Time to continue load development with my .44-77.

[Distant Thunder]

Kurt,

I do push my shoulder into the buttplate, but only when I'm shooting offhand. It pisses me off that I do it, but it is hard to stop. If I am really, really concentrating I can avoid it for a few shots, but it will return!

I usually try to break my offhand shots at the top of the chickens back which results in more hits. Otherwise I can hit the rail right under the foot 7 out of ten times!

I don't flinch in the prone of sticks, my concentration is too high, but I will sometimes try to force a shot rather than just hold, squeeze and let it go off without effort. I really get mad when I do that and I stop doing as soon as I realize what I'm doing.

I'd have to run that 86 grain load over the chronograph to see if there is a problem with the velocities. It has done that every time though.

I have done very well in long range matches with loads that were right around the 3" mark at 220 yards. One thing that is good about that group is that there isn't a place in the group that doesn't have a bullet hole in it. It's not a donut!

I will fine tune both loads over time, but I think these are both pretty good loads.

[Kurt]

I set up my chronograph a few weeks ago to see what the .38-50 has, that is something I haven't done for many years and I found that cases that have just been fired twice since I blew the necks out had an extreme speed in the mid 30's and cases that have been shot several times the ES was below 10 fps.
But the target I had setup here on my 100 yard line showed the 5 shot groups about the same size. But that is just on the 100 yd line.
This .38 is still giving me some trouble. Shooting at Merrill at the 500 yd line I missed two Rams and hit two triangle plates about the size of the rams head.
So something is still going on with this load than needs to be worked out If I ever make it to Alma or Rapids where I get to shoot midrange again.

I think I will see if I can get a membership for the Rapids range so I can work up some loads.
There is a range at Milan IL. that is 600 yards I used to belong to but they don't want you to shoot sitting and the road leading to another firing line crosses in front of the Pitts and I have had to get off the trigger when a truck went by. They don't read signs......And if someone wants to shoot the 200 yd you had to stop shortly after they let you know that they want to shoot the 200 that crosses the long range.
Lodi makes the requirements to tough for me for a membership.

[Distant Thunder]

G Bear,

Thank you. The groups don't look bad, but getting 10 shots all clustered tight together often eludes me. I never been a good benchrest shooter, but I do alright at BPTR Creedmoor matches. I think that is one of the things I like about this sport, there is a lot more to it than just accuracy!

There are some shooters who can win matches with a 2-MOA rifle and others who couldn't win a match with a 1/2-MOA rifle. I'm somewhere in between and I get lucky once in a while! Win or lose it's always fun.

I would take either of these loads to the next match and give them a good run.

[Distant Thunder]

Kurt,

I will run both of these loads over the chronograph eventually. I'm hoping the 89 grain load is up around 1350 fps with that lighter bullet.

[Don McDowell]

Maybe on that #1 load add a 030 fiber wad on top of the lope

I’m almost wondering if that shot 9 maybe you weren’t quit in position?

[Distant Thunder]

Don,

It has to be something like that. I know the sight picture was good, though maybe not perfect. I was really concentrating on holding the rifle the same every time, but it only take a moment of distraction to not be quite right. I think with these lighter, silhouette weight, rifles position and hold are more important than with a 15-pound rifle like my Hepburn.

I remember that there was some right in the recoil, but that isn't uncommon and usually doesn't seem to be a indicator of where the shot goes unless it's excessive.

Even with that bad shot the other 9 shots went on call and give me a really good feeling about this load. I'm excited to take it to a match and see how it does. Unfortunately my social secretary reminded me I have something she called "family obligations" over the 4th of July weekend so I won't be able to make the Merrill gong shoot on the 2nd.

On to Rapids on the 16th then and again on August 6th, then the big one at Lodi. Time to cast a bunch of these ellipticals!

[Don McDowell]

Jim , at Worland last week it seemed to me that shooting scope is less forgiving of body position than when shooting irons. When wiping between shots from prone it doesn't take to much rolling around to get just a tad out of line with the gun and the target and throw a shot to which ever direction you ended up off center from the sticks and the target. I don't think I'll wrap anymore of the new dual diameter bullets with 8 lb paper, I had a couple of misses that 1 ended up in the berm in front of the target, and 1 went just off the 5 ring at 6 o'clock , ( still ended up a with a 70 something with a couple of x's ) but did not having anything with the 7 lb paper that wasn't explained either with shooter screw up or a sudden but subtle change in conditions. Now I need to get serious about seeing what it's capable of at 1000.
I do think you're absolutely correct that these silhouette weight rifles are a bit touchier about it than a good target rifle weight.
Looking at your targets if I ended up at a match with load one I sure wouldn't take a DNF or go home, but load 2 would be better.

[Distant Thunder]

100% agree with your assessment on my targets and what you said about rifle weight and position. Whichever match I'm able to get to first I plan to bring a bunch of each load and hopefully shoot some of each to see what they do.

One problem with gong matches is the lack of sighters. You get 2 or 3 at the start of each distance and that's it. There is no test period where you can switch loads before going for score.

At paper matches with unlimited sighters I've started with one load and could see that it wasn't working and switched to another load while still in my sighters, got centered up and went for score.

At a gong match you can't switch because of the limited sighters. I have switched loads for my second sweep, but you give up 1 or 2 shots for score while you recenter with the new load. Around here most gong matches are one day events. I'm a paper guy, both on my bullets and for my targets.

[Kurt]

I think the attendance would pickup at Lodi as well as other's if they had a day before for practice.

[Distant Thunder]

Practice on Friday afternoon would definitely be a good thing. Even if it was just at the gongs & silhouettes in front of the berm. I'd be on board for that. What the heck one more day of shooting too!