To prepare yourself for long range shooting in the field you must begin with good equipment and that starts with the rifle. The long range hunting rifle must be able to put three shots into a 5 inch bullseye at 600 yards using 'premium hunting bullets' and put them there with enough energy left to effectively kill the animal with one shot.

These requirements are not easy to meet and demand rifles chambered in calibers with very high velocities, match-grade barrels, precision bolt action receivers and stocks professionally bedded.

Whether or not to use a muzzle brake is the shooter's choice. Muzzle brakes affect accuracy, point of impact and require that EVERYONE near you utilizes adequate ear protection AT ALL TIMES.

The shooter must work with the rifle until he or she can consistently hit a 5 inch bullseye at 600 yards. Half inch groups at 100 yards do not prove a thing.

You may need to adjust your shooting techniques. The new larger caliber 'Super Magnums' normally require a different grip or method of holding the rifle as compared to bench-rest rifles.

The shooter may need to handload to obtain adequate long range accuracy utilizing components such as once-fired cases, bench-rest quality primers and lubricated hunting bullets. It is important to do whatever it takes to prepare the rifle and the shooter for that kind of accuracy.

Optics must be of the highest quality to withstand heavy recoil and have top power ranges between 12 and 24X. It is important to develop a technique that works for you.

I sight in my own personal Lazzeroni rifles dead on at 300 yards using a Zeiss 3-12*56 scope. With the Lazzeroni muzzle velocities the fastest in the world in their respective calibers, this puts the path of the bullet no higher than 2.8 inches above the point of aim out to 300 yards.

With the scope set to 12 power, if the animal is at 400 yards I place the horizontal cross hair on the animal's back bone but not above it. At 500 yards I center the animal's heart area between the horizontal cross hair and the top of the thick portion of the duplex bottom post. If the animal is farther than 500 yards or there is a significant crosswind I don't shoot.

Each shooter has to develop his own system by spending time actually shooting at long distances. The old saying; sight in 3" high at a hundred and you're ready for anything is "Baloney". You must spend the time at the range to become familiar with your rifle's point of impact at the different ranges.

A top quality range finder is absolutely essential. Variations in terrain and vegetation will render human range estimation past 250 yards or so useless.

Spend the time to develop confidence (not ego) in your long range shooting abilities and your hunting trips will give you more satisfaction and personal pride, not to mention more game meat on your table.

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