The 204um Challenge Winner's Circle

Participate in friendly board-wide competitions.
skipper
Moderator
Posts: 1618
Joined: Thu Feb 09, 2006 3:32 am
.204 Ruger Guns: Remington XR 100, Custom build Lilja/Panda/Shehane/Jewell
Location: Cypress, TX

Re: The 204um Challenge Winner's Circle

Post by skipper »

204Shooter wrote: Then, I had a hard time seeing the targets with my lowly little 3X9 scope. I know the shoot was supposed to challenge our skills as well as the equipment so I was fine with that and it has given me a good excuse to upgrade the glass on that rifle so plans are in the works!!! :D
:twisted: Now that's what I like to hear, a little equipment upgrade. :twisted: Glad I could help. :D
Image Hold 'em & Squeeze 'em
walleyeman
Junior Member
Posts: 75
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 10:32 pm
.204 Ruger Guns: CZ 527 American
Location: Saskatchewan

Re: The 204um Challenge Winner's Circle

Post by walleyeman »

Well here goes my two cents.

I shot in the factory/factory portion of the competition again this time round. I presently do not reload as I have no equipment (and time is of a premium with 3 young children) but one day I certainly will. My rifle is a CZ American that I purchased in May of 2007. It came from the Canadian distributor and happened to be the last one in Canada at that time. It is topped with a Bushnell Elite 3200 3X9. I purchased this rifle after many a night reading the benfits of the 204 and wanting a low recoil rifle that I could hunt coyotes with.

I consider myself a hunter first but over the last year have really enjoyed shooting paper. The excitment you get even though nobody is around is really addictive not to mention the nerves!

So, I do not have any new and improved way to share but I can tell you what I do. First and foremost I believe in rest. Both you and the one that the gun will rest on. This is so simple but often overlooked. I have witnessed guys being disapointed with the way a gun "shoots" when in fact it was easy to determine that the parka and sandbag (used for weight in the winter) might be the culprit. Be confident that the rest will be precise every shot. I once read that to truely test a rifle you should be able to set the rifle up, get it aimed at the target then back away from it and either use a string to pull the trigger or use only a small portion of your finger, but regardless take the human part of the equation out of it. I do not condone this as this is why we all shoot, for fun, but none the less it provides insight into gun stability.
I am very particular about everything that I can control, so much that I even bring a level to the range to adjust the table exactly. I carry this one more step and level my targets perfectly but only after checking to make sure that the elevation of my gun when on its rest is the same as the target that I will be shooting at.

Now its time to shoot. I don't spend allot of time prepping. I just can't afford the time (as mentioned a young family), but this doesn't mean a person in my predicament can't be successful. Which brings me to my second point.

Know your gun. Don't expect a group of 0.2 when in fact the best group you every shot was 0.90. I am not saying that goals are not important but rather make sure that they are goals that push the envelope but are attainable at the same time. This year for instance my goal was to equal or better my results from last postal shoot by 0.2". Last time I shot in the neighborhood of 0.8, except for one shot on each of group 1 and 2 I had an excellent grouping. This time it started out awesome a really tight group for me...somewhere in the 0.5-0.4's (skipper could chip in here) except for the last shot. I made the mistake of getting out of the groove, worried more about the final group than the shot at hand and what do you know I pulled it outside of the other 4! My last two groups were not solid at all. I recall myself getting all worked up over the fact that an excellent group turned into a reall good group and I remember saying that to myself that the first shot doesn't matter so just shoot it then let the others follow suit. WRONG, the first shot on any target is the most important it sets the standard for the rest. Well my first shot of the second group was on the opposite side of the target that I expected. Not good at all.
So, be sure that your gun can make the shots you want and then go and do it one shot at a time!!!

As far as ammo goes, I used your standard 32gr hornady vmax, I just made sure that the boxes were from the same lot and examined each round for any inconsistencies. Then I shot them with about three minutes between each shot. Next time I might add a little more time especially after the first group is shot since around here it does warm up quickly in the morning.

Sorry about the length and all for not most likely. Nothing here that is earth shattering. For some unknown reason, something that has been around for as long as man has been on earth, that is launching a projectile to hit something you think would have been perfected by now. Only if that " a " word was not invented....."accuracy".

I love it, getting addicted to it and needing it more as time goes by.

Thanks again to skipper for all your hard work and also to all those that participated. I wouldn't be the same without you members!
:)
Image
Post Reply