Hi Bigiron,

you really hit the nail on the head when you said "people have got to know their own limitations" and when it comes to shooting deer at any kind of distance, you are more than correct...

We practice shooting literally thousands of rounds of ammo a year at long range and some of our "targets" are as follows:

600 yds: soda pop cans...

700 yds: Castrol quart motor oil jugs full of water - turned sideways...

800 yds: Castrol quart motor oil jugs full of water - face forward...

900 yds: gallon milk jugs full of water...

1,000 yds: gallon milk jugs full of water...

1,100 yds: 1-gallon anti freeze jugs full of water...

1,200 yds: 1-gallon anti freeze jugs full of water...

1,300 yds: 3-gallon peanut oil jugs full of water - laid over on side...

These are "fun" targets to shoot when were not punching paper or recording wind drift or ballistic drop from changing bullets and or load. At least when shooting "jugs" full of water, you get a little satisfaction when you score a hit...

Me personally, I will usually call it quits with my 6-284 when it comes to taking a deer much past 1,000 yards and that is when my 7mm STW or 6.5-300 Weatherby really come into play...

The "bigger" guns wear custom 40X, 50X or 60X scopes that meke seeing and identifying targets a little easier. The biggest drawback to scopes with this much magnification is that they are pretty much useless at dusk and dawn...

Long-range shooting is'nt for everyone. I have several customers in the state of Pa. that shoot deer from 1,000 yards to 2,000 yards and that is their "speciality". I can't even imagine pulling the trigger on a deer at that kind of range but these group of guys do it all the time. Unlike most other people, I don't condem them for what they do but am in awe of their shooting skills and admire them for what they can do, especially with one of my rifles!!!

DAVID