I can finally post my story, as now I actually have one. I went to thunder beast precision today with my dad, stretching our legs beyond 200 yards for the first time. He was using his AR-15 with 69gr SMK's, and doing good out through 600 despite 10-20mph winds. I was on my .308, and doing good through 700. We're both cold and a little tired after 4 hours or so, so I jumped up to 1000 yards. Some folks shooting at a mile said they were getting 10-20mph on the wind readers and shifting 3 mils to the left or right of the target from minute to minute, so I figured this will be an exercise in humility. I dial elevation per a data table, and hold windage 3 mils left of the 1000yd steel plate, and send it. 1st shot ever at 1000, about 2" high. Great, I'll nail it now! I adjust down .2 mils, hold 3 mils left again, and right as I'm about to break the shot, notice a small blackbird flying towards me from about 900 -950 yards. He had been checking out the dirt around the gong, but then decided to take off.... I figure there is no way in hell this bird is anywhere near my trajectory at this point, so I break the shot, just before the bird crosses in front of the plate. My dad was spotting and said he was more interested in the bird than in bullet impacts, so was watching him intently. Sadly, for my feathered friend, our trajectories met. Yep, I stoned a bird, mid flight, at 900+ yards, on my 2nd shot ever at that distance. I watched him pitch and roll to his left, and my spotter saw the impact, the puff of feathers, and a gory pinion falling to the ground. That bullet had to go somewhere....
