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+--- Thread: Quick little steel match (/thread-2227.html)
Quick little steel match - Eric Johanen - 05-21-2017
Shot a steel match yesterday with my 50-70 Shiloh 74 Military Rifle. 4 sighter's and 5 offhand for record on Ram 's and 10 for record on Chicken's from rest @ 200 yards. Light rain and head wind, visability good but not perfect, fired under a covered line so we managed to stay dry. 2 sighters from rest on Ram's resulted in tight heart/lung shots. Started my string on the Chicken's and managed 4/10. Very close misses. Front sight is just as wide as the Chicken's at 200 so a very little alignment error resulted in a close miss. ( since I am the only one shooting open barrel sights I lobbied for a Turkey target for me next time?) Bit larger target would make centering up easier. I had 1 Ram offhand. I found sight picture a bit difficult offhand. I was bringing up more blade than from the rest and the first 3 shots resulted in centered but over the back. 4th shot not enough blade just under the belly. Last shot I got it right and made a very nice heart shot. practice needed on the offhand! Great fun! Load used was: fire- formed necksized OS Dixie brass with CCI BR2 primers. 73.0 grains of OE 1.5 and a .060 vegi fiber card compressed to seat the Accurate Molds 51-465S bullet to the bottom of the 1'st band. (This load is really a good shooter!!). Wiped with 1 damp and 1 dry between shots. From a rest I could have pounded the heart/lung zone all day long. Next time I'll run the BACO 511-500 FN bullet and 70.0 grain load of KIK 2 fg that also shoots really well. Nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon!
RE: Quick little steel match - Kurt - 05-21-2017
Eric it sounds like you guys had a good time. I got up early but it was raining hard so I crawled back in bed.
Got home late from a 13 hr. round trip to Minnesota so the extra nap felt good. 
Did they have a good turnout?
Kurt
RE: Quick little steel match - Don McDowell - 05-22-2017
Love those fun little matches, and it's always great when loads are working like you hoped they would
RE: Quick little steel match - Eric Johanen - 05-22-2017
Nine or ten shooter's and one on-looker who when offered a chance for a few shots took advantage and had a enjoyable new experience. Running the open barrel sights is really a lot of fun and some pretty good work can be one with them. Best work is on a target somewhat wider that your front blade to aid in centering it up. Targets at the same width or smaller than your blade make it pretty tough and result in close misses (unless you have a 20 year old's eyes!) Love this rifle for hunting....accurate, light weight and with a sling, doesn't get much better! The 73.0 grain load with 1.5 OE using the Accurate 51-465 shoots pretty good. If one is looking for a bullet for modern bore dimensions, this one is really worth looking at. I sort them by weight and pan lube as cast. Can be seated out or with all lube groves covered and shoots well in both applications. I do prefer the BACO 511-500 FN for hunting as the large meplat really puts the hit on whitetails and my ranges are all under 150 yards. Have to finalize my load for the 44-77 and then get it zeroed for 200. Then it will be out banging steel! Only open iron sights on that one too. Do not feel disadvantaged fielding a rifle so equipped as you are not really competing with the target sight crowd, you are teaching yourself every time you are out with one. Currently 400 yards seems to be my limit but I have not had the opportunity to work with them at longer distance. Does feel pretty good when your spotter says "good shot, right in the heart/lung area time after time!