Well now I certainly doff my hat to you for your technical knowledge and your ability to build things, and especially to put new life into items that others might relegate to the junk pile or worse. So my comment about overthinking wasn't directed to you. Nor was it intended to discourage anybody from understanding their gear, including planning to acquire it. You really do need to understand how stuff works.
However, as to the actual shooting, that's where I find that you're better off getting a good feel for your equipment, and managing it accordingly. I'm not expressing myself as well as I'd like, but perhaps the analogy is driving a car, or maybe flying a plane. You do need to understand well the reference points, gauges and such, but you don't always have time to think about it.
At a local match last year a fellow had a nice rifle, and what looked to be an elaborate ballistics chart that he kept looking at. I won, and he was well down the list. Whatever.
At a match my basic sight settings for the targets on the course will be on a card taped to my stock. Measurements are stored somewhere deep in my memory bank.
Now, to put this in some perspective, I just relate what works best for me, admitting that I don't multitask well these days. Still, the KISS principle is well suited to shooting these fine old time rifles.
Paul
