What to do now ?

[RAY]

I was going to say... Bump up the powder 2 grains and seat the bullets 0.03 off the lands. Then shoot until the barrel is shot out, because it will be good enough to kill anything that needs killing. And stop shooting from a bench because you won't get much better at killing animals from a bench.

And not just directed at you! I need to shoot from a bench, about never!

I sit in an elevated blind with rice bags on the window ledges hunting in close quarters of farm land .

I have 2 deer with my loads this season.
New to reloading, so I'm like a kid in a new candy store.
I'm sure I'll settle down..

Shooting off hand would make a better marksmen.

Thanks, Ray.

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[IdahoCTD]

I shoot from a bench often and hunt with a bipod. I also shoot with a bipod but not nearly as much as off my bench because where I shoot in the desert isn't great for laying prone. I never have a problem shooting or killing game even at extended distances with either method. A lot of it comes down to technique and practice.

 

[Darkhorse]

I've done an awful lot of shooting in my 63 years. The majority of it standing on my own 2 feet like a man (that's what I used to hear), followed by sitting on my rear and on my belly in the dirt. And my perceptions have changed somewhat. For instance I now feel the bench is a neccessary part of the equation. Not only for working up the most accurate loads but also for learning the basics of shooting. We have all heard something like this; "Your rifle can't shoot a 1/2" group if all the shooter can shoot is 1"." That my friends is a truism. And that means shooting from a bench.
It teaches you breath and trigger control for one thing, without discouraging one because they can't hold the weapon properly, or aim and pull the trigger at the same time.
Wisdom will teach one that just because your an expert in your neighborhood you don't really understand things in someone else's. I've hunted several states and feel comfortable hunting the wide open west, without a benchrest tied to my horse. But I've also built several box stands with basically a benchrest built in for hunting the clearcuts, fields and powerlines of the south.
When in the thick woods I shoot offhand but when distance is involved I'll shoot off something like this, basically a benchrest in the woods. Because this is the most efficient way to hunt the terrain I hunt. If you try to shoot sitting or prone you won't even be able to see the target, much less hit it.