What Size Gong?

[bullbarrel]

Hi fellow shooters,

Do any of you have favourite size gongs for shooting up to 500m & 500m-1000m for .243 cal without being tooo... easy or difficult, just big enough without a need for a Hubble Telescope?

[Robinhood]

12"-16"

[jkv45]

How accurate are you and your rifles?

If you can hold 1 MOA at distance, maybe go for 2 gongs - one larger equivalent to 2-3 MOA and a smaller 1 MOA as well.

Use the larger to confirm you are on target and the smaller for more of a challenge. It's often difficult to determine your shot placement when you miss the gong.

[SageRat Shooter]

A 10" gong @ 1000 yards is 1 MOA accuracy... If you can hit that at 1000 consistently, you'll be able to hit anything inside of that.

https://www.cabelas.com/product/RANGEMAXX-GONG-TARGETS/3471038.uts?slotId=0

If you keep an eye out, they will go on sale every now and then.

[coyote wacker]

1" of target for every 100 Yards....with no wind should be fairly easy....get some wind blowing it can get challenging.....

[SageRat Shooter]

1" of target for every 100 Yards....with no wind should be fairly easy....get some wind blowing it can get challenging.....

That it does... :thumb:

Although not so challenging that I feel like I'm just wasting time/ammo... It has really helped with my wind reading. I don't always shoot at it from 1000... I usually practice between 450-700... I can pretty much go 100% from 450-650 now when the wind isn't blowing too much (over 10mph). With more wind it is more challenging for sure though.

It will increase one's confidence in taking that longer shot on game animals though.

[LoneWolf]

3-4 MOA minimum for checking consistency of rifle at distance. Easy to paint a waterline or small dot in the center. 1.5-2MOA will start to challenge shooters wind reading ability. anything 1MOA or less will really make you work for it. 1MOA is not that bad with a capable rifle, but wind a drop data have to be on point.

[Robinhood]

3-4 MOA minimum for checking consistency of rifle at distance. Easy to paint a waterline or small dot in the center. 1.5-2MOA will start to challenge shooters wind reading ability. anything 1MOA or less will really make you work for it. 1MOA is not that bad with a capable rifle, but wind a drop data have to be on point.

This was my line of thinking. A larger gong keeps a new long range shooter from getting frustrated. You can shoot 1/2 MOA groups on a 30" plate but you cant shoot 1.5 MOA on a 8 inch plate at those distances.

[bullbarrel]

1" of target for every 100 Yards....with no wind should be fairly easy....get some wind blowing it can get challenging.....

I like your formula but would this be too hit and miss and without any consistency for a new long range shooter?

[bullbarrel]

12"-16"
Looks like a good size to start with.

[SageRat Shooter]

I started with a 10" gong right from the start. I'm still pretty new to LR shooting too. It was a simple choice for me... If I can't shoot 1 MOA of accuracy @ 1000 yards, then I have no business pulling the trigger on any game at longer ranges. (over 200 yards) That's just my own self imposed philosophy though.

If you can't get on plate, just start at a more reasonable distance. My first shots we from 445 yards (12.5 mph wind), I managed to put 2 shots on plate about 1.5 inches apart, and I just kept moving out from there until I started having more misses than hits (my first plateau was at 857 yards). Part of my issue at that time was that I was shooting out of the back of my truck.

Shooting from the ground (prone) helped to resolve that issue (thanks LoneWolf).

[bullbarrel]

I started with a 10" gong right from the start. I'm still pretty new to LR shooting too. It was a simple choice for me... If I can't shoot 1 MOA of accuracy @ 1000 yards, then I have no business pulling the trigger on any game at longer ranges. (over 200 yards) That's just my own self imposed philosophy though.

If you can't get on plate, just start at a more reasonable distance. My first shots we from 445 yards (12.5 mph wind), I managed to put 2 shots on plate about 1.5 inches apart, and I just kept moving out from there until I started having more misses than hits (my first plateau was at 857 yards). Part of my issue at that time was that I was shooting out of the back of my truck.

Shooting from the ground (prone) helped to resolve that issue (thanks LoneWolf).

A good first hand explanation, thanks.