Am I over thinking this?

[RockAndSage]

Yep. I'll hunt with the ugly duckling Ruger this year. Seems like I can make it shoot. Maybe I'll invest in a Tikka in the Spring. It sure is a pleasure shooting a 5.56/223 compared to basically everything else. I can see the challenge might be shot distance restraint. I just never thought about stretching this rifle out much. It works.

The more you shoot it in field conditions, the more you'll know your actual realistic capabilities, and the more you'll naturally have less problem restraining yourself from excessively far shots in any given circumstance.