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