fclass guys, what if?
- Thread starter dnellans
- Start date
xswanted
Gold $$ Contributor
I have a 6 Dasher I’ve shot in an HS f class stock. Used a fancy rest and rear bag.
I now have it in a Magpul 700 using a small squeeze bad for rear rest and an atlas bipod on the front (Harris style)
I’ve noticed only a slight amount of accuracy change at long range.
The bipod “jumps” and the big rest and flat stock do not.
I can still shoot in the 196 range with it at 600 yards.
I think the bipod makes it slightly more difficult to be consistent.
I now have it in a Magpul 700 using a small squeeze bad for rear rest and an atlas bipod on the front (Harris style)
I’ve noticed only a slight amount of accuracy change at long range.
The bipod “jumps” and the big rest and flat stock do not.
I can still shoot in the 196 range with it at 600 yards.
I think the bipod makes it slightly more difficult to be consistent.
Jay Christopherson
Not An Admin
Ask yourself if those discussions you see involving lube, different sands, and other "tricks" involve the names you see at the top of the match results at big matches. Guys at the top of the results aren't doing it with gear tricks, I promise you.
XTR
F-TR obssessed shooting junkie
IMO the rear bag is more important than the bipod.
If you have a solid pod and a solid rear bag all you have to worry about is a little fore and aft to get elevation (maybe tweak the pod) and a bit of push side to side on the butt and break the shot.
Change that to a Harris type and your push gets harder (loading the bipod) but not much else changes. The Flexpod is wider but essentially works the same way. You load the rifle way more than you can with a pod with ski type feet.
Now if you change the rear bag to something squishy then you get a lot more variability. You need a consistent squeeze through the recoil or you will induce vertical, your off hand is way more involved in the shot (mine usually rides in front of my right on the grip).
If we all changed, the same guys would be winning, but I suspect the scores might drop a couple of points per weekend. Nothing dramatic. I use a spotting scope. THe time between my pulling out of the spotter and breaking the shot is only a couple of seconds, less time for change in condition. If you have to lean into the bipod, and set up the hold you are going to lose the occasional point to the condition that changed while you were on the rifle. What we use today reduces our variables. Having good equipment that is properly prepared and that you can be confident in its performance lets you concentrate on what matters... wind. Take a look at the scores from any major match. The top of the field in F-TR shooting 308s off of Bipods still out aggs most of the F-Open field. Rifles don't point to the right spot by themselves. You could use a rail gun that shoots .1 MOA vertical, but if you don't point it in the right place it will just shoot "pretty 8s" when the wind is blowing.
If you have a solid pod and a solid rear bag all you have to worry about is a little fore and aft to get elevation (maybe tweak the pod) and a bit of push side to side on the butt and break the shot.
Change that to a Harris type and your push gets harder (loading the bipod) but not much else changes. The Flexpod is wider but essentially works the same way. You load the rifle way more than you can with a pod with ski type feet.
Now if you change the rear bag to something squishy then you get a lot more variability. You need a consistent squeeze through the recoil or you will induce vertical, your off hand is way more involved in the shot (mine usually rides in front of my right on the grip).
If we all changed, the same guys would be winning, but I suspect the scores might drop a couple of points per weekend. Nothing dramatic. I use a spotting scope. THe time between my pulling out of the spotter and breaking the shot is only a couple of seconds, less time for change in condition. If you have to lean into the bipod, and set up the hold you are going to lose the occasional point to the condition that changed while you were on the rifle. What we use today reduces our variables. Having good equipment that is properly prepared and that you can be confident in its performance lets you concentrate on what matters... wind. Take a look at the scores from any major match. The top of the field in F-TR shooting 308s off of Bipods still out aggs most of the F-Open field. Rifles don't point to the right spot by themselves. You could use a rail gun that shoots .1 MOA vertical, but if you don't point it in the right place it will just shoot "pretty 8s" when the wind is blowing.
I’ve been privileged to stand on the podium with two of the contributors to this thread. Consequently, I feel that my opinion may be of some value to the OP. Ned, Damon and I all shoot different rigs, different front rests and have different techniques. “Ned” has a strong hold, rear been-bag and has a heavy preload on his bipod. Damon uses a Duplin and I am not certain about his rear bag or hold technique. I have an Eliseo R1 chassis with his dedicated ski-foot front rest and rear bag rider on an Edgewood Mini-Gator. I use heavy cheekweld, strong grip and pull the rifle hard into my shoulder. But I actually attribute my scores to my “Watermelon” carpet mat that my ski-feet ride on.
All kidding aside, you just need to find the sweet spot for your position and the technique that makes you feel comfortable behind the rifle for the 22 minutes that you have for a record string. That only comes through trial and error and trigger time. Some of us shoot high off of the mat and some shoot low. Some of us line up straight behind the rifle and some of us at an angle. Legg positions and all of that differ between shooters. I’ve changed rear bags more than once to adjust height and adjusted comb height, eye relief and pull lengths a few times to find my position. I have had spectators comment that I look comfortable behind the gun. That position took work to find.
The Eliseo R1 chassis was not my first choice for my F-T/R rifle. I covet Damon’s Master Class Sitman stock but didn’t have the patience to wait for the build. The traditional style is more pleasing to my eye. It also mimics the stock of my Grandfathers modified 52 Winchester that started my competitive shooting.
As it turns out, I do like my R1 and have been able to tune it to my style. Unlike bipods mounted below the forend, the R1 bipod places the boreline below the apex of the bipod, which I feel contributes to the straight line recoil characteristics of my 308 rifle. This eliminates hop, even though my rifle is more than a pound underweight. I’ve thought about rebarreling to 6BR or 6.5x47 and shooting open when I start having issues handling 308 recoil for a full match course. I will probably shoot the same setup in F-Open and not migrate to a different front rest. My rear bag is packed hard in the base but I keep the ears soft enough to squeeze, as the bag squeezing technique works best for me. I don’t think that a SEB Joypod would suit my style.
See if you can find other shooters who will let you get behind their rigs and maybe try a few shots. Maybe you could even borrow a couple different rests and rear bags to tinker with. There really is no right or wrong technique. Just what works best for you. Only trigger time and trial and error will sort it out. We are all built differently.
As for precision, I concur with what’s been posted. For me, once I have a load that STATISTICALLY aggs under 0.5 MOA at 100 yards, I’m done with load development. I will periodically monitor the precision at 100 yards but find it more productive to get trigger time at 600 yards. I’ve had some very high X-Counts in matches but dropped a point to lose a place in the standings. That’s just a lapse in focus and missing a condition.
All kidding aside, you just need to find the sweet spot for your position and the technique that makes you feel comfortable behind the rifle for the 22 minutes that you have for a record string. That only comes through trial and error and trigger time. Some of us shoot high off of the mat and some shoot low. Some of us line up straight behind the rifle and some of us at an angle. Legg positions and all of that differ between shooters. I’ve changed rear bags more than once to adjust height and adjusted comb height, eye relief and pull lengths a few times to find my position. I have had spectators comment that I look comfortable behind the gun. That position took work to find.
The Eliseo R1 chassis was not my first choice for my F-T/R rifle. I covet Damon’s Master Class Sitman stock but didn’t have the patience to wait for the build. The traditional style is more pleasing to my eye. It also mimics the stock of my Grandfathers modified 52 Winchester that started my competitive shooting.
As it turns out, I do like my R1 and have been able to tune it to my style. Unlike bipods mounted below the forend, the R1 bipod places the boreline below the apex of the bipod, which I feel contributes to the straight line recoil characteristics of my 308 rifle. This eliminates hop, even though my rifle is more than a pound underweight. I’ve thought about rebarreling to 6BR or 6.5x47 and shooting open when I start having issues handling 308 recoil for a full match course. I will probably shoot the same setup in F-Open and not migrate to a different front rest. My rear bag is packed hard in the base but I keep the ears soft enough to squeeze, as the bag squeezing technique works best for me. I don’t think that a SEB Joypod would suit my style.
See if you can find other shooters who will let you get behind their rigs and maybe try a few shots. Maybe you could even borrow a couple different rests and rear bags to tinker with. There really is no right or wrong technique. Just what works best for you. Only trigger time and trial and error will sort it out. We are all built differently.
As for precision, I concur with what’s been posted. For me, once I have a load that STATISTICALLY aggs under 0.5 MOA at 100 yards, I’m done with load development. I will periodically monitor the precision at 100 yards but find it more productive to get trigger time at 600 yards. I’ve had some very high X-Counts in matches but dropped a point to lose a place in the standings. That’s just a lapse in focus and missing a condition.
spot on
having only ever observed one f-class match i thought i was seeing basically everyone free recoiling it. not to the extent of benchrest, but there were definitely a few who didn’t even have a physical cheek weld. i’m a bit surprised to hear that you are actually hard holding while others are free recoiling (for the most part). that alone says somthing about how many variables there are in shooting technique still, let alone bipods and other equipment.
what does statistically aggs under .5 at 100 mean to you? 5,10,20? 3 strings of 20 combined? everyone has their own confidence level they want to hit
I’m a little surprised to hear it, but that’s actually great news for aspiring shooters who can be repelled from competing thinking their equipment will severely limit them.
It might be a little disingenuous to say it’s -all- the indian and never the arrow, but discussion and understanding about where that line is in terms of equipment becomes interesting for parties on both side of it.
Thanks for all the opinions - keep ‘em coming!
dcali
Bullet Maker
You definitely need the right gear. Not having it will just be frustrating. But the right gear is a pretty diverse category, and a good FTR setup does not have to cost a fortune to be competitive. There really is no shortcut to trying things out and learning about what works and what doesn’t, what’s required and what’s a luxury, and what’s you and what’s the rifle.
swd
Silver $$ Contributor
You can be pretty competitive at a local level with a bi pod in open. There's a whole lot more to gained in wind reading than bi pod vs front rest. That being said you'd better have your act together in gun handeling even with a ski bi pod.
Damon - above you said "statistically" below 1/2 MOA. What is your personal standard for calling that?
dcali
Bullet Maker
That was Fred, but I'll give you my answer (and I think he agrees with me). I want a series of several 5-shot groups to be no larger than 1/2 MOA. Basically, I want to be able to produce a 20-shot group at 100 yards in the 1/2 MOA-ish range. That means some of those 5 shot groups will be small - 1/4 or 1/3 MOA groups are not unusual. But in aggregate over 20 shots, it's very hard to keep them that small. Too hard for me. I'll settle for a little higher than 1/2 MOA, but that's because I'm not hyper competitive (I start to worry if I can't do better than 3/4 MOA). But much more than that, and you lose the fun of F Class - you need to know that it's not the rifle making you miss.
A lot of shooters seem to look at the smallest group their rifle produces as a measure of its accuracy, and assume that anything worse than that is their fault. That's flawed reasoning. I take care to do load development in dead calm conditions at short ranges very carefully, and to repeat myself. Any error is going to be mostly the rifle/load. The largest group shot out of 4 or 5 five-shot groups is usually a pretty good measure of the rifle's reliability in an F Class context. The quarter minute group that pops up in there is luck, which can't be counted on.
If you dig into statistical confidence levels, they're going to be poor. In practice, however, if you can hold 20 shots in the x ring ( 1/2" at 100 yards), you have a competitive TR rifle. While not easy, this is an achievable goal without getting bogged down in load development minutiae.
I don't shoot open, but I would shrink those numbers a little if I did. Open class accuracy requirements are getting very steep.
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dcali
Bullet Maker
And while I'm typing, this is what i'd recommend for a *new* TR shooter:
If you can, try out someone else's gear. Everyone says this, but it's not as easy as it sounds, so you're going to have to do some research and engage in a little trial and error. The goal is to minimize that expense with planning and research.
This is what will be required:
A bolt action rifle with a long barrel - approximately 30" is the norm. You need the barrel because velocity matters - F class is all about ballistics. There is no practical downside to a Remington or Savage action, especially when worked over by a competent smith. The customs are luxuries.
The chamber must be cut for appropriate bullets. For .223, nothing less than 80 grains, and preferably 90's. For .308, 185 Juggernauts are the minimum bullet I would use, and not a bad one to start out with. You will eventually want to try 200's of various kinds, but Juggs are pretty reliable until you're knocking on the High Master door.
Competent reloading skills. Nothing fancy here - you don't need a lab grade scale or fancy dies. Just good, basic practices will get it done with normal factory equipment. I got to High Master with a Chargemaster, in spite of many people telling me it couldn't be done. (not that good scales are bad - but they're certainly not necessary to compete.
A high magnification scope: the bare minimum would be a 36X Sightron or Weaver BR scope. They're 400 bucks, and will not hold you back. Second focal plane scopes with 1/8 minute clicks are what you want. Most find that 40x is about right.
Here's where it gets fuzzy:
Rear bag. Most shooters use an edgewood or equivalent. I have a minigater and It's great. Some use other bags. Some like to squeeze the bag for elevation adjustments, others like to move the rifle back/forward. If you're a bag squeezer, you need as softer bag, or even one of those tactical style bean bags. If you're a slider, a well packed flat bottomed edgewood is what you want.
Bipod. Most shooters use a rigid ski-type bipod. Weight matters here, as they vary quite a bit, but they all do basically the same thing. There are some with joystick controls, and others that are basically fixed. That's just a matter of preference and your positional requirements. Some shooters use what I would call a tactical style bipod, which is a broad category from Harris up to some giant expensive models. They will require a different shooting technique than the ski types. Again, this is a personal matter that is dictated by your position and preferences.
Trigger. A light trigger is a big help. You'll see lots of 2 oz benchrest triggers, and plenty in the roughly 1 pound range. A stock trigger is not ideal, but you can work with one if you practice good trigger control technique. A lighter trigger just lets you screw up more before you suffer any consequences. Generally, this is worth the money when starting out. Warning, though: 2oz is VERY light.
Stock. The stock chosen depends largely on the type of bag you want to use. for a bag squeezing technique, it matters less - you can use pretty much anything, but the tactical stocks are generally designed for this. For a traditional bag technique, you want a stock with a straight toe at a shallow angle. The McMillan XIT is a good example. My master class prone stock is not ideal, as it has a slight castoff and a steeper than needed toe. But I make it work.
The above will get you a rifle capable of winning any F T/R match. You can spend $6k or more on it, or you can go cheap and come in closer to $2000 (or even less if you buy used gear). What I would not do is skimp on any of the basic requirements - you need a good, long barrel that's properly chambered, and an appropriate scope on a gun shooting good bullets. That's 75-80 percent of it. After that, diminishing returns kick in HARD. You can go with nicer scopes, nicer stocks, fancier bipods, better scales, etc. It all helps, but only a little.
You can certainly shoot an F class match with less than this, but you need to keep in mind that the gun will be holding you back, and you won't get as much out of it or learn as much. If you are committed to F Class, get the right gear.
Best of luck. It's a lot of fun.
If you can, try out someone else's gear. Everyone says this, but it's not as easy as it sounds, so you're going to have to do some research and engage in a little trial and error. The goal is to minimize that expense with planning and research.
This is what will be required:
A bolt action rifle with a long barrel - approximately 30" is the norm. You need the barrel because velocity matters - F class is all about ballistics. There is no practical downside to a Remington or Savage action, especially when worked over by a competent smith. The customs are luxuries.
The chamber must be cut for appropriate bullets. For .223, nothing less than 80 grains, and preferably 90's. For .308, 185 Juggernauts are the minimum bullet I would use, and not a bad one to start out with. You will eventually want to try 200's of various kinds, but Juggs are pretty reliable until you're knocking on the High Master door.
Competent reloading skills. Nothing fancy here - you don't need a lab grade scale or fancy dies. Just good, basic practices will get it done with normal factory equipment. I got to High Master with a Chargemaster, in spite of many people telling me it couldn't be done. (not that good scales are bad - but they're certainly not necessary to compete.
A high magnification scope: the bare minimum would be a 36X Sightron or Weaver BR scope. They're 400 bucks, and will not hold you back. Second focal plane scopes with 1/8 minute clicks are what you want. Most find that 40x is about right.
Here's where it gets fuzzy:
Rear bag. Most shooters use an edgewood or equivalent. I have a minigater and It's great. Some use other bags. Some like to squeeze the bag for elevation adjustments, others like to move the rifle back/forward. If you're a bag squeezer, you need as softer bag, or even one of those tactical style bean bags. If you're a slider, a well packed flat bottomed edgewood is what you want.
Bipod. Most shooters use a rigid ski-type bipod. Weight matters here, as they vary quite a bit, but they all do basically the same thing. There are some with joystick controls, and others that are basically fixed. That's just a matter of preference and your positional requirements. Some shooters use what I would call a tactical style bipod, which is a broad category from Harris up to some giant expensive models. They will require a different shooting technique than the ski types. Again, this is a personal matter that is dictated by your position and preferences.
Trigger. A light trigger is a big help. You'll see lots of 2 oz benchrest triggers, and plenty in the roughly 1 pound range. A stock trigger is not ideal, but you can work with one if you practice good trigger control technique. A lighter trigger just lets you screw up more before you suffer any consequences. Generally, this is worth the money when starting out. Warning, though: 2oz is VERY light.
Stock. The stock chosen depends largely on the type of bag you want to use. for a bag squeezing technique, it matters less - you can use pretty much anything, but the tactical stocks are generally designed for this. For a traditional bag technique, you want a stock with a straight toe at a shallow angle. The McMillan XIT is a good example. My master class prone stock is not ideal, as it has a slight castoff and a steeper than needed toe. But I make it work.
The above will get you a rifle capable of winning any F T/R match. You can spend $6k or more on it, or you can go cheap and come in closer to $2000 (or even less if you buy used gear). What I would not do is skimp on any of the basic requirements - you need a good, long barrel that's properly chambered, and an appropriate scope on a gun shooting good bullets. That's 75-80 percent of it. After that, diminishing returns kick in HARD. You can go with nicer scopes, nicer stocks, fancier bipods, better scales, etc. It all helps, but only a little.
You can certainly shoot an F class match with less than this, but you need to keep in mind that the gun will be holding you back, and you won't get as much out of it or learn as much. If you are committed to F Class, get the right gear.
Best of luck. It's a lot of fun.
Thanks for detailed response Damon - you're right it was Fred but appreciate your response too. I've actually read your and Andy's articles on load development (along with the Litz books), and its great seeing a higher level of stringency brought to the table in terms of understanding if something is statistically different/better. I also interesting that there are guys successfully competing at high levels that still believe in the old "addages" of how to know if something is shooting well or when equipment is holding you back.
Dnellans, sorry for taking so long to respond but I was literally delivering a horse this morning. I wanted to give you a thoughtful response so some of the information in the more recent threads my be redundant to what I have penned in the background. Here it is:
For the free recoil, you very well may have been watching F-Open shooters using smaller calibers off of bi-pods or F-T/R shooters shooting 223’s. It might be a little abusive shooting 18 pound 308 T/R rifles with that technique, even at full weight for class. The 22 pounds permitted in F-Open allows a style that we sometimes refer to as “Belly Benchrest”. Open shooters often shoot 6BR’s or 6x47’s in those 22 pound rifles so free recoil with those would be minimal. I’ve not shot a 22 pound 284 Open or 300 WM Open gun but imagine they are not as severe as a 18# T/R rifle shooting 200+ grain bullets. I started my first league season in F-Open and found that I enjoyed shooting in F-T/R more. My foundation was built in 4-position smallbore and those old sling habits are etched into the memory. Over my shooting career, I had a lot of exposure to short range NBRSA and IBS shooters but could never embrace the thought of not holding and cheeking a rifle to shoot it. Each to his own but that’s not me. I enjoy my sporting rifles just as much my match rifle. However, I don’t feel that the the man-machine interface in BR builds skill in the field.
Damon has a good article on statistics for load development on bisonballistics that is a worthwhile read. For load development and testing, I shoot 5 shot groups off of a cement bench. I test at 100 yards and use wind flags every time I shoot, even with my hunting rifles. During the first iteration of node testing and seating depth I usually shooting a matrix of 3 shot groups for economy but after that it is five shot groups. Our 100 yard is actually 114 yards which doesn’t matter because I use On-Target as my analysis tool. It calculates max MOA and Mean to Center (MTC), which I find both valuable data. I throw no targets away because they had some fliers or such. ALL data is of value. The key is to test at 100 yards to minimize the effect of environmental variables. A bad habit in load development is to alibi away a “flier”. That’s where MTC has value over time. I’m just a Master level shooters who sneaks into the High Master scores on my good days. I am retired and live very close to the range. That allows me the freedom to watch the weather and test under the most benign conditions. I don’t shoot fast, allowing the flags dictate my shots. What I look for is 5-shot group max spreads under 0.5 MOA on multiple range days. Even the best shooters are not “all day long” consistent. So, my typical range session is 20 or 30 shots and takes me a whole morning. When my load shows 50% or more sub-0.5 MOA round shaped groups, that’s my load. I never make a zero change or load decision based on one range trip.
I have attached a target that I shot in April that was with 20 rounds left over from last fall. My purpose was to empty the brass and see if things were where I left them. The barrel was cold and clean for the first group in the lower left. Shots numbered 1 & 2 were essentially the foulers. I then made a windage adjustment, shot the lower right target, then the upper left and finally the top right. The top right is probably close to the best that I’ve ever seen from this load, with the bottom right being typical. At the end of the season last fall, I shot six consecutive 5-shot groups out of this rifle to do a post repair box test on a scope. Those groups were 0.585, 0.422, 0.519, 0.478, 0.431, and 0.385 MOA or an agg of 0.47 MOA. That load yielded 30X’s in a 600 point match but typically I see mid 20 number of X’s. My attitude is that 10’s win and X’s break ties and build confidence. As Ned said, the Law of Diminishing returns applies to what we do. I don’t anneal, I don’t sort or point bullets, I weigh on a GemPro, I just shoot Bergers and use Lapua brass. I don’t think that High Master eludes me because of my equipment or techniques. It is more about getting time on the mat.
I must give cudos to Gary Eliseo and Jim Borden who provided me a rifle that I could be competitive with. I also acknowledge the support of my fellow shooters and the driving force of a high level of competition. The tuning and driving is all up to me.
There are no real secrets or magic to success in shooting. The attributes that it takes to succeed are focus, attention to detail and the ability to engage rigor. These are characteristics that elude many people in their approach to anything that they do. All of the methods and techniques can be acquired if a shooter applies themselves. It’s up to the individual to choose his level of commitment to success. If you have fun shooting casually at the Expert level that is great because you are still supporting the sport. When I hear term like “bugholes” and “all day long” in reference to precision and accuracy, I usually put on the hip boots.
For the free recoil, you very well may have been watching F-Open shooters using smaller calibers off of bi-pods or F-T/R shooters shooting 223’s. It might be a little abusive shooting 18 pound 308 T/R rifles with that technique, even at full weight for class. The 22 pounds permitted in F-Open allows a style that we sometimes refer to as “Belly Benchrest”. Open shooters often shoot 6BR’s or 6x47’s in those 22 pound rifles so free recoil with those would be minimal. I’ve not shot a 22 pound 284 Open or 300 WM Open gun but imagine they are not as severe as a 18# T/R rifle shooting 200+ grain bullets. I started my first league season in F-Open and found that I enjoyed shooting in F-T/R more. My foundation was built in 4-position smallbore and those old sling habits are etched into the memory. Over my shooting career, I had a lot of exposure to short range NBRSA and IBS shooters but could never embrace the thought of not holding and cheeking a rifle to shoot it. Each to his own but that’s not me. I enjoy my sporting rifles just as much my match rifle. However, I don’t feel that the the man-machine interface in BR builds skill in the field.
Damon has a good article on statistics for load development on bisonballistics that is a worthwhile read. For load development and testing, I shoot 5 shot groups off of a cement bench. I test at 100 yards and use wind flags every time I shoot, even with my hunting rifles. During the first iteration of node testing and seating depth I usually shooting a matrix of 3 shot groups for economy but after that it is five shot groups. Our 100 yard is actually 114 yards which doesn’t matter because I use On-Target as my analysis tool. It calculates max MOA and Mean to Center (MTC), which I find both valuable data. I throw no targets away because they had some fliers or such. ALL data is of value. The key is to test at 100 yards to minimize the effect of environmental variables. A bad habit in load development is to alibi away a “flier”. That’s where MTC has value over time. I’m just a Master level shooters who sneaks into the High Master scores on my good days. I am retired and live very close to the range. That allows me the freedom to watch the weather and test under the most benign conditions. I don’t shoot fast, allowing the flags dictate my shots. What I look for is 5-shot group max spreads under 0.5 MOA on multiple range days. Even the best shooters are not “all day long” consistent. So, my typical range session is 20 or 30 shots and takes me a whole morning. When my load shows 50% or more sub-0.5 MOA round shaped groups, that’s my load. I never make a zero change or load decision based on one range trip.
I have attached a target that I shot in April that was with 20 rounds left over from last fall. My purpose was to empty the brass and see if things were where I left them. The barrel was cold and clean for the first group in the lower left. Shots numbered 1 & 2 were essentially the foulers. I then made a windage adjustment, shot the lower right target, then the upper left and finally the top right. The top right is probably close to the best that I’ve ever seen from this load, with the bottom right being typical. At the end of the season last fall, I shot six consecutive 5-shot groups out of this rifle to do a post repair box test on a scope. Those groups were 0.585, 0.422, 0.519, 0.478, 0.431, and 0.385 MOA or an agg of 0.47 MOA. That load yielded 30X’s in a 600 point match but typically I see mid 20 number of X’s. My attitude is that 10’s win and X’s break ties and build confidence. As Ned said, the Law of Diminishing returns applies to what we do. I don’t anneal, I don’t sort or point bullets, I weigh on a GemPro, I just shoot Bergers and use Lapua brass. I don’t think that High Master eludes me because of my equipment or techniques. It is more about getting time on the mat.
I must give cudos to Gary Eliseo and Jim Borden who provided me a rifle that I could be competitive with. I also acknowledge the support of my fellow shooters and the driving force of a high level of competition. The tuning and driving is all up to me.
There are no real secrets or magic to success in shooting. The attributes that it takes to succeed are focus, attention to detail and the ability to engage rigor. These are characteristics that elude many people in their approach to anything that they do. All of the methods and techniques can be acquired if a shooter applies themselves. It’s up to the individual to choose his level of commitment to success. If you have fun shooting casually at the Expert level that is great because you are still supporting the sport. When I hear term like “bugholes” and “all day long” in reference to precision and accuracy, I usually put on the hip boots.
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