Target Comparison

[Jet]

Wanted to share a couple targets from the Deep Creek 1000yd match last weekend. Rifle is a 6Dasher, BAT action, Krieger barrel and DC Tracker stock. Load has shot well for me in this rifle in the past.

1st target is from Day one. 9 shots in a decent group and one outside the group that can be attributed to sloppy bench manners. 9 shots have 3" of vertical. Wind at the firing line was 1/2 value L to R around 5-7mph. At the target the wind was full value at about the same speed R to L. Mirage was hard to see since we had smoke to shoot through.

2nd target is from day two. 10 shots strung out straight up and down for a bit over 7" of vertical. The air was absolutely dead still. Flags weren't moving. Robert Hoppe was shooting on the bench to my right on the same relay and his target looked identical to mine.

I've heard the short Range BR folks chat about conditions being dead calm and it causing the bullets to do strange things. Anyway, I'm always learning and expected to see a real small cluster on the target due to the dead calm condition. Realty showed otherwise. When/if I ever have the opportunity to shoot in the same conditions I will wait for a bit of wind to come up (if possible)so the bullets have something to bite on as they make their way to the target.

 

[Tim Singleton]

I shoot short range.
That dead calm condition is the worst to have to shoot in
I don't know what the temp and humidity were on day two.
But it looks just out of tune light on powder

 

[Mozella]

.......... snip.......... I will wait for a bit of wind to come up (if possible)so the bullets have something to bite on as they make their way to the target.

This is a new one for me.

Perhaps Brian Litz has just found a great title for his next book. "THE BITING WIND-It's not just Jack Frost nipping at your nose at Christmas time".

 

[Texas10]

Just when I think I'm starting to get things figured out with load tuning, someone says calm conditions are the worst to shoot in...

 

[Shynloco]

Just curious.....where your loads identical AND preloaded or loaded each morning at the range? Thx!

Alex

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Thats deep creek for ya. I see it every month. Its an unusual range where a very subtle, almost unnoticeable condition will show up huge on the target. I think thats why so many load at the range here.

 

[Jet]

Loads were identical down to the PSI used when seating them. Loaded one week prior to the match.

 

[Tim Singleton]

Do you think a little more powder would have tightened it up?

 

[Alex Wheeler]

Unlikely. If others on that relay had the same shape in their group it was a condition. The temp between those days was about the same. The forest fire smoke that weekend hurt a lot of good shooters. Its just not something anyone is used to dealing with.

 

[ShootDots]

It has been my experience, shooting F-Class, that when there is supposedly no wind, there are "things" going on out there. Two of the most common "things" I have found are: 1.) if the ground is relatively cool to the air temp, once the sun starts heating the ground, even a little bit, thermals rise causing air movement UP. Obviously this will cause some vertical; 2.) As the brightness of the morning sun increases, the image of the target moves up. If you shoot AT the target, you will get vertical. It is the exact same effect as a heavy cloud cover passing and then bright sunlight coming out during the shot string. I get my "flattest" vertical when the wind is steady at about 7-8 m.p.h. HOWEVER, all this is contingent on your load being tuned correctly, which I assume in your case it is..

 

[Jet]

I have to assume the load isn't tuned correctly. This rifle has shot very well for me with the current barrel in various conditions (temps, elevation, humidity, etc). The powder weight charge has been increased slightly to keep tune as the throat eroded. Thought I had a tune that would perform in all conditions.

What Alex said about loading at the range makes sense and need to factor in dead calm conditions when doing my load development.

Rich