Aug. Fun Match; Personal Bests

At this months Fairfax Rod and Gun club "Fun Match," I shot a personal best 761-17x for the match, my first Master level score. Extracting stages of a National Match Course, this would be a 471, also a personal best. I also had personal bests in standing, sitting, and rapid prone.

I shot the first relay on target points 14 and 15, paired with Greg Spitzer. These TPs have the targets in the shade through sitting, with dappled light in prone when the sun was out. It was partly cloudy. I was shooting using my new short hood and .46 aperture, Creedmoor 50 coat, and a web sling. First shot was at 0900, and we shot until we finished all stages.

Standing

I fired a personal best tying 95-2x in the first string, and a personal best 186-3x for the stage. The ground is flatter and more even than Quantico or Perry (no grass), but I still ended up with my feet closer together than normal to find a good spot. Rear foot was still tilted back a little.

Success Analysis

The first string seemed easy. I had a good NPA. I consistently placed the buttstock in the same place, with the toe just inside the humeral head, near the top. I brought the rifle down and set-up, feeling my position, before looking trough the sights (thank you, Olympics). I also shot with a relaxed diaphragm (thank you, Jeter). The larger aperture allowed more light, which seemed to make it easier to focus on the front sight.

Solutions Analysis

I'm looking for a solution to fatigue and loss of focus during the last 5 shots of a 20 shot offhand string. I think the problem was aggravated by trying to record my own score, and keep score for my partner.

Sitting

I fired a personal best 5x clean on the first string, and finished the stage with 200-9x, my first double clean sitting.

Success Analysis

Felt easy. I kept a front site focus, I took a breath on each shot, and exhaled relaxing the diaphragm each shot. I called a couple of shots high and low, but all were in the 10 ring.

Solutions Analysis

I'm looking for a solution to my magazine hitting my sling. I think I need to get my sling higher on my arm, and more outboard.

Rapid Prone

I fired a personal best 196-2x for the stage.

Slow Prone

We were pair firing and scoring, which meant I had to break position to record Greg's scores between shots.

Success Analysis

I kept Greg's scores in my head if it was an X or 10. I wrote it down and forgot about it if it was anything else. I shot a reasonable score on the first string. I finished the stage with three 10s, and three Xs.

Solutions Analysis

I am looking for a solution to getting myself into a stable prone position, with a good NPA; and keeping or getting myself back into a the same position through the stage. A stable prone position allows me to relax my left arm and hand, and right shoulder. It also allows me to get on target without muscling the gun.

CMP National Trophy Matches at Camp Perry, 2012

For those he don’t know, the CMP National Trophy Rifle Matches have been held at Camp Perry, Ohio every year since 1907. Camp Perry is an Ohio National Guard base, and was home to German and Italian POWs during WWII. The huts that housed those POWs still stand to this day, although somewhat worn by time and weather.

I ended up staying one of those huts with Jason and Charley, two other VFEMI shooters. I could not have had more fun. Well, not in a week when I'm getting up at 5AM every day, and giving up caffeine, alcohol, and sarcasm. Our hut came with a gnome. 

Monday: Presidents 100

I started off really well with a in the President's 100 with a 93 in Off-Hand (very happy). We went to 300 prone, and I shot a nice tight little group at 6 O'clock in the 8/9 border for an 86. I was a minute and a half low for some reason. The targets were backlit, and it was overcast, so it might have been the light. Some people say you just shoot high at Perry because of having blue-sky instead of a berm and the targets are high relative to the shooting positions. Who knows? Anyway, at 600, there was some wind, and I shot at the low end of my normal range (88) for a total of 267-- which put me solidly in the Secretary of the Treasury's 600.

Tuesday: NTI - F-Bombs Ahead

When we got to the line at 0-dark thirty, it was just starting to sprinkle and the wind was blowing like hell. It looked like a storm was blowing in, so we didn't know if we were going to shoot, or how we were going to shoot. By the time we started, though, it had blown past us and turned into a nice morning. I started off AWESOME in off-hand: 10, 10, 10, (this is easy!) 9, (Ok, I still have to focus) 10, 7 ( WTF?), black (I can't see!). My aperture had come loose, and was flopping around in the hood. I got the aperture out of the hood, and figured I didn't have time to try to get it back in, so I kept shooting. I actually could see the target OK, but I didn't really get back into my zone, so I ended up with an 85. (so I dropped 4 points with the first 6 rounds, and 11 points with the last 4 rounds. There was a pair of 6s in there somewhere. Ok, 85 is not good, but it's not death either. 

I got down in sitting. My head wasn't really where in needed to be, but the position felt good: Bang, bang. Reload. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. I counted 10 rounds, and I thought about giving the trigger one more squeeze, but I didn't for some reason. I had time. When the targets went down, I looked at my bolt. It was, strangely, closed. And when I opened it, there was a bullet inside. Fuck. It came up an 88, with a saved round. I figure I need a 470 to make the cut, and I am down 27 after two stages. Double fuck. But, there is still hope. Never give up. 

We move the 300, and rapid prone. The sun is now out, and on the face of the targets. I estimated that there was about a minute of wind from the left. Now I have to decide if I was low Monday because of the light, or because "It's Perry." I decide it was mostly the light, so I just use my normal zero. I shoot a nice tight little group about a minute out at 3 O'Clock, because I never actually put the wind on the rifle. I still managed a 93.

We move on to 600 prone, and holy fuck, we got the wind something terrible. It was a switching, gusty 5-10 mph wind. It just pushed me all over the target, and I didn't have the confidence to chase the spotter. I would shoot a 7, not change the sights and shoot another one right next to it. I'd finally change the sites, and the wind would change direction, which I would discover when the next shot was a 7 out the other side. Tuesday night, we drank. Not much, but enough.

Wednesday: Hearst Doubles

It's a fine morning. We are sharing the firing point with Team Remington. I'm partnered Jason, and we are both a little hung over. I start by shooting two 7s. It's going to be a lovely day. After that, I start to get my groove on, and end with an 88. Not bad, considering I started with two 7s. And hey, my aperture didn't fall out.

By the time we get back to 300, our hangovers are gone. I'm ready for 300 rapids, and the targets are backlit, but it's not overcast. I take a wild guess and come up a minute. I'm in there, and come away with a 99. Not. Fucking. Bad.

Before we shoot at 600, I score for Team Remington, so I get to look through the scope for 23 minutes watching the mirage while listening to them discuss what it means. This is the best wind reading lesson ever. By the time it's our turn to shoot, I not only have a good starting wind call, but a good idea on how to read the changes through the scope. Plus, the wind is being kind to us. There was one 7 that I knew was bad as soon as I sent it, but everything else was 9s and 10s. I was actually seeing that I was stacking them up on the right side of the 10 ring, and came left a quarter to correct. It was awesome.  I ended up with a 93, for a total of 280. Our team finished 101st.  If I'd shot these scores in prone on Monday, I would have made the President's 100.

Scores

President's 100
Rank	Standing	Sitting	300 Prone	600 Prone	Total
551/1242	93-1	n/a	86-0	88-1	267-2
Notes			Elevation 1.5 minutes low due to overcast / back-lit targets	The wind something terrible
NTI
792/1125	85 - 1	88 - 3	93 - 2	162 - 1	428 - 7
Notes	10,10,10,9,10 - aperture falls out. D'oh	1 saved round. In other words, one more squeeze would have made that a 97 or 98.	Got the elevation. Failed to add wind.	OMG, the wind.
Hearst Doubles
160/576	88 - 2	n/a	99 - 4	93 - 1	280 - 7
Notes . top 28%	Hungover. Started with a pair of 7s, then things started coming together.		Good coaching and wind call. Added a min of elevation for backlit target	Bam! Watching Nate and team Remington call wind was very helpful. Calling wind for my partner helped me.	Nice score. Quite happy. Take best ball standing from p100, and I'm in the P100 with a 285.

Spring League 2012 Results

I finished 5th Expert out of 20 in this year's Fairfax Rod and Gun Spring League. Those first two matches put me on a different level. I had been shooting low expert scores before (450), and both of my first two matches were pushing 470. To my mind, around 470 you are in the hunt for EIC leg points.
After Match 3, I thought there was a good chance that I would finish 3rd. I was already 5th, and when I shot a 456 in the last match, I figured I would pass two of the guys in front of me, and only Jeff and Tom would finish ahead of me. I did pass those two shooters, but John Eckenrode made up his missing match 3, and James LeCroy had an outstanding match 4 to come out of nowhere and pass me by one point.

Total	Competitor	Match 1	Match 2	Match 3	Match 4	Low
1433.031	Browning Jeff	453.005	479.007	475.010	479.014	453.005
1421.025	Eckenrode John	461.000	481.010	471.006	469.009	461.000
1414.032	Edmonston Thomas	480.012	470.014	458.012	464.006	458.012
1395.024	LeCroy James	460.007	457.006	454.004	478.011	454.004
1394.022	McGinnes Michael	469.009	469.006	439.003	456.007	439.003

Creedmoor Cup 2012

I shot an 800 agg saturday, and the EIC match Sunday the 2012

In the 800, I finished 13 out of 55 Expert; 71 out of 173 overall.
Standing 182 - 2  -- Xs and 8s.
Sitting  194 - 4
R. Prone 195 - 7 -- Includes my first Rapid Prone clean on the second string.
S. Prone 179 - 1
Total    750 - 14 -- 93.75%, two points shy of a Master score.

In the EIC match
60 out of 112
McGinnes, Michael (147246)
Standing  88 - 0 -- Not great, but if I shoot the other stages really well, I'm still alive. Down 12, I figured I could drop another 14.
Sitting   94 - 1 -- Ok, and not the end of the world. Down 18, leaving 7.
R. Prone  95 - 2 -- Never give up! Down 23, I just have to shoot a great prone. I can do it.
S. Prone 171 - 3 -- I forgot to change elevation, so the first shot went into the dirt.
Total    448 - 6 -- The last leg went for a relatively high 475-10x.
Without putting a shot in the dirt, I would have finished around 45th.

Personal bests to date:
Standing  95/100; 185/200
Sitting  100
R. Prone 100; 195
S. Prone 186 - 3x; 94 (RC200), 95 (RC100)
Navy total: 469-9x
NMC total: 455-6x
800 Agg : 750

Goals:
Standing: Clean, regular 90s.
Sitting:  Regular cleans
R. Prone: Regular cleans
S. Prone: 190, regular 90s ea. string.
NMC Total: 475, regular 470s.

Pictures from the Pits

Someone photographed my 200yd Rapid Sitting target from practice this weekend. Not my best target, but fun. It was up in the carrier when he took the shot, so I used Photoshop to correct the perspective.

Here's the original:

and the 300 rapid target:

Spring League 1 and 2, 2012

Spring league 2012 at Fairfax Rod and Gun has started, and I'm off to a fantastic start. In the first match, I shot my first clean Sitting (or clean anything else for that matter), along with a 182 (92,90) standing to finish with a personal best 469-9x. That's one point shy of a Master class score, and in the neighborhood to earn some leg points toward going distinguished. Second match was 3/25, and I shot a personal best 94-1x standing on the first string, and a 91 on the second string for 185-1x standing. On the first string I started off with something like five 10s in a row. I tried to stay focused on one shot at a time, but my head got the better of me, and I dropped two 8s and two 9s in the next five shots. I had a lot of pulse sitting, and ended with a 98-3x sitting, and a 98-1 rapid prone. I need to focus on position consistency in slow prone, and see if I can tighten my groups vertically. I was shooting with 19 clicks of elevation, and I think 21 clicks would have better centered my group and gotten another point.