Setting Up For The Long Range Shot, by Shawn Carlock

I would be foolish to that one caliber is "the" caliber . There are many good choices. I like the bigger 338's - the 338 LM, 338 RUM, but my favorite is of course the 338 Edge. It does depend on what you want it to do and what platform it is going in, but that is my favorite.
 
its hard to find fault with shawns article, and this is not an attempt to do so.
there are a few things i personally feel important to point out however.
first shawn is a trained proffessional sniper. therefore his training and coolness has an advantage over most of us.
in other words he's less apt to get shook up when shooting at an animal.
also what works well for him might not work as well for me.
flopping down prone on rough uneven terrain, and using whatever for a rear bag dosent go well for me.

for others like me, and hunting from a fixed position, a portable bench is the answer. mine has 4 fully adjustable legs, and weighs less than my rifle.
a bipod and a light weight rear bag are much better for me.
i just kneel down on both knees next to it and shoot.
as shawn said, a comfortable position is essential for an accurate shot.
its very important to properly allign yourself with the target when shooting prone. in other words dont mussle the gun over to the target.
if the animal moves, you need to reallign your body.
from a bench its much easier to follow the target without mussle.

next thing and by far most important is a spotter.
i feel it is essential to have a spotter using good tripod mounted binoculars.

shawn mentions a spotter, and has written about using them.
id go 1 step further and say their necessary, at least for most of us.
far more can be determined by him than by an excited shooter who may have already missed several times.
ive known a few who have done well hunting alone, but mostly at shorter ranges.
most of us will be more successful in a group of 2 or more.
 
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