Reloading at the match

[bryn]

Well, being we're on the subject of tuners. Over 10 years ago before I went on my decade long hiatus, there were very few tuners on centerfire rifles. Back then I was fortunate enough to spend a week with Gene Beggs shooting in his tunnel. My rifle was already shooting pretty darn good. My goal for the trip was to understand what the effect was for miner changes such as; a click on the powder measure, in the lands, off the lands and the difference in two lots of pulldown 8208. The first 3 days were spent shooting all my different scenarios. I was shooting some tiny groups, but I was turning zeros into ones by consistently leaking one high or low and I noticed when they were high they were at 1:00 and low was at 7:00. Gene finally talked me in to installing his tuner rings. I was surprised of the difference a minor adjustment on the tuner would do compared to conventional method of tuning the rifle with powder load, neck tension and seating depth. And for me and my LV rifle 1/2 turn on the tuner rings would start to repeat the pattern, if that makes sense. The last day or so I spent time working on my bag handling techniques. When I returned to California and hit up my local matches, the old-timers were skeptical of the tuner rings. I shot a couple of years after that and I feel I shot better, however I did from time to time had to adjust my load during a match when my vertical pattern could not be compensated with the rings. I'm a firm believer that both work hand in hand. That's my 2 cents....

 

[jackieschmidt]

I like to anneal. Guess I would have to have enough prepped loads to shoot the entire match. Annealed brass shoots differently than unannealed brass.

Do any of you anneal at the range?

I do not anneal either 6PPC Brass or 30BR Brass.
I Have 30BR cases that have been fired so many times I have no idea how many. Nothing ever seems to change, except the OAL, which I periodically check.
Every now and then I will see a crack in a neck. I just toss it in the garbage and not worry about it.

Last year a good friend decided to anneal after each relay at Group Matches. It seemed to be an exercise in futility.

The long range Disciplines seem to be a different story.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Well, being we're on the subject of tuners. Over 10 years ago before I went on my decade long hiatus, there were very few tuners on centerfire rifles. Back then I was fortunate enough to spend a week with Gene Beggs shooting in his tunnel. My rifle was already shooting pretty darn good. My goal for the trip was to understand what the effect was for miner changes such as; a click on the powder measure, in the lands, off the lands and the difference in two lots of pulldown 8208. The first 3 days were spent shooting all my different scenarios. I was shooting some tiny groups, but I was turning zeros into ones by consistently leaking one high or low and I noticed when they were high they were at 1:00 and low was at 7:00. Gene finally talked me in to installing his tuner rings. I was surprised of the difference a minor adjustment on the tuner would do compared to conventional method of tuning the rifle with powder load, neck tension and seating depth. And for me and my LV rifle 1/2 turn on the tuner rings would start to repeat the pattern, if that makes sense. The last day or so I spent time working on my bag handling techniques. When I returned to California and hit up my local matches, the old-timers were skeptical of the tuner rings. I shot a couple of years after that and I feel I shot better, however I did from time to time had to adjust my load during a match when my vertical pattern could not be compensated with the rings. I'm a firm believer that both work hand in hand. That's my 2 cents....

Gene later agreed that a half turn at a time was a huge adjustment and way smaller increments were more repeatable...fwiw. we have come a long way understanding how to use them as well as how they work. Most seem to be mostly interested in how to best use them, understandably so.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Depending on the threads per inch, a little goes a long way in tuner adjustments.

My tuners are on 36 TPI, and depending on the phases of the moon and sunspots, Just 1/8 turn will induce at least 1/2 bullet hole of verticle.

I say that because there are times when that’s how I use it.

Example:
At the Raton VFS Nationals this year, were shooting into a wicked 3 lines of hold crosswind that was ebbing and flowing, sometimes trying to reverse.
Miserable. Some shooters were in the 7 and 6 ring.

I was clean for the first three Matches, even nailing an X here and there. In Match four, it was straight across, probably 15 mph. The 4th shot went just enough to the right to take out of the 10 ring. All of the shots were within a bullet hole of being in the same verticle plain.
Darn. Dropped a point. That hard straight across got me.
for Match Five, I decided to turn the tuner about 1/8 turn, hoping to kick a little vertical and MAYBE get out of what seemed to be a horizontal sensitivity.
It was a big chance, but it worked. I shot the same condition as before, but the shots were all solid in the 10 rings, , probably .600 tall.
I ended up with a .249 8x.

That is one of the best examples as to how I use a tuner in Varmint for Score shooting.