Things I learned.....first year of benchrest

[GlennK]

As the season comes to an end in Montana, I have looked back and realized how much I have learned. I am very thankful for all of the shooters of deep creek and all the help they have provided getting a new shooter started. Here are a few of the things I learned this year.

1. Take notes.....GOOD notes! Write it down, even if you think you will remember it. If you dont, it will come back to bite you. Keep the targets you shoot AND write the load info on them right away. It is cool to see the targets change as the barrel ages and the load develops.

2. Use match brass and components for all testing....When I first started, I used the "leftovers" for my testing. I later found it did not correlate to the match brass. Keep everything the same

3. Ask questions....there is a wealth of knowledge on the shooting line. They have made the mistakes you will probably still make, and they will share the info of you ask.

4. Measure everything....sort your bullets, sort your brass, weigh the primers. Even if it doesn't make a difference, what is it going to hurt. You are just out some time.

5. Experiment.....I think this is my favorite part of it all. Try new things and see what happens. If the equipment is good, the conditions are good, and you shoot well; you will gain information that is valuable. (Write it down!)

Looking forward to next year already.

 

[270WinDude]

As the season comes to an end in Montana, I have looked back and realized how much I have learned. I am very thankful for all of the shooters of deep creek and all the help they have provided getting a new shooter started. Here are a few of the things I learned this year.

1. Take notes.....GOOD notes! Write it down, even if you think you will remember it. If you dont, it will come back to bite you. Keep the targets you shoot AND write the load info on them right away. It is cool to see the targets change as the barrel ages and the load develops.

2. Use match brass and components for all testing....When I first started, I used the "leftovers" for my testing. I later found it did not correlate to the match brass. Keep everything the same

3. Ask questions....there is a wealth of knowledge on the shooting line. They have made the mistakes you will probably still make, and they will share the info of you ask.

4. Measure everything....sort your bullets, sort your brass, weigh the primers. Even if it doesn't make a difference, what is it going to hurt. You are just out some time.

5. Experiment.....I think this is my favorite part of it all. Trying new things and see what happens. If the equipment is good, the conditions are good, and you shoot well; you will gain information that is valuable. (Write it down!)

Looking forward to next year already.

Excellent points. 1 and 2 I can really relate to. I’ve pulled that stunt where I wasn’t writing my info on the target and had to best guess what was what at least twice. Congrats on competing btw and fwiw.

 

[LA50SHOOTER]

Glenn,
I know that myself being a rookie shooter can really appreciate what your saying. Trying to get it right the first time is very important and without the guidance of some of the guys on here I would have already went astray.
- I'll see you at Deep Creek at the Nationals. - All The Best !!

- Ron -

 

[Falfan2017]

Ammo ammo ammo ammo ammo. If your ammos no good forget about it.

 

[Bkluke]

After 11 or so years in this game I’m still learning. I don’t think we’ll ever stop learning. Good luck in the future.

 

[rwj]

After 11 or so years in this game I’m still learning. I don’t think we’ll ever stop learning. Good luck in the future.

Yup... a sure sign that it’s time to move on to another activity is when one loses the desire/ability to learn!

 

[dkhunt14]

Ammo ammo ammo ammo ammo. If your ammos no good forget about it.

The barrel needs to be decent, bullet seating and powder charge must be in tune also. Matt

 

[Bugs]

I'm going to offer an observation that many here might disagree with but here goes. . . . . .Don't be a slave to your chronograph. Let the size and shapes of your groups tell you what's happening.

 

[Hoodoo]

I'm going to offer an observation that many here might disagree with but here goes. . . . . .Don't be a slave to your chronograph. Let the size and shapes of your groups tell you what's happening.

I haven't shot over a chrono since I was breaking my barrel in. Could care less what my SD or ES is, I care how it looks on paper.

 

[Falfan2017]

The barrel needs to be decent, bullet seating and powder charge must be in tune also. Matt

Yes I agree. But most people getting into it with a factory savage ftr or br 6mm or with a decent custom rig have the hardware to be competitive. I started a year ago and won my first benchrest for score last week and the biggest thing that changed for me is my ammo is much more consistent than it was. Better bullets, better sizing, better seating die for more concentricity and better load development creating smaller vertical with fewer fliers.