You don't need gadgets, you need to read all the in between indicators that tell you whats going on.
Granted that took us probably from about 89 to about 01 or so to become top notch at shooting lots of LR and mostly every weekend or so....
Now surely you wouldn't represent that with all of this practice that you, or anyone else for that matter, including Hodnett and/or all of his pupils, Tubb, etc can perform first shot hits every time?
No not at all, but what you'll find, is that those of his level of shooting will know when not to attempt it. I'm not his level of shooting even though I've had the pleasure (luck?) of beating him here and there.
But thats the point of being practiced and learned. You learn when you can read it. There are LOTS of things you can read. Lots that have not shot competitively don't realize that, at least for me, I don't rely on range flags on the range for much. I read a lot of other things to come up with my shot to shot correction. When you realize that there are indicators all over, it helps.
And beyond all the very most important part that learned shooters know, is when they look at something and think, well I can get close with the first round but I just don't get totally what I'm looking at and choose to walk away, thats the most important part.
Really, 300 yards with a 308 and a decent wind bucking bullet, is rarely going to create an issue, especially on an elk size target, where I'd think I can't hit or scare the heck out of something like a clay pigeon or so. Cantaloupe size easily. I'd have more of a time trying to get a solid position/rest in bad winds than worrying if I"m not guessing em right.
But I would have to be in practice. I am not and have not for a number of years lately.
The one thing I take away from the comments, and I did not watch the vids because my computer won't access them all of a sudden lately, probably needs an update again, is that 300 yards is a distance that you RARELY don't need some kind of correction.... shooting zero wind at 300 would scare me 99 percent of the time.
I'll grant you my longest game shot to date, I ran almost no wind, but all the indicators where there all the way to the target including basically a boil all the way there, which made me think it would be a gravy shot really. But there was just a tiny hint of direction at times in the mirage, almost not readable but ghostingly there. So I favored it just a hair into that and it worked out for both rounds on target almost exactly on aiming point, I'm talking within 3-5 inches of aiming point basically.
Knowing when not to is more important than when to IMHO. Of course that comes from years and many many many thousands of rounds downrange... to get to the point that out to about 800 or so it was fairly rare for me to look at anything on any range and think, WTF? I'm not at all sure.
OR you take a sighter off the side....
