2020 Frostbite 200 yd Postal

[Distant Thunder]

Cpt,

First off, NICE rifle! Enjoy it!

Just decide what you want to do with your new rifle, find those on this forum and several other forums that are ACTUALLY doing it successfully and read what they do, how they load and shoot their rifles. You will find many common details that should give you a pretty good starting point for your loading and shooting.

It should be pretty easy to get a .45-70 to shoot well all the way to 1000 yards with black powder if you want to and there is plenty of material to research available here and elsewhere. Then just go out and shoot, and shoot a lot. Have fun and refine the process as you go forward.

If you go to matches, and you should, ask the people there that are doing it well all the questions you need to and they will very likely help you as much as they can. There were many people that I have met along the way in my journey and they all helped me without fail. That is one of things that kept my interest in BPCR going, the way other shooters were so eager to help someone new to the sport. I have tried other shooting sports where no one talks to anyone for fear of giving away their edge, not nearly as much fun.

The best part is that the learning never seems to stop, not for me anyway. I still learn something new from other shooters all the time and I've been doing this for almost 30 years!

I've made many friends along the too and that is the very best part of a great sport. Enjoy the journey!

[gunlaker]

CaptCurl that is a really nice looking Ballard!

As far as schuetzen rifles go, their form makes them vastly superior to your average rifle for offhand shooting. I brought out a CPA Schuetzen Jr. in .32-40 to one of our silhouette matches to show a few guys who hadn't seen one. We were playing around shooting at chickens and hitting them was much easier than with a BPCR silhouette legal rifle .

I definitely agree with what Jim says. Find out who to pay attention to, and go to some matches. I played with these rifles for several years before shooting a match. I learned more at my first match than I did in a year of shooting at the range. And even more when I started shooting BPTR as the feedback on the target makes for quicker learning on how to use wind and mirage to your advantage.

Chris.

[buffalocannon]

Beautiful rifle! What year was it made?

[Woody]

Hop on I-64 and head over to Friendship in March. We will be shooting .22's on Friday, and big bore on Saturday and Sunday. March 13,14, and 15. You will have time before and after the .22 match to get sight settings. Plenty of shooters there to hold your hand though your first match. There is never time like the present to get started. Don't wait until you think you have everything perfected, or it may be too late.

Hope to see you there.

Woody

[CptCurl]

Thanks to all for the kind and encouraging comments. I'll get to those in a few minutes. But now, it's back to the task at hand.

Iron Sights .22 at 200 Yards!

This morning I was hoping for a calm day, but it got off to a breezy start. I debated whether to go to the range. Shooting is more fun than staying at home, so I went.

My Setup.

I forgot to take my phone with me, so I couldn't take pictures at the shooting shack. I was shooting my Winchester High Wall Winder Musket in the exact same setup as several days ago. Not having taken a photo at the range, I snapped these when I got home.









Range Conditions.

I got there about 10:00 a.m. Conditions were 39 degrees, mostly overcast, and breezy. You need to understand that in these mountains the wind doesn't just blow from one direction. It swirls. It goes up and down the slopes, in and out of the hollows, and through the trees until it is mixed up like a cyclone. You can't really make predictions of how it is going to push your bullet - or at least I can't. This morning the wind was just bad enough to make a Christian man mumble a few profanities. I'm not saying it was bad enough to set off a cussing fit. Just mumbles. Nevertheless, I hung a target.

Thinking about the conditions I decided that I don't like the wind, but I do like the overcast, so maybe things will go well.



My Fouling Shots.

I start with a clean barrel, so my first target is always a throwaway group shot with medium grade ammo. I lit off ten at 100 yards just to foul the rifle and see what I had in store. The group looked like it had been run over by a cement truck. Flat, and about 2 inches wide. Not a great sign.



First Target for Record.

So now I hoof one out to 200 yards. The breeze seems to lighten a bit, so I'm becoming optimistic. One thing's for sure: If you think you are going to shoot a poor group, you will.

I decided to start with RWS R50. I've always liked that ammo and feel confident with it. I sent ten flying and trundled out to the target. Not so bad!





The ten shots measured 5.05".



Second Target for Record.

I hung up another one and decided to try the Federal Gold Medal UltraMatch. Here it is:





That one measured 5.813". Not so good. The wind is picking up a bit.



Third Target for Record.

I scrounged around in my ammo bag and came up with a box of Lapua Midas M. I haven't shot any of that in a while, so why not try?





When I walked down to have a look I see it's not going to score well, but look what it could have been without that bastard shot!





The group scores 6-5/8".






But 9 shots fell into 4-3/16". I know. This ain't golf. There's no mulligan.

So that target didn't give me any improvement on my score, but what it did give me was hope. I decided to shoot another target with Lapua Midas M. As I walked back to the shooting shack I'm thinking about how careful I'll be with these next ten shots. I'll hug the rifle like it's a grandchild. I'll stroke the trigger like it's . . .

But that damn wind was now whipping. Remember what I said about not bad enough for a cussing fit? Well, it's just about there. I shot two more targets with the Midas M, but they only got bigger. The day was over. I cleaned my rifle and went home.

Curl

[Woody]

If your wind was anything like mine this morning, those are great groups.

I stepped outside, stuck a finger into the wind, and went back inside. No hope for targets today. Instead, I went out to the shop and modified my front bench support, so that it would provide a more stable support. I've been wanting to "fix" it for a while and don't know why I've waited so long. I removed the leather sand bag and replaced it with a leather covered wood block. I waxed the leather after installing, to provide a friction-less surface.

Woody

[CptCurl]

Beautiful rifle! What year was it made?

Thanks. I don't know anything about its build at this time. I have an email out to Steve Garbe hoping to get the background information.

Hop on I-64 and head over to Friendship in March. We will be shooting .22's on Friday, and big bore on Saturday and Sunday. March 13,14, and 15. You will have time before and after the .22 match to get sight settings. Plenty of shooters there to hold your hand though your first match. There is never time like the present to get started. Don't wait until you think you have everything perfected, or it may be too late.

Hope to see you there.

Woody

That could be a lot of fun. I had tentatively planned to go to the Ohio Gun Collectors Assn. that weekend since I haven't been in a while.

I'm a member of the NMLRA but have only been to Friendship in June. We have a fledgling BP double rifle shoot that has been happening at the June event. Muzzle loaders one day and breech loaders the next. Last year it didn't happen because of all the rain. It's on the other side of the creek, way out back. The creek was high and couldn't be forded. I would have been there, but I canceled because of the rain.

I don't think I could possibly be in a position to shoot in competition by March. I'm too slow.

Can you give me some details about how the event is conducted?

Thanks,
Curl

[Woody]

The creek did get a little high. I was shooting shotgun and drove my Model A that day. I forded the first crossing, but chickened out at the second and exited through the flea markets. A couple hours later, I did cross. The water was a little on the high side, but the A sits a little high and had no problem. I was the one who was nervous. By the time I was ready to leave the skeet field, the NMLRA had a motor grader in the creek and built up the crossing bed.

The best source of info on how silhouette matches are run is the NRA rule book found online at the NRA's site. At Friendship, we shoot each month from March thru November. The Miami BPCR Club sponsors most of the matches, with the NMLRA sponsoring two matches. Generally the cost is $25 per day and for the big bore matches, target setters are provided. The Miami matches are two one day matches while the NMLRA matches have been two day aggs. The .22 matches have been one day matches held on Friday before the big bore matches.

Your POC for both matches is:
Lora Parks – Phone 812-667-5131, Ext. 224
lparks@nmlra.org

Woody

[CptCurl]

Since I've done my shooting duty today, lets get back to talking about guns.

Some of you have expressed interest in my British sporting rifles. While we are sitting around waiting for more targets in this postal match I'll bring up one that you might enjoy. There's a connection here, because it's chambered for an American caliber - .40-70 SBN.

I realize that this Sharps cartridge was supplanted by the .40-70 SS, which became a popular mid-range chamber. But my rifle is not a target rifle at all. It's a sleek and slim British single shot stalking rifle that was finished in 1880.

You've seen this photo before. It's the second rifle down.





It may be bad manners to direct traffic away from an online forum; and if so, I apologize in advance. But if you would like to see this rifle in detail and hear the interesting story of what it took for me to figure out its chamber and get it shooting, you might take the time to view this link:
http://forums.nitroexpress.com/showflat ... &fpart=all

If you do go there, be sure to read the whole thread and don't just look at the pictures. Go all the way down to where I had a new rear sight made, etc.

I had a real ordeal with this one! But aside from that, it is a wonderfully beautiful piece of art and an extremely rare British rifle you won't see again.

Curl

[Trigger1212]

Cap

In regards to your shooting shack, from the pictures it looks like the barrel is INSIDE the building when shooting. Is that true or just the way it looked in the photos? If its inside that doesn't sound like much fun, especially with BP!

This is for Cap and Jim, when shooting in the winter do you have any trouble with heat mirage flowing out the window from the warm interior? Cap's is heated, Jim's is small enough it may not be heated?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Cheers!

Wade

[Distant Thunder]

My shack is not heat usually, but if it's cold enough that I can't make my fingers work I'll run a little propane shanty heater just so I can warm them up from time to time. No mirage caused by the shack though I sometimes see some from the barrel thru the scope. It doesn't take much when it's less than 20 degrees outside.

[beltfed]

JIm,
Fashion yourself a mirage tube for the scope that will go almost to
the end of the barrel.
It helps in winter and often in summer , too.
I have made up one by rolling up a target paper, and taping it with duct tape
such that it will be snug on the objective end of the scope.
arnie

[CptCurl]

Cap

In regards to your shooting shack, from the pictures it looks like the barrel is INSIDE the building when shooting. Is that true or just the way it looked in the photos? If its inside that doesn't sound like much fun, especially with BP!

This is for Cap and Jim, when shooting in the winter do you have any trouble with heat mirage flowing out the window from the warm interior? Cap's is heated, Jim's is small enough it may not be heated?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Cheers!

Wade

Yes the rifle barrel is inside my shack when shooting. To remedy the problem of smoke I have built a "tunnel" that extends from the shooting bench to the window and channels the smoke (or most of it) out the window. You can see a glimpse of this contraption on the right, sitting on end in the corner in this photo:





Mirage is definitely a problem with heat. If I am trying to do some serious rifle shooting I avoid heat. If just plinking with pistols, the mirage doesn't matter. The wood stove is behind the shooter at some distance, so the "shooting end" of the shack is cooler than the "sitting area." That helps. But yes, mirage is a condition I try to avoid. I haven't used any heat for any of the shooting sessions involved in this postal match.

Curl

[CptCurl]

Perhaps the most useful and effective smoke control is the one I failed to mention: opening the windows and the door.

There are times when all the shooting is done outside. Several days ago I posted a photo of a winter day when we were doing BP load development on-site at the shack. All our shooting that day was outside off a standing rest and over chronograph screens. No smoke problem then!

You handle the smoke as the situation dictates.

Curl

[Woody]

Just waiting for sunrise, for today's chance to hit the range.

Woody