At 100 yards, tight groups conceal issues that would only be revealed when time of flight is extended and the bullet takes longer to be propelled, slackened and diverted by minor misfortunes. After 600 yards, the same small mistakes begin to accumulate and not average.
The long-range consistency is achieved through the elimination of variables in similar sequence each time: rifle, optic, data, position, and process. The following are the general areas where groups fail.
1. Leaving parallax “close enough” instead of truly parallax-free
Parallax, is not a question of clarity: it is an error of aim, which is produced when the eye is not in the middle of the range. When the head moves and the reticle appears to be floating over the target, the system is adding an offset which can become inches at range. More expensive optics may have an adjustable parallax or target focus knob, although the mark on the dial does not indicate the appropriate setting at the moment. The functional check is easy: the rifle should be held in position, then the head should be moved a little and until the reticle does not seem to be moving with the target. A stylized cheek weld lessens the number of times this error can be repeated shot to shot.
2. Trusting an old zero without confirming it that day
Groups open fast with an erroneous starting point. Optics are bumped, fasteners crept and lots of ammunition are so variable as to cause point of impact to change. Even a single round of cold confirmation is a lie; a small group represents a more realistic account of the true location of the rifle print. When a shooter goes to a distance of 700 or 900 yards with an assumed zero, the vertical and horizontal misses are attributed to the wind or dope when the rifle is not actually beginning at the same point.
3. Calling wind from one spot and assuming it represents the whole flight
Wind is seldom a consistent value between the tip and the target. The terrain, vegetation breaks, and small heights variations generate various vectors downrange and sensitivity of the bullet is higher when the distance is longer. Wind, as one of the long-range primers observes, is the low hanging fruit of uncertainty even when the rangefinding is simple. Strong groups beyond 600 yards are obtained by drawing superior inputs: noticing mirage and vegetation at various ranges, distinguishing between wind speed and wind direction, and thought in effective wind (the element actually impelling the bullet). Even the slightest turn of the direction can result in an enormous lateral dispersion that resembles on paper a bad ammunition.
4. Ignoring wind angle and dialing/holding for “full value” when it is not
A crosswind is not necessarily crosswind. The inclination of the wind to the course of the bullet will give the proportion of the calculated velocity actually at work on the projectile, and such a discrepancy will be evident in horizontal stringing when the holds are constructed on false principles. The sin/cos values or clock-angle shorthand is a common way of using a real wind to get an effective wind in long-range wind techniques, followed by the inverse correction. Considering all winds as full-value may cause a group to appear as though the shooter has poor trigger control even when he fired deliberately.
5. Building a position with muscle instead of bone support
In the distance, wobble that appears to be manageable at mid distance is reflected in huge dispersion. It is not hard work; it is organization. A prone position is based upon keeping the body straight behind the rifle, the front support bearing weight and a rear bag managing height with little, repeatable inputs. The practical test is the ability to determine whether or not after recoil the reticle will come back to the same position and whether the aim point remains in the same location when the shooter relaxes. When the crosshair is moving the minute the tension is released, the rifle is steering.
6. Feeding ballistic solvers bad velocity, BC, or atmospherics
Beyond 600 yards, vertical dispersion is frequently inputted that was near at 300. The muzzle velocity is also dependent on lots of ammunition and may fluctuate between rifles to an extent that makes a difference; the weather where the ammunition is fired may not be the same as it was recorded in an app back at home.
The effect is a trend: the middle of the group would be either a high or a low shot and the shots of individuals would be consistently mechanical. Matched data which has been checked by a chronograph and whose fall has been corrected by observation makes elevation more certain than just published figures.
7. Letting the shot process change as the target gets smaller in the scope
The greater the distance of the target, the greater the temptation to hurry, to over-shoot, or to assist the rifle by the recoil. Such modification in conduct violates follow-through, injects steering strain and urges flinching which is difficult to detect beyond a bang of acclamation. A standardized procedure including position check, natural point of aim, breathing control, clean press and held sight picture including recoil maintain consistency in the inputs when the stakes become greater. Where there is a difference in the process, so are there the groups.
Beyond 600 yards, a rifle system does not require additional gadgets to compose groups as much as it requires less unknowns. A known zero, parallax established using known zero, Wind calls constructed using improved inputs and a position returning to aim do more to provide consistency than seeking small alterations in equipment. In situations where groups break open the quickest fix is typically to determine which variable has been modified most recently and turn that step back into a repeatable routine.
