Long range for beginners

[jasnt]

I've been shooting rocks but I like to hear the ring instead of a thud or just seeing a puff of dust.  Some times I shoot out in Davenport in the family's wheat fields and rocks can be tough to find at times out there

[Karl Blanchard]

I'm a rock guy too but mainly due to the fact that packing steel back and forth on public land sucks.  When I do though I use T posts with t post hangers and ar500 plates from Matt at Dynamic metals.  Nice products at a fair price and he's a local just up the road from me.

[Magnum_Willys]

I've been shooting rocks but I like to hear the ring instead of a thud or just seeing a puff of dust.  Some times I shoot out in Davenport in the family's wheat fields and rocks can be tough to find at times out there

I can’t hear anything with steel 2/3 mile away with earmuffs on. What am I doing wrong?

[jay.sharkbait]

I've been shooting rocks but I like to hear the ring instead of a thud or just seeing a puff of dust.  Some times I shoot out in Davenport in the family's wheat fields and rocks can be tough to find at times out there

I can’t hear anything with steel 2/3 mile away with earmuffs on. What am I doing wrong?

Are you shooting a Creedmoor?

I know you can hear 300WM  at a mile when conditions are right. Target size, composition and how its supported makes a difference as well.

[Magnum_Willys]

300 grainers.  10” ar500 gong

[jay.sharkbait]

Here is the mile target. Its similar to  E40 and hung with chain.

You can definitely hear it at a mile

[yorketransport]

I can’t hear anything with steel 2/3 mile away with earmuffs on. What am I doing wrong?

It has a lot to do with how the steel hangs. I can hear my the 168gr bullets from my 284 Striker hit at 1400 yards with an impact velocity of about 1100fps as long as the wind isn't too bad. I've used the T post hangers and they don't ring quite as well. A 300gr bullet at 1200 yards should ring steel loud enough to hear with plugs and muffs no matter how it's hanging.

[Magnum_Willys]

Are you using regular ear muffs ?  Maybe my 10" gong is too small to hear ( definitely too small for a mile ! )  Have a 20" square will try next time out. 

[yorketransport]

I wear just plugs when shooting the small guns like the 284 and plugs + muffs on the big guns.

[jasnt]

How the target is hung makes a huge difference! Gotta have vibration to get good sound.

[jasnt]

This one hung with rebar sings loud! The 735 hung with chain is pretty good too. Strap not so much

[yorketransport]

That square gong has seen better days.

[jasnt]

That square gong has seen better days.

yeah that poor thing was my 400 yard plate when I was first learning. Spent some time at 500 before moving it to 735. Both sides look like that. I have to keep rotating it because it starts to get bowl shaped. 

[jasnt]

What are you guys using for scope covers?  Currently using a bikini.  Have not found a flip open cap I like yet

[Oh Mah]

This is what i got.Vortex Defender,will work on all scopes.