A Long Distance Adventure
Oct 7, 2021 15:13:13 GMT -5
via mobile
Kyle, nick50471, and 7 more like this
Post by hillbill on Oct 7, 2021 15:13:13 GMT -5
This is going to be rather long so hang with me
Kyle Pittman and I are on our way back from an adventure,A long range adventure, to the tune of 1550 miles from Kyle’s house.
We were invited to Colorado to attempt some long range shooting and to showcase the new Mesa action and stock by the Mesa Precision crew, John and Chad also had a camera guy there and an Outdoor Writer from the Firearms Blog to document things and do a story on the shooting.
Icing on the cake was some Antelope hunting during the rifle season using our SML guns.
We were hunting during open Rifle so it was legal to use our Smokeless muzzleloaders.
Kyle was using a new .45 light build by Shultz Precision
Mesa ML action
Mesa Altitude carbon fiber stock
20 twist 26” spiral fluted Brux with Hankins ignition
Fat bastard gen 2 self timing brake
Jewell trigger
Hankins stainless adl trigger guard
Hankins SS scope rail
All metal was melonite treated
Weight is 12.16 lbs scoped
Kyle was running a NF ATACR scope, 5x25 power, Vortex level
Load was a 303 grain Pittman Aeromax Hardcore in front of H4895 @ 3060 fps
I had a new .45 build I did to hunt with in Illinois this year.
Mesa ML action and Altitude stock
20 twist Brux 8 flute @ 24”
Titanium 5 port gill brake
Trigger Tech Primary trigger
PT&G BDL bottom metal
Hankins ignition
Sightron SIII 6x24 scope, Holland level
Weight is 9lb 14 oz scoped with bipod rail
Load is Benchmark powder with a 303 grain Pittman Aeromax @ 2920
I also took my gun I call 1760 for the long stuff
We were on a large Ranch and the owner Curtis had steel set up at various distances out to 1780 yds
Kyle and I both took our portable benches to shoot from, I shot from bags as I normally do and Kyle shot his same front rest and bag he normally shoots from.
Kyle’s gun had about 12 shots on it since new
It was zeroed in Tennessee and seemed to shoot really well.
My gun had 6 shots fired at 104 yds and that was it.
After a very long drive to Craig Colorado we arrived on Saturday mid day.
When we met up with the crew we went out to the ranch to get acquainted with the range.
Altitude was 5900 feet where we set up the benches and were shooting up a long canyon south to north.
We shot that afternoon to get some data and returned Sunday morning early after some sleep.
Kyle and I both shot our .45s, his he took all the way out to 1260 yds, with mine I stopped @ 980 but both guns were hammering steel very accurately
With my 1760 gun I was shooting the .40 cal 350 Aeromax @ 3260 fps.
I zeroed @ 100 and then went to 980, 1260,1580 and 1780
I ended the day with 4 out of 6 hits confirmed at 1780
The steel was 31 1/2” square and my 4 hits were 20” horizontal and 12” vertical
The gong also had a blinker system confirming hits
On Monday morning the heat was on as the Videographer Evan Cruze and Writer Tom Rader from the Firearms Blog were there to document things.
We started early to try to escape as much wind as possible, temps were in the low 30s
The 1760 gun went straight to 1580 and made a left center hit on the second shot
I then went to the 1780 and after 4 shots to get on target I placed what we thought were 6 hits in a row out of 7 shots but after investigation one was 3/4” high hitting the strap making the blinker go off.
On the last shot I felt the wind picking up and the shot went low, I knew it was time to call it good.
Everyone there was pretty excited and some of the guys were very surprised including me to be honest.
We then did a good bit of shooting with the .45 pea shooters and they performed very well.
That afternoon after some lunch we suited up for some hunting.
Kyle took a good buck at 300 yds and I managed to miss @ 450 yds going slightly high.
Still don’t know why but just telling like it happened.
Tuesday morning we started right after daylight, I took a couple of shots from the bench @ 980 and 803 with center hits and Kyle shot his @ 980.
Intention was to make a long range kill on video from the ridge we were on down into a field with the big gun.
The goats had been there every day so far and were there going out to feed when we were done warming up.
I carried the bags and gun down to a vantage point and got set up, Kyle was on his Leica range finder Bluetoothed to his Kestrel 5700X calling dope while Scotland was on the spotter calling wind and animals.
I could lie and tell you I made a first shot hit but it didn’t happen that way.
Shot 1 @ 935 went high, shot 2 was high right, I was adjusting as the doe was moving and we now knew we had a lot more wind on the field than on the ridge, shot 3 was in the boiler room @ 896 yds.
On to looking for a buck after caring for the doe and getting it tagged and in the cooler.
We found some decent bucks with lots of does but they rutting and were like chasing squirrels.
After some long treks and sweat we moved on to a different side of the ranch.
Upon finding a good buck it was now time to make good on an opportunity.
He was at close to 500 in a draw but he and the does didn’t like our looks and decided to head out.
I got on the ground and set up as fast as possible on my bipod, Kyle was calling dope and Scotland on the spotter.
I managed to put him down with a high rear hit . (wind miscalculation)
He fell facing us which left me with a very difficult finishing shot but Somehow I hit him exactly where I needed, I am almost embarrassed to tell you the shot was @ 733 yards, By far the best shot I made on the trip IMO
Normally I wouldn’t even think about taking shots at animals at these distances, but we had shot for 2 days and knew what our guns were doing and could see hits in the dry dusty ground allowing for quick adjustments.
On the way back to the truck Kyle put a well placed shot on a huge doe.
Bullet performance from both the .45 Aeromax 303 hardcore and the 350 Aeromax .402 was excellent on both paper and the Antelope.
Kyle and I are blessed to have an opportunity like this and are truly grateful to Chad , John, Scotland and everyone else it took to make it happen.
Curtis the ranch owner was a big player as well, he is a great guy and has a beautiful place and family.
Evan tagged along and took tons of footage, he is a trooper and a true professional, I look forward to seeing the end product.
Hopefully Tom’s eyes were opened to a new world of shooting and through his article other’s eyes will be opened as well.
When we get home I will add pictures to this to add some reality to my ramblings.
I post this not to boast or brag about what we did or didn’t accomplish, just telling it like it is, the good and bad, the plain truth.
The point of this whole endeavor was to showcase the new Mesa action and stock and to show the capabilities of high performance smokeless Muzzleloaders in general.
Also for Kyle to test his bullets in real world situations on targets and on game.
Kyle’s shots were taken at reasonable distances and he took two good animals cleanly.
I know some will say the shots I took were unethical and irresponsible?
I am man enough to own that and in no way condone taking shots that far at an animal but in this case with a spotter and dope caller I felt it doable.
The proof is in the cooler.
Kyle Pittman and I are on our way back from an adventure,A long range adventure, to the tune of 1550 miles from Kyle’s house.
We were invited to Colorado to attempt some long range shooting and to showcase the new Mesa action and stock by the Mesa Precision crew, John and Chad also had a camera guy there and an Outdoor Writer from the Firearms Blog to document things and do a story on the shooting.
Icing on the cake was some Antelope hunting during the rifle season using our SML guns.
We were hunting during open Rifle so it was legal to use our Smokeless muzzleloaders.
Kyle was using a new .45 light build by Shultz Precision
Mesa ML action
Mesa Altitude carbon fiber stock
20 twist 26” spiral fluted Brux with Hankins ignition
Fat bastard gen 2 self timing brake
Jewell trigger
Hankins stainless adl trigger guard
Hankins SS scope rail
All metal was melonite treated
Weight is 12.16 lbs scoped
Kyle was running a NF ATACR scope, 5x25 power, Vortex level
Load was a 303 grain Pittman Aeromax Hardcore in front of H4895 @ 3060 fps
I had a new .45 build I did to hunt with in Illinois this year.
Mesa ML action and Altitude stock
20 twist Brux 8 flute @ 24”
Titanium 5 port gill brake
Trigger Tech Primary trigger
PT&G BDL bottom metal
Hankins ignition
Sightron SIII 6x24 scope, Holland level
Weight is 9lb 14 oz scoped with bipod rail
Load is Benchmark powder with a 303 grain Pittman Aeromax @ 2920
I also took my gun I call 1760 for the long stuff
We were on a large Ranch and the owner Curtis had steel set up at various distances out to 1780 yds
Kyle and I both took our portable benches to shoot from, I shot from bags as I normally do and Kyle shot his same front rest and bag he normally shoots from.
Kyle’s gun had about 12 shots on it since new
It was zeroed in Tennessee and seemed to shoot really well.
My gun had 6 shots fired at 104 yds and that was it.
After a very long drive to Craig Colorado we arrived on Saturday mid day.
When we met up with the crew we went out to the ranch to get acquainted with the range.
Altitude was 5900 feet where we set up the benches and were shooting up a long canyon south to north.
We shot that afternoon to get some data and returned Sunday morning early after some sleep.
Kyle and I both shot our .45s, his he took all the way out to 1260 yds, with mine I stopped @ 980 but both guns were hammering steel very accurately
With my 1760 gun I was shooting the .40 cal 350 Aeromax @ 3260 fps.
I zeroed @ 100 and then went to 980, 1260,1580 and 1780
I ended the day with 4 out of 6 hits confirmed at 1780
The steel was 31 1/2” square and my 4 hits were 20” horizontal and 12” vertical
The gong also had a blinker system confirming hits
On Monday morning the heat was on as the Videographer Evan Cruze and Writer Tom Rader from the Firearms Blog were there to document things.
We started early to try to escape as much wind as possible, temps were in the low 30s
The 1760 gun went straight to 1580 and made a left center hit on the second shot
I then went to the 1780 and after 4 shots to get on target I placed what we thought were 6 hits in a row out of 7 shots but after investigation one was 3/4” high hitting the strap making the blinker go off.
On the last shot I felt the wind picking up and the shot went low, I knew it was time to call it good.
Everyone there was pretty excited and some of the guys were very surprised including me to be honest.
We then did a good bit of shooting with the .45 pea shooters and they performed very well.
That afternoon after some lunch we suited up for some hunting.
Kyle took a good buck at 300 yds and I managed to miss @ 450 yds going slightly high.
Still don’t know why but just telling like it happened.Tuesday morning we started right after daylight, I took a couple of shots from the bench @ 980 and 803 with center hits and Kyle shot his @ 980.
Intention was to make a long range kill on video from the ridge we were on down into a field with the big gun.
The goats had been there every day so far and were there going out to feed when we were done warming up.
I carried the bags and gun down to a vantage point and got set up, Kyle was on his Leica range finder Bluetoothed to his Kestrel 5700X calling dope while Scotland was on the spotter calling wind and animals.
I could lie and tell you I made a first shot hit but it didn’t happen that way.
Shot 1 @ 935 went high, shot 2 was high right, I was adjusting as the doe was moving and we now knew we had a lot more wind on the field than on the ridge, shot 3 was in the boiler room @ 896 yds.
On to looking for a buck after caring for the doe and getting it tagged and in the cooler.
We found some decent bucks with lots of does but they rutting and were like chasing squirrels.
After some long treks and sweat we moved on to a different side of the ranch.
Upon finding a good buck it was now time to make good on an opportunity.
He was at close to 500 in a draw but he and the does didn’t like our looks and decided to head out.
I got on the ground and set up as fast as possible on my bipod, Kyle was calling dope and Scotland on the spotter.
I managed to put him down with a high rear hit . (wind miscalculation)
He fell facing us which left me with a very difficult finishing shot but Somehow I hit him exactly where I needed, I am almost embarrassed to tell you the shot was @ 733 yards, By far the best shot I made on the trip IMO
Normally I wouldn’t even think about taking shots at animals at these distances, but we had shot for 2 days and knew what our guns were doing and could see hits in the dry dusty ground allowing for quick adjustments.
On the way back to the truck Kyle put a well placed shot on a huge doe.
Bullet performance from both the .45 Aeromax 303 hardcore and the 350 Aeromax .402 was excellent on both paper and the Antelope.
All this was truly a team effort, from Curtis the ranch owner to Scotland who was with team Mesa it took everyone to make it successful.
Chad and John owners of Mesa were right there too, spotting and calling wind.
Kyle and I are blessed to have an opportunity like this and are truly grateful to Chad , John, Scotland and everyone else it took to make it happen.
Curtis the ranch owner was a big player as well, he is a great guy and has a beautiful place and family.
Evan tagged along and took tons of footage, he is a trooper and a true professional, I look forward to seeing the end product.
Hopefully Tom’s eyes were opened to a new world of shooting and through his article other’s eyes will be opened as well.
When we get home I will add pictures to this to add some reality to my ramblings.
I post this not to boast or brag about what we did or didn’t accomplish, just telling it like it is, the good and bad, the plain truth.
The point of this whole endeavor was to showcase the new Mesa action and stock and to show the capabilities of high performance smokeless Muzzleloaders in general.
Also for Kyle to test his bullets in real world situations on targets and on game.
Kyle’s shots were taken at reasonable distances and he took two good animals cleanly.
I know some will say the shots I took were unethical and irresponsible?
I am man enough to own that and in no way condone taking shots that far at an animal but in this case with a spotter and dope caller I felt it doable.
The proof is in the cooler.
I will add pictures and comments as I get time, Kyle likely will as well
Monday morning: 5 of 7 at 1780 one hit the right strap 3/4" above the target, made us think it was 6 in a row
Sunday for 4 of 6 @ 1780
a look back across the canyon to the trucks in the distance where our benches were set up, a far poke.
The Mesa crew and others observing
Kyles huge doe he took @ 230 yds
Kyles buck taken @ 300, dropped like a rock
my buck @733
the doe @ 896 with the 1760 gun
