First F-Class Match of 2011
First sighter, 8. Dial ‘er down a bit, shooting a bit high. Second sighter, 10. Nice, got it now. First shot for score 10. I can handle this, feeling good. Second shot for score… 6 at 9 o’clock. Well, this match is over. Oh well, it was still a great time with some good shooting buddies. You’ll notice on the score sheet that I couldn’t seem to find the X. Last year, I shot one string, a 15 shot group, that was not much bigger than a softball. It wasn’t centered though, it was about 2 inches below and 2 inches right of the X. Had I centered the group, I would’ve scored 5 points higher than I did. It’s hard though, for me at least, to see a spotter at 600 yards and realize that I’m not just barely outside the X, I’m 2 inches outside it. When you’re 2 inches off the X with the center of your group, the wind will push you out into the 9 ring (unless the trigger nut is loose, which mine usually is, and then your in the 8 ring). When you’re centered, most of your shots will stay within the 10 ring if you watch the wind (which I don’t). This match the wind kicked my ass for sure, because I had quite a bit of horizontal stringing in my groups. When the wind is gusting and switching, only the guys who can really read it are going to shine. I am not one of those guys. No matter what the wind is doing though, I can guarantee if you center your group on the X your scores will be higher. Now I just wish I could convince myself to take my own advice.
