I wish I was a lot younger.
One of the problems we Short Range Benchrest Shooters have is we sacrifice all other aspects of ballistic performance for the combinations ability to shoot the smallest aggregate possible under match conditions at 100 and 200 yards, and on occasion 300.
That is why I preface many of my post with the thoughts that I am talking about Short Range Benchrest, in my case, Score in particular.
This often has very little to do with the multitude of other Shooting Disciplines where quite a few other things count as much if not more.
I come from the era when Short Range Benchrest was at it’s prime, when shooters would marvel at the way those guys could literally stack one bullet on top of another, on the clock, outside, in the wind, with no alibis. .
All you have to do is look at who is now shooting what to realize that those days have past. I can remember when you had to pre register for a Region Match to even get in, now, often you just wonder if you even need enough targets for more than one relay on a 25 bench range.
All while the local PRS or F Class match has the parking lot full and every manufacturer catering to their needs.
Good example. Kelbly.
So when I go to the range with my 30BR, set up my flags, set up my loading equipment, and sit there all day long trying to make every shot take the exact same path to the target as the one before, it all gets a little impractical for about 90% of the shooters who frequent Web Sites such as this.
Here is a good example. A while back, I was at the range testing my 68 grn bullets with my Rail Gun. A group of Four H Club shooters were at the rim fire range, and their Sponsor brought them over to take a look at what I was doing. They all were amazed at my ability to shoot groups that looked like a single 30 caliber bullet hole. I even let one sit down and with my instruction, shoot a five shot group.
He might never shoot a group that small again .
But then, they all got to looking at all of the “stuff” that I had lugged to the range just to do that one thing, the Rifle, the flags, the custom bullets, all of the loading equipment, the bench setup, and you could see the air just go out of the balloon.
Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy.
Spot on, when absolute matters, few sit beside someone that relies on their results in this manner, and prove a more consistent outcome when all the smoke clears.
Decades ago this was instilled me from the start by Fred Sinclair. Many times I tried to prove there were better ways to skin the absolute accuracy research, time and again, I come back to the roundest wheel in the game. 3 shots lie, they are no more than starting point, 5 shot groups on the open range is what works.
I took this step further a few years back, and one load might shoot better in ideal conditions, but when the wind starts coming into play, be it consistent, swirling, gusting, if you want to know how good a load truly can be trusted, or controlled if you will, these are the conditions I want to test in.
Granted they may not be .0's, but "0" don't win matches day in and day out. Not shooting big is what wins matches. Same goes for hunting, a round that can be controlled in the elements is what everyone is wanting in their end results.
Even then lot to lot on bullets powders even primers, show they can make a prominent difference in a wining load and loosing buy changing anything. same goes with weather conditions, the finest shooters in the world shooting short or long range extreme accuracy for groups, are those willing to make changes in their load even on the same day as conditions change. As Jackie stated, this is why doing it this way matters.
Choose for own needs, absolute, or with other less accuracy needs, good enough may be satisfactory. But like Jackie said, I've been programmed by some of the best short range shooters from my beginnings decades ago, so I understand anal, and from my experience, this what it takes to satisfy me?
I say that understanding BR shooters are never satisfied,,, it's a disease, and they are always looking, for better, there is no such thing as "good enough"!
