Group size

[beltfed]

Don,
Brent was there already for today.
I am not there yet. Just shooting (as in "putting in an appearance") the State match on Sat and Sun.
As per the above discussion, I also have vision problems nowadays. Also, have to shoot from stool with
Tall Stix since hip replacement and shoulder issues make prone a painfull endurance contest.
Arnie

[Don McDowell]

Arnie hope the weather cooperates and you guys have a good match.
I ordered a pair of the Decot shooting glasses, the HYWD set with 3 lenses, it's pretty amazing how much better they work for shooting than any of the store bought prescription glasses I've went thru.

[beltfed]

Don,
Earlier, I had Looked at the Lodi weather for today.
Looked kind of crappy early. Hope they got in the match into the afternoon.
Tomorrow looks better. Sat OK. Sunday- rain in the afternoon. Hope we can
get in both days shooting.
Arnie

[Don McDowell]

I still have Lodi on the weather page on my phone. Looks like it's pretty chilly, but the weekend looks to be around 60 or so.

[BrentD]

I am not going to Lodi this weekend. We have an ongoing family emergency, and I'm the guy who has to feed the herd and holding down the fort while Tamra is away. It sucks to miss the Lodi match, especially since there are some new shooters going, but it is not happening for me.

[Gunlaker]

Arnie I'm probably going to put DZ Arms mounts on that MVA scope and then it'll use the same knob directions as all of my other scopes. I just have to find a tall enough rear block so I can still be on paper at 200 while still being able to reach 1000.

Brent I think you summarized it very well with respect to groups.

The fact that I only shoot prone does place a limit on the quality of my load development. I've done a little testing in the past by placing a rear bag on the ground so I could "ground" the rifle to get it super steady. I wasn't able to get anything that felt really comfortable. I think if I could cook up something similar to what the F class shooters are using ( rear bag, front rest, prone but with cross sticks ) I could probably get a little more out of my load development.

Chris.

[Don McDowell]

Darned sorry to hear that Brent. I was hoping to see that your rifle woes from last year had been solved.
I hated to miss Lodi too, really enjoyed shooting there.

[Don McDowell]

Chris have you tried a wrist rest?

[kokomokid]

Arnie I'm probably going to put DZ Arms mounts on that MVA scope and then it'll use the same knob directions as all of my other scopes. I just have to find a tall enough rear block so I can still be on paper at 200 while still being able to reach 1000.

Brent I think you summarized it very well with respect to groups.

The fact that I only shoot prone does place a limit on the quality of my load development. I've done a little testing in the past by placing a rear bag on the ground so I could "ground" the rifle to get it super steady. I wasn't able to get anything that felt really comfortable. I think if I could cook up something similar to what the F class shooters are using ( rear bag, front rest, prone but with cross sticks ) I could probably get a little more out of my load development.

Chris.

My DZ mounts worked best for me with a .200 front block and .295 rear for Creedmoor and .245 rear for BPCR on my highwall. Just did not work well when it was in an extreme high position in the DZ mount with the lower block but of course your cheek or chin position will be the same.

[Gunlaker]

I've got the DZ mounts on one of my 23" scope and like it a lot. I'm using .375" mounts on the rear and not sure about the front ( 10.3" or whatever spacing ). That gives me all the range I need, but this rifle has blocks on 17" centers so I need a pretty tall rear block to go with the DZ mounts.

Don I haven't tried a wrist rest. That sounds like its worth looking into.

[Old-Win]

Leaving for Lodi in about an hour. Should get there by 4:00. Looking forward to the weekend. I'm getting too old to shoot 4 days in a row. Everybody gathering at Fitz's?

[flatsguide]

Brent,I hope the emergency resolves itself to a happy ending. Having a 200 and 300 yard range close by will give me a better idea of what the gun is capable of. What I really need to do is practice my offhand more, if I could pick up two more chickens per match I would be very happy. The older you get the heavier these rifle get.
Thanks for the comments folks
Richard

[Distant Thunder]

Richard,

I find that with a DDPP bullet it's best to patch the forward section, the bore diameter section, to a snug fit and if the base band, groove diameter part, is a little big just run the patched bullets thru a Lee type push thru sizer die. Lee will make a die whatever diameter you want for a very reasonable price. You would want the base band to be a snug fit in your fired cases and still fit into the lead of your rifle. Or if there is freebore size to a snug fit in the freebore. This what I do with my .40-65 and it works well.

The second advantage of doing this is that it presses the fold over nice and flat on the bottom. I size all my long range PPB after patching and they fit my rifle perfectly and shoot pretty well for me.

[flatsguide]

Jim thanks for the reply and congratulations on you win at Lodi. No doubt your .40-65 performs well. I have a Lee sizer die marked .458 but even after I run a patched bullet through the die I still have to slightly expand the case mouth to get the bullet in, even with Seth Cole paper that mikes .0017. I have a couple of sets of gage pins but have not checked the real size of that Lee die. I have some pre-hardened 4140 that I may make a bullet sizing die and do a final diamond hone to size.
I’m going to send a PM your way.
Thanks again Richard

[indian joe]

Don,
Brent was there already for today.
I am not there yet. Just shooting (as in "putting in an appearance") the State match on Sat and Sun.
As per the above discussion, I also have vision problems nowadays. Also, have to shoot from stool with
Tall Stix since hip replacement and shoulder issues make prone a painfull endurance contest.
Arnie

Arnie I know the feeling (prone) just a little - have got fat the last two years, and shooting prone , which I never liked, has got decidedly uncomfortable
Shot a muzzle loader match at easter 3position x 100yards - I went there on a mission for the aggregate - blew it in the first round prone, shot a better target sitting and better again offhand - ended up with the win - much to my surprise.
Don might have put his finger on the problem with me or part of it for sure - I know I dont drink enough when I travel and I have a hankering for coffee in the mornings and know that takes a few points off my score .
The thing has to be fun though - we can easily get too serious

[country gent]

Prone can be a tricky position to get right. Its good to get a straight bone supported position but hard to do. I can get down into prone and make it work well but it takes 2 to help me up again LOL.

Drinking water thru the day will help vision a lot. Most don't realize how much water you need to take in to stay hydrated. The exertions of moving gear and setting up temps and blow tubing all use up water from the body.

As to the coffee watch shooter used to 3 or more cups try and do with out it on match day. LOL

[Distant Thunder]

Many years ago I was told by a very good shooter that I should skip the coffee on match day and that I would shoot better if I did. Since he was a much experienced shooter than I was I gave it a try. NOT GOOD! I don't remember how I shot that day, but I know I didn't care how I shot. These days I make sure I get my required amount of coffee and not just on match day but every day! I may or may not shoot well but I feel a heck of a lot better either way. Life is better with coffee!

[rfd]

Black Rifle Coffee!

[Distant Thunder]

Tall, black and strong! Like God intended it to be!

[rfd]

amen to that, brutha!