Shooting flies @100 yds - literally! Some fun .243 load testing today.

[IA_shooter]

So today is my 45th birthday and for my fun time I decided to go do some seating depth load testing at the Keokuk Co. Sportsmen's Club 100 yd range this afternoon.

I have settled on my load for my .243 @ 39.8 gr of IMR 4350 but wanted to see about settling on a seating depth for the utmost accuracy I can get from her for competition. I took out 25 rounds, 5 rounds at each seating depth, loaded @ .004 differences in seating depth ranging from 2.282 base to ogive up to 2.298. I hit the lands of my rifle @ 2.312 so I tested from .014 off the lands out to .030 off the lands.

Here were the results on paper...............

So it looks like the seating depth I want to be at is going to be from 2.290 to 2.294? , they seem to be the most stable of all the groups so I might just settle on a 2.292 base to ogive seating depth and see how that does for me.

Now on to the fun part.........

I used 2 rounds from 2 different groups to warm up with and get the barrel warmed up/fouled up as I had just done a good cleaning on the rifle just before I took her out. So after shooting my groups I still had 2 rounds left from 3 different groups, 6 rounds. I had noticed flies landing on the target backing I had set up on and thought, what the heck, lets see if I can shoot the flies! I had to be patient and wait for each opportunity. The first shot I just missed a fly by about 1/4", the second.....SPLAT! So I ended up taking 6 shots at flies and connected on 3 of the 6 shots and as they say, with no pictures, it didn't happen so here's the pics of the holes/fly guts on the 3 shots I connected on.

Victim #1.....................

Victim#2.....................

Victim#3.....................

That was some fun shooting today!

Trevor

 

[JeffG]

sounds like a perfect birthday! best fly-shoot'n I've seen since grandpa and Jed Clampet were practicing off the back porch! Looks like seating depth really tuned that load up for you! What bullet were you using?... it caused a lot of meat damage, but left a pretty clear blood trail.

 

[jonbearman]

I have done that with an old .243 I used to have.Now I do that witha remmy VS in .223. Looks like you have that thing tuned pretty darn good and some good shooting to boot relieving us of 3 less pests.

 

[KMart]

By the looks of the splatter, Victim 1 might have been a Horsefly.

 

[Glenn Powell]

That is taking "bug holes" the a literal level!

 

[Outrider27]

Back in the early 1970s I ocassionally got to practice as a guest on the BR 100/200 yard range at Fairfax Rod and Gun in Fairfax Co. VA, where my cousin was a member. One day we went there after work and as we were setting up I noticed Homer Culver and another shooter I had seen once or twice before each putting down a quarter on a corner of Homer's bench and alternating shoots in turn from their adjacent benches at the same 100 yard target. Every 2nd or third shot, one of them (usually Homer) would gather up the quarters and they'd start again. I asked my cousin what they were doing and he said they would put a shot on the target then wait for the bullet hole to attract a fly, then bet a quarter a shot on which one would get the fly first. I set up my spotting scope and watched them obliterate 6 flies with a total of 14 shots before they got tired of that game. Previously I had thought prairie dogs were a tough target. You fly hunters have my undying respect.... ;D

 

[IA_shooter]

By the looks of the splatter, Victim 1 might have been a Horsefly.

Good catch! Yes, victim #1 WAS a horsefly.

 

[hedditch]

I have shot flies at 50 yds with my .22, at 100 yds with numerous rifles, and at 150 yds with my 6 PPC and I think it is really kicks. Trouble is, I want to do more shooting and less waiting for flies to land on my tgt. I tried putting some sweet smelling stuff on my tgts to attract flies but it didn't work. Anybody got any ideas on what to put on the tgt to attract flies without dirtering up the tgt?
Dave

 

[Immike]

Anybody got any ideas on what to put on the tgt to attract flies without dirtering up the tgt?
Dave

White paper.

 

[CatShooter]

Anybody got any ideas on what to put on the terget to attract flies without dirtying up the target?
Dave

Funky hamburger meat - we used it for our regular Fly shoots.

Rub it on the back of the targets, then staple them down.

You will have targets galore.

 

[KMart]

IA_shooter
So it was a horsefly. Isn't that kind of like poaching, bushwhacking, or cheating? Not that I could ever hit one. Just saying.

 

[rvn1968]

A few shovels full of horse or cow crap under or behind the targets will feed your flies all summer.Then spray the target with pam.

 

[RandyD]

Don't do that here in California, the progressives would then regulate the hunting of flies.

 

[rvn1968]

Thank's Randy,I may have committed a crime with my post..

 

[langenc]

Do NOT use vinegar.

Could try honey.

 

[Flybuster]

This thread is relevant to my interests.

Nice shooting

 

[abishai]

we like to staple a piece of bacon to our targets....... yellow jackets are just as fun .

 

[Outrider27]

The times I saw it being done all that was required was to put up a target or a piece of white paper and (if it was a target) put a shot somewhere in the white. The flies seemed to be attracted to the bullet hole area and then the fun began. Baiting with honey, meat rubbed on the back, etc sure couldn't hurt.

 

[Nvreloader]

Of course the guys using the (fly sized) larger calibers have the advantage, my little 17 requires a center of mass shot to count, I can't fringe hit them, like the bigger calibers. ;D

Tia,
Don

 

[Erik Cortina]

Of course the guys using the (fly sized) larger calibers have the advantage, my little 17 requires a center of mass shot to count, I can't fringe hit them, like the bigger calibers. ;D

Tia,
Don

Just take headshots!