EVERYONE shoots 2 miles on the internet!
I *Thought* I knew how to shoot, fair amount of hits at 250-350, before I joined the Marine Corps...
I was 17, what did I know?.
One thing about the Marines, standardized rifles & ammo!
No bullet BC, velocity, hardware changes (variables) like civilian ammo/firearms have.
I had an AR-15 as a kid, didn't like it much but I understood the bullet crossed the line of sight twice, so I scored 40/40 on silhouette targets in boot camp.
I couldn't do the math in my head, so I memorized every variable for every range.
Memory is the only thing that saved me from washing out...
(And a lot of math practice)
I graduated exactly smack in the middle of my class...
When you consider the standards the Marine Corps has, that wasn't too bad for an Indiana farm kid with no formal training before the Marines.
I wasn't good enough for shooting teams, I would up a field grunt.
16 years of sand fleas, mosquitoes, leaches, frozen/roasted, experimental vaccinations, and stationed in some of the worst crap holes the world has to offer.
I hung around armorers & precision weapons guys so much I got an armorer's rating.
Being ignorant it was the best way I could find to learn & keep up,
The DDP (Defense Department Procurement, we called them the Death and Destruction People) were all classically educated in their fields, so I picked up a lot from them on how things are *Supposed* to work, and what goes wrong.
Anyone that can keep it in the numbers at 1,000 yards has had training,
Anyone that can keep it in the X ring at 1,000 yards has had SERIOUS training, and a crap load of practice!
Unless the river floods, I have 800 yards in the back yard.
Its handy, so I still practice, but not as much as I probably should.
Getting old sucks, loss of strength means loss of control, so I'm no where near what I used to be...
Gunsmith, serious reloader, 800 in the back yard, beverage fridge next to the shooting benches, you can see why my goober friends hang around...
And it's not exactly military range rules around here, right now the range is littered with pumpkin scraps from the gardens!
Stuff we didn't sell or put up for the winter got range duty as targets.
It will probably work like fertilizer next year and I'll have to mow twice a week, but it was fun.
I wish we lived closer because it sounds like our experiences are mirrored. I grew up as a sorta country kid and I only did 3 years in Army Reserves with one trip over to "study abroad". I still put my nose to the charging handle like our drill sergeants had us do.
If you haven't already, take a look at some PRS types of matches, especially a Guardian. Those matches are a blast and I bet you'd do well at one.
My backyard range only goes to 300 yards and is currently littered with a 5x10 heaping trailer load of walnuts, pumpkins, and all the leftovers we cleaned out from the church pre school raised bed gardens. I'm hoping some of those pumpkins take root and I end up with a good crop next year.
