Naki, your conclusion is right. And bravo for shooting from a field position!! I, too was at my range today. Mostly shooting at 200 yards, I also was doing some work with a rifle which I will post elsewhere. We shoot from every cockamamy position we can conjure up before season. Most of our work is from sitting on the ground or on a tire though. And standing at shorter ranges, like just far enough that we don't knock the target down with the muzzle of the barrel...

Anyway, I remembered this thread and thought I'd show those who have never shot at over 100 or so what 420 yards looks like to a 140 grain Prvi Partizan bullet fired from my CZ550FS at about 2650 fps and fighting a puffing righthand breeze.

Here it is.

First the target. Three shots at 420 yards from the bench, but holding the rifle and firing off my elbows, sort of like what a fellow might have in a constructed deer blind. The group is pretty good, heh? 3 1/8 inches center-to-center of the farthest shots. I did not fire sighters, just sat down, guessed the wind and started at it. I should add that I know my place and thus already know the range and I guesstimated where to hold based on the tables in my old Hornady reloading book. I hadn't yet fired this rifle at this range with this load.

Now for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Here is my point of aim. Yup, 30 inches high and 9 inches to the right of the aiming point, and the group still fell low.

The load and rifle are good. Sure, with range work and NO WIND and good computations and a rangefinder and a steady rest and NO WIND and a good day and NO WIND and a happy wife to come home to a guy in the field can kill deer at something like 420 yards. But not me. My wife is always happy, but as for the rest of the requirements, they just don't seem to fall together as ordered and thus I steer clear of such shots except for coyotes which are critters I will take a shot at no matter the consequences as I don't care if I wound them. But for noble game, not a chance.

Certainly to each his own.