Vista Outdoor Spur Ranch Media Event Wyoming

other By: Jeremiah Polacek | June, 24

Little time was wasted getting behind rifles, checking zeros and verifying dope all of this was in preparation for the friendly PRS Match and becoming familiar with new products.

Vista Outdoors recently held a media event at the Spur Ranch just outside of Encampment, Wyoming. They brought in writers, professional shooters, photographers and engineers to the beautiful countryside. The ranch is a vast property of rolling hills and typical Wyoming countryside. They have an outstanding rifle range with plenty of steel targets set at various distances out to 1,760 yards (one mile). A separate handgun and shotgun range were also on the property a short drive away from the rifle range. Most of our time was spent on the rifle range and handgun range. At the lodge in a dedicated room, reloading benches were set up with various RCBS presses, powder dispensers, and all the tools necessary to create accurate loads. The ranch had a wealth of varmints from prairie dogs to badgers. It was obvious upon arrival that this trip would be a lot of fun. Writers from both Handloader and Rifle were able to attend the event so be sure to keep an eye out for their stories on the event and any new products they may be covering.

A Bushnell Elite Tactical 3.5-21X 50mm DMR3 with the EQL reticle was mounted atop this GA Precision Team Rifle. This combination allowed for easy hits on steel past 1,000 yards. The Nosler suppressor aided in recoil reduction along with making the ring of the steel all the more satisfying.

The event was three days of handloading, long-range shooting and varmint hunting. A friendly PRS-style match was also thrown into the mix. For this reason, the writers were broken into two teams so that we could rotate between handloading and shooting. The first day after traveling was spent warming up to our tools. Bolt action rifles made by GA Precision chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor and topped off with various Bushnell optics. I started by checking zero at 100 yards and proceeding to ring steel out to the one-mile target. The rifles were very accurate and made shooting 1,000 yards seem almost too easy. In the moment it is easy to forget how many things must be working together to make a connection at such distances. The wind calls must be good and the ammunition must be uniform in accuracy and velocity from your rifle. The optics must be clear in order to spot your hits or misses and the turrets must track flawlessly. The optic used was a Bushnell Elite Tactical 3.5-21X 50mm DMR3 with the EQL reticle. Something everyone became intimately familiar with at the end of the day.

Robert Brantley provided information and tips on shooting long range and a rundown on the specs of the rifle and optic.

Once we had finished up on the range we headed back to the lodge to begin handloading. We selected Starline cases, CCI 200 primers and RCBS Matchmaster dies, everyone appreciated the bullet-seating window and bullet retention feature of those dies. They make bullet seating concentric and simple. When it came to sizing there were 3 Rebel presses and 1 Rock Chucker. The faithful Rockchucker IV was used to size my cases. From there, cases were chamfered and deburred on an RCBS Brass Boss case prep center. This allowed 100 cases to be prepared in a matter of minutes, and everyone's hands were grateful. For all bullet seating operations, the RCBS Summit press was utilized along with the short handle which offers excellent feel while seating. If a case somehow missed the chamfer or an inadequate chamfer was applied, it was noticeable during bullet seating. In a couple of hours, our team had loaded 400 rounds to hit the range with and practice for our upcoming competition the next day.

Handloading 6.5 Creedmoor for our upcoming match and practice was a lot of fun and the setup allowed for efficient loading.

That evening was spent getting acquainted with the terrain and introducing the prairie dogs to our rifles. For this, we mostly used rifles chambered in .22 Long Rifle. A CZ 457 with a threaded barrel and suppressor was selected for myself. I managed to hitch a ride in Jason the ranch manager’s truck to which we enjoyed a quiet and civilized hunt thanks to the use of only suppressed rifles. The accuracy of the selected rifle was appreciated as headshots were preferred given the distance to the varmints (typically between 40-100 yards) and the desire for quick, clean kills. The rifle did not disappoint in that regard. The only blame for missing shots at those distances would be the individual holding the rifle.

The next morning after a hearty American breakfast we traveled back to the range and to the GA Precision rifles chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. It was here we practiced under the instructions of Robert Brantley and Troy Livesay. Two professional shooters that can be found performing in extreme long-range competitions and Precision Rifle Series matches. The amount of knowledge that was humbly transferred here to the attendees was spectacular. There is something to be said about the attitude of this group of writers and professional shooters. There were no big egos, no bragging and no blustered instructions. Everyone came here to learn not only about new or existing products, but also to improve their shooting no matter what level they were at. There is something to be said about that mindset and mentality. It also speaks volumes to the people who put this event together. They wanted us to learn and have a good time doing so.

At the range, we all put our handloads to the test and compared them to factory ammo velocities, extreme spreads, standard deviation and of course accuracy.

After practice and a break for lunch, we went to the handgun range to get some time behind some of the Bushnell Reflex sights. A few pistol pointers were offered to me here as well which I greatly appreciated. It is always a good day if you go to the range and get to learn something in the process. The concept of red dots on handguns is certainly not new but its popularity of it is certainly increasing. It is nice to see some budget-friendly options on the market such as the Bushnell RXS-250 Reflex sight which was a favorite of the many I used. This could be a great option for someone who is looking to try out red dot sights on handguns without breaking the bank. I think for this application Bushnell is putting out a good product at a reasonable cost.

The Handloads that were personally tested managed to group into less than 1 inch including the cold bore shot.

Robert Brantly walking us through various shooting positions commonly found in PRS stages.

The teams were then shuffled into two teams - one under Robert Brantley and the other under Troy Livesay with a total of 3 people per team. I was placed on Troy’s team and we headed back to the rifle range. It should be noted at this point I was quite nervous as I have personally never shot a PRS match before. Admittedly during practice, my performance needed quite a bit of improvement. However, under the excellent instruction from both Troy and Robert, I managed to hold my own in the match and thankfully remembered to leave my bolt open when moving from one position to another. A difficult habit to break coming from my background, but completely understandable from a safety perspective. This was all thanks to the careful instruction of Robert and Troy during our practice session. They easily communicated solid advice and provided a lot of food for thought. From body positioning, shooting bag mechanics, and the steadiness of whatever object you are shooting off of. Tackling these problems practically and offering solutions that construe into less float of your reticle on the target downrange. Allowing the shooter to break more accurate shots from a steady position. Many of these lessons learned can be easily translated for use in the field while hunting. At the end of the match, team Troy managed to win the competition but more importantly than that I think everyone there learned something. For myself, that is what it is all about. I can not thank Troy and Robert enough for all the advice and time they shared with us.

After the match, we once again went out to shoot some varmints and test and evaluate some new products in the field. I managed to get my hands on another CZ 457 chambered in .22 LR with the optic I wanted. Patrick Meitin grabbed his rifle of choice and we hopped in Jason’s truck and headed out. This time out we managed to lose count of the prairie dogs we shot. Jason spotted a group of 3 badgers. He kindly loaned his suppressed Bergara chambered in .17 HMR to Patrick and I, and we both managed to get one. No doubt aided by the quiet report of the rifle with the suppressor attached. For this accomplishment, we were added to the “Badger Board” when we returned to the lodge. Badger holes are hard not only on the field where alfalfa and crops are grown, but they are also hard on the equipment used to gather crops. It is for this reason their population must be kept in check.

Patrick and I with my prized badger taken with a single shot to the head with a .17 HMR, For the Prairie dogs the CZ 457 rifle I am holding was used throughout.

The third and final day started by going to the rifle range and hammering steel a mile away. We did this with both Federal Gold Medal Berger factory ammo and our remaining handloads that we had worked up the day before. I must admit I was impressed with the accuracy of the Federal factory ammo. A ten-shot group printed just under one inch, a testament to the quality of both the rifle and the ammunition.

Once we finished shooting and had lunch we once again set out in search of prairie dogs, woodchucks and badgers. I selected the same CZ 457 from yesterday chambered in .22 LR and headed out once again with Jason. We had a grand time shooting more gophers, prairie dogs, and even a woodchuck before heading back to the ranch. With the third day coming to a close, preparations were made to return to civilization and reflections were made on all that was learned.

The Primos Apex Carbon Fiber Tripod was easy to set up and provided a steady shooting platform for use in the field.

There were many things that I will be practicing now on my own range, with both rifles and handguns. The knowledge shared during this trip was priceless and it is something that will be looked back upon with great joy. I will also be keeping my eyes ahead for the release of future products that were tested on this trip and I would encourage you to do the same. Never stop learning whether that be about shooting techniques, handloading, hunting, or even the products we use to accomplish these things. There is always room to learn more.

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Vista Outdoor Spur Ranch Media Event Wyoming