Long Range Rifle/Scope/PRS question(s)

i take it you're not feeling any buyer's remorse with that impact/foundation lol
You're right about that!

Man is it a joy to shoot. :)

I am still learning to shoot off of a bipod (Never did until about 3/4 years ago), and loose bags. When I was looking at utube videos on the net of people shooting PRS they were holding the front of the rifle or the scope so I figured they were using that to hold the rifle down or still, but I have shot better groups leaving the front of the rifle alone and squeezing the rear bag with both rifles. Don't worry about "loading up" the bipod, just make sure it isn't jammed forward or backwards.

The Impact has so little recoil I can easily stay on target with it through the recoil.
 
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If I ever run for President it will be on a singe issue platform....


4 shot groups
Then we would just shoot 3 in and 1 out.......... Well, I would anyway. :)

I kept these two targets to remind me about focus. Same rifle, same load, same shooter (Yes, me), shot in back to back rotations. The 2nd and 3rd groups in a 25 rounds five five shot groups aggregate.

This is when we stand at the "wailing wall" and shake our heads about where we would have finished if we had put that one lost shot in the group.
Two Benchrest Targets.JPG
 
You're right about that!

Man is it a joy to shoot. :)

I am still learning to shoot off of a bipod (Never did until about 3/4 years ago), and loose bags. When I was looking at utube videos on the net of people shooting PRS they were holding the front of the rifle or the scope so I figured they were using that to hold the rifle down or still, but I have shot better groups leaving the front of the rifle alone and squeezing the rear bag with both rifles. Don't worry about "loading up" the bipod, just make sure it isn't jammed forward or backwards.

The Impact has so little recoil I can easily stay on target with it through the recoil.

When you’re shooting prone or benched off a bipod with rear bag definitely put your support hand on the bag. Not touching the rifle.
When shooting positional without a bag or bipod then yeah some people like to grab the rifle or even scope (bad idea) to dampen the wobble.

You can shoot just as good jammed forward or backward. It’s all in your head. However for a beginner (not you) it can still be useful to focus on doing everything exactly the same each shot, including things that don’t really matter.
 
Walkalong said:
Man is it a joy to shoot.

Many never get to experience this. When you have a rifle and optic that's a pleasure to interact with, feeds/functions effortlessly and reliably, and stacks holes exactly where you want and expect them to be it really is a joy. That sure is a great looking and awesome performing rifle. I don't see myself owning one, but I'm enjoying following along as you get to experience it.
 
Walkalong said:
The wet spot is from sweat dripping off everywhere. I kept wiping my face with a towel, but the sweating was constant.
It was 95 to 97 while I was there, 46% to 52% RH.

It was 80F to 85F today in NW Montana, but the humidity is so low that I didn't break a sweat working outside for most of the day. I was hauling a bunch of rocks around tossing them into the bucket of my tractor and doing some excavation work in preparation for having my driveway asphalted in a few weeks. I can't stand humidity and I don't really like heat that much to be honest, but the lack of humidity up here makes it way more comfortable to be working outside this time of year.

I have a 7-day business trip to AL and GA a week from Tuesday. I'm not looking forward to it given the temp and humidity in the south during the summer. I'm planning on going to the CMP in Talladega and will be doing some shooting so I'll be sweating like a pig no doubt. :eek:
 
My wife wants to visit Montana, but NOT in the winter she said, she hates the cold. :)
 
lol, yea, like dry heat? :)

But you are right, dry cold is much better. Had a fellow join our scout troop many years ago, dad was transferred from Alaska. He didn't bring a coat to his first camping trip here and said he felt like he was going to freeze to death.
 
It's currently 50F this morning with a high of 79F today, which is the hottest day all week. Come on up! :D

I need to remove two hydraulic hoses from my tractor and drop them off at the local Kubota store on my way in to work. The only thing dripping will be the hoses. :p
 
My friend at work who was going to take me to the long range club near Rockford this week got too busy with life the last few days, and even though he thought we could go today, work changed and he couldn't leave.

So I was unable to shoot the new load at distance before the match Saturday. No feeling real positive about that, but it is what it is and I will make the best of it, maybe the first stage will be close enough I can get on target if the ballistics program is wrong/not used correctly/whatever.

I only have one velocity at one temperature for the Dasher (Only five shots, Avg 2881 at 95 degrees 46% RH), but do now have two velocities at two different temps on the Seekins 6 Creed, so I would think that would help the program.

Hopefully they will help a fellow out, it is a one day, beginners welcome, get some help match. My nephew Sam will watch me shoot through my little Bushnell Elite 15-45x60 spotter (Amazon had it for $199 shipped a couple of years ago), and vice versa, so hopefully we can get on steel early in.

Recoil is such with the Impact that if the background is cooperative I should be able to see where misses go. It stays on target really well.

When I catch up on my expenditures I want to get a spotter with a mil-rad reticle, but it will have to wait, just like the Kestrel and the pack. I am going to spring for the annealer soon, regardless. I need to anneal cases before reloading them the third time. I am going to load up another 100 cases to fire form and practice with them when I get a chance, I think I am going to go up to 31.5 to fire form.

And then when I have 200 cases fire formed, an annealer, and ready to go, I can play with the charge weight or different powders. Probably get some more cases as well.
 
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The targets will be big tomorrow, if you have a sub-MOA load, you’re groovy. Most club level and 1 day matches will have the zero board open for a while before the match starts, and even if they don’t, I’ve never heard of an MD who wouldn’t let a newbie go zero and talk range operations and movements a bit before the match starts. Just show up early to accommodate that.

It’s gonna be fun - no doubt in my mind!
 
Man was that fun! We had a 2 1/2 hour ride back and I grinned the whole way. I had mental errors on the 1st (stage 6) and the last (stage 5) stages we shot, which hurt me on time. I only finished under the time twice, one was the mover which was my worst with only one hit, Sam hit it five times, one of the best. On stage 6 (Our first one, with the mental error I only got off two shots, but both were hits.

The prone stage (800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200) was rough, the first half of our squad shot it in the brunt of the front moving through, wind howling left to right, full of rain. I was 45th there with Sam at 69th. (For folks who have the same number of hits on a stage they were listed alphabetically so you could be tied with multiple folks and get listed above them.) I can't find, or they haven't yet uploaded, the overall place spots. I was listed 3 in stage 9 with the bowling pins and small circles, but 14 of us shot it clean, I just happen to have a C last name. We shot off of a wooden spool for cable and I was very steady on that one. The "Trump's Wall" stage 2 I thought I would be steady on it, but it was my worst for wobble, and not slow easy to gauge wobble. I was 86th on that with Sam at 53. I was only 73 on the rock mover, and that was with only one hit.

I need to go back to Practiscore and count hits for Sam and I, but I think I edged him out. :)

Me in the helicopter. Stage 10
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Me on the first position on Stage 8 "Rocks"
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Sam, can't remember which Stage
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Sam at the Bowing pins (& two small circles) Stage 9
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Sam at the Helicopter
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It is a very nice place to shoot, stages 1 through 5 are close to each other and stages 6 through 10 are close to each other, with each of those places being a few hundred yards apart. Half stared one spot, half another, we started at the 6 through 10 area. When all of that was done in each place the groups switched out.

The learning curve, thanks to everyone here, was not as steep as I had expected, we learned a lot watching others with what they used and how they shot the different barricades.

I was fine with the physical part of it, no issues there. Both rifles were competitive, neither were reasons for missing.

I had tweaked one of the AIAW mags for the Seekins (A little tricky getting the feeds lips high enough without the rounds wanting to pop out, but it worked well after that. I also bought a single stack 10 rounder (AI 3902) for the Seekins and it runs 100%.

Our dope was on all day, we used Strelok Pro and used the "get the weather off of the internet" feature. We will hopefully have a Kestrel next time out.

All and all a fabulous day. The targets were not all demanding, some were fairly large, but some were small, and the weather (rain/wind on one stage not withstanding) was not bad, mirage not too bad, wind switchy but not too bad.

It was really nice to shoot something with rifles that was a challenge for a change. It's no fun when it is too easy. :)
 
Welcome to it! Glad to hear you guys had a good time, hopefully the first of many! Also glad to hear the rifles ran as they should.
 
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