Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

[STP]

Our next match will be this Sunday the 18th. Registration begins at 10:00 AM.
The weather will be a bit cooler, but I don`t expect it to be too bad. Plan on the same two seperate relays to finish the match, as I don`t want barrels to get hot.

We had a PS last time in the Open class...next up is the same in T/R Class, right? KMussack came close the last time posting a 198 score, and we have 3 or 4 others that can go over the top at any time.

Again, we focus on introducing the newer shooter to the F-Class format with a few allowances to the "match rules". (Muzzle breaks/coaching/extra time when needed, but the atmosphere is always the same. Perhaps you have read the post match comments.

We tend to finish by 1:30, so most have plenty of time to get back home for the "honey-do" lists...or whatever.

Scott

 

[sled_mack]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

I've got that date marked on the calendar!

This will be my first match with hand loads. They shoot better than the factory I had been buying, so the question will be if I can drive them better for 40 shots. Even if I can't, it will be fun trying.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Yep. Fired the last stage of ladder testing yesterday. New brass is prep'd and fireformed, and now I know the gun works. What happens now is squarely upon my own head.

Sled, STP has the bipod, in case circumstances prevent my appearance, but as of now, I'm in line for the match.

Greg

 

[sled_mack]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Greg,

Actually, he sent it to me for prelim testing. But I still hope to see you there.

I was out practicing a bit today, mostly testing some hunting ammo to see what works well for me. I think I learned where some of my bipod hop issues are coming from. I (think) am loading the bipod up fine initially. But when I pull the rifle back into my shoulder it is unloading the bipod either too much or completely. However, holding the rifle back more firmly did much to correct the hop problem. Maybe some watchful eyes at the next match can give me an idea what I am doing right or wrong. But I think I'm getting closer.

 

[STP]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Yup, your getting closer.

It looks like we will see a bit of frost Sunday, so I will see that the wood stove in the meeting room is up and running before everyone arrives. Feel free to use the meeting room as a "ready room" prior to our walking the backers and targets out for the match.

I need a few weeks of this <span style="font-style: italic">under 70 degree </span> crap before I get accustomed to it, so I will be hunkered in the clubhouse prior to actually shooting.

Just saying...

Scott

 

[sr15match]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

The way it's looking we should be there too, at least with any luck. I need to pick up more AMAX's and get some loaded first. I'll be shooting my wifes rifle again though. My new stock showed from JW Precision but I'm waiting on pillars to finish up the bedding. We'll see how the week pans out though.

Hope to see you all there.

Todd

 

[DRAM40A1]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

This just aint right. I saw Odessa Fclass. I'm workin in Odessa and thought I'd get to come out and play, only to find out ya'll werent talking Odessa,TX. hahaha. Damnit!

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Yeah, I hate it when it does that too...

Had a scare yesterday. Six hours in the local VA ER with a raging fever.

It was 102.3 when we called the VA Telecare Nurse, and after a long telephone interview, she advised me to come straight in to the ER.

Mostly it was testing.

After ruling out any sort of flu, the masks came off, and the only test that came back positive was for a UTI, but it was apparently the Granddaddy of UTI's. IV Antibiotics, a liter of saline to deal with dehydration, and sent home about suppertime with ten days worth of Cipro.

By the time we got home I was utterly spent, and the fever was still yoyo-ing, between 100.3 and 102.7. Bundled up and started sweating it out with Ibuprofen and fluids. Took my first Cipro at about 930pm, went to bed still above 102. Woke on time, came down, temp was 96.0. Still fluctuating between 100 and 96.0, and right now I'm about as spunky as a used sock.

According to the ER Doc, this is what I should be expecting, with a good three days before the fever exits more permanently. Been four, five years since I felt as mixable as I did yesterday. Right now, it's mostly chills and sweats and weak wobblies. At least I can eat.

I'm keeping everything on the back burner for now; doing my darnedest to get well enough to come out for Sunday's match.

Fortunately, this Sunday I completed the second/final round of ladder testing for the .260 Ghost Dancer 95V-Max R/S Hunter load, and I found a decent load. Monday I made up enough that ammo for two matches using new and/or fire formed brass, sorted for weight.

So if the bod's willing, the rest of the shebang is GTG.

Load your bipod, then lean into the butt, preserving the preload.

Give some consideration to that sling/vertical loading technique I gave you some time back, too.

Greg

 

[sled_mack]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Greg, hope you feel better soon. Maybe the meds will work faster than the doc says - sometimes they are very conservative so as not to get your hopes up.

There is some fine threshold here that I need to find. In my house, on thick carpet where the bipod feed sink in nicely, it's no problem. I can load the bipod hard enough that when I pull the rifle into my shoulder it stays loaded. But - on a hard surface like concrete a little too much loading causes the bipod to slip away. Too little loading, and when I pull back it unloads.

I'll have my sling with me. I don't know if I'll use it for the match, but at least I can see if I understand your method correctly. Actually, using a sling is something I need much more work on. For me they have mostly been a carry strap, and I know I could benefit greatly from using it for more than that.

 

[rero360]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Sled- try getting yourself a length of carpet from walmart to use like a shooting mat, I did that in the past and it really let my pod claws sink in and bite in. Last match I didn't bring it with me and stuck my bipod in the dirt just off of the pad, that worked ok, not as good as I wanted it to though.

 

[sled_mack]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

rero, I've been doing something similar. I take a huge beach towel, fold it in half lengthwise, then maybe a third of it the other way. I end up with 4 layers of towel under the bipod and plenty to reach under my chest area under the mat so it is pinned down. This is how I started figuring out what was going on. Now I need to figure out if I can go from knowing the problem to doing something about it. Much easier said than done.

The carpet idea would also add a bit of padding under the mat, so that has some promise, too. Especially one with a nice thick pile!

I also thought about having some foam padding sewn to the end of my shooting mat. I'm thinking something sort of soft, about 1/2 inch thick would work nice. I may have to go check out some carpet padding. It's the only thing I can think of that would likely work. I can visualize what I want, I just can't think of other applications for it so that I could go buy a piece.

Thanks.

 

[sr15match]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Greg,

Wow, I really hope your feeling better but don't push it to much. The weather looks to be very promising for Sunday though. Right now it's snowing at my house but the forecast is calling for 49 & nice on Sunday in Odessa. It's should be a good day.

Stay inside and warm boss, get better!

Todd

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Sled;

You're over-thinking the problem.

With all due respect to other viewpoints, if you simply concentrate on NPA and the basics, like breathing, trigger manipulation, sight picture, and follow-through, whatever the rifle and bipod do during recoil will be consistent, and as such, exit the scenario as a significant issue.

The key to consistent accuracy is consistent shooting. Even if you do a bunch of wrong things, odds are actually fair that as long as you do them consistently, you'll still hit the target time after time. The key to developing good marksmanship is to learn the basics, then relearn them, eliminating the inconsistencies, one basic at a time.

The very best thing you can do about the bipod is to simply build your position the same way for each shot, and then take the shot. If you think loading the bipod a particular way will help, by all means do so. Just do it consistently, and you'll be fine.

The idea about the bipod is to allow the rifle to ride its arc without interruption long enough to allow the bullet to exit. Pushing the rifle forward into that arc simply lengthens the amount of arc over which the rifle may recoil freely before encountering the end of the bipod legs' freedom of travel.

If you allow yourself to get wrapped around the axle over all this bipod stuff, it will become a distraction, and get in the way of the other basics. Give it a rest, concentrate on the basics, and get them down pat. If the bipod then becomes the key point of failure, it will become unmistakably apparent.

Greg

 

[sled_mack]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Greg,

There is some good insight there. After blowing the first target at the last match, I slowed down and checked NPA before every shot. Bipod hop or not, I only dropped one shot in the last three targets. That reinforced that I can not allow myself to lose sight of the basics. A few dry fire before each target isn't a bad idea either.

I've made some huge improvements in my shooting this year. But, there is always room for improvement.

Part of my issue is not knowing what I don't know. In my opinion, the bipod hop falls into one of 3 categories:
1. An annoyance, and nothing more.
2. A symptom of some other fundamental not being executed properly.
3. A fundamental problem in itself.

What I don't know, is which category it falls into? My guess is a little bit of 2 and 3.

For the purposes of these matches, I'd say the hop is more of an annoyance. But my goal is to use the matches to improve my overall shooting. And I think being able to see the impact of my shots would benefit me in other shooting situations.

I may be a little different than other people in how I react with things like this. While the bipod hop is frustrating me, it's not in the sense of me packing up and going home. It's more of an addictive "I'm going to get this figured out and beat it" type of frustration. And frustration probably isn't the right term, either.

My rifle has under 500 rounds thru it. No idea on how many dry fire trigger pulls on it, but lots. (My 22 did get probably close to 1000 thru it this summer.) I am thrilled with the improvements I've made since I first fired this rifle in the end of March. I am amazed at the things I've learned since then, too, from the forum here, the online training here, and the face to face help at the matches. I don't know how fast other people learn this sport, but I'm very happy with my progress.

My goals for the next match:
1. Have fun
2. focus on the fundamentals for each shot
3. learn more about my bipod issues
4. probably learn a bit about how the cold affect me, the rifle, the ammo, etc.

As long as goal 1 is met, the others are just gravy!

Steve

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Good that you're thinking. Just don't let it get circular. That can drive you nuts.

More importantly, it can turn this into a chore, and rob you of the fun it's supposed to be delivering.

Relax, you know what to do, just settle in and do it. Less thinking, more shooting. Reconcile NPA and sight picture, settle the breathing, escalate the trigger pressure to squeeze through the surprise, do a definite follow through. It really <span style="font-style: italic">is</span> that easy.

Forget about seeing impacts, that's a lesson for a later date. Keep your eye on the basics for now, and for a good while longer. Trust Scotty, I don't know of a better coach.

If you want to know if an issue is serious, try ignoring it for a match. If it's serious, it'll show.

It's not like these matches are a 'be all, end all' in themselves.

The whole point (for me at least) is that they give me an opportunity to let it hang out and try things. I learn from every one of these matches. Mostly, lately, what I've been learning is about what not to do, but those are some very valuable lessons too.

Right now, I think I've gotten some issues resolved, and my only real fear is that weather and health might conspire to keep me home this week. But even that's not a biggie. In time, I'll get to shoot another match, and the process will continue.

My situation at the moment is iffy. I'm staying home and warm, doing the chicken soup, hot tea and sympathy bit. I feel pretty OK, just not particularly ambitious at the moment. The fevers's down to a lot more reasonable level, but not done with me yet. If it's not gone by tomorrow AM, I'm staying home this W/E and watching NASCAR.

Cold is easy.

Dress in layers, don't (repeat, don't) work up a sweat. Stay ahead of the overheating curve. If in doubt, a little too cool is better than a little too warm. If you're shivering, your core temp is down and you need to get indoors and get serious about warming back up. Hands get cold quick and warm back up slow, pay attention to keeping them warm. If your head is cold, the rest of you will soon follow. Damp feet are cold feet, soon to become miserable feet.

Greg

PS, My temp is still erratic, and head and chest cold symptoms have appeared. Celia is telling me to stay home, and I am reluctantly agreeing with her. Have a great match folks, and I'll see you as soon as I can afterward.

 

[STP]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

JdaSr!!!!!!!

<span style="font-weight: bold">HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! </span>

Scott

 

[sled_mack]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Scott,
Are we going to need snow shovels on Sunday? I really love the snow, but this early it is just a waste so I'd rather not have it now either. But, Mother Nature is in control, and we will all learn to adapt.

Greg,
Regardless of the match, I hope you get well quick. I've spent too much time this year under the weather, and I know I'm pretty tired of feeling that way. Hopefully I got all the bugs before winter!

Yes, fun is primary. Learning is a close second. It's too bad that the bipod issues are not present during dry fire or 22lr practice. There is no doubt in the value of those to tools.

You are right about the matches not being an end in themselves. They have been invaluable to me for getting to shoot at more than 100 yards and meeting everyone there. But, I really need to find places that I can shoot longer distances and varied terrain. Even UKD so that I can learn/practice ranging with a scope.

This would all be a way of pushing the envelope between practicing fundamentals. Even in this sport, I think there is something to be learned by getting out of your comfort zone and pushing yourself a bit. Not all of the time, but often enough to point out what fundamentals are lacking. Then go back to focus on those, build them up, and trying pushing the envelope again. There's fun in that challenge.

Steve

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

H/B JDA, Sr! OK!

 

[JDA Sr]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

thankyou gentlemen, if i can survive one more year i will be ancient instead of just an old fart
see you all on sunday
Greg get well soon

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Sir; yes, Sir...

 

[darkvibe]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

See you guys in the morning. I'll be there with the token gas gun

My Rem 700 needs to hurry up and get here.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Odessa FV 200yd F-Class match Oct. 18th

Looking out my window, it looks pretty nice. Deck thermometer says 42, and I believe it.

But I definitely made the right choice to stay home.

I feel pretty normal by now; but a couple of times an hour, I get a coughing fit, and the old sinuses are not happy campers right now. All else aside, it would not be kind of me to be breaking out in a hacking session behind the line once or twice every relay or so, while folks are trying to concentrate on shooting. So home the bod will stay, but my heart will be on the line with all of you, and I have to say, I really miss being there.

Be well, be safe, and shoot like the dickens, guys and gals. Do me proud. I await results with an eager eye.

Greg