Jenrick
Member
So I dusted off my score book, and headed out to a local match today for the first time in 6 years. In that time I sold my service match rifle, misplaced my spotting scope somewhere, and stopped loading match ammo for .223. So toting a Colt Sporter, with mil-standard 1 MOA rear sights, 100 rounds of Federal American Eagle, and saying the heck with shooting spotters, off I went! I did still have my coat at least (which I got off of ebay when I was still shooting regularly and at least a size to large, but hey it was only $60).
I had taken the time to get a 300 yard zero on the gun using some spare US Army sighting targets I had laying around (the 25 meter ones). I knew that I should be about 4 inches high at 200 yards, so a six oclock hold ought to work fairly well. With a 1 MOA elevation adjustment it was either 6 o'clock hold and shoot a high, or come down 2 and hold center and hit a bit low. I went with 6 o'clock.
The local range is a 200 yard reduced match, 80 shots for record. With no spotting scope, I was just going to have to hope I was on paper, let alone in the black for standing. 20 rounds later, 168-0X. I was pretty happy with that, and just put 1 minute left windage on the rifle to center things up. I put about 5 rounds out of the black to either 3 or 9, but the vertical dispersion was inside the 9 ring, which I was happy about.
Sitting rapid turned out a 174-2X, with the group being about 2 minutes left. Considering my rifle is NOT free floated, I'm pretty sure slinging in, moved me out to 8/9 ring territory. Even better vertical dispersion with almost everything within the height of the 10 ring. Except what were probably the first 2 rounds of each string which were way up in the 6 at 12 o'clock. Not sure on that, I guess I just didn't have my position built as well as I should have.
Simulated 300 rapid is were it started to go down hill. 148-0X. My glasses would not sit in one place, and consequently I was either shooting looking through them, or over them. Which led to one group in the black, and another group high in the white. Lateral dispersion was good, mostly 9 ring in width, but the glasses issues killed me.
Simulated 600 brought more of the same, with a 138-0X. I tried shooting without my glasses, which was even worse then with. Elevation of the group was about the height of the black, and windage about the same. With a tigher sling in prone slow fire, my group was way left, centered about on the edge of 7 ring at 9 o'clock.
OVerall a 628-2x. Not the worst score I've ever fired (that was a 500 something, that had a double digit 200 and 600 score), not the best either. 200 standing I think might be a personal best for me, or close. Sitting was close to a personal best, but 300 and 600 were abysmal (at least not a personal worst).
I need to figure out something with my glasses before the next match, as that hurt my scores badly. That combined with now knowing what windage correction to dial in for my sling in each position should help a lot.
I know I can make up some points with a free floated upper and match rounds. I plan on doing both of those later this year, but for now I know I'm out of practice and that those equipment fixes aren't going to catapult me to master automatically or anything. I was a sharpshooter closing on expert when I stepped away last time (and had only shot in probably 8 actual matches, including reduced distance ones), so I'm not that worried about my scores at this point.
Overall, sure beat a day doing yard work!
-Jenrick
I had taken the time to get a 300 yard zero on the gun using some spare US Army sighting targets I had laying around (the 25 meter ones). I knew that I should be about 4 inches high at 200 yards, so a six oclock hold ought to work fairly well. With a 1 MOA elevation adjustment it was either 6 o'clock hold and shoot a high, or come down 2 and hold center and hit a bit low. I went with 6 o'clock.
The local range is a 200 yard reduced match, 80 shots for record. With no spotting scope, I was just going to have to hope I was on paper, let alone in the black for standing. 20 rounds later, 168-0X. I was pretty happy with that, and just put 1 minute left windage on the rifle to center things up. I put about 5 rounds out of the black to either 3 or 9, but the vertical dispersion was inside the 9 ring, which I was happy about.
Sitting rapid turned out a 174-2X, with the group being about 2 minutes left. Considering my rifle is NOT free floated, I'm pretty sure slinging in, moved me out to 8/9 ring territory. Even better vertical dispersion with almost everything within the height of the 10 ring. Except what were probably the first 2 rounds of each string which were way up in the 6 at 12 o'clock. Not sure on that, I guess I just didn't have my position built as well as I should have.
Simulated 300 rapid is were it started to go down hill. 148-0X. My glasses would not sit in one place, and consequently I was either shooting looking through them, or over them. Which led to one group in the black, and another group high in the white. Lateral dispersion was good, mostly 9 ring in width, but the glasses issues killed me.
Simulated 600 brought more of the same, with a 138-0X. I tried shooting without my glasses, which was even worse then with. Elevation of the group was about the height of the black, and windage about the same. With a tigher sling in prone slow fire, my group was way left, centered about on the edge of 7 ring at 9 o'clock.
OVerall a 628-2x. Not the worst score I've ever fired (that was a 500 something, that had a double digit 200 and 600 score), not the best either. 200 standing I think might be a personal best for me, or close. Sitting was close to a personal best, but 300 and 600 were abysmal (at least not a personal worst).
I need to figure out something with my glasses before the next match, as that hurt my scores badly. That combined with now knowing what windage correction to dial in for my sling in each position should help a lot.
I know I can make up some points with a free floated upper and match rounds. I plan on doing both of those later this year, but for now I know I'm out of practice and that those equipment fixes aren't going to catapult me to master automatically or anything. I was a sharpshooter closing on expert when I stepped away last time (and had only shot in probably 8 actual matches, including reduced distance ones), so I'm not that worried about my scores at this point.
Overall, sure beat a day doing yard work!
-Jenrick
