a picture. Dad and I both got lucky and shot them off the same hole. There are probably 30+ holes in the field we shoot but once you get data for one hole it's better to just leave the dope in the gun and wait them out vs. changing data constantly. The wind adjustments are bad enough and we all know that anything over 1500 or so yards requires a lot of luck. Did we get lucky...sure. Was there a lot of skill and preparation that went in to it...sure...over 6 years worth. I can guarantee you that it can be done and we did it. Like I said, I'd be more than happy to share our set ups and help in any way I can.
 
The next question is ....how many shots down range before the kill....?...Wind ?
 
Having been out shooting with this group of guys, I will tell you its legit. Lots of R&D went into these project guns and they both have plenty of moa to get there. My shots are nowhere near as far and everyone calls BS when I say my stock savage sporter goes 1,200 yds. A calm day in our location and we can shoot two miles straight down the valley. Also slippery 6mm with fast twist barrels cut right though the sound barrier on target to very low velocities. People seem to down play others great accomplishments and we need to be supporting and encouraging to our fellow shooters. These are top notch gentlemen and any who still don't believe it take your wallet out to shoot with them, I guarantee when you are done it will be empty.
 
CJ6 said:
The next question is ....how many shots down range before the kill....?...Wind ?

I'm going to say between 15-25. With almost 5 seconds flight time on the bullet a lot can happen on the other end. We had several the actually moved off of the hole while the bullet was on it's way there. Dad actually hit one at just over 1800 that moved as soon as the gun went off but moved back to the same spot just as the bullet got there. If we got a wind gust that no one picked up on, the shot was over before it even started. Like I said...there's a lot of luck involved in any shot that far. I can't tell you exactly how many minutes of wind each of us had on the gun as we both shot them at different times during the day. The wind overall on the day we made the shots was almost perfect. It took us quite a few days to actually get a day that allowed us to attempt the 2000 yard shot. Most of the days we were limited to 1100 or closer due to weather. Heck, this year our goal was to get our other friends in the 2000 yard club (both very accomplished shooters) but the weather never cooperated...rain and wind the entire time. The one day that was good the ground was so saturated you couldn't pick up the splash of the bullet. If you don't know where they are landing, you can't make an adjustment. It is what it is.
 
2000 Yard Shot said:
CJ6 said:
The next question is ....how many shots down range before the kill....?...Wind ?

I'm going to say between 15-25.
This is the issue I have with the way VHA does their "Patches". You followed the rules (VHA witness), BUT you can put as many rounds down range as "needed" to get the kill, not your problem, just the way the VHA set it up is bad (it gets more people into the CLUBS). If a shooter had to back-up their kill with another (next shot fired) within a short time frame (say 10 mins.) and a 5% yardage allowance you'ld see a big difference in those "patch" lists. But as you say, "it is what it is". BTW I'm not a hater, I became a member of the VHA when they were in Ft. Pierre and Jackie and Janet signed my #4 VHA after my first year with them....
 
A couple years ago there was a fellow that posted on here that he successfully harvested a PD with a 204 at around 1100yds as I recall. There is no question in my mind that he did in fact make that shot.

So difficult as it may seem to make a 2000yd shot with a 6xc, I believe it to be possible.

2000 yard shot ..... GREAT shot(s). :D ;) Wish I was half that good. WD
 
Excellent shooting, I bet it was a great feeling of accomplishment. I put a 5 shot group in the size of a orange at 1000 yesterday and felt great. Your shots took the wind out of my sails...thats whats its all about..... take on the impossible and win.
 
So, just like I said. They were placed there for a photo op. Congrats, definitely not easy to do. I agree, a little luck, skill, and the right equipment. That's what it takes to make that shot. Tell us about the equipment used. I think you said a 6XC. Scope, barrel, action, reticle, rings and base, rest, stock, bullet???
 
Well, we speculated from the first that the only plausible conclusion was that the dogs had been moved into the tall grass for photos, but the entire controversy could have been avoided if the photos had stated that or if they had been taken where the dogs fell. But then, you guys would not have gotten all this attention, no?

I would never argue the 25x scope. My own 1 mile kill was made at with my 12 - 50x S&B PMII set at 12x. As small as they are at that distance, you can get the crosshairs on them if the reticle is fine enough. As for the bullet still being accurate after slowing through the sound barrier, I have not done a lot of research on it but I have read that it can upset the bullet and make it unstable. It's gotta still go in the same general direction, though, and when shooting at that distance you have to do enough shots to get the target into the overall shot pattern, so maybe that is not a big factor.

With the 5 second flight time for 2000 yards statement, you got me thinking. I knew it took a relatively long time because I can get my gun back in place in time to see the bullet impact with the scope set at 12x. I was thinking two seconds for a 2000 yard shot with the bullet leaving at 3000 fps, but I forgot to consider the bullet is slowing the whole time, so it does come out closer to four or five seconds.

Good job, guys! All of the things you describe about conditions and setup are right on, so I have no doubt that you know what you are doing.

I do have one question, though. The ballistic calculators say a 105 hybrid only has about 200 ft/lb of energy left at 2000 yards. Other bullets with lesser BCs will have even less. That means it's a lot tougher to get a kill that doesn't run down the hole first. I've had a bunch of those, and one kill that didn't get away but there was no blood on it anywhere. The shock of impact was enough to kill the small pup, but if it had been a full grown dog, I don't know. Have you guys seen problems with the lack of terminal energy?
 
Every varmint hunter has probably had something come into the way of success at some time or another and because of these difficultes, it is so hard to comprehend such shots, especially at such extreme ranges. If this was the real deal - I salute you.

I to have one question though. I'm familiar with the caliber and scope, but how many M.O.A. did the scope rail or mount have on it? What brand was it if available commercially?
 
My gun setup is below. Dad's is built a little different...1-8 twist vs. my 1-7.5 and he shoots 105's vs. 115's

The rifle is built on a Savage target action with a Douglas 28 inch straight contour barrel. The barrel twist on my rifle is 1-7.5 shooting 115 grain Bergers. The actions and barrel are bedded in a McMillan F-Class stock. I have a Ken Farrell 20 MOA rail with a set of Burris Signature Z-Rings with 10 MOA shims. There is a Nightforce 5.5-22X56 NSX scope with the MOAR reticule on it. The rifle has a true 100 yard yero and with the zero stop in the scope I have exactly 98 MOA of mechanical adjustments up available before using any of the reticule marks. Depending on outside air temps, elevation, air density, etc. it takes roughly 88 MOA to get to 2000 with the load we have developed.

Below is a group I shot...my best to date...at 2000 yards on a Larue target. There a four hits on the target but the three in the vertical string in the center are three shots in rapid succession. I shot the first shot and hit the bottom mark. The Larue didn't go down so I came up 1 click in elevation (5 inches @ 2000 yds) and fired my second shot. It's the middle mark. The Larue still didn't go down...not enough energy. I came up one more click...the top mark and the Larue went down on that one. Needless to say, the rifle really shoots well. So, for the guy that says you can't shoot multiple shots at that distance with any consistency in a short time frame...it is now my turn to call "BS"...I've done it. When we got our 2000+ yard shots we had made several hits on closer holes between 1850 and 2000 but none were at or over the elusive 2000 yard mark on the Vectronix range finder. If it's not verified at 2000 or farther...it doesn't count. :-[

Yes, we hit several that we could not find, no blood and made it back in the hole....happens all the time. At 2000 yds there isn't much energy left on the bullets. Heck, for that matter, we have several every year at much closer distances, 400-700 yds that we blow in half and they still make it in the holes. Tough little dudes! >:(

Below the group is a better picture of the rifle itself. It looks much better now and is all polished. As well as it shoots I figured I better make it as sexy as possible. ;D

I hope this pictures show up...if not, I'll try and repost. I also hope the info helps. If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask...I love this stuff. Seriously though...if anyone ever visits Vegas and wants to go see what it's like to shoot a true 2000 yards just let us know. You will never have to twist our arms to spend a day shooting. 8)



 
Thanks to all for the compliments...it is truly appreciated!!!!!! ;D The best part of it all was the company I was with and being able to not only have Dad there but have him get his 2000 yard shot as well. We got rained out this year but next year we have some unfinished business for the other guys that hunt with us. It's more than there turn. Can't wait and thanks again!!!!
 

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