What the hell happened

[Elwood]

The most frustrating part about target shooting is not knowing what causes cock ups to happen.

 

I was shooting at Bisley on Wednesday in a 200/300/400/500/600 friendly competition, right up until the 600 yard target I was up there with the leaders. On the zero target I scored five V bulls out of five shots. I then moved over to the competition target of which we have five shots that are fired as a five shot group, so each shot is not individually marked. The scoring zone is a 10/9/no score or miss.

 

I scored one 9 and four misses! I was asked if I wanted to see my shots marked, which I did. When they were marked the shot scoring 9 was just above the 10 ring and the four misses were in a 3 inch group but another four or five inches directly above the scoring 9 shot.

 

What caused this to happen?

 

I can only think that it was my head position as I was trying to get the five shots down range as quick as possible before the wind picked up, I was using a single shot action and I move my head off the cheek piece every time I fired.

[6mmBR]

Thats a bummer Ian.

You may also of altered your grip on the gun and not letting it free recoil.

I've done it myself , you get a bit excited knowing your building a good score and you get target shooters buck fever.

You sub conciously do something different which upsets the gun, which alters the point of impact.

Also if you were rushing to get the rounds down quick you perhaps didn't set the gun up the same each time.

A case of less haste more speed?

Take care, speak soon.

Dave

[Cornishman]

I'm not so sure this was a shooter cock-up. Experienced target shooters are nearly always good at calling their shots and it sounds like there was some consistency in your misses. I'd look first for a technical problem before shrugging your shoulders and blaming yourself. Did you clean the gun? How many shots does it go before needing a clean? When you return it to your usual zero does it still group where it should? Was the ammo the same batch? Is everything tight?

 

I've an accuracy problem with a rifle at the moment that I think I've tracked to a bolt spring that has gone a bit weak. It took ages to get to this point and until I do some more testing I'm still not sure. I'd been blaming myself for rubbish shooting for ages before I took on board this it was just this particular gun that wouldn't shoot for me.

 

Cornishman.

[Guest varmartin]

I think I will agree with Cornishman...

 

Sounds to me like it may have been an equipment issue...cant see it as driver error..though sometimes it is easier to swallow as that...

 

Could it have been a loose stock screw or mount screw ? could also be the beginning of a scope problem..

 

OR......

 

"Is Earth's magnetic field collapsing?"

 

Scientists have long known that the magnetic pole moves.

Sometimes the field completely flips. The north and the south poles swap places. Such reversals, recorded in the magnetism of ancient rocks, are unpredictable. They come at irregular intervals averaging about 300,000 years; the last one was 780,000 years ago. Are we overdue for another? Has it recently happened an you were unaware of it ? No one knows.

 

Could it have been a mini Hurricane or swirlpool powered by the Coriolis forces of Earth's rotation. These complex motions generate our planet's magnetism through a process called the dynamo effect. Perhaps it was a sudden reversal of these elecromagnetic pulses ??

 

 

 

( That last bit was tongue in cheek )

[Elwood]

Well I hope it's not a scope problem as I have just sold it scope in question was a NF

 

The barrel was clean other than 2 fouling shots before the competition, as it's a new rifle I'm not certain how many shots I can get before fouling, but I normally clean at 50 regardless unless it needs it before then.

 

I haven't checked the stock screws, but I will. I know the rings were tight as I have just removed them, and the rifle did return to zero the last time I took it out to 600 yards, as I have removed and sold the scope then this one will have to remain un-answered.

 

I was using a bi-pod and rear bag, not that should make any difference.

 

The only thing I did different to the 5 V bulls on the zero target was that I fired the 5 scoring shots quicker (much quicker)

 

Thanks for the tips/advice