Shot a match today, my fourth ever and my third with my current "85% solution" 6.5x284. Things were very interesting................
It was very windy today....not
Pennsylvaina windy, but
Arizona windy. They tell me what we consider calm days here in AZ guys in the NE would consider windy........ <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
The changes I made for this match: bedded my rifle under the chamber about 1.75" (barrel was completely freefloating), used a VLD chamfer on the cases, uniformed the bullet metplats, and found a little more stable way to use my rear sandbag (I'll have built my rear rest for next match).
I got on paper very quickly and my first round sighters went well. After I fired the first round, the Pit called back and said I had six holes on my target. They said it was a crossfire and asked if I wanted to take the group or refire. They couldn't tell me how the group looked. I chose to refire at the end of the relay.
The last sighter of the second round went way left. I would have liked to have fired another sighter to confirm but was out of time. I decided to adjust my scope to the last sighter. After all, it was
very windy.
After the second round, the Pit asked if I had shot. That didn't sound too good to me. The third sighter period my first sighter shot was off the paper to the right. I held at the edge of the target for the second sighter shot, and the bullet hit a little low and a bit right of the bull. I made the adjustment and shot the third round.
I reshot my first round at the same time the guys shooting heavy gun shot their first round.
Okay, any guesses as to what happened?
The first group, the one I was cross-shot on, was 5.25". That is my best so far, and I think the third best of the match--that is, had it counted. The guy next to me was shooting his first 1000 yd BR match. Though he had a decent rifle built for 1000 yd BR, shooting this match was a last minute thing for him so he wound up shooting off plain sandbags made from denim. That is
very hard to do, and it is understandable why he put one on my target.
Now, the Pit crew knew which shot was crossfired, but--if I understand all this correctly--they said because the guy next to me and I were both shooting 6.5s, they couldn't have counted the group as 5.25". They would have had to take the largest measurement and calculate the least score. The cross-fired shot was a good 4-5" out of my group. Okay fine, but that was not the rookie mistake............
The second round was my rookie mistake, clearly showing my inexperience in 1000 yd BR. Granted, it is not unsual for an imperceptible change in the wind to cause a bullet to impact a foot from the last shot. Normally, a second sighter is used to verify such a big change but I didn't have time for a second sighter. However, I shouldn't have changed my scope--even though I was a foot--or a bit more right--I was still on paper in very difficult conditions. I have learned that is not to be taken lightly.........
As it was, the condition that moved my last sighter a foot or so left was extremely temporary. So during round two I put five shots between two targets. It was probably a 3" group. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> However, my score was ZERO and my group size was 50". (They add 10" for every shot off paper. Had I not adjusted the scope and had the condition remained, at least I would have had all 5-shots on paper and while my score may have been poor at least my group size and my AGG would have been competitive.
The third round I shot a 12 & 1/16" group. Four of the shots were in a 6" group and the 5th shot was 6" away horizontally. That happened to everyone though, so it was definitley the wind.
My reshot first round group was 6 5/8".
Bottom line, I did improve my load/shooting over last time, and I see a need to
really work on strategies for shooting in the wind.
Also, I want a 30 cal for shooting out here. I am told a 210-220 grain, 30 cal bullet is about as good as it gets for resisting the wind considering velocity, BC, and recoil. In fact, on a windy day, I swear you can just about tell who is shooting the 6.5 vs who is shooting the 30s based on how much each person's respect shot in the "changed wind" deviated from his/her group.
Now, to go find a course of reading the wind at 1000 yds..............
