Step out of your comfort zone

[Alex Wheeler]

I have notice a small trend I thought I'd share. On quite a few occasions I has seen a new shooter really excel at Benchrest. They are fresh, excited to do the work, and the big one is they dont have a comfort zone. They explore things that more experienced shooters may consider "wrong" or shouldnt work. Well sometimes they come up with some stuff that really works because they didnt "know" better. All Im saying is if you keep doing the same thing dont expect different results. I am as guilty as anyone.

 

[ballisticdaddy]

In this arena the more you realize you don't know the better off you really are. Too easy to put up the blinders instead of keeping an open mind on things you believe you have already have figured out. Great way to look at it Alex!

 

[ebb]

Yea there is some guy over a benchrest central who is doing just like you said. I guess he wanted a 30 caliber rifle to shoot score, and he is doing it with a 30/30. I would have never thought a 30/30 would shoot but his does.

 

[Tim Singleton]

I think I made a better showing before I knew as I know now.
Lol

 

[Immike]

So true Alex.

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance. It is the illusion of knowledge.”
-Steven Hawking

 

[retired]

i moved out of my comfort zone when i started shooting 1000 br.
life has never been the same
now there is 2000 !

 

[jimmymac]

I'm only at this for 14 months now shooting a PPC. I had been using H322 in a variety of temperature and humidity conditions and was doing pretty good. My load seemed pretty stable. I could count on 28.4 to 28.8 grains of H322. I went to observe a match and was speaking with a pretty well known SR shooter. He asked me what I was using for powder. I told him H322 and he immediately said, "that won't work". I took that advice to heart and got myself some N133 and have been working with that for about 8 months. N133 also shoots good in that same 28.4 to 28.8 powder window. The interesting thing is I shoot about the same with both powders. I see no difference on the paper. Maybe I got a good lot of H322 or maybe I'm just a new guy with an open mind.

 

[WyleWD]

I'm only at this for 14 months now shooting a PPC. I had been using H322 in a variety of temperature and humidity conditions and was doing pretty good. My load seemed pretty stable. I could count on 28.4 to 28.8 grains of H322. I went to observe a match and was speaking with a pretty well known SR shooter. He asked me what I was using for powder. I told him H322 and he immediately said, "that won't work". I took that advice to heart and got myself some N133 and have been working with that for about 8 months. N133 also shoots good in that same 28.4 to 28.8 powder window. The interesting thing is I shoot about the same with both powders. I see no difference on the paper. Maybe I got a good lot of H322 or maybe I'm just a new guy with an open mind.

Same thing here, I went back to 322. I must have bought the worst lot ever of 133. WD

 

[martin22250]

I use h322 in my ppc, it won a shooter a hall of fame point at 200 yards at the nbrsa nationals last year at st Louis

 

[retired]

you should know that n133 is do "good" that they pay a guy to teach people how to load/tune with it.
now you need to try lt32 and lt31.

I'm only at this for 14 months now shooting a PPC. I had been using H322 in a variety of temperature and humidity conditions and was doing pretty good. My load seemed pretty stable. I could count on 28.4 to 28.8 grains of H322. I went to observe a match and was speaking with a pretty well known SR shooter. He asked me what I was using for powder. I told him H322 and he immediately said, "that won't work". I took that advice to heart and got myself some N133 and have been working with that for about 8 months. N133 also shoots good in that same 28.4 to 28.8 powder window. The interesting thing is I shoot about the same with both powders. I see no difference on the paper. Maybe I got a good lot of H322 or maybe I'm just a new guy with an open mind.

 

[DHuffman]

Sometimes it's pretty easy to get lulled into someone else's comfort zone by reading these threads on the Internet.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Sometimes it's pretty easy to get lulled into someone else's comfort zone by reading these threads on the Internet.

Not always a bad thing. But once you equal them, your going to have to do something different to beat them.

 

[DHuffman]

Not always a bad thing. But once you equal them, your going to have to do something different to beat them.

I agree but I was referring to refusing to give up on something that's not working for yourself because it works for someone on the Internet.

I think you called it doing the work in your OP, versus copying someone else's and expecting the same results.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Very good point. And very true. Any time I have skipped the work it bit me.

 

[Jennb]

Not always a bad thing. But once you equal them, your going to have to do something different to beat them.

Probably one of the most true things ever said!

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I've had a lot of people tell me certain things don't work only to find the contrary when tested for myself and done a little bit differently. Granted, there are certain things that just aren't going to work, but there are also other things that didn't work for a few people and yet they discard it and preach it as bad practice. Fact is, its all experience. You cant really know unless you try it for yourself. You may come up with a better way of doing it. Or you may just waste your time. These battles should be chosen carefully.

Guidance and advice is great and this site has a TON of combined experience. Trying to do the same exact thing that has proven to fail with "extensive" testing is foolish. But trying something similar with modifications may open up a new door. If a handful of experienced shooters were the only ones who ever tested anything, we wouldn't have much evolution in the sport. More people testing equipment, methods and practices can lead to new ideas or modifications that change the game for everyone. Again, certain things aren't worth pursuing, but there are many things out there that just haven't been tested every way possible.

A perfect example is when everyone I talked to said 22-250 brass was the only way to make 6XC. Or you had to hope and pray you could find Tubb Norma brass in stock. Either way, none of the options provided very strong primer pocket strength. I eventually called bullshit and started brainstorming. Didn't take very long and I came up with a way to make perfectly formed cases using brass from the 308 Win family catridges. Simply shortened a 7mm-08 FL sizing die for the initial forming step and I was in business. Piece of cake and I was then finally able to use quality brass made from Lapua 308 cases.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I suppose what I was trying to say in my post above is "keep an open mind". Take in all of the great knowledge from experienced shooters because it will indeed save you many years of time experimenting with things that have already been proven to work or not work. But never stop thinking of ways for doing things that might improve upon a known successful practice.

And if someone doesn't want to listen to experience, its no big deal. Live and let live. No skin off your back.

Saying "sometimes a new shooter comes up with stuff that really works because they didn't know any better" is pure arogance. There was obviously a thought process and they saw something the more experienced shooters missed so they acted and made it better. That sort of innovation from new shooters should be praised and encouraged, not brushed off to the side with a rude comment.

 

[CharlieNC]

I still neck size, shudder! And everybody knows that is wrong. Well just on my 223 because the resulting head space is exactly the same, to the limits I can measure, and superior to FL sized uniformity. The corollary is understand the Whats/ whys of common knowledge vs just doing it.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

I suppose what I was trying to say in my post above is "keep an open mind". Take in all of the great knowledge from experienced shooters because it will indeed save you many years of time experimenting with things that have already been proven to work or not work. But never stop thinking of ways for doing things that might improve upon a known successful practice.

And if someone doesn't want to listen to experience, its no big deal. Live and let live. No skin off your back.

Saying "sometimes a new shooter comes up with stuff that really works because they didn't know any better" is pure arogance. There was obviously a thought process and they saw something the more experienced shooters missed so they acted and made it better. That sort of innovation from new shooters should be praised and encouraged, not brushed off to the side with a rude comment.

Brandon, you dont follow me too well. Thats not a rude comment. It is a compliment. Just think about what I wrote. They come up with something good because they are not bound by bad habits some might have. They test things that some of us may think we "know" doesnt work. They dont "know" bad habits. You think I would make a rude comment about the group of guys I made this post to praise? We are learning new things because of them. Come on Its type, sometimes hard to make your point or express a little sarcasm. Lets assume guys are not all trying to be rude or arrogant. I personally dont have the time and usually write or answer in short to the point replies. If everything needs to be a long drawn out explanation with lots of smiley faces so you know Im being nice, I will need to quit posting.

 

[dolek]

I still neck size, shudder! And everybody knows that is wrong. Well just on my 223 because the resulting head space is exactly the same, to the limits I can measure, and superior to FL sized uniformity. The corollary is understand the Whats/ whys of common knowledge vs just doing it.

Same here,I just do it...even though I read it's wrong on a daily basis .