Originally Posted by Centaur 1

This is so true for the majority of us. There are a few people out there like ridge runner who practice at long range and become proficient at it. It's been my experience that most hunters don't practice enough to become skilled long range shooters, and buying a super duper extra ultra short short fat magnum won't make you magically hit a target beyond your capabilities. I know that location has a lot to do with it, and I live in the east where shots average shorter distances than "out west", but I'm 49 years old and I've been hunting since I was 11. Over those 38 years I have taken only one shot at a deer beyond 200 yards. I paced the distance at 300 paces and my only option was shooting from the sitting position without a backrest. Every time my heart took a beat my crosshairs left the deer. I did manage to break his neck, but I was aiming for his chest. I finally got smart and bought a Marlin 336SS in 30-30 last year. It's not a long range cartridge, but I admit to myself that I'm not a long range shooter. Now that my rifle no longer hurts like heck to shoot, I've become a more accurate shooter.