Well, there are a lot of questions from the information you provided. Long range in the NRA competitive shooting world usually starts out at 600 yards, and out to whatever you can hit an appropriate sized 1 moa sized target out to. Ideally 1 moa will get you a 6 inch center at 600 yards, 10 inch at 1000 and 1 inch per 100 yards beyond that. Keep in mind that this is shooting perfection for both rifle and shooter. A rifle that holds a group of 1 inch at 100 yards, you would be looking at shooting groups of 2.25 inches as the goal. Not very many hunting rifles are capable of that accuracy level.
At the beginner level, every shot you take is competitive. You are shooting against the hardest competitor there is, yourself. Nobody else matters. The name of the game is to make every shot better than your last.
So now let's get down to the real nitty gritty. Using
your rifle very carefully shoot at 100 yards. Measure the group size. From that point on, when you shoot, you should be concentrating on and expecting the group size to get smaller each time until you reach the capability of your rifle. If the rifle will only shoot 2 or 3 inch groups, that will be the best you can expect out of the rifle, while your capabilities will have improved to the point where you are now shooting competitively even with a hunting or any other type of rifle.
I might suggest that instead of doing this with your hunting rifle with ammo that is probably quite expensive that you save up and buy a .22 caliber rifle. Used there are many that can be found, often for around $100. Ammo is inexpensive, which will cut training costs. I can assure you that the .22 is fun to shoot and all the basics of shooting still apply and transfer to your hunting rifle and ability to shoot either of them.
.22 rifles, like hunting rifles are not all created equal. Some are better than others and I would recommend that you purchase one of the better ones for your shooting/hunting endeavors. Personally I prefer Remington or Marlin bolt actions. I have found that with care and the right ammo they will shoot 1 inch or less at 100 yards. A good scope is also required, remember, "
If you can't see it, you can't hit it."
For a 22 shooting at 50 or 100 yards a 3 - 9x or 4 - 12x is more than adequate for simple training or some competition.
Finding a good .22 is not all that difficult. I use auctions a lot, to both buy and sell rifles. A good auction site is Kramer auction service out of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
https://www.kramersales.com/ The main reason I prefer this site is that Curt Kramer is very knowledgeable on all forms of firearms, antique and modern. He personally rates every firearm sold on the site and his ratings tell you a lot about the firearm. His ratings of "Good, lightly used or like new," tell you a lot about the gun. Lightly used means its in good shape but might have some banged up wood, a few scratches or minor rust spots. Like new, means exactly that. I have bought several firearms in, "Like New condition," that sat in s gun vault and have never been shot. He also has preview times when you can come in and actually look at, handle and inspect anything you are planning on bidding on. When I first started buying at Kramer auctions I used to make trips out to Prairie du Chien, a 90 mile one way trip to check out firearms I was interested in. Once I figured out how accurate his ratings were I quit the trips and just go by his ratings. I have never been burned and have been more than pleasantly surprised when I finally got the firearm.
So think about it and start out on your quest to become a good shooter and competitor. If you (or anyone else) have any questions feel free to PM me.
memtb
