One way of looking at the question is to see what the 'opposition' are doing. The annual F-Class European Championship meeting which is also GB-FCA league round No.7 and the final domestic round of the season is held over the first weekend of November at Bisley each year. We have practice on Thursday, individual matches on Friday / Saturday and team matches on Sunday.
Last year's fixture didn't see any really bad conditions but had a tricky 7 o'clock light to medium strength and variable direction wind on Friday that gradually veered around and became a light but very variable wind from around 11 o'clock on the Saturday and a light fishtailing headwind 11-1 o'clock for the team matches on Sunday morning. Saturday morning saw brief but very heavy rain with strong squally winds pass through giving very rough conditions and dropping scores badly for one detail (top F/TR shooters) and also affected one of the other two but not so badly. So, not really difficult but more than easy enough to drop points especially at 1,000yd. There was one 800yd match and two 900s, all 2+15 and two 1,000yd matches both 2+20, a total of 85 score shots. Team matches were 2+15 at 900 and 1,000yd. Only one detail had what you'd really call 'easy conditions', the Open shooters at 800yd on Saturday detail 1 before the rain got going which saw no fewer than 19 shooters get a 'possible', the best V (X) scores being two shooters on 10.
Overall, there were 151 entrants who put scores in, 87 F Class and 64 F/TR mostly from the the UK but with participants from 11 other countries from Ireland in the West to Ukraine in the East, six of them fielding (a) national team(s). With all top GB shooters there including F Class world champion Gary Costello and F/TR world champion Russell Simmonds plus the best in Europe, you had a quality field.
Scores?
Ex a possible 425.85v aggregate (our Bull scores 5 remember) they were:
F Class ...................... 412.37v (Grant Taylor, Scotland). 21 shooters exceeded 400.
F/TR ......................... 396.27v (Russell Simmonds, GB). 13 shooters exceeded 385.
Assuming all Grant's dropped points were 4s (unlikely), that's 72 ex 85 shots into 1-MOA and 37 ex 85 into half-MOA over 15 x 800yd, 30 x 900yd, and 40 x 1,000yd. Well approximately into those group sizes as with the same target centres used at all three distances, they're a little larger than 1/0.5-MOA at 900/800yd. Grant shoots a .284 Shehane with Berger 180s, but not at absolutely max MVs.
In the team matches, one shooter ex 92 taking part shot a 'possible' (150 points) Scandinavian visitor Christer Jacobssen shooting a 6XC in the 'Sixes' team.
That's what you, your rifle, and your ammunition have to achieve to be at the top of the leader board in long-range matches. Scores, particularly in F/TR, continue to improve year on year too.
The other thing to note in these scores is that shooters are squadded two per target and shoot alternately in the individual matches - no rapid strings while conditions hold. Team matches use strings.
Laurie,
York, England