Quote Originally Posted by Jwknutson17 View Post
I started off the longer range game with a 350 dollar remington 30-06 with a Bushnell elite 3200 scope with a SFP multi-x reticle. I quickly found a mil dot reticle optic but it was still SFP. I shot that for a long wile before upgrading to anything else. Shot for months at 600 before really going farther. Just learning what my rifle did and how wind affected my shots. A chrono and a good ballistic app really do a lot for you. Practice at 600 really, really helped me make hits at 8-1k and beyond. Or practice at 300-400 helped me make hits at 6. I think just time behind the gun, and not just throwing rounds at 1k for the sake of it, will benefit you greatly. I almost always shoot steel for instant feedback. Working my way up in distance keeps me from getting frustrated too. Just trying to go right to distance you can be sending 10 rounds down range without a hit and that gets old fast. Getting some hits at 3,5,7, etc first can really help. Then you will get the confidence to send one at 1k with good data and make first round hits. You will see how much you learn just getting time behind the rifle... Way more then any book or tool can tell you.
I agree with Jake and Mark here, solid post. I have more times than I would like to admit, "Im going to pop the 1,300 before the wind kicks up". Then find out the 100 yard zero is way off for some reason. Checking your zero is huge before you go out for the long shot especially when you banging guns together in safes and trucks and ... working your way up isa good plan.