#1 best tip for new shooters trying to get into the long range game!

Yeah it might as well be. It's a gap built 300 Norma on a surgeon xl. She is about 20 lbs scoped so pretty much a bench gun lol. It just shoots man.
 
New shooter and I read all the threads. A lot of valuable knowledge here built from lots of experience and money spent on gear. For a new shooter such as myself, what is the #1 tip to assist in the journey to long range shooting? Thanks in advance.
My confidence was boosted when I got a (good) scope with target turrets and then purchased a Sierra ballistic program and started dialing in for each yardage. I quickly realized the need for a very good rangefinder with tight beam divergence. So, summed up in one tip: Good scope, good rangefinder and a ballistic program. I think that would get you in the game so to speak
 
I have hearing gun weight for along time lighter lighter.If it weighs m0re than 8 lbs its to heavy.My long range set up weighs 15 lbs and change and i tote that thing 10 miles in and out with my pack with no problem.Now im a big boy but i have been in good enough shape that its not a problem.So my point is this talk about man buns skinny jeans must be true. Because if you consider your self as a man. Carrying twenty pounds should not be a issue.
 
My best advice to a new shooter:
Don't chase gear, special cartridges, magic loads, shortcuts, or tricks. Spend your money on ammo and your time at the range. Because the only way to get good at long range shooting is to shoot long range.
 
My best advice to a new shooter:
Don't chase gear, special cartridges, magic loads, shortcuts, or tricks. Spend your money on ammo and your time at the range. Because the only way to get good at long range shooting is to shoot long range.
Good advise, wish I was smart enough to follow it. I have enough clothes and gear to outfit a small army. My wife swears I don't know how many guns and sets of dies I own. She is wrong about the guns.... Not the dies. Many of them are for wildcats I no longer own. Quite an investment, and literally worthless.
 
I struggle with how to articulate this, but when it's time to pull the trigger, commit to the shot. Confidence is super important, and it seems like I start missing when I am still wishy-washy on my wind call when I pull the trigger.

At this point I would say that being a half minute off on my wind and focusing hard on my trigger pull yields better results than trying to split my attention between trigger pull and last minute wind adjustments.

Obviously improving that wind call is important, but for me where I am at I feel like once that trigger press starts I need to be completely focused on trigger and sight picture.
 
Also, the bullet doesn't lie. You clearly have the ability to hold steady and shoot good groups and be consistent. Developing good follows through and being able to spot your impacts will go a long way toward helping you make corrections.

There's a fine line between being a spaz and chasing your tail, versus being stubborn and refusing to make the correction that the bullet is showing you it wants.

If you put two shots just under the target, hold higher. That said, I have had targets where I've missed low left then high right then low left again chasing my corrections. Sometimes the bullet is telling you to slow down, get focused, and apply the fundamentals.
 
I have hearing gun weight for along time lighter lighter.If it weighs m0re than 8 lbs its to heavy.My long range set up weighs 15 lbs and change and i tote that thing 10 miles in and out with my pack with no problem.Now im a big boy but i have been in good enough shape that its not a problem.So my point is this talk about man buns skinny jeans must be true. Because if you consider your self as a man. Carrying twenty pounds should not be a issue.
Well glad it works for u. And yes I can carry a 20 lb rifle also all over the mountains but why? The problem comes when hunting big mountains solo and getting game and that rifle back out. Lots can do it but many are smart enough not to.
 
Practice standing shots. Not because you will have to take them, but because its how you learn trigger control. No one can hold a rifle still standing so you try to form a consistent weave pattern and break the shot as your coming into the target. You will have to do this in real hunting situations off of your bipod because in many cases you cant get that perfect prone position out in the field. For me, my experience shooting service rifle in the standing position has done more for my hunting shots than anything else. I feel like if more hunters understood trigger control and how to time the breaking of the shot, then we wouldnt have the large amount of wounded game that we do.
 
I have hearing gun weight for along time lighter lighter.If it weighs m0re than 8 lbs its to heavy.My long range set up weighs 15 lbs and change and i tote that thing 10 miles in and out with my pack with no problem.Now im a big boy but i have been in good enough shape that its not a problem.So my point is this talk about man buns skinny jeans must be true. Because if you consider your self as a man. Carrying twenty pounds should not be a issue.

you have only yourself to keep happy.
 
Something I wish that I had learned earlier was that I could learn to follow trace better by using a rimfire training rifle. Put good glass on your 22 and start shooting at 150-200 yards with it. Then make sure you are watching the bullet fly to the target. It's really easy to follow trace with a 22. You can get your eye practiced to seeing bullet trace so that it will be second nature with your centerfire rifle.
 
Practice standing shots. Not because you will have to take them, but because its how you learn trigger control. No one can hold a rifle still standing so you try to form a consistent weave pattern and break the shot as your coming into the target. You will have to do this in real hunting situations off of your bipod because in many cases you cant get that perfect prone position out in the field. For me, my experience shooting service rifle in the standing position has done more for my hunting shots than anything else. I feel like if more hunters understood trigger control and how to time the breaking of the shot, then we wouldnt have the large amount of wounded game that we do.
Thank u sir for your input. I have been trying a lot of different things lately. Shooting off tires, barricades etc. definitely is eye opening at the level of difficulty but everyone of these makes bipod and rear bag shooting a walk on the park.
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