Benchrest Competition Shooters Sequence

[HalfCZ]

I would encourage experienced competitors to critique my sequencing as I am all of one year into
ARA Factory and N50 events.


1. Chamber round

2. Slide rifle forward to meet the front rest stop under barrel.

3. Adjust Elevation, lock knob, adjust Windage

4. Settle both arms into position. Left arm softly holds rear bag ears-Protector Rabbit-to hold windage.

5. Loosen right hand grip- barely touching. No shouldering aim.

6. Set finger on trigger.

7. Exhale slowly.

8. Begin slow trigger squeeze. Backward and low trigger finger movement.

9. Gun fires at unknown moment. No movement by shooter afterward.

Many thanks for those who share.

 

[TRSR8]

Sooner you stop being a bag squeezer better you will progress.

 

[Rwfish]

After your on target and make your initial rest adjustment pull the rifle back and then push forward to the stop again and be sure you’re still on target. This insures you didn’t put in in a bind when you moved the rest adjustments.

 

[ELR LVR]

After your on target and make your initial rest adjustment pull the rifle back and then push forward to the stop again and be sure you’re still on target. This insures you didn’t put in in a bind when you moved the rest adjustments.

This is good, ^^^
push forward and back a couple times to ensure tracking is straight also,
just because it is on aim, does not mean there is no offset pressures causing tracking to be off during recoil
for instance the rear bag/ears etc needs to be in alignment perfectly with the guns bore centerline
it doesnt align itself right?
---
pull back to simulate recoil then push forward to the stop,
See if the gun is still on POA

 

[Tony K Harper]

I would encourage experienced competitors to critique my sequencing as I am all of one year into
ARA Factory and N50 events.


1. Chamber round

2. Slide rifle forward to meet the front rest stop under barrel.

3. Adjust Elevation, lock knob, adjust Windage

4. Settle both arms into position. Left arm softly holds rear bag ears-Protector Rabbit-to hold windage.

5. Loosen right hand grip- barely touching. No shouldering aim.

6. Set finger on trigger.

7. Exhale slowly.

8. Begin slow trigger squeeze. Backward and low trigger finger movement.

9. Gun fires at unknown moment. No movement by shooter afterward.

Many thanks for those who share.

Step 4., 8. and 9. are not used in successful RFBR. With today's rests and triggers there is no holding of the bag and no squeezing of the trigger, and it is vitally important that you know exactly when the rifle will fire. If you are surprised, you are doing it wrong.

TKH

 

[Nick50471]

If you are shooting deep into round count for the relay and especially if the ambient temperature is high don’t chamber the round until after you are certain of your firing solution.
A cartridge chambered for 10-15 seconds in a hot bore will ruin your day.

 

[dusterdave173]

If you are shooting deep into round count for the relay and especially if the ambient temperature is high don’t chamber the round until after you are certain of your firing solution.
A cartridge chambered for 10-15 seconds in a hot bore will ruin your day.

Great summer time tip right there!!! He is Right

 

[PWNolan]

Step 4., 8. and 9. are not used in successful RFBR. With today's rests and triggers there is no holding of the bag and no squeezing of the trigger, and it is vitally important that you know exactly when the rifle will fire. If you are surprised, you are doing it wrong.

TKH

Tony keep in mind that he's shooting factory class. Same thread over on RFC has Factory Class in the title.

I agree about being surprised by the trigger regardless

 

[PWNolan]

If you are shooting deep into round count for the relay and especially if the ambient temperature is high don’t chamber the round until after you are certain of your firing solution.
A cartridge chambered for 10-15 seconds in a hot bore will ruin your day.

People talk about rounds "cooking" in the chamber. I've never experienced this in factory or unlimited class even in the Texas heat. Maybe if the sun's directly on the rifle but then you probably have other issues (scope etc). I've considered and tested if the rounds are cooking in my rifles while shooting and it's a non-issue for me

 

[TRSR8]

If you are shooting deep into round count for the relay and especially if the ambient temperature is high don’t chamber the round until after you are certain of your firing solution.
A cartridge chambered for 10-15 seconds in a hot bore will ruin your day.

No…..it will not. A. Bores don’t get hot. B. In big time RFBR matches, not the least bit uncommon to load, wait for condition 1-2 minutes.
Got far more to do with warm lube in bbl changing.

P.S. final note to OP. Learn to shoot with both eyes open, one on target, one on flags.

 

[wsmallwood]

If you are shooting deep into round count for the relay and especially if the ambient temperature is high don’t chamber the round until after you are certain of your firing solution.
A cartridge chambered for 10-15 seconds in a hot bore will ruin your day.

Are you saying the round will "cook off" or it simply gets too hot and deteriorates the accuracy?

 

[Appalachian]

People talk about rounds "cooking" in the chamber. I've never experienced this in factory or unlimited class even in the Texas heat. Maybe if the sun's directly on the rifle but then you probably have other issues (scope etc). I've considered and tested if the rounds are cooking in my rifles while shooting and it's a non-issue for me

Same. I try to keep my bolt open for as little time as possible.

 

[TRSR8]

People talk about rounds "cooking" in the chamber. I've never experienced this in factory or unlimited class even in the Texas heat. Maybe if the sun's directly on the rifle but then you probably have other issues (scope etc). I've considered and tested if the rounds are cooking in my rifles while shooting and it's a non-issue for me

Always felt, for several reasons, one of the worst things you can do is shoot or clean in direct, hot sun, umbrellas are cheap.
One of the prerequisites for decent shooting has often been knowing how long your gun allows you to wait between shots,
I, like many, always try to establish consistent “ shot pacing”, even if it requires pecking around on sighters when it’s tough to maintain pace.

 

[PWNolan]

Always felt, for several reasons, one of the worst things you can do is shoot or clean in direct, hot sun, umbrellas are cheap.
One of the prerequisites for decent shooting has often been knowing how long your gun allows you to wait between shots,
I, like many, always try to establish consistent “ shot pacing”, even if it requires pecking around on sighters when it’s tough to maintain pace.

Yep, most of the ranges around here have roofs over the line that block the sun. If I'm ever shooting a range that doesn't have a roof I have a nice umbrella setup that clamps to the bench. I've shot in direct sunlight a couple times and things got messy in a hurry

It came in handy to block the morning sun at Kettlefoot. I've used it at a couple other places too



With my 2500X (Shilen Octagon) I can wait on conditions for a long time and be confident the shot will still go where it should. Not so with my X3L (Shilen Ratchet). I can wait some but if it gets too long I better put a couple in a sighter to avoid any surprises. The Ratchet on the Anschutz build I acquired recently seems to wait longer than the X3L but more trigger time is needed on that one before I'll be comfortable waiting like I do with the 2500X

 

[HalfCZ]

Yes I am in Factory Class.
ARA is 1954JNK
Jeff Kalina for N50

Thanks for all the tips I will rework my setup list and try to shoot with both eyes open.

 

[doclu60]

If you are shooting deep into round count for the relay and especially if the ambient temperature is high don’t chamber the round until after you are certain of your firing solution.
A cartridge chambered for 10-15 seconds in a hot bore will ruin your day.

Maybe in CF, but I have found the exact opposite in RF. If you let the barrel/chamber cool down too much, that in many barrels, will ruin the day. Refer to post #13 about shot pace. Also refer to post #14, as it enforces the fact that it is barrel specific on how it acts. Shooting sighters as explained above keeps the barrel and its lube warm and working at its best. As mentioned above, a RF barrel doesn't get very warm, especially shooting a RFBR match.

Agree with Tony that you need to know when the rifle is going to go off. Things can change too quickly outdoors, and the slow steady pressure trigger pull can get you bit. With the high performance triggers most of us use, there is no need for the slow even pressure it takes to keep the rifle steady like factory triggers. It is also almost impossible to achieve the slow pull on a trigger below 1oz.

Scott

 

[TRSR8]

Yes I am in Factory Class.
ARA is 1954JNK
Jeff Kalina for N50

Thanks for all the tips I will rework my setup list and try to shoot with both eyes open.

Once you do it a while it becomes second nature.

 

[HalfCZ]

Other Questions:

-I am less 'squeezing' the rear bag than trying to stabilize it so an errant trigger pull won't move me off course. Bad idea?

-Sliding gun to stop- The front pad is not very "Slippery" . Grippy is a better description. I removed nearly 1/2 of the plastic bead filler in order to allow the front stock to drop further into the rest. I could try waxing it?

-RE Trigger pull technique: I am using a TriggerTech Diamond adjusted to 3oz. There is no travel to speak of. I was always taught to use slow pressure straight back and maybe a little downward. What is the better way?

-Watching Flags: Both eyes open will be new to me. Will start as soon as I get a flag. On the Christmas list.

-Here in the PNW heat is not much of an issue unless you mean hand warmers and portable propane heaters. All the ranges have covered shooting areas. Some roofs don't even leak. So temps range from 48-78 with humidity usually in the high 70-90 range. Wind is seldom gusting too much but...

Thank you to all for your wise counsel!

 

[dusterdave173]

Great avg score for the season--Way to go!

 

[TRSR8]

Empty that crap out of front bag, playground sand works well. Don’t fill it hard.