i think stubblejumper and nomercy said it right.if a shooter-hunter is well practiced (this builds confidence)under all conditions then long range shooting isn' t that big a deal.most shooters don' t have access to a range of 500 yards or even 300 for that matter.but all to often these folks attempt these types of shots with out ever shooting that range.without a full understanding of how wind,temp,humidity,altitude and gravity affect bullet flight.i built my own 500 yard range and like nomercy,have shot every square inch of it under all weather conditions with different bullet wieghts,bullet- powder combo' s all with the same rifle.a rifle thats been bedded and has had a trigger job.would i take a 500 yard shot on a deer?most likly not,but if conditions were perfect(they usauly never are)i would in a heart beat.would i take a 6 or 700 yard shot?ABSOLUTY NOT!!! becouse i have never practiced at those ranges,its that simple.if a shooter-hunter knows his or her limits and has complete confidence in there and there weapons abilty to stay with in those limits,there would be far less wounded game running around the woods.