Fouling shots allowed in competition

[spitballer]

I'm trying to get an idea as to how many fouling shots I should need to get dialed in with a particular load, and it occurred to me to check with some competitive shooters to find out how many fouling shots are allowed in competition. Are competitive shooters normally allowed a certain number of fouling shots before scoring begins? Does the number of fouling shots vary with the range at which they're shooting?

To give an example of what I'm dealing with, I'm dialing in a load of IMR 3031 for a 55gr bullet in a .223 bolt action rifle with a 30" bbl. With a soft, thin-jacketed HP bullet I get best accuracy at around 22 grains when seated into the lands. However:

If I tend towards 21.9 grains, it will get me 1/2 MOA accuracy, but only after about three fouling shots. If I tend towards 22.1 grains, 1/2 MOA accuracy is immediate but I begin to get copper fouling and flyers much, much sooner.

What kind of strategy would a pro use to dial in a load for competition? How many fouling shots should he/she expect to have to fire before being ready for scoring, and how many shots can he expect to fire before having to stop and perform barrel maintenance?

A sincere thanks in advance for advice on this matter.

 

[jwrowland77]

The competitions I've been too, at one place, they allowed unlimited sighters before 1st string but only allowed the same 25 minutes. The 2nd and 3rd strings, you only got two sighters before scoring.

Another place I went, only allowed two sighters before scoring on all three strings.

My suggestion would be to make sure your barrel is fouled before you travel to the competition.

At the ones I've been too, you shoot your string of 20 plus 2 sighters in 22 minutes. May need to take the full minute between shots, but still need to shoot when wind is right.

My only experience is F-Class mid-range and long range.

 

[R.W.Dale]

The answer is to stop obsessively cleaning your barrel when it doesn't "NEED" to be cleaned.

 

[jwrowland77]

^^^^^^

I clean clean mine only about every 800 rounds. Between matches and practice, all I do is run a bore snake through it.

 

[Howard Roark]

What kind of competition?

 

[BullfrogKen]

Yeah, what kind. In across the course matches everyone starts out at 200 yards. You get plenty of "fouling" shots by just shooting the match before you get back to 600.

 

[spitballer]

This is for mid-range shooting, no more than 500 yards or so. I've always been interested in competition, and as a youngster I competed at the local range with Army 22 caliber rimfires, but my current rifle is designed around smaller projectiles and probably wouldn't be well suited to competition. Mostly I'm just interested in developing accurate loads for personal achievement.

I didn't know shooters were normally allotted a minute for each shot during competition! This is the most important bit of information that I've taken away from this thread. If I follow similar guidelines regarding the spacing of shots, barrel growth will not be an issue and I can develop loads accordingly. Very good!

Thanks to all for responding.

R.W.Dale I know better than to be argumentative when I'm outclassed but nevertheless I respectfully submit that starting with a spotless barrel before every group when working up a load gives a better picture of what each group is actually doing, especially if the previous group has deposited a significant amount of copper fouling. You'll be pleased to note that I avoid the wire brushes!

 

[BullfrogKen]

Those 55 gr bullets won't do well at all at 500 yards.

The full course range I shoot on won't even allow those in competition at the 600 yard line for the mid-range matches. It's too dangerous for the guys working in the pits to risk one dropping in on them.


They'll do fine on reduced courses, say 200 yard reduced matches and such.

 

[twofifty]

Spitballer, you keep good notes and pay attention to details - a rare trait.

 

[spitballer]

Thanks for kind words but I'm afraid good notes won't help when it comes to competing with smaller projectiles. Last time I went out to 565 yard gong range I was drifting almost 18 inches in a light breeze with the 55 gr bullets; they just aren't practical for competition at those ranges. However, I am learning a lot about reloading with the lighter bullets, and if nothing else it challenges me to do the very best I can with the equipment I've got. In fact just last week I was pleasantly surprised to discover that with my new barrel I can actually load boat-tail 40's .030" over, seated firmly in the case neck. Been having a ball with 40 grain bullets and 4198 powder! But obviously I can't hang at long range with a match chamber and faster twist. That'll have to wait for my next barrel!