I set up a makeshift rest with the range's carpet-covered wooden blocks and my folded soft case, loaded up the first three rounds (56.5gr of Big Game) and got to work, checking each individual case for pressure signs. Then three rounds with 57.5, three more with 58.5 and so on until I got to 61.5gr. By that time, I had started to develop a bit of a flinch from shooting off the bench, and I decided it would be impractical to continue shooting groups. I fired one round with 62.0gr from the shooting sticks (mostly to verify there were no pressure signs, and there weren't), and banged steel @ 200 yards. I fired five more factory Prvi rounds, but the flinch was starting to show. I buckled down and fired one last round and banged steel. I like to finish on a high note.
Then it was off to the butts to see how I did. And boy, was I surprised. I had a few stringers that I will readily ascribe to the emergent flinch (especially on the last two sets of three), but the 59.5gr load (rounds 10, 11 and 12) shot sub-MOA @ 100 yards!
Now I need to get a chronograph and see how much velocity that load's pushing, and load up some more from about 59gr to 62.5gr and see if that's the sweetest spot or if there are greener pastures.
Now, on to the shooting sticks. Work bit into my free time, so I only had time to craft one set of sticks. I used the green Home Depot garden stakes with a section of bicycle inner tube to make a very simple apparatus. And yet, with a proper hold, I was able to shoot reasonably well @ 200 yards with it. I found that by laying my hand in the crotch of the sticks, and using that to brace the gun and prevent it from bouncing, I could shoot pretty well. I really like these sticks. They're extremely lightweight, stiff, tough, and practical. Best of all, they cost me all of $7 and change. I'm thinking of getting a third stake to try the tripod route, but right now I'm finding it hard to argue with the simple effectiveness of the current setup. Still, experimentation is what this is all about, so I'll give it and the wooden swivel bipod sticks a run for the money.
Would a lead sled be a good investment?
ReplyDeleteI have a lead sled, and it helps with recoil, but I think it should only be used when developing a round or working out a problem with your setup. Once you've got that done, then get off the bench and use those sticks and other positions. Offhand, seated and kneeling I have used repeatedly in the woods, almost never prone. Use all kinds of supports (uprights and benches at the range stand in for saplings and trees, and fences and hoods you can use in the field).
ReplyDeleteI developed a routine for practice for Africa, which I still use to keep in practice for normal hunting and against the day I will go back (or maybe go hunting "Scrubbies" in Australia). Start the day with a .22 that uses the same operating system and optics as my hunting rifle (bolt, lever, Ghost Ring, red-dot, duplex scope, whatever), shoot 20-100 rounds. Move on to my .308 and shoot between 5 and 40 rounds, depending on how much work I need. If using my medium or heavy, (.376 Steyr or .458 Lott), shoot it last (or in place of the .308) and limit my shooting to 5-25 rounds. While I have fired as much as 70 rounds of .458 Lott in one day, it was a HUGE mistake. I was slightly concussed, had headache and nausea for 48 hours, and almost had to cover one eye to be able to read my watch.
I use a printed target I make for practice. Use standard copier paper and a printer, make a 6" circle using Powerpoint or Word, and Voila! Instant "Kill-zone" target. I also use a 3" one when shooting at short range or when practicing for brain shots.
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FormerFlyer
Almost all of my hunting shots have been from a sitting position. I'm a big fan of stability when I'm shooting for blood. That, combined with the increased shoulder punishment shooting from the bench entails, ensures that I will not shoot from the bench unless I have a good reason to do so. Zeroing rifles and new loads are about the only situations that qualify :)
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