|
Post by squawberryman on Jan 4, 2024 9:33:09 GMT -5
Lee is that a brass buttplate? Damn sexy rifle.
|
|
|
Post by Lee Martin on Jan 5, 2024 8:31:58 GMT -5
Lee is that a brass buttplate? Damn sexy rifle. He has done brass buttplates on a few of his rifles, but not this one. It's a piece of polished, clear acrylic. -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"
|
|
|
Post by Lee Martin on Jan 17, 2024 17:32:38 GMT -5
Match #187 Black Creek Gun Club – Mechanicsville, VA IBS 100 Yard VFS The third match of our Black Creek winter league almost didn’t happen. Earlier in the week, they were calling for ice and snow. That changed however by Friday, with the forecast being downgraded to rain and wind. We arrived at the range just before 7:00 and waited for the staff to open the main gate. By 7:30 there were only five of there…and that seemed odd. At 8:30, Wayne Wadlington called one of the managers to find they had closed the range. The decision was made earlier in the week when ice and snow were in the mix. Fortunately, the owner came and opened the place up for us. No matter what the weatherman said, the conditions weren’t bad. Wind was 5 – 10 mph, so you had to watch it. The rain was light up until the end. Then the skies flooded us with heavy rain. We shot through what could only be described as odd air. Many times, the flags would show left to right blow, but the bullets would print left. That forced a few of us to hold right on right wind. Pretty unnerving really. Basically, we were holding into the condition. I lost a few X’s by not holding enough right. But again, the wind was blowing right. It was tough to trust that POA. I sure as hell didn’t want to land a 9. Wayne France figured it out better than I and took the win. I came in 2nd. ______________________________________________________________ Match #188 Fairfax Rod & Gun Club – Manassas, VA UBR 200 Yard VFS Our 3rd FR&GC winter league match at 200 yards dealt some nasty weather. The skies were dry, the temps were a blustery 30 something, and the wind was fierce. It changed constantly with gusts of 20 mph. At one point I noticed leaves in the field swirling like a mini-tornado. I found something that worked well though. I’d let the wind blow hard right to left and just as the tails would relax from 9:00 to say 7:00, I held on the outside of the 10 ring at 4:00 and let the bullet go. Towards the end, we started getting left-to-right that wouldn’t go away. I tested the sighter and found a 9:00 hold on the 10-ring worked beautifully. Again, I waited until the tails started to fall from 3:00 to about 5:00. Going into the last frame, I had stout 5-point lead. But in wind like that, the lead could evaporate quickly. Lots of 7’s and 8’s had been shot by others throughout the morning. The first three bulls hit the X, and that gave me confidence. I shot the last three and stayed on the 10. That was good enough for my second straight win at Fairfax. -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"
|
|
|
Post by bradshaw on Feb 7, 2024 13:54:30 GMT -5
Notice the bench rest game to obliterate a pencil point. It takes the same bench rifles which define the one-hole game, wherein the object is to plant 4 more shots through the first hole----each bullet riding a single axis.
The scoring differs, and the sighting differs. The game played bye Lee and fellow bench resters is to erase the pencil point, one bullet per pencil point. In this game, the value of the tiny dot lasts one shot. Then it is time to shift the rifle to next pencil point. Because it takes just one shot to wipe out the pencil point, a different dot must be available for the next shot. And so on, until the required number of targets is accounted for.
The two most direct scoring systems in marksmanship are 1) bench rest fired for group, wherein group size measured in 1/1,000" = score. And, and 2) metallic silhouette, where in correct sequence, the steel target falls from its stand, or not. One target toppled = 1 point. One target still standing = 0 point.
I suspect a comparison of bench rest games----group size vs score----would show tighter measurements from group shooters. The reason is Country Simple, the groups shooter isn’t concerned with a target: the “target” is to fit five shots in the size of one, then repeat it, agains & again. On the other hand, the “X” shooter aims to obliterate a dot, an utterly exact target. Both bench rest shooters SHOOT CONDITIONS, first and foremost wind, secondarily light and humidity. Those who do their shooting on the Firing Line know conditions incorporate mirage.
The wallet shooter whose rifle groups a quarter or half inch “all day long,” lives in a cloud “all day long.” Having never been there, he mistakes his cloud for "being in the Zone,” when he shoots. “ The Zone” as perpetual space shared with saints. Hate to stab this balloon, but nobody lives in "the Zone," not even saints. Technique, practice, determination, and talent equip a sharpshooter. Those who visit the Zone probably don’t know it until they’re off the Firing Line. If they do notice, it’s a whip of self-criticism to tighten-up and continue. Closest thing to the Zone is Living in the Present, neither a quarter-second in the past, nor a quarter second in the future at hammer fall. That’s where the target is made. David Bradshaw
|
|
|
Post by Lee Martin on Mar 1, 2024 18:49:49 GMT -5
Match #189 Black Creek Gun Club – Mechanicsville, VA IBS 100 Yard VFS This was the fourth of five Black Creek Winter League matches. We had another great turnout with very manageable conditions. Even so, I and others struggled to hit high X counts. Before we started, I figured it would take well over 20 X’s to win. Oddly, only one shooter out of 24 even got to 20. And that person was Alex Oliveri. He’s less than two years into the sport and this was his first victory. We were all happy for him. He's a nice guy and shows a ton of promise in the sport. A view of the firing line: _______________________________________________________________ Match #190 Fairfax Rod & Gun Club – Manassas, VA UBR 200 Yard VFS The weatherman called for light wind and mild temperatures and that’s exactly what we got. The prior month I won the match using two holds in very hard wind. The game plan was to do the same for this match. If it worked in harsh conditions, it should in mild, right? Well, it didn’t. I shot OK but couldn’t get the X count like I had in January. I did well enough to place 4th out of 18 competitors. Dick Powers looked like he had it won going into the last frame but trailed off a little. That gave Cyril St. Martin enough room for the win. Dick finished 2nd and Wayne France was 3rd.
|
|
|
Post by Lee Martin on Mar 14, 2024 18:38:32 GMT -5
Match #191 Black Creek Gun Club – Mechanicsville, VA IBS 100 Yard VFS This was the fifth and final match of our 2023/24 Black Creek Winter League. In case I haven’t covered the format in previous posts, here’s how it works. We shoot five matches between November and March at Black Creek, 100 Yards. We do the same at Fairfax Rod & Gun Club, except that’s 200 yards under UBR sanctioning. At the end, the best 4 out of 5 match scores are added together per competitor. The highest cumulative score wins the championship. Going into Black Creek and Fairfax’s final match, I had the lead with both. Black Creek dealt us mild wind by heavy rain throughout. Early on, it was dumping buckets. Scoring soggy targets wasn’t easy, but I muddled through it. I shot well, hitting 22X’s in total. On the 2nd and 3rd frames, my X counts slipped and I couldn’t figure out why. Then I realized I hadn’t pounded the butt of the gun into the rear bag after each relay (something I always do to prevent it from riding up in the ears). The gun went right back to shooting 5 X targets on the 4th and 5th frames. The big story of the day however was Jason Owens. He hit all 25X’s, which is extremely hard to do. The targets have been sent off to the IBS records committe for confirmation. He has 1 X which is close. Myself and three referees reticled it and felt it made. But it’s close enough it may not pass record committee review. Fingers crossed. My 5th place finish was enough to secure my 4th straight Black Creek Winter League Championship (and I’ve taken 5 of the last 6). I’m proud of this because these championships require a high degree of consistency. Results with the winter league top 10 (we had 29 shooters in all from November to March): It was a wet day! Jason Owens with his potential 250-25X targets: __________________________________________________________________ Match #192 Fairfax Rod & Gun Club – Manassas, VA UBR 200 Yard VFS Like Black Creek, I went into the final Winter League match with a decent lead in the championship standings. Wayne France and Chuck Boller had a chance of catching me, but it would take some high scores. The wind wasn’t as bad as predicted. We were supposed to get 15+ mph blow, but aside from brief moments, that never materialized. I shot good and finished in 2nd place. John Whorley was on a line and took the day with a 4 point gap on my 2nd. I was solid enough however to secure my 3rd straight Fairfax Winter League Championship. -Lee www.singleaction.scom"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"
|
|
|
Post by Lee Martin on Apr 12, 2024 19:08:44 GMT -5
Match #193 Black Creek Gun Club – Mechanicsville, VA IBS 100 Yard VFS ______________________________________________ We had another strong turnout at Black Creek; 23 competitors in total. The forecast called for heavy wind, and it came through as promised. Lynwood Day had a wind meter which recorded 25+ mph gusts and sustained blow in the 10 – 15 mph range. When I was setting up flags, I noticed how many would spin 360 degrees, then quickly flip back the other way. Big wind is hard enough when it’s going mostly in one direction. Swirling wind on this magnitude is doubly bad. So often you hold for one condition, go to touch the trigger, and have a rapid switch push your shot into your hold. But everyone guts through it. I picked bench 15, which I haven’t shot in a while. At Black Creek, the 100-yard range is also used for trap shooting. The trap house is sunk into the ground, but the top 3 feet are exposed. The upper layer is a flat black material which amplifies mirage. Benches 14 – 16 are directly behind it. Here’s a photo of what I just described: Gauging the wind, I told someone before we started that a 250-16X or 17X may win it. The conditions were that tricky. I took my time, shot let-ups, and finished with a 250-23X. That was good enough for the win. I’ve mentioned this before, but when your bullet and barrel get along, you can absolutely trust your holds. And when they’re really in harmony, the gun occasionally does things that defy physics (seem to at least). In warm-up, I shot hard left wind, hard right wind, and headwind which quartered. I never shot the brutal stuff but tested the 10 to 15 mph variety. Every time I wanted to see how much the bullet would get pushed with a center hold on the dot (which is 0.0625" in diameter). To my surprise, and possible frustration, they kept landing on top of one another on the X. It was odd and can be unsettling. Would that last as the day progressed? But throughout when trying sighters in stiff wind, the center hold worked for either left-to-right or right-to-left in the 10 mph or a bit less range. You’ll hear BR shooters sometimes talk about their bullets being more immune to wind than they should be given the conditions. Mine exhibited that last Saturday. Were the bullets exiting the barrel with slightly less yaw? Was the tune perfect? Was I getting lucky and having one condition offset the other at various points along the 100-yard span? Or maybe it was good luck from a little plastic Stingray someone gave me before the match. Who knows and who cares, right? When the gun is working, trust it. Shannon Harvey and his dad deal in classic Corvettes. He knows my cartridge is named the .30 Stingray, so he gave me a few of these prior to the match. -Lee www.singleactions.com"Chasing perfection five shots at a time"
|
|
jwp475
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,084
|
Post by jwp475 on Apr 16, 2024 14:49:25 GMT -5
CONGRATULATIONS! Lee
|
|