There is Always One

Recall one of the gun writers-Dean Grenell (?) -discussing the "first round flyer" phenomenon in semiauto pistols, Charlie Askins said revolver shooters should check their guns for the best and worse chambers and be allowed to shoot slow fire using the best one.
 
This was todays target. There might actually be one off paper or it’s hidden in one of the clusters. Still, it’s a little better and more centered where I was favoring left with the Canik. I favor right with the Blackhawk thought overall groups are tighter. Fliers are just as far though.
73A16CC7-332B-46EB-AFC1-A9CC73BDE9CE.jpeg
 
BLACKHAWKNJ said:
Recall one of the gun writers-Dean Grenell (?) -discussing the "first round flyer" phenomenon in semiauto pistols, Charlie Askins said revolver shooters should check their guns for the best and worse chambers and be allowed to shoot slow fire using the best one.
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I generally regard revolvers as more accurate but this is something. All 6 chambers and the barrel have to match. That sounds incredibly difficult.
 
DMW1116 said:
Just thought I’d share and see if anyone else has this issue. I’ve been practicing bullseye pistol shooting for a while now and there is always one (at least) that flies wide. Anyone else?
Blackhawk 357 @ 25 Yards
View attachment 1102056
Not even a pattern. Some high, some low, left and right. More practice I guess.
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There is a pattern. The group (from what I can see) is ovate on the horizontal. That is, most of the shot holes are within an up and down area smaller that the side to side area. This suggests you are keeping good track of the alignment of the front and rear sight and being a little less careful keeping the front sight centered in the middle of the rear sight.

One's group pattern should be more or less circular. A 'tight' circle indicates better sight alignment and picture, and better trigger control. Obversely, a 'large' circle indicated the opposite. "Better" comes from (more) careful practice and attention to detail.

The flyers are caused by an instantaneous distraction from 'careful attention'. That can be anything from a fly landing on your nose to trying to remember the third item your significant other wanted from the grocery store.
 
Bullseye is a mental game and technique, and consistency are everything. Sometimes the last shot will be a flyer because you are trying to rush the turning target before it turns or you are holding too long. Many factors can be at play. For me I couldn't break the 280 barrier for average. I was a 275 shooter in Bullseye. It was mental toughness for me. It held me back in Bullseye and yet I was able to use it to succeed in IMHSA competitions. Completely different disciplines.
 
I actually shot these with a red dot but I see what you mean. I shot the rapid fire too fast and my spastic trigger finger tends to pull laterally more than vertically. Even for rapid fire it felt rushed.

I was also dodging incoming fire in the form of brass from the lane to my left. It was bouncing off my hat, nose, gun, and shooting arm. I shoot left handed but oddly tend to pull shots to the left.
 
redneck2 said:
You paid for the whole target. Might as well use it. Get your money’s worth.

I used to shoot in an archery league where there were REALLY good shooters. If they shot a 299/300 they were really pissed. They would shoot nickel sized groups at 25 yards. I was shooting a 70# compound used for deer hunting, so my groups were maybe baseball sized.

I’d take their targets after the matches and “fill them out”.

I did have a guy that came into the firing range that was a national level pistol shooter. He would put the target down range with the blank side towards him. Shoot a hole in the center, then put the next 50 into that one hole. When he was done the hole was maybe the size of a quarter to a half dollar
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Well then they weren't all in the same hole. Lol. We had some old timers years ago shooting at flys at 100 yards and hitting the damn things. Truth
 
I am glad I am not the only one that has this issue. I expect it when I am shooting pistol but I never understand when all of the sudden I have one rifle shot that is inches away from what was about to be a good group.
 
In my 22 rifles I blame Thunderbolt ammo. In the others, I blame my shoddy hand loading practices.
 
That’s the kind of thing that gets a gun listed for sale with a caption “only thrown once”.
 
DMW1116 said:
Was that flier the first shot? People tell me it’s sometimes best to shoot the first shot off paper as a fouling shot? I’ve never tried so I don’t know if it works or not.
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Nope the last and it was all me. That's my Ruger Precision 6 Creed at 100 yards if I do my part it'll put them in the same hole.
 
Now that you mention rifles, the guy that told me that was talking about handguns. Maybe it isn't for rifles.

Speaking of rifles, due to primer shortages, I've started using 3 and 4 shot groups for developing loads. It's not unusual to have 2 or 3 shots right on top of each other (roughly 3/4" often), and then the last shot is 1 to 2 inches away. It kills me and I generally assume it's my shooting rather than my reloading. I do it with 22 LR, all my centerfire rifles, iron sights, & scopes. It's maddening. I haven't done much rifle shooting lately, so maybe I've stopped. I'm sure with enough practice I can do it again though.
 
I don't see the flyer. Maybe I should look at Glocks a little harder for my 45-caliber target pistol.
 
20200716_133504~2.jpg
DMW1116 said:
Now that you mention rifles, the guy that told me that was talking about handguns. Maybe it isn't for rifles.
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Can be just not that one. My Valkyrie will throw the first shot from a cold barrel about 1/2 MOA low and left. This is 2 5 shot groups both fliers are first shot cold barrel. Gun is suppressed so that may be part of the why. It's very consistent though.
 
I shoot a lot of fliers too. I don’t want to blame the ammo because 99% of my shooting is my reloads. I’m to blame either way.
 
You paid for the whole target. Might as well use it. Get your money’s worth.
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:rofl:

Yep, there always seems to be one bullet to stupid to just go along and do what all the others did.
Most of the time it seems to be the last one in the group I am shooting....
It could be I am just chokeing and messing up the last shot but it has to be a defective bullet, can't be me.
;)
 
And it’s time for Round 2: Rifles

Hand loads at 100 yards:

28691549-BE98-402A-94C9-1320D23C8998.jpeg
4-shot group of 77 grain SMK and CFE 223. That last shot was a heart breaker.

26E3F6EA-0FD2-4C28-862F-BCB96955E9F5.jpeg
This is the same rifle with 69 grain RMR HPBT and Shooters World Tactical Rifle.
 
5 Shots from my 03A3 at 100yds. Nicd vertical string until the last !#$@#$% shot. I came off the rifle to check my hits and immediately knew my last shot would be screwed up. I call this my Best-Worst Target:

Best-Worst Target.jpg
 
Enfielder said:
When all one uses is a shotgun, one will not have these complaints.
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Not always, I patterned a old h&r shotgun one time and shot was perfect centered but the spot where the turkeys head was on the paper didn't have one hole in it. The guys at the range that day had a good laugh and it was hung up in the club house.
 
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