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© 2008, Shane Cossar, New Zealand.
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Contact:  shane_cossar@hotmail.com

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This is a complete system for practical long range shooting, based on an Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Super Magnum rifle - capable of achieving a first shot hit on a 40x40cm taget at 1500m.

INTRODUCTION

There is a quiet confidence that comes from having good gear – really good gear.  When that gear is top quality, a bit exotic, extremely expensive and rarely seen, it is commonly referred to as gucci gear.

This article describes such gear for a precision shooting system capable of achieving a first shot hit on a 40cm x 40cm target at 1500m.  It covers the rifle, optics, electronics, ammunition, and other useful equipment.  It also lists the books that provide the information necessary to understand the ballistic and environmental factors involved.  What it doesn’t cover is the extensive practice necessary to achieve that potential.

This system is not for hunting.  The .338, while large, is too small to be used in the Big-Five of African big game hunting (Lion, African Elephant, African Buffalo, Black Rhinoceros, Leopard).  Conversely, some argue it is unsporting when used at long range on New Zealand hunting species. 
This is a system for what is known as Practical Long Range Shooting.

The Shooting System  
The core of this shooting system is an Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum (AWM) chambered for .338 Lapua Magnum.  The optics reticles are all in mil radians and are standardised using the Horus Vision H37 reticle in a US Optics SN3 T-PAL 5-25x58 rifle scope and the Horus Vision H32 reticle in a Leupold 12-40x60 spotting scope.  These are complemented by a pair of Steiner 10x42 binoculars using the Steiner Universal Military Reticle (SUMR).  Electronics are an integral component of this system, providing accurate hold-off calculations based on ballistic, meteorological, and environmental factors.  A TDS Recon PDA operating Pocket PC is the base system which runs a Horus Vision A-Trag MX ballistic calculator; Memory-Map mapping software and a Holux CF GPS receiver.  Also included are a Kestrel 4500 NV pocket weather tracker and a Newcon 2500CI laser range finder.

The central theme of this system is the Horus Vision System 5 which includes: reticles, scopes, software, calibration and spotting scopes.

Practical Long Range Shooting  
Long range shooting with this system is out to 1500m.  Rifles for long range shooting need to achieve accuracy of less than one MOA, which at 100 yards is generally regarded as a grouping of less than one inch.  Practical shooting means using a field style range which includes reactive targets at unknown distances (UKD), with uphill / downhill shots and requiring movement to a Final Firing Position (FFP).  This is very different to most rifle target shooting where the shooter will be one of a number on a firing line and shooting a roundel target at a known distance (KD).

The main calibres for practical long range shooting are:; light rifles such as .308 (out to 1200m) from Accuracy International or Remington;  medium rifles such as .338 Lapua Magnum (out to 1500m) from Accuracy International or Sako (Beretta) and .408 (out past 2000m) from CheyTac;  and heavy rifles of .50 (out past 2000m) such as from Barrett Rifles. 

World Records  
The International Benchrest (IBS) world record for a light gun was broken by Tom Sarver, Ohio, USA, in July 2007, with a 5-shot group at 1000 yards that measured just 1.403”.  This was with a custom designed .30 calibre cartridge, patterned after the .338 Lapua Magnum case.
The record for long range sniping was broken in 2002 by a Canadian sniping team in Afghanistan using a McMillan .50 rifle to hit an Al-Qaida member at a range of 2430 metres.  Reportedly broken the day after another shot taken at 2410m, this record was previously held by the late Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, with a 2250 metre shot during the Vietnam war.

Rifle Selection  
There were several constraints on the selection of this system; the rifle was to comply with the New Zealand ‘A’ category firearm licence (having previously held an endorsed licence, this time I was keen to avoid the necessity of attending carded shoots); all components needed to be legally imported to New Zealand; and all components needed to be legally exported from the source country to a civilian.  

A .50 rifle was never seriously considered due to the rifle weight, size, cost and the availability of factory ammunition.  Further, the effects of recoil and blast effect tend place a practical restriction on the number of shots a .50 shooter will take in a day.  In the USA this is a very popular calibre with a number of clubs solely shooting the big ‘fiftys’.

The CheyTac .408 is regarded as extremely accurate but was discounted due to the likely availability of .408 ammunition in New Zealand.  The Cheytacs seem to be under-rated and under-represented and if I lived in the USA a Cheytac would likely have been my choice.

The main considerations were either a Sako TRG-42 or an Accuracy International Arctic Warfare Magnum (AI AWM).  Ballpark costs for fully configured rifles, excluding optics, are that a Sako TRG-42 is about NZD$10,000, and the AI AWM about NZD$15,000.  Reviews indicate the rifles have similar accuracy.  On the face of it the Sako-TRG 42 was the logical choice, but despite chase-ups no Baretta dealer bothered to provide a quote.  On the other hand Sporting Services in the UK, who distribute AI rifles to NZ, and Will Clevedon of Wills Fishing and Firearms, the NZ dealer, provided excellent and responsive customer service.  Most importantly, they also clarified and double checked the part references for the scope rings and mount slope that would also be required.

Disclaimer:  Shooting is potentially dangerous and damaged equipment can be expensive to fix.  You should confirm all changes to be made to your rifle system and shooting practices with your local gunsmith or gunshop owner.