The 2018 Season
The Scores
| Date | Location | Standing | Sitting | Rapid Prone |
Slow Prone |
Aggregate | |
| April 8 | Bonfield | 98-3 | 100-8 | 95-0 | 194-8 | 487-19 | 97.4% |
| April 28 | Milan | 194-6 | 200-14 | 198-7 | 190-4 | 782-31 | 97.8% |
| May 6 | Bonfield | 95-0 | 100-7 | 100-4 | 195-9 | 490-20 | 98.0% |
| May 12 | Bonfield | 190-3 | 200-9 | 198-9 | 200-10 | 788-31 | 98.5% |
| May 26 | Lodi | 96-1 | 100-5 | 98-4 | 179-4 | 473-14 | 94.6% |
| May 27 | Lodi | 191-4 | 200-10 | 195-2 | 384-6 | 970-22 | 97.0% |
| June 2 | Milan | 197-6 | 200-11 | 199-3 | 192-4 | 788-24 | 98.5% |
| June 3 | Milan | 95-3 | 97-4 | 100-3 | 188-3 | 480-13 | 96.0% |
| June 23 | Milan | 198-6 | 198-8 | 200-11 | 197-6 | 793-31 | 99.1% |
| June 24 | Milan | 197-1 | 200-7 | 198-9 | 198-5 | 793-22 | 99.1% |
| July 4 | Bonfield | 184-3 | 200-10 | 198-6 | 199-9 | 781-28 | 97.6% |
| July 6 | Camp Atterbury | 96-3 | 100-7 | 99-5 | 200-13 | 495-28 | 99.0% |
| July 7 | Camp Atterbury | 99-5 | 100-7 | 100-7 | 197-9 | 496-28 | 99.2% |
| July 9 | Camp Atterbury | 196-4 | 200-11 | 197-5 | 198-10 | 791-30 | 98.9% |
| July 10 | Camp Atterbury | 189-2 | 200-10 | 199-9 | 197-9 | 785-30 | 98.1% |
| July 11 | Camp Atterbury | 197-12 | 199-12 | 200-9 | 200-16 | 796-49 | 99.5% |
| July 29 | Camp Perry | 98-2 | - | 100-5 | 99-4 | 297-11 | 99.0% |
| July 30 | Camp Perry | 97-1 | 99-3 | 99-2 | 198-9 | 493-15 | 98.6% |
| July 31 | Camp Perry | 92-1 | - | 97-4 | 97-5 | 286-10 | 95.3% |
| August 1 | Camp Perry | 97-2 | 100-8 | 99-3 | 197-12 | 493-25 | 98.6% |
| August 11 | Milan | 199-5 | 200-11 | 200-9 | 193-7 | 792-32 | 99.0% |
| September 1 | Milan | 196-6 | 197-14 | 198-12 | 197-9 | 788-41 | 98.5% |
| September 2 | Milan | 94-3 | 100-4 | 100-4 | 198-10 | 492-21 | 98.4% |
| September 15 | Bonfield | 196-4 | 200-13 | 197-10 | 200-7 | 793-34 | 99.1% |
| October 6 | Milan | 197-7 | 200-12 | - | - | 397-19 | 99.3% |
The Stories
My winter routine has gotten pretty lazy. I hadn't even picked up the service rifle until the day of the first match. An offseason of 4-P smallbore has kept me sharp on shot execution and those scores were higher than they ever were. I was shooting some good highpower scores at the end of last season. Having that confidence should show me what's possible this year.
April 8
The calendar may say spring but winter isn't letting go.
With snow still in the forecast, I pulled into the range with the thermometer at
29°F
After a re-barrel I put the scope back on the upper and just put on my standing zero from last year. My hope was that I would be within the scoring rings for the first shot. I called the first one a ten at 9 o'clock. The spotter came up as a 10 at 4 o'clock. Close enough to work with. My first shot for record was a little low and I thought it was going to be a low nine but on target it was an 8. After that I just seemed to break shots at random. It didn't feel like I was in control and the process was almost sub-conscious.
While I brought come-up amounts from last year, I forgot to bring my sling settings. My guess on the sling for sitting was close but it still felt tighter than what I'm used to. The firing point sloped backwards and I had a hard time getting my elbows situated on my legs. I remedied this by sliding my rifle case under my mat. This made things a little better but I would have preferred more forward weight bias. During the string I was just kind of holding on as my wobble was a bit concerning. My breathing was off but I just tried to break the trigger smoothly.
I used last year's come-up of 7 clicks from sitting to rapid prone. That gave me a first sighter of a low nine. I came up five more clicks and had an X. I was already a little on the left side and for some reason I interpreted that as needing to put more left on the gun. During the string my breathing was all wrong and I was missing that flow from shot to shot. The group was a bit on the tall side and way out to the left due to me being directionally-challenged.
The clouds had hidden the sun and it now felt much colder for slow prone. My position felt a little unnatural and I couldn't tell if this was because of some problem in my position or that I hadn't shot highpower in six months. It was also sometimes difficult to pick the reticle dot out of the sighting black. On some shots the reticle went fuzzy and it took effort to get it sharp again.
| Standing: | 98-3 |
| Sitting: | 100-8 |
| Rapid Prone: | 95-0 |
| Slow Prone: | 194-8 |
| Aggregate: | 487-19 |
April 28
The weather wasn't a problem today as it was a really nice day to shoot. I don't remember seeing a single cloud all day. It was cool but quite comfortable. My problem was that my lower back was very sore and I had a hard time getting my full range of motion. It got better as the day went on but made for some stiffness in the morning.
Nothing really felt right in standing. My back, while sore, didn't prevent my normal amount of back bend. But everything just didn't feel as sharp as it could have. The hold was just a little bit bigger. My NPA was slightly off to the right. The trigger control was allowing extra motion before the shot went off. All of that contributed to my group being larger than it could have. We had some wind but I managed my time well and I could wait for the lulls.
As soon as I got into the sitting position, I knew this wasn't going to be easy. The soreness in my back limited my range of forward bend. This made the position stiff and kept me from putting my weight on my elbows. That meant my torso was floating a little bit. During prep I was able to stretch it out and it relaxed enough to get something close to my normal position. The first string had way too much wobble and I wondered if that was because I couldn't bend forward enough. Regardless, I stayed disciplined and waited for the reticle to center on the target before firing. The second string had a better hold and I think the longer I stayed in position, the more stretch I got in my back.
Rapid prone was a tale of two different strings with my breathing making the difference. As I fired the first string my breathing was uncoordinated and I felt like I was running out of breath during the shots. I sometimes hold my breath for multiple shots but this time it was like I didn't know when to breathe at all. The resulting group was centered but about the size of the 10-ring with a couple of nines just off the line. My breathing was more disciplined for the second string. I still held my breath for more than one shot but that inhale and exhale was mated to my shooting cadence and felt much more natural. This group size was much better even if I was off on the wind.
Slow prone was a struggle today. There were two conditions that were fighting each other. One was that I was trying to keep the horizontal crosshairs in the scope level across the bank of targets. Second, I wanted to get a more natural and relaxed head position. Because the rifle's magazine is right next to my forward arm, to get the crosshairs level, I can't just rotate the rifle clockwise. I have to move it laterally to the right. This also moves it away from my face. The consequence is that I now have to extend my neck to get my face back behind the scope. This causes a strained position that doesn't feel natural.
| Standing: | 194-6 |
| Sitting: | 200-14 |
| Rapid Prone: | 198-7 |
| Slow Prone: | 190-4 |
| Aggregate: | 782-31 |
May 6
The weather has been improving recently but there was still a chance of rain today. It did sprinkle on us as my relay finished sitting and went to the pits. After that, the sun came out and it was a nice day.
It was so tough to shoot standing with the large hold that I had this morning. The rifle would float into the target and then jump around so much that it made me hesitant about pulling the trigger. The dot never really settled and kept pulling to the right. I tried adjusting my NPA but could never get it centered. The lack of X's shows how I was shooting at the edges rather than in the middle.
My sitting position would have been much better had the firing point been level. But I was sitting in a divot and my feet were elevated. That made it seem like I was reaching forward and had to force my elbows to my knees. In retrospect I should have put my rifle case under my mat like I did in the first match but I was able to stretch forward. The position still wasn't ideal and I saw a large wobble in the scope. When this happens I have to stay disciplined and squeeze the trigger based on sight picture rather than cadence. The group was good and well centered but I could have done better with a smaller wobble.
The last time I shot rapid prone, my zero had to really be adjusted. I was hoping that was all behind me and I could just concentrate on breaking good shots. As any wind seemed to be in our faces, I fired my first sighter with my no-wind zero. That was called an X and that's where it was. I called the second sighter an X on the left but that was a nine on the left. That didn't seem right so I came two clicks right and that's how I fired my group. As per my habit, I held my breath for too many shots but it didn't feel too bad. There was some wobble in the reticle and I sometimes had to push it into the center. The resulting group was much taller than I would have liked but it was very well centered.
I recently tried some prone dry-firing to try to get a position that allows the rifle to be upright while still keeping my head comfortable. I don't know if I really found it. My focus was on keeping the horizontal crosshair going through the center of the other targets on the range. I have found this to be the best way to ensure a consistent rifle level. I had a couple of nines early on but then was able to get in the X-ring for a while. The final shot looked the same as all the others but it came up a 7, way on the left. I couldn't believe it.
| Standing: | 95-0 |
| Sitting: | 100-7 |
| Rapid Prone: | 100-4 |
| Slow Prone: | 195-9 |
| Aggregate: | 490-20 |
May 12
This just wasn't a pleasant day to shoot. We have weather in May that we should have had in March. Temperatures were in the 50's with heavy overcast and rain during registration. The rain stopped for most of the match to only start up again close to the end.
I always feel a sense of apprehension before shooting standing. But it's worse on a day like today where I know I'll be cold for the whole string. In addition, there was a steady wind blowing in our faces. Whenever I shoot standing in the wind my strategy changes. I tend to grip the rifle more with my right hand for better control and I am much faster on loading the rifle and getting back on target. For most shots the rifle was pointed towards the target as it was coming out of the pits. This gives me maximum time to work on bringing the sights into the middle as on many shots I have to restart my process several times. Even without the wind, my hold was larger than it should have been. In the past this happens because I don't bring my left elbow enough towards the front of my body as I mount the gun. I tried to remedy this today but it was hard to tell with the wind. Towards the end of the string my hand was really sore as it was gripping the rifle really tight.
Somehow, when I was in my prep period for sitting, my hold looked really good. The dot would float inside the 10-ring and didn't move much. Both sighters were X's and things were looking good for the strings. On the first one, a gust of wind came up as I loaded my first magazine and pointed towards the target. Instead of forcing that first shot, I waited a couple of seconds until the gust died down and then started firing. My hold wasn't as good as it was in prep but it was still good enough. The wind came and went and was pushing me around a little but it was tolerable. For the second string there didn't seem to be as much wind but my hold wasn't as good. This was reflected in a larger group with a couple of shots dangerously close to the 10-ring.
I still can't seem to get my breathing into a rhythm in rapid prone. On the first string I felt like my breathing was fine in the beginning but for some reason I held my breath for the last five shots. I think this contributes to my feeling of running out of time. For the second string I noticed that I was muscling the gun with the fingers of my left hand. I was consciously trying to keep that hand relaxed for the remainder of the string. Both strings had a single nine out at the same place at 7 o'clock.
Every slow prone just seems like an exercise in frustration. The shots always look like they are going in the middle but that's not where they end up on target. Thinking that maybe the amount of cant in the rifle has something to do with it, I am trying to keep the rifle orientation as consistent as possible. I would start this by twisting my left wrist a little so the rifle handguard rests more on the knuckles of my hand rather than the palm. I know that this is the opposite of what I should be doing to get good hand position in prone but I found this to be beneficial in keeping the rifle from twisting counterclockwise. Once I was looking through the scope, I would follow the horizontal crosshair to the left (I was on the right-most target) about four targets. With the dot in the middle of my target I would ensure that the left crosshair would be at least in the black of the targets to the left. This slowed down my normal process and maybe that by itself helped, but I don't know. Doing all that and trying to keep the dot in focus leading up to the shot break kept me pretty busy. I'm still refining my zero and I had to come up a couple of clicks during the string. On the back half I was getting some 10's at one o'clock that had me a bit worried. While it was a clean, I would feel a lot better if I could have stayed in the X-ring for more than a couple of shots at a time. Here's how the target looked after I was done.
| Standing: | 190-3 |
| Sitting: | 200-9 |
| Rapid Prone: | 198-9 |
| Slow Prone: | 200-10 |
| Aggregate: | 788-31 |
May 26
I drove up in the morning for this team match and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was forecast to be hot today and we weren't disappointed. This match is run using electronic targets and I brought lots of additional ammunition just in case I had to fire extra shots.
In standing we were treated to a morning breeze in our faces. I had worked on my hold this past week and was hoping for some improvement in this area but there didn't seem to be any. I felt rushed and my concentration was elsewhere. The tablet was showing that the shots were coming up above call so I kept coming down during the string for a total of three clicks lower than my regular zero.
I wish my sitting position felt like it did the last match. Today the wobble was about the size of the 10-ring. Since I came down three clicks in standing, it was reasonable to assume that the calibration for this target was the same at 200 yards. So I took off three clicks from my normal sitting zero and shot my first sighter. I called it an X at 7 but it came up a mid-ring 10 at six. You have to be aggressive with your corrections on these electronic targets so I came up two clicks and shot my second sighter. That was a called a 10 on the right side because it broke as the wobble took it out there. During the string the wobble was larger than I wanted but I could still deal with it by breaking shots when the hold took the rifle deep into the 10-ring. When I saw a good sight picture, I broke the shot and consequently, I shot pretty fast.
For rapid prone, I wasn't sure how to deal with the zero. I needed to come down for standing but not for sitting. Since these targets were calibrated at 300 yards, I decided to start with my normal zero. Both sighters were above my call so I shot the string two clicks lower. After the magazine change, I held my breath of the entire 2nd mag. Despite coming down, the group was still two clicks too high.
The afternoon wind couldn't decide which direction it wanted to go towards. That made slow prone much more challenging. Early on in the string I kept coming down as my first few shots were very high. In all, I came down 10 clicks from my normal zero.
| Standing: | 96-1 |
| Sitting: | 100-5 |
| Rapid Prone: | 98-4 |
| Slow Prone: | 179-4 |
| Aggregate: | 473-14 |
May 27
As hot as yesterday was, today was forecast to be even hotter. I got plenty of water ready and I tried to keep my movement to a minimum. A benefit of the electronic targets would be that we wouldn't have to bake in the pits.
Right from the start in my preparation period, I had a pretty good N.P.A. Mounting the gun put the middle of the wobble on the target. The wobble though, that was way too big. There was a little breeze that moved me around a bit but it was just that my hold allowed the reticle to dart around. That movement made the 10-ring seem really small as the dot didn't spend much time there. My trigger control was also hurting me as there was extra movement in my hold during shot break.
Since standing was two clicks lower than normal, I made that change in sitting. After two low sighters, I came back up to my zero anyway. During the magazine change for both strings I looked at the tablet to see where the first two shots were. I held my breath for the entire second magazine of the first string. When the sights line up with the target, it's hard to avoid breaking the shot to breathe.
After yesterday's target experience, I started rapid prone by coming down two clicks from my zero. Despite some centered sighters, the first group was on the right side. I came two clicks left for the second string and put the group out on the left.
Delays during the match meant we were shooting our first slow prone by 1:30. That overhead sun was relentless. I could really feel my gloved hand getting hot while slung up. Amazingly enough, my first sighter was an X. But I knew better than to get confident about my elevation based on one shot. The wind wasn't changing much and I could keep up with my shots drifting side-to-side. But the group was tall as I was too high for a while and then I was too low. After so many elevation shots, I was thinking about some of the basics of my technique and realized that I wasn't gripping the pistol grip very tight.
A sprinkle of rain came through between strings but it was still as hot as before. For the second slow prone, I really concentrated on keeping a firm grip of the rifle with my right hand. A consistent wind also helped keep the group centered. Elevation was better but because of the heat, I just wanted to be done.
| Standing: | 191-4 |
| Sitting: | 200-10 |
| Rapid Prone: | 195-2 |
| Slow Prone: | 190-2 |
| Slow Prone: | 194-4 |
| Aggregate: | 970-22 |
June 2
We had some storms move through the area. That brought cloudy skies but they cleared by late morning and it was a very nice day to shoot. Wind was mild and temperatures were pleasant.
My standing was very different in the beginning than later on. My horizontal NPA was quite good but my vertical NPA was off so that I kept having to come down to the target after mounting the gun. At the start my hold was as big as it has been recently. After a 10 and an X for sighters, I broke my first record shot on the right. I thought that it would be a nine but when the target came up it was an eight. I had another nine on shot 3. After that I decided that this performance wasn't hacking it so I held firmer on the pistol grip, stayed disciplined and cleaned the remaining 17 shots.
I couldn't believe how bad my hold was as I was getting ready to shoot sitting. My calls were perfect for my sighters but I was still worried about being able to put shots in the middle with a wobble that was all over the 10-ring. During the string I was letting shots fly without anticipating the sight movement. The rifle seemed to go off without my control and the whole string felt wild. The second string had a better hold and I was more careful about taking shots when the reticle was in the middle rather than on the edges. This was the target after sitting.
In rapid prone, the wind was pretty much in our faces with a little bias toward one side or the other. I chose to not worry about it and shoot straight away. Everything about the first string looked good from my vantage point. The position seemed solid and I was squeezing with my trigger hand. The sight picture was good and I broke shots when the dot was in the middle of the target. The resulting group was high and I came down two clicks for the second string. That one felt good too but when it came up, there were two very small knots. One at 2 o'clock and the other at 6 o'clock. For my first ever (I think) no X clean.
I am losing confidence in my slow prone every time I go to a match. My first shot was a high nine so I started the process of coming down with my elevation knob. As each shot went by, I was bleeding more and more points away in a frustrating display of mediocrity. I can't find any change in technique that will improve the situation.
| Standing: | 197-6 |
| Sitting: | 200-11 |
| Rapid Prone: | 199-3 |
| Slow Prone: | 192-4 |
| Aggregate: | 788-24 |
June 3
Today was a Leg match. Since I rarely have to stand up for rapid fire, I thought that it would feel much more foreign than it was. While it was a bit different, my mind reverted back to all those years that we had to do that for every string. It was windy for the entire day which is unusual for this range.
The rifle movement in standing wasn't as fixable as it was yesterday. The wind was bothering me a bit and I just couldn't get settled although it was probably worse for the other relays. The shots were coming up to the left of call so I had to put on more right. On the final shot I didn't stay disciplined and broke an eight.
After a wobbly rise from the mat, I dropped down for my sitting string. Because I finished with two clicks of right in standing, I put the same correction on for sitting. The wobble was a bit large but my trigger control was particularly bad. The gun was going off at random times and I wasn't waiting for it to come back to the middle. The two clicks of right made a big difference as the whole group was out on that side.
By rapid prone we were getting more wind than we normally do here. I stood up before the string and almost forgot to put on the correction. I was watching the trees and the flag and the targets were ready to come up when I decided on three left, turned the knob, and the targets started moving. Per my usual procedure, the dot was coming back to the target so I wound up holding my breath for most of the string. The group was 10-ring sized but still centered.
Because of my problems in slow prone, I had to do something about it. Yesterday, after the match, we shot a little bit from the 600 yard line. I shot someone else's upper and load and the group was slightly bigger than the X-ring. So today, I borrowed some ammo with 82 Bergers and shot that. I didn't know where they would hit on the target so I guessed at the elevation and got a high six for my first shot. I began the process of coming down until I went too far and was shooting out the bottom, then came up. Once I got centered, things seemed fine and I only dropped one on the back half.
| Standing: | 95-3 |
| Sitting: | 97-4 |
| Rapid Prone: | 100-3 |
| Slow Prone: | 188-3 |
| Aggregate: | 480-13 |
June 23
It had rained at the range for a good part of the week and there was a lot of moisture in the air. The high temperature was only in the lower 80's but you could feel the humidity all day. I was looking forward to this tournament as I rarely get to shoot back-to-back 80's. For some reason I just felt tired all day. Maybe it was the humidity or maybe not enough sleep. But I just wanted to lay down and take a nap in the middle of the day.
My hold in standing has been hit-or-miss this season (pardon the pun). Some matches it's been good but other matches I'm struggling to keep the dot in the black. Today, I have to say, it was pretty good. I spend a good portion of my prep period just adjusting my NPA. During the string, I would adjust if further by shifting my torso in my coat left or right. This, coupled with good trigger control, meant that I felt confident as I worked my way through the string. The shots were breaking mostly inside of call, although I did come up a click early on. My first 9 was on the eighth shot but I just stayed disciplined and kept going. Shot 18 was really tough to break. I kept having to start over several times. In the end it just wasn't meant to be and I had a nine on that one as well.
I was eager to get my sitting back on track. My position felt very good and solid. My buttplate was tight in my shoulder with good cheek pressure. Where things failed me today was in trigger control. My trigger pull just seemed to accentuate any movement already present in the sights. Or rather, my hold on the pistol grip would make the hold seem bigger. I'm wondering if the tight position was pulling the rifle to the right as my first string was a flat group from the middle of the X-ring out across into the nine. The second string was a clean but I was already annoyed with myself at dropping two in a stage that should be clean all the time.
My position in rapid prone felt even better than sitting. The rifle had a solid recoil back into my shoulder. What bothered me most though was the brass coming from the shooter on my left. If the cases were falling around me, that wouldn't be a big deal. But the brass was actually hitting my hand guard and shaking the rifle. To the point where I was anticipating the hits and worried that I would squeeze off a round just as a piece of brass hit my rifle and jogged the sight picture. I got through it unscathed although it seemed pretty dramatic as I was shooting the strings.
While it isn't really like me, I made a major change to my shooting. After 18 years of shooting Sierra 80's at 600, I couldn't accept the scores that I was firing in slow prone and had to make a change. I loaded some Berger 82's, tested them, and decided to go with them for the rest of the season. This was my first match with this load and I was hopeful but nervous. With a 65 click elevation, I shot X's for both sighters. This was encouraging. A couple of 10's were followed by an 8 at four o'clock. A quick adjustment and I was back in the 10. There weren't very many X's but I was encouraged by the lack of wild shots that used to have me pulling my hair out.
| Standing: | 198-6 |
| Sitting: | 198-8 |
| Rapid Prone: | 200-11 |
| Slow Prone: | 197-6 |
| Aggregate: | 793-31 |
June 24
Today was a little warmer than yesterday and the humidity made it feel so much worse. The air was still for most of the day so there wasn't any relief from a breeze.
Yesterday's performance in standing gave me confidence that I could do well today. The humid air made everything feel like more work than normal and I could actually see my pulse in my hold. I was slow getting into prep and didn't have everything set up like I wanted. When the time started, I just concentrated on getting my NPA right for each shot and being patient with the sights. I knew the second shot was going to be out when I broke it and I had the next one in the gun as I wanted to put the mistake in the past. Things were smooth for a while after that although most shots were inside of call. The odd thing was that I only had one X (shot 9) in the whole string. I jerked the rifle as shot 18 was breaking and I thought it might even be out of the black. I was thankful it was only a nine and I settled in to fire the last two. For shot 19 I was listening more to the chatter on the next firing point than concentrating on the shot and broke another nine.
My sitting hold was as bad as it has been recently but I tried to work within the wobble I had. I tried to hold off on breaking the shot until I saw a good sight picture. The first string was pretty big with one shot at the top of the 10 and another at the bottom with much of the group just to the right of the X-ring. The second string just seemed to have more movement as I broke each shot. I would squeeze and the reticle was moving as the gun fired.
My rapid prone groups are getting better recently and that is helping me get my zero established. Whereas earlier in the year I was at 32 clicks of elevation, now I'm at 29. On today's first string, my eye was getting blurry like there was a puff of gas coming into it. I held my breath for the entire second magazine and was quite glad to get the string over. The group was high so I came down a click. I held my breath again on the next string but I really felt like I was running out of air by about the 6th shot. This time I had two nines out the bottom. I need to force myself to not break the shot and breathe even though the sight picture looks good.
For slow prone, the wind was pretty much in our faces but I rarely like to fire my first shot without some kind of correction. A little cloud cover made the mirage hard to see but it seemed like there was some movement coming out of the left. I didn't have to crank on my elevation like I had been doing this year. Where I should have adjusted more was my windage. Many of my shots built up on the right side of the 10-ring and I should have been more aggressive in getting another click or two of left. This would have gotten me more X's as well as saving a point.
| Standing: | 197-1 |
| Sitting: | 200-7 |
| Rapid Prone: | 198-9 |
| Slow Prone: | 198-5 |
| Aggregate: | 793-22 |
July 4
I've been recovering from a cold since last weekend. The coughing and congestion certainly didn't improve the day. But what really made the day brutal was the heat and humidity. Every movement just seemed to take more effort than normal. I was drinking plenty of water but the air still felt oppressive.
As I took my firing point for standing, anywhere that I could place my feet was on an incline. An incline where my forward foot felt much higher than my back foot. I thought this may affect my vertical NPA and I would have to force the rifle down to the target. But the NPA was fine. I do think it affected my hold since that had extra movement. I started off fine and was just trying to focus on each individual shot. If it wasn't there, I would start over. But that was difficult when the wobble was big. I hadn't dropped any points yet as I was trying to line up shot #9. As the sights were getting centered, my concentration went behind the firing line as I decided to shoot the shot. I squeezed as the sights dropped towards 7 o'clock but I thought the worst it could be was a six. It turned out to be a miss on the paper. I loaded up again and fired a nine as a follow up. I settled down after that but for the last five shots I fired a 9 on each one.
The slope in the firing point bothered me a little in sitting as it elevated my feet too much. My wobble never seemed consistent from shot to shot. On some shots it would hold in the middle, on others it danced around. My cadence was dependent on that hold and I would have to pause while I got the reticle back to the center. This made for strings with some broken timing.
I tried to concentrate on breathing better in rapid prone. On the first string I would take very shallow breaths but I still felt like I was running out of breath by the end of the string. Actually, I was concentrating more on the air in my lungs than on where the sights were pointing. My breaths on the second string were a little deeper and things felt better. I wasn't panicked or out of breath although the group was very tall.
By the time we were firing slow prone, I was already spent. With each shot my pulse was pounding in my head. Despite the reticle dancing and shifting on the target, I would be patient and wait for the right sight picture before I let the shot go. I never felt like I was centered as I didn't spend much time in the X-ring. The final shot looked just like the others but it was out for a nine.
| Standing: | 184-3 |
| Sitting: | 200-10 |
| Rapid Prone: | 198-6 |
| Slow Prone: | 199-9 |
| Aggregate: | 781-28 |
Now it is time to head to Camp Atterbury in Indiana for the NRA Highpower matches. I've been shooting pretty well recently with some stumbles along the way. My standing is good and I am encouraged with the change to the Berger 82's that my slow prone will be better.
July 6
Starting off the NRA matches is a 2-man team match. The day's weather was quite pleasant except for plenty of overcast that made it look like it was about to rain. The temperatures were mild but it got breezy early and lasted all day.
I was pleasantly surprised at my hold in standing. When it settled down, the wobble was a manageable size. But it didn’t stay that way for long. My NPA was good too as the wobble centered itself on the target. My problem was getting the shots to break where I was confident of a good result.
My sitting string seemed to take a long time to fire. I didn't have the best hold and the reticle was bouncing around. But I didn't want to make a mistake and fire a shot when I knew it was out. So if the shot was there, I broke it. But if it wasn't, I would pause the string and wait for it to come into the middle. That made the whole thing seem drawn out and slow.
For some reason, my sighters in rapid prone were really hard to call. I think the shots broke in the middle but I wasn't quite sure. They came up low so I had to adjust the elevation. The group also had some low shots and my coach had me holding higher as the string went on.
The wind was fairly stiff for slow prone, but it was mostly going down-range. The magnitude would remain constant but the direction would change slightly. My first sighter was a low 9 and I came up two clicks. With a coach behind me, all I had to concentrate on was breaking good shots. I tried to keep the dot in focus and the horizontal crosshairs though the centers of the neighboring targets. We did a lot of favoring because the changes weren't worth enough to stop and click. At the end my final seven shots were all X's.
| Standing: | 96-3 |
| Sitting: | 100-7 |
| Rapid Prone: | 99-5 |
| Slow Prone: | 200-13 |
| Aggregate: | 495-28 |
July 7
Today was the 4-man team day and it was a beauty. Lots of sun, it wasn't too hot, a great day to be outdoors shooting a rifle match with your friends.
My standing hold was about like yesterday with the reticle motion getting small but then darting to another part of the target. I had to really be patient and not try to force the shot. I used pair-firing to my advantage as there is lots of time to work on getting each shot right. Sometimes the shot doesn’t want to go so I would start my process over. This takes discipline as it's so tempting to just pull the trigger. I seemed to notice the spotter in the target more than normal and it was a bit distracting.
I seem to be shooting sitting with two speeds. The first is normal speed when the reticle comes back to the target, settles briefly, and I squeeze the shot smoothly. The second speed is when the reticle bounces around after recoil, I have to drag it back to the middle, and I increase pressure on the trigger hoping to not pull the sights out the 10-ring. Today's string had both speeds in it. Fortunately, the wild shots didn't cost me any points.
The wind for rapid prone was moving across the range at a good clip. We went on with six clicks of left for the sighters but that might have been a little too much. We went with 4 left for the string but my concern was more with not dropping any shots out the bottom. The resulting group was well centered and nothing low.
In slow prone the wind couldn't decide whether it wanted to go downrange or come across. We certainly clicked some but there was more favoring than anything else. Actually having the spotter in the target made favoring easier because I would try to break shots on the left edge of the spotter to favor into the wind and on the right edge when there was a slight let up.
| Standing: | 99-5 |
| Sitting: | 100-7 |
| Rapid Prone: | 100-7 |
| Slow Prone: | 197-9 |
| Aggregate: | 496-28 |
July 8
The first day of the individual championship and temperatures are rising. But it was still a fine day for shooting. The morning was very calm with perfect conditions.
I was very nervous for standing this morning. I guess that's because it's the beginning of the championship and I haven't dropped any points yet. To calm down I tried to think about other things but at some point I still had to step up to my firing point and get it done. For the whole string my NPA wanted to be on the right edge of the black. All the shifting around I did within my coat would only last for a single shot. That was good enough though. In staying disciplined, I was very conscious of how my wobble looked relative to the time I held the gun on target. When it seemed like I missed my window for a good shot, I would force myself to start my shot process over again. This limited my mistakes and I didn't drop my first point until shot 10. Towards the end I got behind on time and felt like I had to rush things. That resulted in some nines.
The conditions were still calm for sitting so I shot that straightaway. After my sighters I noticed that the hospital target next to mine was gone. It had been there for standing. Since my target was now on the very end of the range, I had a bit of a panic attack before the string to make sure I was going to fire on the correct target. During the string I took my time in dressing up the shots. Towards the end I thought the targets were about to go down and I pulled through the first stage of my trigger on the last shot. The sights moved at that point and I was hoping the resulting shot was in the black. I felt pretty lucky to have cleaned that one. My second string had a much better cadence and was uneventful.
It was now afternoon by the time I was going to shoot rapid prone. From the mirage my call was four clicks of left. That gave me an X for the first sighter. Based on that, and my call, I took off a click and got an X for the second sighter as well. Before the string started, the mirage really died off and I took off two more to be at a single click of left. During the magazine change I saw the wind start to pick up again so I held over and favored some X's at 9 o'clock. It was a gamble but I wanted to be aggressive. The result was a centered group but a couple shots high in the 10-ring and another shot just off the line at 12. I went back to three clicks of left for the second string. Things felt good and I was breathing between shots. Unfortunately the group was high and to the left where I lost two shots.
| Standing: | 196-4 |
| Sitting: | 200-11 |
| Rapid Prone: | 197-5 |
July 9
It was a hot one today. There seemed to be very little air movement and the heat just hung in the air and you couldn't escape it.
At home, standing is shot in the cool of the morning. By the time I had to shoot my standing today, I had already been in the pits and scored. Mounting the gun and looking through the scope showed me how much of a pulse I had. The reticle was dancing around and my hold was bigger than the black. I had an early nine but then was able to break some good shots. The large hold meant there were few opportunities to shoot a good shot. So I had to take my time and stay disciplined. This took more time and I felt like I was close to getting behind. Towards the end my right hand was getting sore from holding on to the pistol grip so hard. It was a disappointing result and I felt like I stumbled and opened the door for others to pass me up.
As I got prepared for sitting, I felt a little frustrated because of what happened in standing. My pulse was certainly there and I had a big wobble. A click of right windage seemed appropriate. On the first string it was like there was all kinds of extra movement as I was breaking the shots. For each one I just hoped that they would stay in the 10-ring. The second string felt better with a slightly smaller hold and trigger control.
I'm shooting slow prone with more confidence now. I got into position feeling like I could clean it if conditions cooperate. I looked at the mirage, put on four clicks of right and got a nine on the left side. I put on three more and shot another nine on the left but it was high as well. Two more clicks and I got a 10 on the right. It looked like the mirage was slowing so I took two clicks off and fired but the wind let up more than I anticipated and got an eight. Now the wind was almost down to a boil and I took lots of windage off. In the middle of the string the mirage was just boiling. I decided to shoot in that condition and was able to keep the spotter in the X-ring. By the end it looked like the wind was starting to come back and I shot the last couple with two right.
| Standing: | 189-2 |
| Sitting: | 200-10 |
| Slow Prone: | 198-10 |
July 10
The heat was here again today but humidity came along with it. My goal today was to just limit the points I drop and not have any disasters. The ideal scenario would be to clean all three stages which I know I'm capable of.
I noticed that my hold in sitting was better today than the past few days. There was still movement but it seemed more manageable. My trigger control wasn't good though and I lost my first point in sitting since getting to Camp Atterbury. I cleaned the second string but I was already annoyed with the dropped point on the first one.
My position for rapid prone felt very tight and secure. The buttplate was solid in my shoulder. As I was shooting my first string I noticed the last couple of shots just seemed to break outside of center. The group only had 3 X's and was a little on the left side. The wind looked like it was staying the same, so I felt aggressive and put on another click of right. I held my breath on the second magazine because the reticle kept coming right back to the middle. Most of the group was good but there was a single nine out the bottom. I wish I knew which shot that was.
I wanted to get slow prone over with so that I didn’t have to bake for too long. I typically set up my spotting scope so that I can see through it without a lot of head movement. That was fine but the wind was pushing against the stand and shaking the image sometimes. I got the wind right with the first sighter but then it really let up and I had a nine on the right by shot three. I took off right windage to where I was down to only about 4 clicks. A few shots later it really came back and pushed me out to the left for an eight. There wasn't a lot of strategy to how I dealt with the wind. Just a lot of spotter-chasing.
| Sitting: | 199-12 |
| Rapid Prone: | 199-9 |
| Slow Prone: | 197-9 |
July 11
Going into the last day of the championship, I had some anxiety about how I would perform. By this stage I am usually tired and ready to go home. I knew I had to shoot well to make up some ground on the rest of the field. The day had beautiful weather. It was warm and sunny in the afternoon but the morning was very calm with overcast skies.
My nerves were going when I stepped on to my firing point for standing. Despite this, I was actually looking forward to this stage and I was confident that I could do well. My hold was pretty good. Not the best I've ever had but good enough to where I could take advantage of my shot opportunities. My NPA was good as well with the wobble centered on the target. While the sights were still moving around, they typically worked their way back into the middle (most of the time). Just about every shot was inside of call. I would call a mid-ring 10 and up would pop an X. The first third of the string went very quickly with me shooting and loading the rifle when the target was in the pits. I cleaned the front half and didn't drop my first point until shot 11. The spotter was in the X-ring so many times that it was difficult to see where the reticle dot was relative to the 10-ring.
The wind was mild for rapid prone but I still had to put on the right correction. My call was two clicks of left and that got me an X on the right. I put on another click and had a 10 on the left. Before the first string I thought the mirage picked up a bit so I just left things there. The group was a little on the left side so I got lucky that the wind didn't let up. I went back to my two clicks of left for the second string. As I fired the ninth shot, the rifle recoiled and came back to the target. As I started pulling back the trigger, I pulled through the first stage and the rifle went off with the tenth shot right after the ninth. The sights still looked like they were in the 10-ring when it broke but you never know with an unclean trigger break. That last shot was just inside the 10, up high.
The wind seemed fairly steady for slow prone as we began our final stage of the championship. If there were any changes, I thought they would be relatively slow. So my strategy was to shoot fast and click for any shots that were on either side. I looked at the mirage and judged it to be worth 6 clicks left. I put that on the gun and fired a low 10 for my first sighter. A click up gave me an X and now we were going for record. After shooting an X, I broke one that I called high and it was up in the top of the 10-ring. After that it was ten X's in a row then a 10 on the left side. I finally clicked over to the right and followed that up with five X's. I didn't notice the mirage change too much during the string so I just kept breaking shots quickly.
| Standing: | 197-12 |
| Rapid Prone: | 200-9 |
| Slow Prone: | 200-16 |
| Championship Aggregate: |
2372-109 |
July 29
The President's Rifle Match is always a stressful match for me. There's a lot of standing around until you have to rush through your string.
I was nervous for standing but at the same time I wanted to get it over with. Since I don't want to get behind on time, I started shooting fast. My hold wasn't that good but my NPA was. My trigger control was very good and the gun would go off so fast when I saw a good 10.
After a lot of standing around, when it came my turn to shoot, I felt very rushed. With no sighters I had to have everything ready after prep was over. I went on with two clicks of left but during the string I felt like I was doing everything wrong. My breathing wasn't taking in enough air, I was muscling the gun back to the target, and I fired the last couple shots very quickly because I felt like I was running out of time.
The conditions were still quite calm for slow prone but the wind was now coming back towards us from one o'clock. I went on with 5 clicks of right and got a 10 on the bottom. I clicked up and tried to break good shots quickly. If I was over to one side, I would click over and keep going. I was shooting some low 10's so while shot #9 was in the pits, I came up a click. That one came up a low nine so it was a case of too little, too late.
| Standing: | 98-2 |
| Rapid Prone: | 100-5 |
| Slow Prone: | 99-4 |
| Aggregate: | 297-11 |
July 30
Despite the dire weather forecast, it only sprinkled on us towards the end of the day. The conditions were pretty calm and lots of good scores were fired.
I was on relay 1 so I was the first to shoot standing. Because it was so early in the morning, and the sun was just coming up, the image in my scope was a little dark. That made my calls a little less distinct that normal. I kept shifting around in my coat because my NPA just wouldn't get me on the target like I would have wanted.
My sitting position kept shifting during the string. I dropped down onto the ground and saw too much movement from the beginning. It felt like I was on the left edge of the rifle and I was looking around a corner to see through the scope. I tried to be smooth with my trigger break and I noticed that I had an increasing cant to the right as the string went along.
I can't get my breathing right for rapid prone. Either I'm holding my breath for too long or I make token breaths between shots and I don't get enough air to be comfortable. By the last shot I feel like I haven't taken a breath for several minutes. When I got into position and was ready to shoot the first magazine, I had to pause because my vision was blurry. I blinked several times to clear things up.
Before I fired slow prone I had been watching the mirage and bracketed the condition as being worth a high of 8 clicks right to a low of 3 clicks right. Based on that, a correction of five clicks would still give me some leeway in case I was wrong. My first shot was an X and I was confident that I could keep it in the middle. In my effort to stay ahead of wind changes, I think I'm rushing shots and getting sloppy with my fundamentals. That led to a couple of elevation nines that could have been easily avoided.
| Standing: | 97-1 |
| Sitting: | 99-3 |
| Rapid Prone: | 99-2 |
| Slow Prone: | 198-9 |
| Aggregate: | 493-15 |
July 31
Rain forecasted. A relaxed day but maybe too relaxed. Not as focused as I have been the last couple of days.
The wind was running about 10 MPH for standing this morning. In trying to create as much time as I could for each shot, I rushed some shots and lost points. Instead, I could have taken a little more time and turned some shots into 10's.
For rapid prone, we decided on a correction of 8 clicks right. I fired the first shot and was way on the left so I favored so far over that I threw another shot out to the right. During the magazine change, we added another 4 clicks of right and were centered for the rest of the string.
The rain finally came right before we had to go to the line for slow prone. All my stuff was wet and I got into position wearing the pants from my rain suit. We were light on the wind to begin with and had to catch up. I just wanted to be done and get off the range.
| Standing: | 92-1 |
| Rapid Prone: | 97-4 |
| Slow Prone: | 97-5 |
| Aggregate: | 286-10 |
August 1
The six-man team match is my main focus for the week. There was yet more rain in the forecast and it was quite dark when I was walking out to the range. My concern was being able to get a good sight picture when the light was so low. I need not have worried as even with the overcast there was plenty of light by the time it was my turn to shoot. The whole team shot well and the day went by quickly.
For standing I just followed the same basics that I have been using all week. There was a bit of a breeze but it was manageable. There was a lot of familiarity with coach and pair-fire partner so the whole environment was comfortable. But instead of the time flying by, the stage seemed like a lot work. With the block time format we had all kinds of time so I wanted to make sure each shot was a good one. This worked on most of them but on three of them, it didn't.
The wind had picked up over the course of the morning so I shot my sitting with five clicks of left. After all the time I spent in prep, when I dropped down into position I was pointing five targets to the right. I quickly began the process of shifting my NPA back to my target and hoping it didn't eat up too much time. The rest of the string was a blur as I tried to break good shots all the time worried that the targets were about to drop behind the berm.
Rapid prone was the stage I was most disappointed in today. My position didn't feel great but the group was low and about the size of mid-10 ring. There was one shot just slightly out at six and another one that was only barely a 10.
I am the shooter on the right in the last pair. That means I shoot the first shot and I need to hold elevation so my coach can get good feedback. In the past I would be very anxious about this but my slow prone has been working well recently so I was confident. Since we were pair firing, the timing felt a little off since I would wait for my partner to shoot. It worked out fine as the image was clear in the scope and I could break good shots.
| Standing: | 97-2 |
| Sitting: | 100-8 |
| Rapid Prone: | 99-3 |
| Slow Prone: | 197-12 |
| Aggregate: | 493-25 |
August 11
It was a bit humid on the range today. The temperature was warm but the moisture made you feel it more. A lackluster breeze didn’t help to make us feel better. Today I tried to focus on getting the best NPA I could in each stage.
I was very confident going into standing this morning. Not that I was going to shoot some stellar score, but I felt like all I had to do was execute all the things I've been doing and I would be rewarded with 10's. I spent my prep time working on my NPA and making sure it was in the middle of my target. During the string I also tried to confirm my NPA but I didn't remember to do this on every shot. Most shots were inside of call as I broke a few that I thought would be nines. One thing I noticed was that I didn't really have to restart my shot process on many shots. It seemed like most of the time the sights would just be close enough to the middle where I could break them on the first or second attempt.
Getting the proper NPA in sitting is, I think, more difficult than the other positions because of the multiple places I can put my feet and elbows. Still, I thought I got something workable even if my sights were moving more than I wanted. The wobble actually settled down mid-way through my first string but then went back to normal for the second.
In rapid prone I ran into a situation that I couldn’t believe didn't cost me points. On my first string I pulled the trigger completely through the second stage. I not only did this once, but twice. The reticle looked like it wasn't too far away from the middle when this happened but the fact that I was shooting when I really wasn't ready was very disconcerting. The result was one of the smallest groups I've ever fired. The second string's NPA wasn't as good as the first and the reticle seemed to drift to the right side during the string.
I don't ever remember being down only one point going back to 600 in an NRA match. But that's where I found myself as I got ready to shoot slow prone. My firing point had a bit of a low spot where I put my left elbow. I never like this as I struggle to get the rifle higher. Sure enough, when I mounted the gun, I was pointed at the 500 yard line. I adjusted by shifting my body away from the rifle and that pivoted the muzzle upward. But as a consequence I didn't feel as natural as I normally do. Things seemed OK as I started shooting as the mirage showed almost no wind. I kept having to click down as the shots kept coming up at the top of the 10-ring. Shots 7 through 10 were a disaster as I dropped six points. I kept getting 8's on the right side when the mirage was flowing slightly to the left. I couldn't figure it out and I was putting on left wind in a right to left condition. Regardless of the wind, I didn't give myself the best chance for success with a sub-par firing point and position.
| Standing: | 199-5 |
| Sitting: | 200-11 |
| Rapid Prone: | 200-9 |
| Slow Prone: | 193-7 |
| Aggregate: | 792-32 |
September 1
The weather forecast was pretty depressing with rain in the area for the whole weekend. Today's individual was delayed about four hours while the rain passed. This really messed up the feel and timing of the day. I was "off" for the whole day and I wasn't really shooting naturally. The humidity required more effort to do anything and I just wanted to take a nap.
With the long delay and down time, it was more difficult entering a state of concentration going into standing. I was a bit tired when I started and exhausted by the time I finished. The shots were going quickly in the beginning but I think this was because I wanted to get it over with. I was very conscious of getting my NPA before each shot. The hold was good and most shots were on call or inside of call. I did notice that some shots had the rifle leaning towards my torso and other shots the rifle was balancing on my forward hand. My preference is for it to lean toward me.
I'm not sure why, but my sitting position was canted to the right much more than normal. When I say much more that really means I felt it more than could actually be observed by someone. But this actually felt better and the wobble was smaller. Even so, both strings had good x-counts with some wild shots out on the right.
I'm still holding my breath in rapid prone. Old habits are hard to break. My focus is more on getting my NPA when I come down to the target after each magazine is loaded.
Because of the rain delay, we are shooting slow prone the next day in the morning. With the 600 yard range facing east, the targets were a little dark this morning. This would be more of a problem with iron sights but with optics it's not too bad. Not a lot of wind but not my best performance.
| Standing: | 196-6 |
| Sitting: | 197-14 |
| Rapid Prone: | 198-12 |
| Slow Prone: | 197-9 |
| Aggregate: | 788-41 |
September 2
The team match started after we finished yesterday's 600.
In standing my NPA just wasn't where I wanted it to be. I kept coming down on the right side of the target and trying to shift back to center. On the second shot, the rifle settled in the 9-ring at four o'clock and I just decided to shoot it right then and there. For the fifth shot I was lining everything up and lost concentration. My mind decided that I fired the shot and my body started to go through the post-shot motions. Then, I actually pulled the trigger. Or actually my hand went loose on the pistol grip and I slapped the trigger with my finger. It was pretty bad and the target came up with a five.
I still sense the canted position that I had yesterday. Also, just like yesterday, it gives me a smaller wobble and more confidence on each shot. Today's group was on the right side which is why the x-count was so low.
My rapid prone group was very good but toward 10 and 11 o'clock. My biggest takeaway is that I was breaking shots on the sight picture that I saw rather than a particular cadence or rushing to get the string over with. If I can just breathe better I can avoid feeling rushed.
My problem in slow prone today was not breaking clean shots. At least the shots didn't feel like they were breaking clean. The sight picture was good but it was like I had to force the trigger to go off. The clouds and the time of day made mirage impossible to see so flags were the only wind indicators. That really didn't matter too much as the conditions were mild and pretty steady.
| Standing: | 94-3 |
| Sitting: | 100-4 |
| Rapid Prone: | 100-4 |
| Slow Prone: | 198-10 |
| Aggregate: | 492-21 |
September 15
I was disappointed with my mental outlook for this match. For some reason I wasn't looking forward to it and, to be honest, if I had my way I would have stayed home. Part of this had to do with the fact that I was running it. But part of it was also the motions of finishing out the season. It was a very pleasant day to shoot. Sunny, warm, and very little wind.
As I was getting ready to shoot standing it occurred to me that the air was very still. Most of the time there is at least some air movement but today there was nothing stirring. My hold was pretty good and the sights settled well. The problem I was having was breaking clean shots. I was very methodical with my shot process. No fast start here. Just mounting the gun and working the process but with crappy trigger control.
When I started the first string of sitting everything felt pretty good. But about the middle of the string I became aware of a bright glare coming off the target. This made the reticle less distinct in the sighting black and I didn't feel like I was breaking the shots as centered as I could have. The second string had a much better sight picture and I was able to see the reticle better.
There wasn't much wind for rapid prone and I only used a click of right for both strings. Regardless, the first string wasn't going to be very good because I was firing the shot before the dot would settle in the middle. The pace was rushed and the target had three 9's on it. The second string was more relaxed and I dressed up the shots before breaking them. It may have been too slow since I used up all my time. The majority of this group was centered but I also had two tens on the very left edge.
I was struggling with my NPA in slow prone. Every time I would bring the reticle to the target, it wanted to settle just off the X at 9 o'clock. Not a big discrepancy but enough that I noticed it and tried to shift back towards center. No matter what I did though, it kept coming back. My first couple shots were on the high side so I came down a couple of clicks before I was satisfied. Just like last match, the shot breaks didn't feel clean. They seemed forced. I think I need to center the reticle and just keep applying smooth pressure during my natural respiratory pause until the gun goes off. Despite the score, I feel like this was my weakest performance today. The x-count was low and many of the shots were just all over the 10-ring. I felt like I just lucked into a clean instead of controlling the outcome.
| Standing: | 196-4 |
| Sitting: | 200-13 |
| Rapid Prone: | 197-10 |
| Slow Prone: | 200-7 |
| Aggregate: | 793-34 |
October 6
The final match of the year brings an opportunity to experiment. For several months I have been thinking about using a rifle scope with a high magnification. I think this could help me see more detail and be able to find those subtle things that affect shot placement. So I borrowed a Leupold FX-3, 25X40mm rifle scope. This is a fixed power scope with a 3/8 MOA target dot reticle and adjustable parallax. I also ordered the same set of rings and mount that I already have for my 4X service rifle scope.
As I didn't have much time to get the scope set up, all I could do at home was mount it on the rifle and make sure the reticle was focused for my eyes. The morning of the match I got to the range early and took my rifle to the benchrest range to try to get a rough zero. I fired the rifle at 50 and 100 yards so I could be confident of being on paper at 200. I'm not used to a parallax adjustment so when I first looked through the scope everything downrange was fuzzy. My assumption was that if the target was clear then the parallax was set correctly. I was later told this was not necessarily the case.
It only took a few shots to get a rough zero and I walked back to the 200 yard line to start the match. The weather forecast did not look good. It was very cloudy and the high was only going to be in the mid-50's. The rain was coming and it started before we even finished at 200. The match was cancelled after everyone shot sitting so I only got to shoot two stages with the fancy scope. Even so, here are my observations of shooting a service rifle with a 25 power scope.
Standing
My spotting scope has only slightly more magnification than the rifle scope so I decided to not use it. What I didn't realize was that I would now have to raise the rifle back up to my face after the target came up with the spotter. This was a deviation from my normal process that I didn't think about.
I had heard horror stories about shooting standing with a scope on high magnification. People would say the movement would be too great with the reticle flying past the black. I was definitely worried about this but since the scope is fixed at 25 power, there wasn't much I could do about it. The reality was that there was certainly more movement than with the 4 power, but my eyes weren't seeing six times more wobble. The movement was quite manageable and I felt the gain of extra magnification more than offset any increased movement. The dot would certainly stay in the 10-ring long enough to break a clean shot.
Speaking of those gains, the first one that I saw was in one of the most important aspects of shooting standing: decision making. My ability to process the image that I saw and make a decision to fire the shot took place so much faster than with a lower magnification. It was so easy to see the dot within the 10-ring even if it was further outside. That area that I might define as a "safe 10" now became bigger as I could break shots that were closer to the edge of the 10-ring. This also meant that I could break shots on my first trip into the 10 as opposed to second guessing the reticle position and having to start the aiming process over again. I fired 22 shots in 15 1/2 minutes whereas it would normally take me 17-18 minutes with a service rifle configuration.
Another gain is the ability to see subtle shifts in natural point of aim (NPA). The rifle would come down to the target and the extra vision made an imperfect NPA much more obvious. I could see how much I was forcing the rifle to come into the center.
The extra magnification showed up not just in the pre-shot wobble, but also in the trigger control phase between deciding to shoot and the rifle going off. Once that decision had been made, I could see more movement that I wasn't used to. Most of the time the movement went towards 2 o'clock.
When the shot went off my entire image went black. I don't think I was closing my eyes. I think this is because, in recoil and trigger control, the rifle moves and the field of view shifts away from alignment with my eye. So I'm seeing that black area that you see in a scope when you haven't centered the filed of view in the ocular lens.
One drawback that I didn't think about with this powerful scope was how far removed my image was from the number boards. The boards at this range are above the impact berm. When mounting the gun and coming down to the target I can see my target number and then I come straight down to the frame. But when I'm on the frame there is a lot of distance between it and the number board. So my shot process has to account for coming down from the number board and then always keep the correct frame within my field of view. If I pause my shot process by closing my eyes or looking away, I now have to make an effort to travel up to the top of the berm to confirm my target number before coming back down to the target.
Sitting
As in standing, there was more wobble than I normally see. But the ability to really pick out where I was within the 10-ring was great. This made the decision to fire much easier but not as dramatic as in standing. The average group size of the two strings that I fired were 12% smaller than the average sitting group that I fired in 2018.
I was on second relay so by the time I got to sitting, there were already 66 shots on the target face. With the high magnification I could see the black pasters on the target. This would have been fine except a lot of these pasters were on the perimeter of the X-ring. This made the ring much less defined and it wasn't as easy to center the dot in the middle. I had to approximate the location of the ring and I feel like I could have shrunk the group better if I had a full X-ring to see.
What worried me the most was being so far away from my number board. It seemed like a long journey from the target frame up to the board at the top of the berm. This was workable in slow-fire but there wasn't enough time to do it in rapid-fire. I checked the board after each time I loaded a magazine but for each shot I had to trust that my NPA kept me on my assigned target. The lower power scope just required a quick nudge to see the number but here I felt a bit uncomfortable not having that number check available.
| Standing: | 197-7 |
| Sitting: | 200-12 |
| Rapid Prone: | - |
| Slow Prone: | - |
| Aggregate: | 397-19 |
With the season now over, here are my averages of each stage over the course of 2018. This is every match with the good performances and the bad ones in a range of different conditions. There's even a miss in standing in those numbers.
| 2018 Averages | |
| Standing: | 96.7% |
| Sitting: | 99.7% |
| Rapid Prone: | 99.0% |
| Slow Prone: | 97.7% |
| Aggregate: | 98.2% |
