More 44 tests with 8 gr of unique

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Updated 9-15-2011

Finally got to the range.  7.5 gr of unique was no good.  Worse than 7.0.  Then I tried 8.0 and it was better.  I have looked at both and neither is up to 30-30 accuracy so it may be time to try some other powders.  Reality is I do not have the time or expertise to be doing this right now but it is a nice diversion.  I could argue the results here are my shooting ability and two shots got away from me.  I guess the next step is to take 10 rounds of 7.0 and 10 rounds of 8.0 and have a shoot off.

Still using my home cast 429215 sized .430", weight 218g, no gas check, Blue Angle lube.

This was max of 3.674 MOA vs 7.0g of unique which was 3.3.  But the ATC (average to center) was slightly better, 1.025 vs. 1.052.  Of course none of these groups are anything to write home about.

Take two, different powder.

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I tried some Titegroup based on some advice from a fellow shooter who noted LaserCast listed Titegroup as an accuracy load.  I gave some a whirl and in a word, WOW!  The target to the right is what I call a group.  In fact, I had the second lower group going with just a box of 4 holes.  Your brain runs a mile a minute as you work to squeeze off that 5th shot and you panic about ruining a nice pair of groups.  To my shock and great pleasure the bullet went right in the middle of the box doing nothing to open up the group size.  Amazing.  Subject gun is one of those modern Marlin 1894's in 44 Rem Mag.  Yes, with a scope but off a rolled up blanket and an old wooden bench.

Scope power

If you have been following this blog there is an extensive review of head position as dictated by the location of the scope.  High, low, forward, back.  It is a case of personal preference.  I am not going to suggest what works for me works for everyone.

Recently there has been some interest in scope power.  "What power do you shoot at?" the line goes.  This is a fairly common debate among shooters and it is similar to scope height/location.  You have to do what you like after extensive experimentation.

But, unlike scope height, there is this allure that more power is better.  Many a shooter rationalizes "if I just had more power I could shoot more animals".  Me too!  I learned more power can get you in more trouble than you would expect because it introduces what I will call "pass shooting" and "snatching" at the trigger.  Neither of these are good habits to get into.

It comes down to what I call "perceived movement" vs. 'actual movement".  We've all looked through a high power telescope I assume and we recall just walking on the floor can cause the image to "move" or vibrate.  The high magnification will show you this movement when it would otherwise go unnoticed.  It is the same thing with a high power scope.  It will appear you are moving all over the place.  Pick up a 15x scope and you will feel like you have a fairly solid hold.  Pick up a 30x scope and the retical will appear to be dancing all around the animal.  Folks think their hold has deteriorated.  Not the case, the higher power is just making your movement more apparent or it "magnifies" your movement.  Funny how that works! 

Often shooters upgrade to a higher power scope too early in the process under the rule of thumb "more is better".  This can cause one to start snatching the trigger as the dot sweeps by the animal.  AKA pass shooting.  This will never yield a better score.  Sure, you might get lucky some of the time but on a whole it will not improve results.

My 24x vs 36x target test post demonstrates this.  My hold was not ready for 36x  Not sure it will ever be ready.  I have tried training with 36x and then for the big event, I shoot 24x so it fools me into thinking my hold is GREAT!  I tried it and I believe it helps.  The downside, you have to waste more time and ammo swapping scopes and getting zeros.  So, I use the high power scope on my airgun for practice and then shoot lower power for the real deal.

So, when people ask, I now shoot a Weaver T24.  I would shoot a Leupold M8 24x (no longer sold) but it is heavier than the Weaver.  They are both great scopes.  Repeatability is the single most important thing with scopes.  I find optical clarity helps one focus in on the task at hand but that is personal.

Importance of testing the gun on the bench to a "control" target

A few folks have asked where I have been.  Well, we had the 4th of July and a few other family issues which have taken priority over shooting.  Heck, I have not even tried my 7.5 and 8.0 gr loads for my 44 Rem Mag which have been on my bench for two weeks.

I did manage to make it to PFFG for their match today and I always walk away wondering why I don't work harder (practice) for this stuff and see if I can figure out how to improve or at least shoot consistently.  I do enjoy the game and hope I can get others to enjoy it as much as I do.

One event or observation over the past two weeks.

The challenges another shooter has been fighting reminds me of the importance of having a "control" for your rig.  Your rig is a system which includes barreled action, ammo, stock, scope, rings, trigger, even your bolt knob!  It is tempting to play with MANY variables in search of better scores.  Whenever working with your equipment you need to have a "control" that is carefully documented. When things go haywire, you simply go back and see if you can replicate the control.  If you can't, then you have made a change for the worse and you need to undo it.  Of course it is ALWAYS advised to make just one change at a time.

I keep a binder for each gun and in it goes all targets with detailed notes.  What seems like too much information 10 minutes after shooting the target is never enough information a year later as you try to digest what is effectively your "engineering notebook".

When I get ready to make my gun into an expensive tomato stake, I counsel myself to see if I can duplicate the control.  For me, it is my 1710 with a Weaver T24, Pharr stock and 711B off the bench at 100m. Before my range trip I clean the barrel.  I lightly coat the bore with Kroil, muzzle down to ensure any surplus fluid does not get into the action.  Clean that out 24 hours later, a little JB Boreshine, clean that out with Hoppes and the run patches until clean and head to the range.  I have a standard target on 8.5 x 11 paper divided into quadrants where I shoot 20 shots, 5 at 4 POAs for group.  If I am miles away from my control I know I have made a change or done something that needs to be found and undone.

In NH we make very little use of the bench.  Less than in other regions I have competed.  In other parts of the country everyone confirms their chicken zero on real benches and real rests before the match starts.  Adjust knobs to zero/zero and then quickly confirm pigs, turkey and rams.  0, 2, 4.5, 8.0.  Or something like that.  If it happens to be 0 2 5.0 8.25 that day then so be it and shoot the match accordingly.

In NH we step up to chickens w/o much opportunity to ensure we are seeing the normal group size at 40m.  That does not make the 1/5th game any easier.  It really puts the onus on the shooter to make good calls and watch where the bullet hits.  Not something easily done for new shooters because it takes years to develop this skill.  I don't have a solution but merely share an observation.  New shooters should always invite a veteran to spot for them to avoid getting frustrated.

Good shooting.