....as we all seem to be rowing in circles anyway.
I don't think we were rowing in circles at all. The OP described a shooter with a new rifle who'd "practiced to 500" whatever that means, and had a self-described unsteady shooting position for a long shot in tough conditions. A lot of good points were made about the difference in practicing to 500 and making the shot in the field, and they were all as germane if not more so than an anecdote about an equipment failure causing a miss.
