Here because you’re trying to look for some helpful information to increase your accuracy at extended ranges?
Some of these suggestions may help – but don’t forget the most important thing: range time.
Anyway, see if some of these prove helpful.
The Obvious: Bore Sight It
This might be boorishly obvious to some shooters, but it might not occur to newer shooters that, when mounting an optic for the first time, it must be “sighted in” before using it. .
You need to make sure your rifle is basically shooting where the optic is aiming before you can make the final calibrations.
Most shooters use a device called a boresight for that. These are either magnetic or laser boresighters, most of the time. They show you where the bore is pointing so you can align the optic with it.
Then you can make the final adjustments to sight in the rifle when you’re shooting.
Control Your Breathing
Breathing control is one of the most important aspects of shooting accurately. Both your breath and your heartbeat (which is affected by your breathing) will cause your reticle to bounce around while holding over the target.
There are some contentious opinions here, but one suggestion is not to hold your breath, but to shoot naturally once you’ve exhaled, before inhaling again. Another suggestion is to release your breath and hold, shooting within four seconds, because your visual acuity will be impacted if you wait longer than this.
Use Sticks or a Bipod
At the range, a lot of people shoot off a bench, and that’s great. They are stable platforms that can help you boost your accuracy at extended ranges.
The thing here is that, if you’re in the field hunting or competing, you should try to simulate the conditions you’ll be experiencing.
To do so, consider shooting over sticks or a bipod. These will provide you better stability when you’re in the field to help you shoot straighter at longer distances.
Take Your Time
One of the most important things to remember is not to rush the shot. Expedience may be necessary because you never know when a window of opportunity will open – or close – but you should never rush. That’s just a way to miss.
Drill to Overcome Flinching
Flinching, that is, moving or jerking when the trigger breaks, is a killer of accuracy. It’s bad enough at close ranges but it can cause devastating, wide misses at longer distances.
Dry fire training, at the range, with snap caps, can help you overcome flinching. Load a snap cap, look through the scope at your target downrange, and squeeze the trigger. If the reticle moves when the trigger breaks, you have flinched during the process.
Drill until you overcome this.
Invest in Quality Ammo Like Federal Gold Medal Match Ammo
The last suggestion here is to shoot match-grade ammo like Federal Gold Medal Match ammo. OTM ammo like this is designed for greater radial symmetry that produces superior spin stability and therefore greater accuracy, especially at greater ranges.
Range Time
Whether you invest in a new optic, bore sight, or Federal Gold Medal Match ammo, the most important thing to keep in mind is that range time is the most important determinant here. Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. Range training is the way to break bad habits, adopt new habits, and hone your skills – so get out there.
