30-Yard Challenge

[tommyb]

Ed,
You should try it. It is amazing how hard it is to pick out the bull at 40 yds with all the miraging.
Oh I forgot to mention that my wife was out of town, so I could move furniture in the bedroom to do the shooting. She gets back tomorrow so my warm sniper hide is going away.
Cheers,
Greg

Greg, it’s funny how we hide our airgun adventures, deliveries and “occasional rare” purchases from our better halves.

Funny story.. when my wife was working a few years back, I had the guys from Audio Advice ( high end audio/ video local boutique dealer) secretly deliver a brand new 75” Sony Bravia 4K TV. I had a 65” Panasonic on my wall.

The guys came over early and got everything configured and hooked up with my system , and left around 5:30 pm. They swapped the old TV and replaced with the new 75”. I them do some other stuff and they wrapped everything up and left. I double checked everything in the house for any ‘evidence’ that was left to foil my secret purchase. I get excited just retelling the story. Everything was perfect, I told myself. She’ll never find out!

She came home and I made a really good home made dinner, just what she needed. She didn’t even notice the new TV. I was so proud of myself for being so methodical in my cover up.

After dinner, we were watching the news and getting ready to watch something on NAT Geo, in 4K. I could not wait to see the beautiful Sony colors and black levels.

All of a sudden, I felt sick. Like I did when my Dad asked me if I was telling a lie when I was little. I had forgotten that the new TV was 10” bigger than the 65” Panasonic. She turned to me and said with a very puzzling look on her face, “ there’s something different about the TV?” I punted and said, “I don’t notice anything different.” After a few more exchanges, she said “the TV looks bigger.” I stood my ground. “ Nope, same TV.”

Two weeks later she brings me into the attic and walks me over to the giant Sony TV box that I forgot to hide in the attic. “Does this belong…. TO THE NEW TV you bought a couple of weeks ago……TOM!!!”

The jig was up! I finally confessed and she was mad. After an hour she started laughing and could not believe the lengths I went to ‘hide’ my new unauthorized purchase for a new TV that we didn’t need. She said, “this reminds me of the incident years ago when Thomas ( our son) was 7, and he asked, “Daddy why is the TV screen saying welcome to Lexicon?” Lexicon was a high end UK Pre/pro audio-video processor that mysteriously found it’s way into the audio cabinet.

Moral of the story. Go to the weekly addiction meetings and get help like I did.

 

[NAProf]

Greg, it’s funny how we hide our airgun adventures, deliveries and “occasional rare” purchases from our better halves.

Funny story.. when my wife was working a few years back, I had the guys from Audio Advice ( high end audio/ video local boutique dealer) secretly deliver a brand new 75” Sony Bravia 4K TV. I had a 65” Panasonic on my wall.

The guys came over early and got everything configured and hooked up with my system , and left around 5:30 pm. They swapped the old TV and replaced with the new 75”. I them do some other stuff and they wrapped everything up and left. I double checked everything in the house for any ‘evidence’ that was left to foil my secret purchase. I get excited just retelling the story. Everything was perfect, I told myself. She’ll never find out!

She came home and I made a really good home made dinner, just what she needed. She didn’t even notice the new TV. I was so proud of myself for being so methodical in my cover up.

After dinner, we were watching the news and getting ready to watch something on NAT Geo, in 4K. I could not wait to see the beautiful Sony colors and black levels.

All of a sudden, I felt sick. Like I did when my Dad asked me if I was telling a lie when I was little. I had forgotten that the new TV was 10” bigger than the 65” Panasonic. She turned to me and said with a very puzzling look on her face, “ there’s something different about the TV?” I punted and said, “I don’t notice anything different.” After a few more exchanges, she said “the TV looks bigger.” I stood my ground. “ Nope, same TV.”

Two weeks later she brings me into the attic and walks me over to the giant Sony TV box that I forgot to hide in the attic. “Does this belong…. TO THE NEW TV you bought a couple of weeks ago……TOM!!!”

The jig was up! I finally confessed and she was mad. After an hour she started laughing and could not believe the lengths I went to ‘hide’ my new unauthorized purchase for a new TV that we didn’t need. She said, “this reminds me of the incident years ago when Thomas ( our son) was 7, and he asked, “Daddy why is the TV screen saying welcome to Lexicon?” Lexicon was a high end UK Pre/pro audio-video processor that mysteriously found it’s way into the audio cabinet.

Moral of the story. Go to the weekly addiction meetings and get help like I did.

tommyb,
Kind of like the new FX True Ballistic Chronograph that is going to show up at my door in about a week! My only excuse is I got another woodworking project/job that will pay for that and part of our trip to Alaska this summer. So I labor with the table saw and sander instead of going to rehab. My penance.
Cheers,
Greg

 

[tommyb]

tommyb,
Kind of like the new FX True Ballistic Chronograph that is going to show up at my door in about a week! My only excuse is I got another woodworking project/job that will pay for that and part of our trip to Alaska this summer. So I labor with the table saw and sander instead of going to rehab. My penance.
Cheers,
Greg

Greg - Would you mind posting your observations and experience with the new FX True Ballistic Chrony in a separate thread?

 

[tommyb]

Happy 2024 Tommy !

Nice card , you can submit as a 193 8X 40-Masters. To submit as a 40-Challenge card you need to have 20 targets shot that count - you only have 16 once you cross out two pairs.

-Ed

Ed, please submit my RAW 193-8X as a 40Y Masters. Have not seen a recent leaderboard, so hopefully this is not a duplicate ask. tx..tom

 

[tommyb]

Shot a couple of 40 Yard Challenge cards today. The twp "7's" just killed me. Not pellets, wind.

Please submit the RAW for a 190-6X

 

[EPG]

Shot a couple of 40 Yard Challenge cards today. The twp "7's" just killed me. Not pellets, wind.

Please submit the RAW for a 190-6X

Nice shooting at 40 in wind TommyB.

Yeah, it doesn’t hurt as bad if you shoot an 8 and a 9 on a target pair… but I hate having a 10 and then the wind gives you a 7 for a 17…

 

[NAProf]

Hi Guys,
Had the first reasonably warm day in a while today and a bonus of very little wind (which doesn't happen often near the ocean). So shot a couple of cards with the Crown "Shorty" in .22. Both were pretty good and I think they beat anything I have done with a .22 to date.
First the 30yd Masters at 196-11x

Then the 40 yd Challange at 195-13x. As warm as my inside "sniper hide" was shooting without the miraging is worth the cold.

Cheers,
Greg

 

[tommyb]

Hi Guys,
Had the first reasonably warm day in a while today and a bonus of very little wind (which doesn't happen often near the ocean). So shot a couple of cards with the Crown "Shorty" in .22. Both were pretty good and I think they beat anything I have done with a .22 to date.
First the 30yd Masters at 196-11x
View attachment 428348

Then the 40 yd Challange at 195-13x. As warm as my inside "sniper hide" was shooting without the miraging is worth the cold.
View attachment 428350

Cheers,
Greg

Very solid cards Greg. 40Y is a long way for these tiny bulls. Anytime you break 190, I think you're shooting pretty well. Q. Do you like the shorter barrel on the MK2? I think you also have other barrels, which is why I was asking.

 

[NAProf]

Very solid cards Greg. 40Y is a long way for these tiny bulls. Anytime you break 190, I think you're shooting pretty well. Q. Do you like the shorter barrel on the MK2? I think you also have other barrels, which is why I was asking.

Hi tommyb,
I have 380 mm barrels in .177 and .22 and one 500 mm in .177. I really like the look and feel of the Crown with the shorter barrel with the GRS stocks. I have Huma Mod40-3 Avalanche moderators on both my Crowns because I shoot in my backyard most of the time. So that additional 5 inches or so with the 500 mm barrel make the rifle pretty long. My set up for FT (Hunter) is the 500 mm barrel and I have been very successful with that. I tried the 380 mm .177 barrel on that rifle but couldn't get the same level of accuracy (as judged by the 30 yd challenge) as with the 500 mm barrel. I have now set up the 2nd Crown with the 380 mm .22 barrel and it is shooting the FX 18.1 really, really well - out to about 75 yards (my max distance at home). Sometimes the wind beyond 50 yds will cause some spiraling, just like what happens to the .177 13.4 gr around 40 yds.
Cheers,
Greg

 

[tommyb]

Hi tommyb,
I have 380 mm barrels in .177 and .22 and one 500 mm in .177. I really like the look and feel of the Crown with the shorter barrel with the GRS stocks. I have Huma Mod40-3 Avalanche moderators on both my Crowns because I shoot in my backyard most of the time. So that additional 5 inches or so with the 500 mm barrel make the rifle pretty long. My set up for FT (Hunter) is the 500 mm barrel and I have been very successful with that. I tried the 380 mm .177 barrel on that rifle but couldn't get the same level of accuracy (as judged by the 30 yd challenge) as with the 500 mm barrel. I have now set up the 2nd Crown with the 380 mm .22 barrel and it is shooting the FX 18.1 really, really well - out to about 75 yards (my max distance at home). Sometimes the wind beyond 50 yds will cause some spiraling, just like what happens to the .177 13.4 gr around 40 yds.
Cheers,
Greg

Interesting..

In your opinion is your.177 with the 500mm barrel as accurate out to 40y as your .22 with the 380mm rifle?

You got me wondering a bit, because I placed an order recently for a new RAW .177 TM1000x with Martin, specifically targeted for both the 30 and 40y challenges, and N50 cards at 50y also. It will have the BM-500 stock for BR shooting with a custom air cylinder tuned at 800-810 FPS for the JSB 13.4g at 18-20 FPE.

My concern is whether or not I should have ordered the standard .22 RAW for better wind deflection with the 18.1g and potentially better accuracy at 40y - 50y?

Anyone else, please also jump in with your thoughts.

Tom

 

[NAProf]

Interesting..

In your opinion is your.177 with the 500mm barrel as accurate out to 40y as your .22 with the 380mm rifle?

You got me wondering a bit, because I placed an order recently for a new RAW .177 TM1000x with Martin, specifically targeted for both the 30 and 40y challenges, and N50 cards at 50y also. It will have the BM-500 stock for BR shooting with a custom air cylinder tuned at 800-810 FPS for the JSB 13.4g at 18-20 FPE.

My concern is whether or not I should have ordered the standard .22 RAW for better wind deflection with the 18.1g and potentially better accuracy at 40y - 50y?

Anyone else, please also jump in with your thoughts.

Tom

Tom,
Given a perfectly still day I think the .177 Crown with the 500mm barrel can shoot as accurately as the 380mm .22 at 40 yds. But the 13.4 gr .177 pellets seem to want to start spiraling at about that range with a couple mph wind from the side. The 18.1 gr .22 pellets seem to be less affected by the wind in terms of spiraling.
Based on my delving into the spiraling issue it seems the diabolo pellets need just the right twist rate to stabilize them out of the barrel without being so high they are prone to spiraling at range. The 500 mm .177 barrel has a 1:18 twist rate (so spins at about 550 rps at my 820 fps. The .22 barrel has a 1:24 twist rate so it spins at about 440 rps at my 886 fps MV. I think the .177 pellets are typically so light they need a bit more spin to get them to fly straight right out of the barrel.
The .177 is really popular in field target because with the FPE limitation you can shoot the lighter pellets at higher speeds to get a flatter trajectory which alleviates some of the ranging issues for all but the far targets. But for shooting 40+ yds at paper I think the .22 is probably the best choice.
Cheers,
Greg

 

[EPG]

Hi Guys,

January weather was ugly for a bit, but I got out with the Power Pup and shot 192 9X and 191 12X. The 12X card ended with an 18 as wind kicked up.

This was as good conditions as I’ve had lately, at least it was a balmy 37F.

I’ll get a leaderboard update done soon.

 

[tommyb]

Tom,
Given a perfectly still day I think the .177 Crown with the 500mm barrel can shoot as accurately as the 380mm .22 at 40 yds. But the 13.4 gr .177 pellets seem to want to start spiraling at about that range with a couple mph wind from the side. The 18.1 gr .22 pellets seem to be less affected by the wind in terms of spiraling.
Based on my delving into the spiraling issue it seems the diabolo pellets need just the right twist rate to stabilize them out of the barrel without being so high they are prone to spiraling at range. The 500 mm .177 barrel has a 1:18 twist rate (so spins at about 550 rps at my 820 fps. The .22 barrel has a 1:24 twist rate so it spins at about 440 rps at my 886 fps MV. I think the .177 pellets are typically so light they need a bit more spin to get them to fly straight right out of the barrel.
The .177 is really popular in field target because with the FPE limitation you can shoot the lighter pellets at higher speeds to get a flatter trajectory which alleviates some of the ranging issues for all but the far targets. But for shooting 40+ yds at paper I think the .22 is probably the best choice.
Cheers,
Greg

Thanks Greg. Very helpful.

 

[JimD]

I'm building a bed for my oldest grandson but it was so nice here this afternoon (rain stopped and sun almost came out and it was 70 F) I had to shoot a bit. I am shooting 5 shot groups with my P35-177 trying to improve it's tune. I've been hoping to get consistent sub-1/4 inch groups but it isn't happening. Still good to get some trigger time. I'm down to about 815 fps now. I will probably try going up a little next - up over the 875 it was shooting at when I started. Shot count seems great at 815 fps, however. Regulator seems to be about 105 bar. I can always turn it back down later, I guess - assuming going up doesn't lead to the optimal tune. Accuracy has been pretty consistent 815-875. Optimizing hammer spring gets me 1/4 to 1/2 inch groups at 30 yards. Certainly usable but won't do a 200.

 

[EPG]

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Leaderboard Update - 1st of 2024​

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Shooters,
Below is the 1st leaderboard update of 2024.

I have retained the previous data from 2023 for scores of 197+ for the 30-Challenge and all scores for the other three leaderboards. I’ll keep the 2023 data around for a while as a reference – until we build out the 2024 boards.

You will note that we have 4 leaderboards:

· 30-Challenge

· 30-Masters

· 40-Challenge

· 40-Masters

We have seen a lot of interest in the 30-Masters and 40 yard boards – so we must be getting better, lol.

Congrats to MikeS and EPG for their 30-Challenge 200s.

Congrats to EPG for his 40-Challenge 200 (1st 40-yard 200 score to date).

Get some lead downrange!

-Ed

 

[beerthief]

I am ALMOST thinking of enclosing the range under the screen porch . 16 yards but open to the lake side for the weather . Soon as it gets warm again i will forget it .

 

[EPG]

I am ALMOST thinking of enclosing the range under the screen porch . 16 yards but open to the lake side for the weather . Soon as it gets warm again i will forget it .

Get r done Beerthief !

I shot four 40-Masters cards today - 40 degrees- in a drizzly rain. Shot 190+ on those cards with the Power Pup. It was great to be outside!! Even had a fog roll in before dusk.

 

[tommyb]

Shot a few 40Y regular and masters cards. I swapped scopes and put the Sightron 36x Fixed 2FP on the Revere .22 vs. the Athlon Helos 6-24-50 FFP.

Wind was tricky but the holds were more precise with the crosshair reticle.

I will submit the 194 for the 40y challenge leaderboard.

Used the .22 scoring plug. A couple 9's just nicked the 9-ring line.

 

[beerthief]

Shot a few 40Y regular and masters cards. I swapped scopes and put the Sightron 36x Fixed 2FP on the Revere .22 vs. the Athlon Helos 6-24-50 FFP.

Wind was tricky but the holds were more precise with the crosshair reticle.

I will submit the 194 for the 40y challenge leaderboard.

Used the .22 scoring plug. A couple 9's just nicked the 9-ring line.

View attachment 431560

I have always interpreted the numbers were on the inside of the line ? so the little line with the x inside it was the #9 and X was 10 ? Maybe i am wrong ?

 

[tommyb]

I have always interpreted the numbers were on the inside of the line ? so the little line with the x inside it was the #9 and X was 10 ? Maybe i am wrong ?

My bad.

I rescored the card. I made two mistakes, denoted by 'chg' for change. 192-11X

Check out bull pairings for #10, 11. I double checked # 12 also.