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Re: Winds at 1000 yards

Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 4:44 pm
by Gamerancher
Yes dd, there is a lot going on up in the flight path that we just don't see, perhaps we should get a bunch of drones with flags to hover up there. :lol:
Sort of the point of this thread, to get peoples experiences with those "mystery" shots.
This year at Raton I missed only two pigs out of 60, both times just over the back, both times a breeze was felt coming from behind just after I broke the shot. I believe it was a lot stronger than we felt it on the line but with all of the vehicles and shelters behind the line there was a delay and reduction felt at the firing point.
I do realise there is a lot that can happen out of our sight and reading ability, one of the ranges we shoot 1000yds at here has NO wind flags whatsoever. A local bloke that shot very well at one meet, when I asked what he was using to gauge the wind, pointed across the paddock to a windmill! Use what you can I guess. After speaking with the bloke at Bisley I started watching for the wind coming from behind, sure enough every time it came, even subtle, there were a bunch of misses.Too bad I had finished, at least I learned something, I hope.

I don't want to start the arguments and finger-pointing again but I believe no-one was more disappointed that the Creedmoor shoot was cancelled than me this year. I was really looking forward to giving it a go.
I went to the trouble of getting all of the permits and paperwork, ( takes about 3 months ), to bring my .45-90 over for it. I wound up using it for my scoped BPCR match anyway just because. :wink:

Re: Winds at 1000 yards

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 2:10 pm
by Perentie
Good info there , thanks.
Just for interest , do you take your own loaded ammo with you when you go OS.
When going to a ML event do you take pre-measured vials of your own powder or do you have to use whats available over there?

Re: Winds at 1000 yards

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 2:39 pm
by Gamerancher
Muzzle-loading: You can't fly with black-powder or caps. We had to order powder and caps from the Brits, we just flew with our bullets although the airline staff at check-in at Perth believed those to be ammunition which created a sh#t-fight until we were able to get in touch with their dangerous goods office in Sydney who told them there were no restrictions on what we were carrying.
Cartridges can be taken loaded, they are just classed as ammunition.
With all of this the biggest problem is the weight. You are restricted to 5kg of loaded ammunition. That is where our problem in Perth started, we were each carrying 200 cast bullets which weighed over the 5kg limit. ( Mine came in just under 7 kg. ) With the staff classing them as ammunition, we had a problem until they were told otherwise by their own DG section. ( Inert objects - therefore no restrictions, which is what we had been telling them.)
It only took 91 loaded rounds for my .45-90 to make the 5kg when I flew to the U.S this year. ( I took 100 and was ready to plead dumb but they didn't weigh them. )
I have a rifle that I usually use for the silhouette Nationals at Raton that I leave with a good friend in Texas along with 500 odd cases and reloading gear. I just order powder etc for when I travel and spend a couple of days reloading before going from Texas to Raton. Sometimes I get a bit short on time and have to reload in the motel room, I just use a couple of clamps for my powder thrower and a small Lee press. This year I had to reload for the .45-90 between the two scoped matches. It is not ideal but it works, I can't imagine what the motel staff would think if they went into my room to find 500 rounds of ammo being loaded up! :shock: We just hang the do not disturb sign up, seems to work.

Re: Winds at 1000 yards

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 2:51 pm
by BFD
Daniel, being it was Raton, they probably though, just another Whittington gun looney. Dime a dozen around there. :)

When going to Australia, I took 150ish bullets and my electronic scale and powder measure to weigh out charges. And, of course, the home-team Aussies were very helpful to arrange for all the powder needed in the granulations specified on our arrival so it was easy to do.

I have mailed ahead cartridge ammo to matches when flying. Once it was stolen, but I still managed to get a second batch mailed off, a bit surreptitiously, but it made it. And I have flown BPCR ammo to Africa for hunting - 86 cartridges of .45-100-535. No one yet has weighed anything but my gun case and luggage bag.

Re: Winds at 1000 yards

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 3:57 pm
by Gamerancher
G'day Brent, people down here are always asking about how hard it is to fly with firearms, ( we don't dare call them weapons here, scares the crap out of folks ), our regulations are a pain but it is just paperwork. The flight to the U.K was the first time I have ever had a problem, our troubles only came about because of staff that didn't know the regulations and just wouldn't listen to us. We missed our flight and it cost us a night in Perth because of the time difference, ( 2hrs ), the D.G office in Sydney was closed and couldn't be contacted until the next morning. After they were made aware that is was their mistake they were very apologetic and we were put on the next flight but no offers of any compensation.

Re: Winds at 1000 yards

Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2019 4:13 pm
by BFD
Yes, the biggest problems are clerks that do not know the actual regulations. They err on the side of caution. It is no different over here in that regard. I've had postal clerks tell me I could not mail a rifle. Wrong. But most are pretty good about it. I sometimes bring printouts of rules from their own agencies to prove the point.

Australian rules for bringing in a rifle AND EXPORTING it home are pretty bizarre and half the people we called or emailed from over here, clearly didn't know. It's not really the paperwork per se, it is knowing what paper work to ask for.

My only minor problem at a border was crossing into Canada once for moose hunting. We all had muzzleloaders that we had built from scratch, so they had no serial numbers (which I had to add to my rifle for Australia). Well, they got over that after learning that we built them from hand. But the percussion guys had to pay $50 for their guns. We knew that. But I had a flinter and flintlocks are exempt. At the time and maybe still now, they aren't even firearms for the Canadians. It could just as well have been a car jack. Anyway, they had to call Ottawa at 2 am and check. They did that and we were on our way after a slight delay, which left us all swapping moose hunting stories with the border agents. No big deal and $50 that stayed in my pocket.

Re: Winds at 1000 yards

Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2019 6:30 pm
by Yankee Bill
The woomera is also called an atlatl. I threw one when I was in Australia in 2004.

Yankee Bill