Choc, there are target shooters using 6.5, 7mm and above who can produce exceptional groups at a 1000 yds and more. I once produced a group at 600yds with a L1A1 that was easily covered with a fag packet. I have also struggled to make a decent group at 200yds in a strong wind
But, and it's a dilly, the targets don't move whereas live quarry do. I have read of calculations that say from the time you think about pulling the trigger, to the time your bullet hits a deer 100yds away, takes about a 20th of a second. A deer can take flight for many reasons, or even just move slightly, making your carefully measured shot into something of a lottery as to weather you have a clean kill or not. The more you extend the distance, the more chance there is for error! And when dealing with live quarry I feel it is essential to do all I can to minimise any suffering I might cause.
I take my terms of sporting reference from those people who do, and have in the past, stalk their quarry. So as to deliver the most humane dispatch possible for my selected quarry species. I realise that occasionally, for special reasons, a longer shot than normal might have to be taken, to relieve suffering, but it is not standard best prectise. Certainly not something I think should be boasted about. The chaps I really admire can stalk you in to a group of deer that do not know you are there, and if the shot does not present itself properly, will come away with a clean barrel, and consience.
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