It’s almost May, and prep for my Alberta black bear hunt is underway. I have a soft/hard case for the 10 Point crossbow, but honestly…it looks flimsy.
Accordingly, I purchased a SKB Hard Case today. SKB has made gun and bow cases for air travel for years. Thanks to Dave at Wyvern Creations the case was in stock. Not cheap, as you can see below. 

I’m ready for the hunt!

Good Shooting! 

I have been hard at work/play with my new CZ 457 Varmint MTR shooting 50 yards 5 shot groups of SK Match, Wolf Match Plus. But only getting “on average” around 0.5 to 0.6 inch at 50 yards.  An adult aspirin is just 0.39 inches.

Ok make the aspirin 0.4 inches;  Is the CZ good enough, with less expensive ammo, to hit 10 aspirins at 50 yards or ten 5/8 inch wafers at 100 yards?  I don’t think so!

Do I like my new CZ? Yes but, if it doesn’t contend, I will be disappointed. Regularly close to a win is acceptable, with training evolving into some wins. 

As an older hunter/shooter, I still have better then 20/20  vision, at least in my shooting eye. and capable to shoot tiny sub-moa groups with the right ammo and equipment. 

On any day, it is thrilling for me to see the aim dot on a 22LR target just disappear into a tiny hole below. Just got do more of those. Right?

Flyers drive me crazy!  You Too!

You can hear me go “Shucks”, or something phonetically similar “Sh” sounding, when my four bullets in a 0.25 inch cluster gets busted with a flyer. It happens more than I’d like.

Under good wind conditions, I believe that 0.5 inches just not good enough to contend for a “win” at an Aspirin Size 0.39 inch target shoot at 50 yards, or 5/8 (0.625) wafers at 100 yards and metal plates as small as 2 inches at 150 yards.

Good news is, My SK Match with a “lot test” of SD of 5 seems more stable at 100 and 150 yards as groups at 100 and 150 are just under MOA. 

Maybe shoot 10 aspirin with higher cost sorted ammo like Eley Match or Tenex and use SK, Wolf  etc at longer range? We shall see. Just watch the barrel seasoning between brands! Very Important!

I hate to spend this much on ammo but if your Match Rifle and “yours truly” want to win at any matches this summer, then I will have to dig deep and spend on ammo. 

Some ammo choices are expensive but I’m giving my CZ a chance to shine!

Good Shooting!

For some competitive bench 22LR shoots just reside yourself from rarely winning a local shoot unless the playing field is class leveled such as unlimited, mid level, factory equip. etc. 

Can a CZ or 10/22 really compete head-on with the likes of a very expensive Anschutz or VooDoo 22 and $20 plus ammo and a high end scope?

Maybe in a windstorm.

I am seeking a remedy for local shoots to create fairness. 

Your thoughts?

One of the easiest way to tighten 22LR groups is to;

1. Buy some expensive ammo that is sorted for accuracy criteria. Use sparingly.
2. Spend lots of money to buy a world class target rifle and scope. Not me, can’t afford it. 
3. Buy more affordable ammo and sort it by weight and length and rim thickness. Not yet.
4. Test lesser expensive ammo to see what your rifle likes. I do this! But the flyers drive me crazy.
5. Ensure the throat of your rifle chamber is cleaned regularly of lead buildup. Important, I do this!
6. Stop changing ammo brands without barrel reseasoning. Yea, learning this lesson big time!!
7. Shoot often to know your rifle and accessories it needs. Within my budget. 
8. Try using a barrel harmonic deresonator. Trying this too. 

Having said all that, above is what I am doing to tighten my groups. 

Buy an affordable rifle known to be used in competition and practice with brands of ammo your rifle likes. I bought a CZ457 Varmint Match Target Rifle MTR for $899. A Vortex Viper Rifle MRAD Scope for $450. I like both. And a Timney Trigger for $180 dollars. A good rest too. 

One of the most important criteria I am learning is to put enough rounds through my rifle to season it.

The term seasoning refers to acclimating the full length of the barrel to the bullet lube used by your ammo brand. Very Important!

You will know when groups seem to magically tighten, maybe 15 rounds or even 50 or more. 

This will really tighten groups. Experiment with how many rounds of a specific brand to season and tighten groups.

Every ammo type has a different lubricant which seasons/tightens groups. Some suggest cleaning the barrel every 200 or so rounds and then re-season it.

Shooting high quality ammo can be saved only for competition, thus not as expensive as it appears.

As I have said in other articles, being a long time handloader, I like to experiment. It is fun!

Hope this helps!

Good Shooting!

I purchase bricks of ammo and test by Lot #. Using my Garmin chronograph, I test 5 shot groups at 50 yards for speed (MIN MAX AVG) Extreme Spread and of course Standard Deviation.

Product          

SK Match Lot 004

Min          Max       Avg         ES        SD

1081       1096.7   1091       16.7      5.4

SK Match Lot 002

Min             Max       Avg         ES        SD

1077.2       1104.2   1089.2       27     10.8

As you can see there is some ES/SD variation of SK Lots.

Wolf Match Extra Lot 135

Min             Max       Avg         ES        SD

1135.9       1156.8   1146.2      20.9     7.3

Eley Match Lot 143

Min             Max       Avg         ES        SD

1125.2       1137.2   1130.1      12        4.2

Serious Competitive Shooters like low SD’s like the SK Lot 004 of 5.4 and Eley at 4.2. Ammo cost goes up dramatically with low SD’s. 

Good Shooting!

I am afraid the 22 rifle bug has bit me.

The remedy is to shoot often with friendly competition. I am in week 2 of the disease and spending cash like a silly kid in a candy store. I am buying another slightly better tactical scope in mill radians known as MRAD. For target shooters, MRAD, or “MIL” for short, once learned, is more helpful in point of aim detail among many target shooters. It is divided finer than MOA. If you already know MOA, you do not have to learn MIL. I am going to see what changes in ease of mental calculations. Stay Posted…

I spent most of my life as a hunter and used MOA (Minute of Angle). So “MIL” is new to me. Calculation differences below. 

Good Shooting!

Archery is great fun for young and old. Most backyards have enough room to shoot at targets or even balloons. We all need to get outside and away from cell phones, etc. 

Interestingly, archery is a way to focus and merge your inner thoughts and outer self. It is a mental game of focus. Your reward is hitting the bullseye.  Oriental’s used Zen archery to extend the arrow in one’s mind to become one with the bullseye at the moment of launching the arrow.

Some people shoot at a target, others shoot/focus at the bullseye on the target. In riflery, we aim small and miss small, a similar concept.

To accomplish this requires correct conscious awareness of breathing, body stance and form. A merged focus on the inner and outer self. 

Success, an inner positive feeling can be achieved by focusing your outer self. 

In the case of bow hunters, 3D Animal foam target archery is a way to walk an archery course with other like minded folks and focus on, distance to target, how to stand with bushes and branches around your feet, and recall breathing and focus to launch your arrow. I did this for many years with my son.

Today, I shoot my bows in my backyard achieving focus and success.

Perhaps you can have backyard success as well. 

Good Shooting!