Author Topic: September Postal Match (Read 2321 times)

alacran · « **on:** September 02, 2022, 01:14:52 AM »

I am not a flower guy, and pretty much hate gardening. So, this month There will not be any flora whatsoever.
All of 2022 we have been slumming around the 25-yard line.
It is time we widen our horizons.
September will be a 50-yard month. We will be shooting a target we are all familiar with: https//targets.s3.amazonaws.com/pdf/bullseye1.pdf .
Yes this is the same target we shot in July at 25 yards.
The rules are shoot as many as you want. The highest scoring target that you submit will be the one that counts.
The target will be shot offhand. Without any artificial support. If you are physically unable to shoot standing, you can shoot sitting as long as the rifle is held as if you were standing. Any Iron sights.
Five shots per target.
You can go to the July Postal match and click on the link, and it will save some typing

Nessmuck · « **Reply #1 on:** September 02, 2022, 05:23:50 AM »

So…no duces wild, or follow the Queen this month ?

Seth Isaacson · « **Reply #2 on:** September 05, 2022, 12:17:04 AM »

37 or 38 for my first attempt. Looks like I need to adjust left a bit.

alacran · « **Reply #3 on:** September 05, 2022, 02:07:30 PM »

I had not seen your video, and thought you were shooting the cap lock you shot in July.
I see you are using a flintlock. Are you shooting center at 25 yards with it or are you shooting a bit to the right?
Which direction does your range face?
Any way that is not a bad group.
I plan to shoot this for fun in the middle of the month. Going to Rendezvous and won't be back till then.
Hope to see more targets. Hunting season is just around the corner, and we all need practice.

Seth Isaacson · « **Reply #4 on:** September 06, 2022, 01:42:48 AM »

I’m shooting the same .38 caliber caplock. Brian was shooting his Kibler colonial in that video. We were shooting south. Edit: At 25 yards with this target in July, 3 shots were in centered, and 2 were slightly right, and another attempt was 3 centered and 2 left. I’ll shoot more before making any changes.

Tim Crosby · « **Reply #5 on:** September 06, 2022, 02:54:19 PM »

Here ya go:

https://targets.s3.amazonaws.com/PDF/Bullseye1.pdf

Tim C.

alacran · « **Reply #6 on:** September 06, 2022, 03:32:10 PM »

Seth I was planning on posting something totally different, until I looked at the video. I assumed it was you shooting the flintlock.
I looked at your targets for the July Match. I basically was going to say not to be too hasty in changing your sights. It appears you have that covered.
Our local range faces South and depending on the time of day the light affects POI. The same thing happens on a North facing range.
I prefer to shoot at the creek bottom where I shoot facing North. The advantage is considerable. The target is well lit by the Sun as well as the rifle sights.
This time of year, If I shoot between 11 AM and 1 PM, there is little effect on my POI. We do not have Daylight Savings in AZ.

Seth Isaacson · « **Reply #7 on:** September 06, 2022, 04:22:28 PM »

We did discuss the light being odd that day and having trouble picking up our sights at times. It was overcast but still bright and humid. With another unmentionable gun on his smaller steel plate at that distance I wasn't having any trouble. When I have more time at home, I set things up shooting basically straight north into the dam for the farm pound. I haven't paid enough attention to tell if that makes a noticeable difference in my shooting. I'll have to consider that in the future. I'll definitely get out and shoot another round or two at some point this month. I'm finding these postal matches to be a great way to practice rather than shooting the same stuff over and over from the same distance.

Daryl · « **Reply #8 on:** September 07, 2022, 04:04:34 AM »

Looks like a good match. Well done, Alacran on the win in July. The summer shooting interferes with my lake fishing time. Home only to do laundry and bring home a nice char
for the freezer. I'm going easy on the rainbow trout this year but have still eaten a whack of them since mid mid June.
They are VERY good eating from this lake (Francois Lake, B.C.)

Jakob · « **Reply #9 on:** September 11, 2022, 06:16:23 AM »

Warmed up, got consistently within 1", switched to the 'real' target and got this:

Had no more copies, but will try this one again as I can definitely do better.

alacran · « **Reply #10 on:** September 12, 2022, 02:53:36 PM »

Good shooting Jakob, glad you got out. Just got back from Rendezvous and have to deal with some wet canvas. If the weather cooperates, I will go out and give it a whirl this afternoon.

Seth Isaacson · « **Reply #11 on:** September 12, 2022, 04:06:36 PM »

Swipe right.
Got out for a couple more attempts in the rain. Tried 40 grains for the first target (what seemed to be shooting best since I got the rifle) and tried bumping up to 50 for the second. The first three shots with the heavier load grouped tighter but high right. I totally goofed the fourth shot on the second target. I readjusted my point of aim and got a little better for the last one.

alacran · « **Reply #12 on:** September 12, 2022, 09:32:04 PM »

Good shooting Seth. That is why shooting at 50 yards is so important. You can get most anything to group at 25.

Seth Isaacson · « **Reply #13 on:** September 12, 2022, 11:19:21 PM »

Thanks. The second group in this was definitely hitting higher, but the tighter group initially could have also just been that I was warmed up and shooting better than my initial group. Just need to keep shooting and practicing. What I really need to do at some point is actually sit down and shoot it from a bench/rest for several targets at 50 yards to see what truly shoots best. I find bench shooting to be boring generally, and aside from these challenges, I generally don't find shooting paper to be particularly exciting either. Shooting steel or cheap homemade reactionary targets is more fun.

Dphariss · « **Reply #14 on:** September 15, 2022, 12:19:24 AM »

I seem to have an affinity for the 8 ring. Actually 2 is target 3. Target 2 we will not discuss. Lost my focus….

upload image for free

alacran · « **Reply #15 on:** September 16, 2022, 01:49:44 PM »

So far Dpharis is in the lead with a 41. Hope to see more targets.
Good Shooting!

Maven · « **Reply #16 on:** September 16, 2022, 10:55:58 PM »

I shot the September match today, but am not going to submit an entry because the results weren't so great. To wit, my I. Haines .54cal. does quite well with either a .530" RB + .018" patch or a .535" RB + .012" patch @ 25 yd., but at 50 yd. the wheels started to come off the wagon. I.e, not only did the rifle shoot low (with 75gr. GOEX FFg!), but I couldn't even get it to group well with the larger RB. For my last (third) target, I returned to the .530" RB and .018" patch mentioned above and got a fairly decent group with three shots touching in the bottom ring. The remaining two hits were less good, but still on the target. What I need to determine is whether a slightly thicker patch with the .530" RB will raise the impact on the target, but I'm thinking some filing of the front sight is a distinct possibility.

alacran · « **Reply #17 on:** September 17, 2022, 04:34:12 PM »

The reason to start load development at 25 yards to me, is to save time with windage, and I totally ignore elevation and shoot for grouping.
Then I go to fifty yards to fine tune windage and grouping. I do not fiddle with elevation off the bench, I adjust elevation offhand. That is the way most of my rifles are primarily shot.
To me it seems that you need to file the front sight.
Going to a slightly thicker patch may improve your group, but the subsequent increase in pressure will not substantially elevate your POI.
You would have to increase your powder charge by at least 20 grains to gain 2.5 inches in elevation.

Maven · « **Reply #18 on:** September 17, 2022, 05:59:04 PM »

I agree, some filing is needed, but here's what it did @ 25yd.: https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=72226.0

alacran · « **Reply #19 on:** September 27, 2022, 03:10:30 PM »

I went to the range Sunday to do sighting work on my .61 Jaeger. I had intended to use this target for my practice. When I went to print it I set the printer for 4 copies. Hit print and went off to the John. When I got back to the printer, this was the best copy I got. Out of toner, but I didn't want to take the time to go to Wally World on a Sunday morning.
So, I did some shooting at a 25 yard pistol target repair center at 50 yards. The black on that target is about as big as the 7-ring on this one.
I was shooting .595 balls, 85 grains of Goex 2f and .018 canvas patching.
I had been shooting about 1.5 inch to the right on my other targets, like my first three shots at this one. My fourth shot I tried to hold off to the left, but in the process I let my sight picture drop. My fifth shot I overcompensated for windage, but I maintained my elevation.
So I ended up with an unimpressive 31 score. Thankfully I am not competing in this match.
Three days left in the month, Dpharis is in the lead with a 41.

Jakob · « **Reply #20 on:** September 29, 2022, 10:31:22 PM »

Quote from: Jakob on September 11, 2022, 06:16:23 AM

Warmed up, got consistently within 1", switched to the 'real' target and got this:

Had no more copies, but will try this one again as I can definitely do better.

Well..maybe not:

( Ok, so it's a better group, but same score).

I started out on the bench for a 5 shot group, just to make sure that the sights were correct, etc and then proceed to shoot offhand...and I were miles away. Since everything was soo badly off, I took the opportunity to try a more sideways stance (been meaning to do that for awhile, but I was shooting ok, so no real reason to!). Got what I thought was a decent consistent mount and things improved somewhat.
Put up the target, first shot in the black then I started shooting high and right again. Tried to compensate, but I'm tensing up now when pulling the trigger and it was only on the last shot that I got things calmed down again.
I think not having my regular local monthly shoots is definitely making it worse and I need more 'focused' shooting and not just plinking.

alacran · « **Reply #21 on:** September 30, 2022, 03:53:04 AM »

Glad to see that you got out again Jakob. Maybe you need to adjust your sight for offhand shooting. That is not a bad group you shot there. If it was an inch and a half lower your score would be at least a 40.
Shooting paper targets regularly will improve your shooting. That way you can quantify your progress.
One day left folks.

Jakob · « **Reply #22 on:** September 30, 2022, 05:34:52 AM »

Yeah, I *have* shot better, when I was shooting at least 6 rounds of paper per month in a (friendly) competitive environment.
I'm not keen on adjusting the sights, as I'm pretty sure I'm the one pulling off.
I think maybe just having a session making sure I'm relaxed and not trying to anticipate the recoil before actually trying to hit anything.
I've always had a tendency of pulling right, it's just becomes worse!

alacran · « **Reply #23 on:** October 01, 2022, 05:06:57 AM »

Looks like Dpharis is the September winner, congratulations! You get to choose October's match.
Thanks to everyone who shot.

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Author Topic: September Postal Match (Read 2321 times)