March Postal Match

[MuskratMike]

Is there going to be a March postal match? never saw who won Februaries (know it wasn't me) and haven't seen a posting for March. Are we done?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Hi Mike.  Snrub47 hosted last months frolic, supported by Daryl, so I suppose it's up to either one of those two to declare a winner.  Should I be declared winner, I have a target and competition chosen already, but we have to wait, I think, for that.  Daryl posted a target with a 50 2X, and I posted two 50 2X targets.  So one of us, or both of us, will likely be responsible for March's event.  There is no way we should let it fold and wither away.

[Daryl]

In my book, that makes you the winner, Taylor.  I will "present" on the Feb. match page.
I wanted to give snrub47 a few days to decide. Guess he's MIA.

[flinchrocket]

or AWOL

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Thanks Daryl and Snrub47.

For March, we'll use a target we've shot before, ie:  #10138,  p 10 on Targetz.com
Here's the link:  http://www.targetz.com/targetzlib/10138.pdf    It's a four quadrant target, two black, two white, opposing each other.
Five shots for score.  1 Shot in each of the four quadrants, and 1 precisely in the centre.  Each of the quadrant shots gets a value of 5 points, and the centre shot receives five points for each of the quadrants it touches, for a possible 40 points total.  The four shots in the quadrants need to be half ball in to score, and each quadrant can receive only one shot each, except for the final centre shot which simply has to touch to score 5 points for each quadrant it touches. Two shots in one quadrant, apart from the centre shot, cancel each other for a score of 0.
I hope that's not too confusing.




One last thing:  shoot this offhand, sitting, or prone at 25 yards.
One other last thing:  a tie by one shooter shooting a flint rifle and by the other, a percussion rifle, is broken with the award going to the flint shooter.

[Daryl]

Sounds good to me. I need to cast up some balls for my match rifle.

[MuskratMike]

Looks good to me also. I will go out tomorrow and see just how low I can set the bar.

[Yazel.xring]

Wonderful, the weather is looking good for this

[alacran]

I like it, Taylor. We shot this last spring at 50 yards offhand. I like the twist you put on it. Just printed 3 of them on card stock.
Shooting this weekend is out of the question. Muskrat sent his awful weather down to us via the Jetstream.
25 to 50 mph winds through Sunday night.

[Nessmuck]

Rifle or Smoothbore ?

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Shoot it with any muzzleloader you want to...it's for fame and glory...no prizes anymore (too expensive to ship)

[MuskratMike]

I went out today and was only able to shoot 3 targets due to time constraints. Here is my observation (my targets were so poor I won't even post them).
This is one of the hardest targets yet. Not hard at all from a sitting position to get 1 hole in each of the quadrants getting the final shot in the "X" where at least part of the ball hole cuts at least two lines is another story. If you are shooting a .54 or better yet a larger bore will help as you can be off a little and still get 1 hole in two or more quads. I was shooting my .40 which is deadly accurate but never could get the "X" cut leaving for scoring purposing 2 holes in 1 quad for a zero score in that quad. I will go back out with my .54 and see if I can do a wee bit better. Oh well as you know I am an old guy with shaky hands but any day making "white smoke" is a good day!

[Daryl]

I might suggest shooting the last shot, first.
That should give 2 possible attempts per target to cut the X.

[MuskratMike]

Exactly what I did

[alacran]

I went out today and was only able to shoot 3 targets due to time constraints. Here is my observation (my targets were so poor I won't even post them).
This is one of the hardest targets yet. Not hard at all from a sitting position to get 1 hole in each of the quadrants getting the final shot in the "X" where at least part of the ball hole cuts at least two lines is another story. If you are shooting a .54 or better yet a larger bore will help as you can be off a little and still get 1 hole in two or more quads. I was shooting my .40 which is deadly accurate but never could get the "X" cut leaving for scoring purposing 2 holes in 1 quad for a zero score in that quad. I will go back out with my .54 and see if I can do a wee bit better. Oh well as you know I am an old guy with shaky hands but any day making "white smoke" is a good day!

We are all old guys, with a variety of infirmities.

[Bob Roller]

Any trophies for consecutive misses ?
Bob Roller

[Daryl]

Maybe - post a target, Bob and find out.
(PS - it should have staple or tack holes in the corners.)

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I want to make a comment that will hopefully clear up a scoring issue.
This is a five shot target, ie:  one shot goes into each of the four quadrants scoring by half ball, 5 points for each succdessful shot.  A fifth shot which can be shot first if you prefer, is aimed at the spider in the centre where the four quadrants meet.  If your ball cuts or even touches adjacent quadrants, you score five points for each that the ball touches.  So your centre shot could score as much as 20 points, plus a total of 20 for the other four shots gives you a total of 40/40.  But if your ball only touches two of the quadrants, you score only 10 points for that shot, plus the remaining quadrants.
Where there is confusion is my statement that two balls in a quadrant nullify each other for a score of zero for that quadrant.  Let's eliminate that rule since it was my intention that you get the score your centre shot makes.  So if you miss the centre completely, you will still score a five providing it is within one of the quadrants and not on the outside of the scoring ring.  If that shot cuts an adjacent line, you score 10 for that shot, and if three, then 15 points, and so on.

Here's my effort for today:  I used my Chambers' Mark Silver Virginia rifle in .60 cal. using .590" balls, .021" denim patches soaked with Lehigh Valley Lube, and 75 gr. of FFg GOEX.  I shot from a low stool sitting position set upon glare ice.  Fortunately, I had some sidewalk salt/gravel that I spread out to hopefully keep Daryl and I from having a catastrophic fall.  The temperature was several degrees above freezing but it snowed on us briefly, otherwise, it was a pleasant day.

[Daryl]

I almost matched Taylor's 40/40. My last shot, wouldn't you know it, fail to follow through, so a miss.
Thank goodness that elephant rifles of the 1850's are allowed. It's my match rifle, with match express sights.





Taylor, your second target looks like a 25/40 to me.

[alacran]

The weekend was dismal for shooting. Looked at the forecast for yesterday and it looked like I would have a good window between 11am and 2pm.
The range doesn't open till 10 am, and it was only 28 f at that time . I dallied a little and didn't get to the range till 11:30. It was 40 f, at that time.
It was mostly sunny when I got there, and the wind was blowing steady about 8mph from the SW. By the time I got set up and waited for cease fire to post my target it was after noon. I shot my first shot aiming at center, as I figured I couldn't miss that target with my fowling shot.
That shot ended up being the one in the lower black quadrant. Aimed at center again for the second shot and got my center shot.
The clouds started to move in and the light started to become a problem. Plus every time a cloud occluded the Sun the temperature seemed to fall.
At any rate I managed to finish the target with a 40/40.
I didn't see the need to shoot another target at 25 yards so I shot a couple of different targets at fifty yards.  By the time I finished the second target, the Sun was gone, and the wind picked up considerably. So I finished up my last shot at steel IDPA silhouette at a hundred yards.
I did all my shooting offhand, with my .58 jaeger. I used a .562 ball pathed with a .023 bear lubed twill I bought through E-Bay, and 70 grains of Goex.
I will shoot it again with a different rifle when I get a good weather day.
It started to snow after I cleaned my rifle at home and got about three inches. It is really calm right now, but the temperature is 15 f.

[Daryl]

Nice, alacran.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

That's nice shooting Alacran, especially offhand.  Since I am sponsoring this months event, my score is inconsequential.  Alacran is the score to beat.  A tie shall be broken by the smallest group.

[Dphariss]

Went out to sight in a 50 cal Kibler Colonial. It was almost dead on right off the bench.
Standing 25 yards. Shot 2 of these holding for the color.



Here I just held for center all 5. Called #5 good then was like ?



Rifle came with a really shootable trigger just over 3 pounds.  But its a little heavy for me offhand, used to a SS on my swivel breech.
Shoots one hole at 25 benched.

Now gotta clean it and off to the Bozeman Gun Show.

[longcruise]

I scored this a 10 but then caught up with Taylor's post clarifying the scoring.  Maybe it's a 20???  I'll leave it to and happily accept the official word on this.

Shot this with a GPR that I acquired in the early 80's.  It’s been lonely for a while so it was the choice for the day.  I had put a new front sight on it since the last time it was shot and it was obvious from the start that it was too tall and exacerbated by the load being a light 45 grains.
The light charge in deference to some pain in my right arm.  This rifle has a GM barrel on it and is at its best at 80 to 90 grains.

One final alibi, the wind was pure torture.  It was enjoyable though and glad I was finally able to get out there.

Thanks for your efforts putting this on, Taylor.  Hopefully we'll be able to do more.

 

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

Mike:  thanks for making the effort to enter this match.  I will make the assumption that the upper ball in the lower white quadrant was aimed at the middle, and though it didn't intersect any of the lines in the centre, I'll award a five for the shot, plus a five for the other one in the same quadrant.  So your score is 20/40.  Give it another try....