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My personal quest for our "Custom Long Range Rifles" began 28 years ago, while hunting in the Back Country of Wyoming's Primitive Wilderness Area. I was accompanied by my sons; Jeremy, Mckell and Tyrell. We had drawn the limited entry Elk tags, which took years to successfully draw. For as long as I can remember, our Cranney family has passed down successful big game hunting stories from grandfather's, to grandson's and granddaughters. I have associated with many amazing family members with proficient hunting skills, both for trophy class animals, as well harvesting meat needed for the family, as a tradition in our Cranney family for decades of Big game Hunting.
I have participated in countless big game hunts throughout my life. As a young man, my father spent his personal time to educate me on the technical skills of shooting, hunters’ safety, and the precise techniques of handling a rifle accurately, using the 7 principals of shooting marksmanship… My Father "Val Dee Cranney" was an expert hunter and a marksman. He would pin a quarter on a target, at a distance of 200 yards, and shoot a bull’s eye, at any given day… He was a real marksman and I credit him as one who represented a great example, that inspired me while growing up as a young man.
My experiences of being an avid hunter for many years has credited me with some profound knowledge, and credit is due from not only the examples taught by my Grandfather, Dad, and Uncles, but from many professionals I've met in my lifetime. I’ve successfully hunted and harvested many trophy class animals in North America, and that proof hangs in my trophy room today... All hunters as a rule, while in the field perusing big game have shared stories of trophy class animal’s escaping over some distant ridge at 1200 Yards, as a haunting memory of missed opportunities. During the hunt in Wyoming 28 years ago was no exception, as I spotted a Trophy Class Bull Elk, estimating the range to be at 1000 Yards, bugling through a herd of cows. I was excited, but quickly realized the distance across this canyon was almost impossible to make a shot. I had the precise knowledge of the ballistic data for my rifle that day; I knew the projectile drop for a 300 Win Mag, using 150 grain boat tale bullet, @ 3180 feet per second. Knowing this gave me the drop profile for 500 Yards. I had no way to process the exact distance or the exact bullet drop @ 1000 yards to make the shot perfect. The drop, wind, elevation, and pressures, and even the spin drift to make that shot perfect, was not available to me back then. This day would certainly change my outlook on long range shooting! I estimated the projectile drop using a simple mathematical process, by calculating the hold over, using the Bull Elk’s body size, and the scopes range finder zoom on the Leopold 50 MM scope objective. My 300 Win Mag bullet projectile drop was 36” at 500 yards. This gave me a base line for the shot drop, elevated off the back bone of the Trophy Bull for the holdover.
By most people’s definitions, they would say this was an impossible shot, but I knew ethically the projectile could travel this distance from the manufactures specifications, with adequate feet per second, for proper bullet expansion. After attempting the first shot, I used the aid of a spotting scope for a shot location, and sure enough it was low, between the legs and dead center of the Bull Elk, no wind adjustment was needed.
My son Jeremy was the shooter that day, using my 300 McMillan Mag, and simply raised the elevation up 10’ feet over the back bone of the bull, dead rest, using the hash marks on the scope reticle’s center line for the holdover markings. The second shot hit the Big Bull in the front shoulders. What a fantastic shot, and a memory we share as father and son's, taking a 380 Class B.C. Trophy Bull Elk, that hang’s in our trophy room today. This set of circumstances opened the doors to a personal quest for me into "Long Range Shooting" I was now in pursuit of ballistics data needed to figure out the Bullet Coefficient data using the (BC: G-1) drag factors for projectiles, with MOA drop data, for a long range objectives, and finding range finder devices, to process distances.
That Successful shot changed my views of hunting, and in pursuit of Long Range Shooting Systems! The decision I made had two choices in mind; 1) I could either let this continue, or 2) become vested into a long rifle system, load development, and scope that would allow me to take trophy animals on future hunts at long ranges like a Navy Sniper. I was in search of not only trophy game animals, but the ability to take trophy class big game animals ethically at extended ranges over 700 to 1200 plus Yards, with the skills needed to process and make extreme long range shots successfully.
This search took me on a journey to many professional rifle builders in the Western United States, one of which introduced me to a professional Bench Shooter, having unsurpassed knowledge in Load Development, and Ballistic Coefficient bullets; Mr. Lee Williams’. I was able to kindle a great friendship with Lee', and learned from his extensive knowledge, accurate barrel requirements, actions, scopes, chambering reamers, and reloading data. I was especially looking for load development knowledge for long range, and testing powders for accurate long range projectiles, that were available to me.
I have since built countless rifles over the years, and through trial and error, I’ve gained an infinite amount of knowledge about building rifles for long range shooting, that work consistently. I have taken all the knowledge I have learned, and developed the most accurate, reliable, precision crafted rifles with state of the art machined components, and offer an affordable yet accurate rifle shooting system, taking animals at ranges out to and beyond, 1500 Yards. We shoot these distances accurately with our custom rifles packages, shooting ½” MOA out of the box, or they don’t leave our shop.
Kudos to several special "Ladies" out there that have ordered Custom Long Range Rifles; One being my Daughter "Audrey Cranney". She is proficiently shooting Long Range targets, and Big Game animals over 800 Yards in the field, with our Long Range Rifles. These Long Range L/R 1500 Rifle packages all perform at these ranges, when you invest in one of our L/R Packages.
We look forward to helping you select the perfect rifle package, shooting systems, and marksmanship education to make sure your pursuit of any trophy class animals is a “Dream Come True”, when you have that special opportunity to make that “One Perfect Long Range Shot Count”.
I want to introduce you to; “Backcountry Custom Rifles, LLC”. Our Custom Built Long Range Rifle systems are state of the art, proven and tested at our “Long Range Shooting Course”, and in the field “Hunting Successfully” every year with our customers, as well used in our Big Game Hunting & Guiding Service; “Backcountry Guiding & Outfitters”, LLC".
Send me an email with any questions you may have, or feel free to call me, so we can discuss your exact requirements and rifle specifications to meet your long range objectives.
Thank you,
W. Scott Cranney, President
Email: Backcountry@xmission.com
Backcountry Custom Rifles, LLC