N50 kicked my keester

[igolfat8]

I like to practice in the wind but today totally kicked my keester. Tried to shoot 3 N50 cards in 9-15 swirling, switching, pull your hair out by the roots wind. My flags made me dizzy. My Tails were horizontal and flipping vertical and then the wind switched and it looked like the flag just stopped in it’s tracks and flipped 180* with the tails flopping upwards again in the opposite direction. I was able to make some good calls but sometimes it made no sense. Some of my holds was a full target and a half from POI. After I was packed and ready to leave, wouldn‘t you know it the wind laid down, arrrrgggghhhh. It never fails. It’s days like this that I leave the range having learned a few things but also scratching my head on missed wind calls. Not worthy scores to post but considering the conditions I was tickled to break 200.

 

[thomasair]

Sometimes the most reliable conditions seem like the most risky. I’d rather shoot in a heavy crosswind that requires a big hold off than the fluttery light conditions that are much closer. When it’s really switchy….I find the direction in want to shoot in and wait for the switch to set in…get off one shot..,then wait for it to go away and come back. The letoffs can kill you, so that’s why I just take one shot even if it might hang around for 2 or 3.

Mike

 

[igolfat8]

I like shooting in the wind because it always teaches me something. Recently I shot a 4 card ARA match in dead calm conditions and many of us really struggled. One guy begged for just a little wind to stabilize our bullets which kind of made sense.

 

[Loufish]

Tim, those are pretty good scores for a pellet gun.
And, what mike said.

 

[igolfat8]

Made it out again today and shot 9 N50 cards. 5-10 MPH winds were present but calmer than last outing. Scores ranged from 217 to 239. I have yet to break into the 240s but I’m getting closer.

RTI Prophet LR, MRDs @ 966. I should point out that I forgot my wood spacer blocks to put under my rear rest so I had to set it on a wobbly cardboard box

I question the score below so please verify I’ve scored it correctly. I thought the first shot was a line licker so I shot a second one but after plugging it the shot was not close to the line so it’s in the 5 area but I subtracted one point because there are multiple shots within the box so I scored it a 4. Is that correct?

 

[thomasair]

Tim, you scored it correctly.

Any way to support the front of that gun that doesn’t involve the air reservoir?

Mike

 

[igolfat8]

I can add an extended picatinny rail that runs under the bottle but the 3" bag slider would be a tad higher than the Saber Tactical bottle mount. Do you think that is a better way to go and why? Not trying to be a smart azz but only trying to learn. Thanks...

 

[thomasair]

Resting an airgun on its reservoir is usually a recipe for vertical inconsistency. I can’t say that the extended rail will be the fix or be better, but I can see you miss a lot of shots from vertical which I can almost guarantee is not the wind.

 

[igolfat8]

I installed the 6” long extended (HD steel) pic rail today and it’s about as stable as a diving board I haven’t passed judgement yet and I’ll give it a try and see what happens.

BTW, I shot these targets hung vertically and shot the bulls in columns. This was a change of pace for me as I usually hang and shoot ARA cards horizontally.

 

[Loufish]

Hey Tim. That shot is actually a 6. The .35 plug will cut the 6 ring. Thus, your score is 6 - 1 for a 5.

 

[igolfat8]

Ha Ha, Joe PM'd me about the missed score too. You guys have a lot more time behind the scoring plugs than I do. I was so focussed on measuring the side of the plug on the box line that I totally missed looking at the other side of the plug. I'm going to call if another DUH senior moment

Its tips like these from you guys that help us all learn the importance of proper and accurate plug scoring. Thanks again to both of you.

 

[thomasair]

Sorry Tim….I steered you wrong. You said the shot was a 5 and I didn’t even look at it closely.

This actually brings up one more very important detail that every proper BR match must have….a wailing wall. Targets should be displayed for everyone to see.

Shooters should be able to view their own cards to verify that a scoring mistake was not made. Just as important is the ability for shooters to view their opponents cards. Complete transparency is a must for a serious competition to be taken seriously. Mistakes can get made both directions. You can be awarded an extra point or shorted a point. Allowing everyone easy access to all cards puts lots of eyes on every target. Only allowing shooters to view their own cards will usually only rectify points that were taken away. Once competitors are allowed to view other cards the extra point mistakes get noticed too.

 

[igolfat8]

Yesterday I took Mikes tip and supported the rifle by an extended bottom pic rail and it did reduce vertical stringing. I tried free recoil combined with a rear bunny bag, a rear HoleShot mechanical rest and a Randolph rear pivoting rest and still couldn’t break 240.

Today I shot 7 cards and used an Accu-Tac bi-pod up front with the same various rear rests used above. I also tried various front to rear bi-pod mounting positions. All that experimentation paid off with a few targets finally breaking the 240 threshold today in our 11-15 swirling winds with some crazy and surprising 22 mph gusts.

It would be nice to find a day when the wind would lay down for a few hours to see what is possible…

 

[thomasair]

Hi Tim, are you hanging your cards horizontally or vertical?

Mike

 

[igolfat8]

Hi Mike, I usually hang them horizontally but on a whim I tried hanging these vertically.

 

[Privateer]

Holy crampus Dude! You only want me to shoot with you to make me look bad!

 

[igolfat8]

NO not at all Jeff. My main opponent is ME and only me … well maybe the wind is more of a nemesis than I am to myself??? I like shooting with other people and cheering on their victories because I know how hard they are to come by.