Martin,
Guy, I can sympathize in a big way. I played in the very long range crowd for a while. That PPC of his has the same disease that the 1000 yard crowd has that turned me off (acutally 2 different diseases). First is, if it shoots a projectile and cannot be effectively carried, it is not a rifle. It is artillery, and thus requires a jeep, halftrack or horse to tote it around.
The second problem is something that seems to permiate many in the ranks of competitive shooting that harms the sport as a whole. A big fat ego, usually attached to a big fat butt. I don't know how many times I've had someone approach me behind my bench five minutes before the relay begins and started the conversation by saying "You know what you should do...", etc. I don't mind advice at all as we constantly learn in this sport. But dang, at what point does the line between teaching and being pompous start to blurr? All this usually from a person who shoots his best groups when aiming at a burger king drive-through window. I've met many a good person at the range, but the folks out there that fail to treat each other as equals make certain that the new folks never come back.
And you observation is exactly why I don't shoot in 1000 yard competition much any more. I have a rifle 15 feet from me right now that has shot four inch five shot groups at 1000 yards on multiple occasions. However, it's right at 17 pounds. It's what I call a "ballistic test-bed". Next to it is an AR10T. It shoots the same size groups at five hundred yards, which is fine by me, plus I don't compress vertibrae carrying it (well, not many). Guess which one I would pull first ;)
Have fun!