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And while a .45/70 might be able to send a bullet that far, doesn't mean it would be a proper selection.
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Proper is entirely in the opinion of the guy shooting. There are still people today shooting 1,000yd matches with the .45-70, period style rifles, and blackpowder. For that game, its an entirely proper choice.
For a different game, its not. Sure.
Understand there is a difference between what one ought to use (providing they can afford it) and what is needed, at a minimum to get a bullet on target that far away.
As I said, winning a match is much different from just being able to hit the target. Quite different things. You can git hits on a 1,000yd target with a muzzleloader, a .45-70, or a .50BMG. People have done it. Theory says someone ought to be able to do it with a .22 short. Haven't heard of anyone actually doing that, but who knows? Maybe we need a new game?
i think the race car analogy is fairly apt (not perfect, analogies seldom are), but I accidently left out the last part. What I meant to say was,
you don't put someone just learning to drive in a Formula One race, even though they can steer the car....and expect them to win
Likewise you could run the Indy 500 in your Ford F250 (assuming the rules allowed it). And I think you could be pretty confident of finishing the 500 miles (hitting the target), but I seriously doubt you would win the race!
Everything you do, from custom loading to all the work done on the rifle, optics, etc, is all done to increase your odds. Its not needed to hit, but it sure makes things easier, comparitively speaking.
I'm not a thousand yard shooter (choice and opportunity) but I have shot to 600, and I feel quite confidant that if I wanted to be a thousand yard shooter, I could, eventually make hits with any of the rifles in my collection, from the antiques to the most modern ones.
Saying that, I will gladly admit that with a less "suitable" rifle and cartridge the learning curve will be much much steeper.
And I'm not saying that a begining shooter should use inferior equipment, only that it can be done with less than the "accepted" minimums.
I can go out there with an SMLE and tangent sight and bang away. Your high end rig and optics will, no doubt shoot rings around me. But when I get it figured out, I will make some hits of my own, too. And that's all I was saying, really.
What can physically do the job is all you need. Everything else above that is gravy. Boiled potatoes are enough to keep from starving, but are so much more enjoyable with gravy...and butter...and chives...and...STEAK..