ORIGINAL: Colorado Luckydog
Your statement surely is the joke. Guessing those kind of distances with the naked eye would be just that, guessing. Different terrains, shadows from clouds, trees, mountains and a ton of other things would make it next to impossible to guess those kind of ranges. You would need a range finder and the time to range the animal. I know there are guys out there have spent the dough, and the time, and have became very good at those ranges, and my hats off to them. But spending one day at the range and shooting a couple hundred rounds would hardly make someone an expert!
Only 200 rounds of practice andmost people would miss at 600,575,or 625 yards more thanthey would make it!
Did I miss the part where he said OPEN SIGHTS? One would be a complete fool not using modern technology like a rangefinder and binoculars to see the animal and judge distance out that far. Also a fool assumingthe hunter would not be using rangefinders and binoculars at the veryleast to find his game and judge distance if he plans to shoot that far.
As for the ONLY 200 rounds of practice at that range, at my range we set up clay targetsat 550 and I can walk down a row of 10 targets busting the one I am aiming at each time. IF I miss one....it is by the narrowest of margins. Definately killing on an animal. That is with a bipod resting on a day pack. Hunting conditions. Those practice rounds were shot AT THAT range, 550 yards. I don't want to leave out the 100's of hours spent at the reloading bench sorting brass, turning necks, developing loads, trying bullets, changing powder, and a handful of other tedious work. If you can't become an expert at that range after 200 rounds and 1 year later, then you have more problems that need to be worked out.