Finally, a good training session 🙂
Despite the 2hr30min drive along the M50 (thanks, all you rubberneckers who had to slow down to watch the crash at Blanchardstown), got out to WTSC only a few minutes late. Had some tea to relax, then got set up on the range and started shooting, pausing only to put out my jacket when I left it too close to the gas heater and accidentally melted the top grip patch on the elbow 🙁 Oh well. At least the damage was minor.
Found that the socks I was wearing were too thick and I’d forgotten to bring thin ones to wear inside the shooting boots (since you’re only standing still, you don’t need cushioning from the socks you wear in shooting boots; you really only wear the socks to prevent your feet sweating directly into the boot itself). All the sock was bunching up at the top of the toe and I could feel it mucking up my stance, so I reverted back to how I used to do this and shot barefoot.
Much amusement for all, of course 🙂
After shooting for a while, we noticed that what was happening was that I’d settle into the hold, and after a few seconds start swaying forwards. After trying a few things that didn’t work, we changed how I address the target and that cleared it up. Now, instead of looking down the firing line while assuming position, I look to the target and assume position that way.
Then we noticed that I was still breaking out of the hold just as I was taking the shot. Oxygen starvation – my hold was so long with so little air in my lungs that everything went to pot after a few seconds. So, we redid the shot plan to watch for breathing, and changed the IP on the target (the point where I start my hold) to be about an aiming mark diameter above the bull, and let the weight of the rifle take it down to the mark rather than exhaling down to it.
I think it worked well. The hold felt very stable, and the five-shot group above (which has one dodgy shot) is something I’m quite happy with.
Sunday should just be practise now. Maybe a bit of analysis with the Rika if we can set it up. That 580 in Bisley is looking a lot more likely today! 😀
In case you’re wondering, by the way, for those three photos above, the air cylinder was screwed out of the rifle so it couldn’t fire and it didn’t have a pellet in the breech, so Matt was safe to take the photos. (And he was a metre or so off to either side at the time).
