Next weekend I'll go to my second F class match, but I can't remember the size of the aiming black. I'll need to know this for corrections. Can anyone tell me how far it is across?

44 inches on LRFC.
24 inches on MR1FC.
11.85 inches on MR63FC.

This will all be at 600 yds., so I think that means the 24" MR1FC. Is that correct? Thanks.

Where?

Are you comming down to Cadillac?

Last time I checked, the 600yd MR1FC used the same size aiming black as the MR1... which is 36" in diameter (includes the entire 7 ring).

Go here (I highly suggest you bookmark the link) for the online NRA rule book. The regular target dimensions are listed in section 4; any changes specific to F-class are in section 22.

I'd also suggest using a plot sheet (various ones are available for download free on the 'Net) with an MOA grid super-imposed over the target face. That way you don't need to fret over how big the black is at any given distance, just plot your shot and look at the grid numbers to get an idea of what you need for corrections

I was wrong. The aiming black for the MR1FC is 36 inches. It's 17.85 inches for the MR63FC.

I forgot the MR65FC, and that's 30 inches.

So, for your 600 yard match, you are looking at 36 inches, the 6-ring.

edited to add: Whoops, just noticed that Monte caught my error also.

Hey Monte do you have a link available where he can download a plot sheet to work with? Thinkin that will help him with the mental mind-[bleep] of figuring out corrections...

These are the ones I use a lot. I don't use all the info, but being able to plot the shot call and correlate it to the shot impact is very helpful. My biggest gripe about sheets like these is that they have versions for 300, 500, 600, 800, 900, 1000... the friggin' targets @ 300, 500, 600 & 1000 are all functionally the same dimensions in terms of MOA, or so close as to be a moot point. For that matter, so are 800 & 900 (to the 1000yd LR/LRFC target) for practical purposes.

YMMV,

MOnte

Ive made these up for myself, only cover from the "8" ring in. Values are MOA.

Plot Sheets

By way of a little help from Les...

Monte, I agree that one could use a single plot sheet for all distances, but the aiming black varies by distance: 5-ring for 500, 6-ring for 300 and 600 and 7-ring for 1000 (and 800/900).

This means that your entire score area at the 500 is in the black. At 300 and 600, if you miss the black, you only have one more ring and then it's a miss. At 1000 (800/900), the black is a 7-ring and above.

Where the black ends and the white begins doesn't have much relevance for my hold-offs - I use the scoring rings, and I generally don't hold outside the 9 ring if I can avoid it (dial on more base windage and hold center if I need to). I know some people like plot sheets with the rings shaded in to reflect which ones are 'black', etc. but its not my style, I guess. Either way, if you lob a wide 8 out there, it's still about 1-1/2 moa to get back to center at any distance, or close enough to be within most people's ability to read the wind.

Maybe I'm just feeling ornery as I get up and head to work... but perhaps we need to make up a Jim Owens-style plot sheet with the 3/4 corrections. Actually, it might do people a world of good, keeping them from ping-ponging from one side of the 10 to the other by over-correcting... hmmm...

What about those of us who under-correct?

Having had to hold off on the 7-ring or worse too often, I always have a plot sheet handy, even if I don't plot anything on it.

Monte's idea for a 3/4 correction is interesting and I think a lot of us do that just because, but some of us still end up short of the required correction.

It's all part of what makes 1000 yards fun in F-TR.

Denys

The match is in Negaunee. I go down to Cadillac for the Garand/Springfield/Vintage CMP matches. We had one three or four weeks ago. I didn't do too bad with the Springfield, 451/500, but the Garand and Vintage weren't too good. 425 & 428. All three of my relays were shooting in the rain.

Bob has a knack of picking weekends where the weather going to be bad when scheduling matches...

You should have come down and shot at Camp Grayling last weekend. Decent weather (except for the wind) for a 1000 yard match.

Before I learned how to shoot well, I often used the Owens style of correcting, but when I was at my peak, I used full value corrections all the time, my goal was to stay centered shooting center Xs each shot.

Though I will say that on the rare occasion I'd build up on one side or the other trying to prevent loosing a point rather than gaining an X... but those conditions were rarely more than a few matches a year.

Hmmm, I think I explained earlier that I do not actually do corrections on the scope after the sighters are used up. What I do is hold off on the target, using the rings and that is why I like a lot of magnification on the scope.

I think what Monte was talking about is a shooter that will hold too much on one side, then not enough and thus bracket the 10 ring with 9s or worse on either side.

Sunday was a calm sunny day here, and I took a couple of pokes at 600. The I'm on enough that I should start in the black with any kind of decent wind. If I understand you correctly, after the sighters I should just use Kentucky windage? That is what I did last year, but mainly because just have the regular VX-II adjustment, no turrets. Really this isn't a F-class rifle I'm using, just a model 70 .30-'06 with a 3-9x40. Desire and opportunity aren't(yet)enough to spring for a dedicated rifle.

It doesn't matter whether you hold off or click, that point is moot, its whether you hold off or click the full amount or less than the full amount. I sucked when I favored with irons, but shot quite a bit with Alonda that is a great womans champ in service rifle... she could favor all day long, I simply choose to click. With a scope I'll probably choose to favor most of it once I"m in there. My guess is I"ll stop with favors once I"m holding out of the 9 ring.

I've never shot in Kentucky.

I'm an old(ish) shooter who experiences "senior moments." I am the guy you can count on to put the wrong direction on the scope and lose points because of that. So, I try to mess with my scope as litle as possible during a match and just about never when shooting for record. I learned this the hard way.

The way I do it is when I get to the range and look at the flags, I make up my mind as to what the windage will be and dial it it. If I have done my job correctly, my first round will be in the black, as the proper elevation. I may adjust the elevation because that's one I do not want to have to favor. I will most probably adjust the windage and fire the second sighter. After that, I hold off on the target as I watch the conditions.