You Pay The Price For Being Lazy

[Sailman]

Yesterday our gun club held it's monthly Military Bolt Action Rifle Match. We shoot one ( 1 ) target for Sight-In, two ( 2 ) ten shot targets for smallest group- size, and three ( 3 ) ten shot targets for score at a distance of 100 yards. I always shoot cast bullets in these matches.

In addition to the Sight-In target, I normally use the group- size targets to establish where I have to hold my point of aim ( military rifles do not have 1/8 minute clicks on there sights ). In my first 10 shot Group target, I had one ( 1 ) very wide shot ( flier ). Since I am to LAZY to weigh my bullets for match shooting I expect an occasional flier.

When I got home I was looking at the targets. Much to my surprise, the wide shot or flier on my 1st group-size target was not a round hole but a slightly elongated hole. The elongated hole would indicate that the bullet was wobbling or tumbling. My only conclusion was that there must have been one large void in the cast bullet. I have had many a wide shot or flier but I don't remember ever having an elongated hole from the flier ( if I have had an elongated hole I never observed the elongated hole ).

The conclusion from all of this is that if you are lazy you will pay the price.

As per usual, in this match Sundog kicked my butt. However, there was one bright point, his grandson did not shoot in the match so I did not have to suffer additional humiliation.


Sailman

[Buckshot]

..............That Sundog! Ya gotta watch him close. I'd have gone out in the parking lot and let the air out of at least one of his tires.

.................Buckshot

[David R]

Digital scales are the balls for weighing rifle boolits. You can do 100 in no time at all. Gets rid of those silly filers too. I rarely weighed them until I got an RCBS digital scale. I always weigh my cast 22s. Took for ever on a balance beam.

David

[Sailman]

David R

You don't realize how lazy I am, I have a RCBS digital scale but am to lazy to weigh the bullets.

In our up-coming State Shoot Off for the military bolt action rifle match I will probably weigh the bullets for that match.


Sailman

[sundog]

Sailman, so that means that you will be turning in a 'mo betta' performance than you did last year. Right? If I premember correctly, you did well.

Okay, not braggin' here, but trying to add a little bit to the discussion. I have shot several sub 2 inch groups this year (Saturday past a 1.9??), and generally stay consistently under 3 inches. I weigh match boolits. I've also shot several scores in the 290+/300 range this year. Not even the jacketed bullet guys (at our club anyway) are doing that as often or as consistently. Yea, it's extra work, but the rewards, at least to me, pay the freight. I doubt seriously if I will ever weigh a boolit for 30-30, .32 Win Spl, or many others. For a match though, it seems appropriate. I DO weigh boolits for my 700 VS in .308. Flyers begone. sundog

Oh, btw, Sailman, grandson says he wants to shoot next month...

[Sailman]

Sundog is correct, at out Military Bolt Action Matches, many of the lead bullet shooters are doing better than the ones shooting jacket bullets.

This past Wednesday I was testing some lead loads with my Match Grade 30-06 GI Springfield rifle. This rifle has a brand new 2 grove GI barrel, glass bedded target stock, commercial trigger, and has a scope. All testing was at 100 yards. Ten shot groups. I was testing four different lead bullets. All bullets were tested with 16 gr. of 4227. The following is the results:

H & G # 99 ( similar to 311334 )-------1 5/8 in. group
311644----------------------------------------- 1 3/4 in. group
311299----------------------------------------- 3 in group
308-165-SIL----------------------------------- 2 1/2 in. group

Always remember------Never Never assume that one ( 1 ) group is actually what the rifle/load will shoot. Multiple groups are required before you can make any assumptions. Case in point, the 311299 with 16 gr of 4227 has always given me better results than a 3 in. group at 100 yd. It could be that the 3 in group is a result on not weighing bullets. Once again, you pay the price for being lazy.

Also, when compairing group sizes shot with scope vs. iron sights, the scope groups have always been about 1 inch smaller. 75 year old eyes aint what they used to be.

At any rate, the H & G # 99 has always been a good shooter for me. In addition, the 311644 shows definate promise. The trick now is to transfer these group sizes to the rifle I shoot in the Military Bolt Action Matches.

Sundog, speaking about matches, is there some way we can get your grandson
interested in girls or something else on Saturday mornings? I am getting tired of having him kick my butt in the Military Bolt Action Matches.

Sailman