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My personal quest for our "Custom Long Range Rifles" began 24 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 examples of proficient hunters, both for trophy class animals as well harvesting meat needed for the family, as a tradition in our family for decades.
I have participated in countless big game hunts throughout my life. As a young man, my father took 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 was an expert marksman. He would pin a quarter on a target, at a distance of 200 yards, and shoot a bull’s eye any given day… He was a real marksman and I credit him as a great example that inspired me, while growing up as a young man.
The 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 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 24 years ago was no different, as I spotted a Trophy Bull Elk, estimating it 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 a precise knowledge of the ballistic data for my rifle; 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 in 1000 yards to make the shot perfect. The drop, wind, elevation, and pressures, or 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, calculating the hold over, using the Bull Elk’s body size, and the scopes range finder zoom on the Leopold 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 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 needed.
My son Jeremy was the shooter using my 300 McMillan Mag, and simply raised the elevation up 10’ feet over the back bone, using the hash marks on the scope reticle’s center line for the holdover. 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 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 range finder devices.
The Successful shot changed my views, in pursuit of Long Range Shooting! The decision was made with two choices in mind; 1) I could either let this continue, or 2) become vested into a rifle system, load development, and scope that would allow me to take trophy animals on future hunts at long ranges. I was in search of not only trophy game animals, but the ability to take trophy class big game ethically at extended ranges over 1000 Yards, with the skills needed to process and make extreme long range shots successfully.
This search took me on a journey to 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 knowledge, accurate barrel requirements, actions, scopes, chamber 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. I have taken all that I have learned, and developed the most accurate, reliable, precision crafted rifles with state of the art machined components, offering you 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.
We look forward to helping you select the perfect rifle package, shooting systems, and marksmanship education to make your pursuit of any trophy class animals 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, or feel free to call me, so we can discuss your exact requirements and rifle specifications.
Thank you,
W. Scott Cranney, President
Backcountry Custom Rifles, LLC