Great calibers of rifles can carry range near to far, but they will not cover the range habits that introduce the element of human error in each discharge. What makes it frustrating is that most of the misses still appear to be good shots at the scope, big enough reticle, good trigger break, smooth recoil before the target lets you know otherwise.
In both long-range practices and daily range practices, the same preventable errors keep appearing again and again. They do not focus on the quality of the gear, but process, consistency, and interface of the rifle with the shooter.
1. Relied on a wind meter reading as though it is the entire range
A wind meter can give a starting point at the point of fire, but it cannot tell us what the wind is doing half way to the target, in a draw or over an arid flat that the sun is blazing over. A veteran gunman once put it into simple terms: Whatever the price of your wind meter it is no better than the length of your arm. The behaviour of wind over a distance is not uniform and particularly in places where the terrain funnels, blocks or reverses the flow.
Wind calls increase when the shooter gets to master reading a number of hints along the line of the bullet-flight motion in grass and bushes, turns in ridges and on optics. The single reading of the wind will often cause one to miss the mark of a solid elevation solution.
2. Inadvertent passage of a real zero shop distance
A rifle can shoot close formations at 100 yards one day and the next time it may be off target without any apparent reason. Scopes bumped, rings sunk, action screws moved, lots of ammunition changed. It is the trap of many shooters that the same zero of last month is still good.
Work over a long distance will amplify a slight error into a big one. Checking the zero at the beginning of each range session with a short group (not one shot) is a way of saving wasted rounds and eliminating chasing of wind holds that were never really the problem.
3. The assumption that parallax is insignificant and can just be left at that is not verified
One of the most silent accuracy killers is parallax since this can be viewed as an insignificant setup consideration until range makes it translate into inches. The marks of the dial on a scope are not guarantees; they are references, and the correction is visual: when the shooter slightly changes the position of his eyes, the reticle should not move on the target.
Most of the shooters make a single parallax adjustment and then switch magnification, move on the stock, or shift to another distance and never re-check. At greater distances the little discrepancy is a trend that resembles bad ammunition or mystery flyers.
4. When the barrel is lying on a hard surface and one wonders why the impacts increase
The right contact point is good; the wrong contact point is not. Placing the barrel on hard surface may alter barrel harmonics and point of impact. Simple instructions on field technique are more basic; do not place a barrel on a hard surface, or the rifle will shoot higher than usual, and a pillow like a jacket or a hat will help avoid that change.
This presents itself regularly on benches, rocks, truck hoods, and makeshift props. The rifle might not yet be shaky, yet the engine is no longer firing the same shot after shot.
5. The construction is done using the tension of the muscles rather than structure
In a distance, steady enough is not steady. Wobble which would only appear slight at 200 yards is melodramatic at 700 or 1,000. Positional shooting, particularly on barricades, is a form of shooting that rewards whatever the body is joined together by strained muscles rather than bones and regular contact.
Practical tips on barricade work include positioning and pressure management such as keeping the stance narrower than a surfer stance and to have some forward pressure to minimize sway. Prone or standing upon a prop, the object is a posture bringing back to a given point without continual steering.
6. Allowing breathing and trigger press to become a matter of time
Foundational components are breathing and trigger control which at times fail at the range since shooters get too excited to wait until the moment is right instead of firing through the repeatable cycle. The movement of the rifle is breached and gripping it unnecessarily might be a cause of high pulse and wobble. The fundamental method is very straightforward, inhale half way, hold and press.
Trigger errors resemble a snatching finish, closing the entire hand, or getting ready to shoot. The correct action is a slow, steady press and follow-through, as even the slightest movement in front of the bullet as it leaves the barrel will be a miss at any range.
7. Firing without a regimented system of feedback of dope and wind
There are a lot of range days that generate plenty of rounds shot and hardly any learning. The shooter will repeat the same guess work without a process to record conditions, holds and impacts. One method that is taught by successful long-range shooters is to practice by shooting forward, correcting to the point of shot and adjusting the necessary hold to the ballistic solver by adding wind speed inputs one by one until it matches what has been observed. Such calibration develops a personal reference library, what a 7 mph look really is in grass, mirage, and feel, as well as narrowing the inputs of a ballistic, over time. It transforms an irritating series of corrections into data that can be repeated.
Precision is provided by well-caliber but with the range performance reliant on the elimination of avoidable human error. The consistency that good cartridges can possibly provide is wind awareness, true zeros, parallax discipline, correct rifle support, stable positions, clean fundamentals, and recorded feedback. With such habits established, it is much easier to detect misses and great rifle calibers at last demonstrate what they can do when it is due.
