good shots & comfortable, confident.....and consistent!!
I've got to say, there seems to be a lot of really good shots here! I'm not accusing anybody of anything, but I'm not near that good.
There's an old Cooper quote that goes something down the lines of, "...if I can see it, I can hit it.......". I'll add that Cooper should have added, eventually and with a spotter. Cooper actually was a proponent of first round hits, on demand, under time, , and he also maintained that shooting from improvised and field positions was far more important than off the bench. When I shoot at our local club, or hazard a trip to the public range, both pretty nearby, I seldom see anybody shooting from improvised or field type positions, but the benches get lots of use.
Off hand, standing flat footed and unsupported, and if well practiced, and on a calm day, I can/could hit a .22 cowbell type target (maybe 4x6") about half the time at 100 yds. Sitting, slung-up, I could go 7- 8 and sometimes 9 out of 10. That was with either a scoped rifle or one with a peep. Off an improvised rest, tree, fence rail, I expected to shoot a bit better and usually did. Those days are likely over. A bad knee and hip keep me from getting into a stable sitting position these days. I should try it prone with a sling, but I don't know if I've ever shot anything afield, from classic, slung-up prone.
I shot F-T/R for a few years , 'till I decided I couldn't afford it anymore, but in those couple of years I learned I wasn't near the rifleman I though I was.My rig was a Savage .308, good trigger and scope, and eventually a very stable Sinclair bi-pod with butt sandbag. On ACR courses,( and certainly out at 1000,) reading the wind, even with every shot scored and spotted, made 10's and "X's" hard to come by for me if there was much wind at all past 300 yds. The 10 ring is a full minute in size, and the X is 1/2 minute. I shot a lot of 8's and 9"s (and sometimes worse) dispersed laterally, and this was at known distances and very stable. From a field position, improvised and unknown distance, my shooting could only have been worse.
If its safe, I'll shoot at targets at any distance for grins and to try and learn a bit.
I understand my centerfire rifles trajectory and how I've zeroed them, and am confident I should hit a pie plate size target from a field position, if I have time to get stable/supported and the wind is not too high to about 400 yds consistently.
Beyond 400 yds, I'm confident I'll hit it, eventually!!!!!