Amazing 1000 yd group

[GA Hunter]

Last summer a good friend of mine, Mike Wilson, did something truly amazing. He shot a 5 shot group at 1000 yds that was originally measured at 1.068 inches. It scored a perfect 50 with 5X's. It was recently certified at 1.087. Don't ask me how they missed 19 thousandths on the first measurement.

It really didn't surprise me when it happened given his resume. He shot his first 1000 yd match in 2004. Since then he has won countless matches and set many other records. He's won four Shooter of the Year titles (This is the equivalent of their championship.) Currently he's 2nd all time in Hall of Fame points for the sport. There's a good chance he'll surpass the current leader this calendar year and become the official GOAT of the sport. There's not an active shooter even close.

Better than all the above is that he's a hell of a guy and I feel lucky to call him a friend.

BD

 

[GA Hunter]

A little surprised at the lack of interest with this. I realize that I’m biased because he’s a friend but this is something special. Wrong audience I suppose. ‍

 

[MMAL]

What an amazing feat. I would like to know what gun and caliber he used.

The lack of interest MIGHT be that 1000 yard shots and Africa hunting do NOT mix. Yes there is some long range hunting done in South Africa that I have seen but the vast majority of “African hunters” want to get as close as possible. A lot of the hunt is the stalk and when you combined this with a 1000 yard shot, the two do not go together.

Nothing I say here takes away from this great accomplish and something I will never be able to do. Just a reason why it might not have generated the interest you mentioned.

Congrats to the shooter.

 

[flatwater bill]

When I was a lad, the world record was 7.7 inches...........how things have changed...............I am totally impressed. I shot a group very similar to this once, but the powder burns on the target gave things away.................................well done........thanks for posting....................FWB

 

[gillettehunter]

One heck of a group. Congrats to the shooter.
Bruce

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Wow, congrats to your friend!

 

[BRICKBURN]

How do they measure the group?

 

[JakeH]

That is just absolutely outstanding. Most shooters can’t do that at 100yds and here he is doing it at 1K. Simply amazing. Congratulate home for me!

 

[GA Hunter]

Sure I understand that the only similarity between shooting at 1000 yds and hunting in Africa is the use of firearms but there seems to be a decent number of reloaders and accuracy buffs here. Again I admit my biased.

As for cartridge or ballistic info just google it. It’s all on line and a simple search will reveal all. Simply said it was a descendant of the 6BR cartridge.

For the record I abhor the longe range hunting trend currently going on in the US. There are a few hunting shows that make it out to be an exact science. I can assure you that there’s nothing exact about the mix of atmospheric conditions and ballistics at ranges much past 500 yds.

BD

 

[GA Hunter]

How do they measure the group?

It’s done with a magnifying device over a caliper. Google it. It was explained to me earlier today that I can’t post certain links here.

 

[sestoppelman]

Agree with MMAL, would like to know more about the equipment used to accomplish this almost unbelievable score.

 

[GA Hunter]

The recent trend in the sport has gotten away from the obvious logic of shooting fire breathing cartridges with impressive BC’s and huge bullets. Most of the leaders in the sport are shooting some sort of modified 6BR. The availability of quality components for the cartridge are just too good too dismiss.

 

[ChrisG]

Sure I understand that the only similarity between shooting at 1000 yds and hunting in Africa is the use of firearms but there seems to be a decent number of reloaders and accuracy buffs here. Again I admit my biased.

As for cartridge or ballistic info just google it. It’s all on line and a simple search will reveal all. Simply said it was a descendant of the 6BR cartridge.

For the record I abhor the longe range hunting trend currently going on in the US. There are a few hunting shows that make it out to be an exact science. I can assure you that there’s nothing exact about the mix of atmospheric conditions and ballistics at ranges much past 500 yds.

BD

Shooting long range is ultimately a technical feat. Thats why they measure them with a micrometer. An impressive one but unfortunately it is also a luck game. Yes a huge amount of skill goes into a group like that and I dont want to diminish that (as it is much better than I can personally shoot) but if it didn't involve luck... The best shooters in the world would consistently produce groups like this. I think that's why there isn't a lot interest.. while a lot of the people here are reloaders and chase the accuracy holy grail, most of the guys here do it only as a means to an end, not as a pursuit in and of itself... i.e. they want to be an effective hunter. Being a hunter I'm sure you agree that minimizing luck when taking a shot is what we strive for. I can't speak for everyone else, but as an engineer, it's fascinating how precise every piece of equipment must be to accomplish this, but I am not an accuracy nut. I am actually more enamored by the gunsmiths that can produce mechanical devices capable of this, more so than the shooters who use them... unless your friend built the gun himself. In which case that's would be epic!

 

[Hmaxwell]

Good shooting. He must know his body and rhythm well. A little twitch is surely magnified over that distance.

 

[JakeH]

Do you know how many people I know that couldn’t shoot that group at 100yds?

 

[GA Hunter]

Shooting long range is ultimately a technical feat. Thats why they measure them with a micrometer. An impressive one but unfortunately it is also a luck game. Yes a huge amount of skill goes into a group like that and I dont want to diminish that (as it is much better than I can personally shoot) but if it didn't involve luck... The best shooters in the world would consistently produce groups like this. I think that's why there isn't a lot interest.. while a lot of the people here are reloaders and chase the accuracy holy grail, most of the guys here do it only as a means to an end, not as a pursuit in and of itself... i.e. they want to be an effective hunter. Being a hunter I'm sure you agree that minimizing luck when taking a shot is what we strive for. I can't speak for everyone else, but as an engineer, it's fascinating how precise every piece of equipment must be to accomplish this, but I am not an accuracy nut. I am actually more enamored by the gunsmiths that can produce mechanical devices capable of this, more so than the shooters who use them... unless your friend built the gun himself. In which case that's would be epic!

Every shooter in the sport has access to the same resources as him. Including me. Having participated in the sport I know that the rifle and the work that goes into it is critical. However the real “magic” happens at the reloading bench coupled with the shooters willingness and ability to test his work and equipment. This is a man that drives an hour one way to fire 15 test rounds.

Again my biased is showing. Sorry. Google it if you’re interested and you’ll learn more about him.

 

[Eric Anderson]

Wow, I don’t know how I missed this.
That is jaw dropping amazing. I consider that to be a great group at 100 yards for me personally.

As a expert rifleman by USMC standards, I know how it gets really difficult, really quick at range. For the M16A2 (showing my age here) 500 yards is where things can get, interesting....
the round is getting pretty slow at that point, wind plays a huge factor.
Still remember trying to time the wind on the Wilcox range in the afternoon...
That is trying to get a group to fit on a man sized torso with M855 ammunition.

Still can’t get my head around almost a 1/10 moa group at 1000 yards.
For people who don’t shoot past 300 yards... it is a hell of a lot harder to shoot a 5” group at 500 yards than a 1” group at 100.

 

[Tra3]

This is astounding! The last record was a 1.4” group shot in 2007 with a .300 cal wildcat. (If I recall correctly). The precision in all aspects needed to do that level of accuracy is impressive to me.

 

[bruce moulds]

600 and 1000 yd br is a unique discipline, and cannot be related to hunting in many ways.
how it works is that you build a super accurate rifle of design suited to the discipline, then work up loads that cannot be any better at the range in question.
a good 1000 yd group might not shoot well at 500 or 600, because to get perfect elevation at 1000, slower shots must be going high at mid range and faster shots must be going lower. 15 fps is very relevent here.
this is called load compensation and you have to do the work to get the load.
having the load for the range then requires technique to shoot the group.
this involves shooting sighters to gauge the wind, shooting on a condition, and shooting fast when that condition holds, or stopping when it changes.
slight changes in wind speed or direction will affect elevation as well as windage.
the 6br and derivatives shoot relatively high b.c. bullets with little recoil, allowing for fast strings compared to big kickers.
338 cals have better b.c. but recoil slows down shooting and its violence makes precision harder.
fclass rifles can shoot as well as 1000 yd br rifles, but pulling targets each shot means that quick strings can rarely be shot on a condition, making small groups harder to shoot.
then we come to so called hunting at long range.
cold barrel, no sighters, no flags every 100 yds out to the target, lower quality rests, and probably no local knowledge of the actual rerrain being shot over.
and a big recoiling rifle in order to deliver a bullet which if it does not open up due to low velocity is still of large enough diameter to make a killing wound.
and the range never being an exact distance.
winning 1000 yd bench is indeed a matter of luck to some degree.making 1 shot kills at this range is WAY bigger luck.
hence the moral question regarding the ethics of trying such.
bruce.
p.s.
any fclass shooters i know who seriously study their plot sheets question their ability to make killing hits past certain yardages with any degree of reliability.
their rifles can do it, but wind reading is so difficult 100% of the time.

 

[BobT]

That is amazing shooting! I have dabbled in long range shooting myself and I can appreciate what goes into shooting a group this size. I have seen a breeze so light as to be nearly imperceptible push high BC bullets a couple of inches at half that distance.