Proceeding as planned

As of Sunday, 01 Jul 18, all of the regional matches are over and done with.  The three matches provided all of us with the opportunity to sort through significant shooting-related affairs.

Many shooters have work done on their rifles over the course of the off season.  In my case, I received a new barrel.  Given this reality, the first matter of business for me was the process of installing and leveling my front sight.  In essence, it is like starting all over again with a new rifle.  I ensured that my sight base was square and level as well as my sight once installed on the base.  I also do the same for my rear sight just to confirm that nothing has changed since last season.  This process is essential each and every time you replace a barrel, even when you are replacing one barrel with one that you have previously shot with and adjusted.  Why?  When torqueing the barrel on the action, there is no guarantee that the barrel is in the exact position that it was in the last time it was installed.  Therefore, fractions of an inch become multiplied when shooting long distance.  It is better being safe than sorry.

Whether or not you have replaced a barrel or performed other work on your rifle, it is most important to establish your elevations for all distances as well as a wind zero.  The first two matches were shot at distances of 300, 500, 600, 800, and 900 meters.  Having established my elevations for all distances, I noticed that my wind zero was off by at least three minutes!  This forced me to go back home and make the necessary adjustments.  The third match was shot at 800 and 900 meters only.  In doing so I was able to confirm that I had found my wind zero.

Although unfortunate, I do not have ready access to a shooting range that allows me to easily determine my powder loads and bullet seating depths for all distances.  The ideal would be to conduct a ladder test for each distance for both loads and seating.  The regional matches provided me with the opportunity to do some testing, especially at long distance.  I found out that my rifle shoots best with a load of 45.9 to 46 grains of powder.  There was only a slight difference between seating depths of 15 and 30 thou off the lands.  However, at long distance, you take anything that you can get, so the 15 thou seating performed just a little better.

Last, but equally significant, is the shooting sequence.  To facilitate a succession of actions that allow the shooter to remain focussed, establishing and then following a shooting sequence is essential.  Since I was using an EasyGraf for the first time, I needed to incorporate it in my sequence.  At first, it seemed cumbersome and slow.  Also, it took my attention from the wind.  By the third match, I had dropped some steps and changed some items such that I could now focus on the wind.  I no longer jotted down my windage/elevation for each shot.  Also, I replaced the long plexy-board with a shorter one that slid just enough to allow for easy adjustment.  It allowed me to keep me head up to look at the flags and through my scope.  The result was a win in one match and a second place in the grand aggregate!

So now I am off to Bisley, United Kingdom, for the Imperial Match.  Other than the World Long Range Championships that occur every four years, this is the most significant competition for long range/large bore shooting.  With the above-mentioned adjustments, the expectation is that I will improve on my results from last year. 

- Bernard Pepin

The Never-Ending Shooting Season

Some would say that for a competitive target shooter, the shooting season never ends.  Maybe it would make more sense if I were to say that one season somewhat seamlessly transitions into the next.  To explore this further, I will review what transpired since the summer of last year and what I have to look forward to this coming summer.

There is no question that the spring/summer of 2017 was quite busy.  It started off with a series of regional matches and some training camps.  First, there were the Victoria Day match at the Connaught Ranges in Ottawa.  The shoot took place over the Victoria Day long weekend 2017.  It focuses on individual competition (only one team shoot) shot at distances of 300, 500, 600, 800, and 900 meters with each shot once to three times.  Being the first competition of the large bore season, it allows the shooter to get his/her bearings on a range and determine sight zeros for all distances.

Added to my particular shooting calendar, there was the Bisley Training Camp.  It took place at the Connaught Range during the second weekend in June.  The purpose of this camp is to prepare for team shooting that occurs later in the summer at the Imperial Match, a match that takes place in Bisley, Surrey, in the United Kingdom.  We shot at all distances, but this time simulating the conditions of team matches.

Next, there was the June Match, again at the Connaught Range, normally shot during the third weekend of the month.  Having already warmed up a few short weeks before, the shooter could now test loads they have fine-tuned since the last match.  It is an individual match shot at 500, 600, 800, and 900 meters.  This time, more emphasis is placed on 800 and 900 meters, the first shot twice and the second three times.

We then come to the first match of the summer: the Long Range Match, at the Connaught range.  Unfortunately, I was unable to attend this match last year because I was leaving for the U.K. the day after.  As the match name suggests, we shoot only long distance targets.  The individual match includes two shoots at 800 and four shoots at 900 meters.  There are two team matches shot at 800 and 900 meters respectively.  This match is specifically designed to get the shooter used to dealing with wind and mirage at the longer distances.  Long range loads can also be tested.

The Imperial Match at Bisley is a highlight of the large bore season.  Although we get to Bisley early in July to acclimate and practice, the match takes place over a ten-day period in mid-July.  The competition brings together the best shooters from all over the world.  Last year, there were more than 900 competitors.  The match is a combination of individual and international team matches shot at distances including 300, 500, 600, 900, and 1000 yards.  It is demanding in both skill and endurance.

The first weekend in August, we had the Ontario Rifle Association (ORA) Annual Provincial Matches.  We had the opportunity to shoot 300, 500, 600, 800, and 900 meters.  Although primarily individual in nature, there is a long range team match shot at 900 meters.  These matches allow the shooter to prepare for the next major competition later in the month.  It also allows for the selection of provincial team members who will compete in national team matches.

In mid-August, we had the Canadian Fullbore Rifle Championships put on by the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association (DCRA).  The national level competition includes the best shooters from across Canada, but also shooters from several other countries including the United States, the U.K., Jamaica, and others.  The matches are shot at 300, 500, 600, 800, and 900 meters.  National and international team matches are interspersed within the individual matches.  The matches culminate with the chairing of the Governor General’s Final winner.  The matches allow for the selection of the Canadian Bisley Team members who will attend the Imperial Match in Bisley the following year.

I was fortunate enough to attend the World Long Range Championships training camp the last weekend in September 2017 at the Connaught range.  As with the Bisley training camp, we again simulated team shooting.  We focused on distances of 700, 800, and 900 meters.  This time, however, we shot at International Confederation of Fullbore Rifle Associations (ICFRA) targets.  These targets include bullseyes that are significantly smaller than those we use at all of the other matches throughout the summer.  This allows us to be better prepared for the World Championships taking place in February 2019.

Although the fullbore season was now at an end, for the first time since 1979, I opted to shoot smallbore over the course of the fall, winter, and early spring.  Because I hadn’t shot .22 inch long rifle for so long, I chose to limit myself to shooting indoors at 20 yards instead of including the outdoor 50 meter distance.  The Lakeshore Small Bore Association (LSBA) puts on winter matches once a month from October to March inclusive, this in preparation for the Provincial Indoor Championships that take place in April.  Over and above practice, I was fortunate to compete in three of the winter matches.  What makes this style of shooting difficult is that the bullseye is the head of pin.  Essentially, any movement can put you out of the center, thereby preventing you from gaining the full 10 points per shot.

The coming of spring brings with it the onset of the outdoor fullbore season.  This means that I have to develop and test my loads.  Amongst other things, reloading entails cleaning, annealing, trimming, weighing my brass as well as other steps required to put together my cartridges.  For those who reload, this is a tedious and time-consuming enterprise.  In so many words, I have come full circle, since I am back into the regional matches.  To say it plainly, I have put a lot of rounds down range and will continue to do so for as long as I can.

Here’s to a challenging and (hopefully) successful season!


- Bernard Pepin