Equipment versus practice posts and Rifle practice/shooting

[Castle Rock]

Damn that looks cold

 

[TheUgly]

Damn that looks cold

About 29F in the pics. Not the warmest, but not nearly as cold as other years

 

[Lawnboi]

Is there a shot timer app?

 

[Antares]

Several...according to Google.

https://tacticol.com/best-shot-timer-apps/

 

[Formidilosus]

Is there a shot timer app?

They all suck unless you are only using par times. I would suggest the CED 700.

 

[Lawnboi]

Looks like I will just have to bite it and buy a shot timer.

Prepping some brass to load with some cheaper 60 tmk for the winter. Tough blowing 38 cent bullets at 100 yard paper. Post our gun deer season when the ranges die down I’m going to try and commit to shooting this drill once a week. Maybe posting my results here will keep me on it.

 

[Formidilosus]

Took the advice of some on this forum and bought several cases of .223 ammo to practice with this year. Shot about 1500 rounds in the 10 months leading up to deer season out of my Tikka w/ 6x SWFA. All shots were taken away from the bench and most were shot for score/timed from different field positions.

The practice definitely paid off - from the time I spotted the deer, to ranging it, to getting in position and taking the shot took about 30sec. Deer was shot at 219 yards and the 77gr TMK used had excellent terminal performance - the deer only made it about 20yrds before succumbing. Will be taking this rifle on many hunts to come…

Since you did what was suggested, what did you learn from the practice?

Good job on the deer, BTW.

 

[260madman]

Took the advice of some on this forum and bought several cases of .223 ammo to practice with this year. Shot about 1500 rounds in the 10 months leading up to deer season out of my Tikka w/ 6x SWFA. All shots were taken away from the bench and most were shot for score/timed from different field positions.

The practice definitely paid off - from the time I spotted the deer, to ranging it, to getting in position and taking the shot took about 30sec. Deer was shot at 219 yards and the 77gr TMK used had excellent terminal performance - the deer only made it about 20yrds before succumbing. Will be taking this rifle on many hunts to come…View attachment 345823View attachment 345824View attachment 345825View attachment 345826

You need to post these in the 223 thread.

 

[TheUgly]

Since you did what was suggested, what did you learn from the practice?

Good job on the deer, BTW.

Thank you. I learned how to quickly and effectively build a field shooting position so I could confidently make a shot on game, spot my impact, and send a follow-up shot if needed.

After 1500 rounds, I was getting over 80% hit rate on 8" steel plates from prone off a bipod or pack at 500yrds. Shots at 350yrds at the same 8" steel plate from seated supported (both off my pack or tripod) were above 90%. My wind calls drastically improved over the past year and my ability to get first round impacts went way up. I also learned from your drill that I suck at offhand shooting.

By far the most important thing I learned was having good body position to be able to manage recoil and spot my impacts and this has translated well to when I shoot my 6.5CM.

Given everything I trained for and learned, I was confident in my ability to make any shot in the field on game from prone out to 350yrds, seated supported out to 300yrds, kneeling and seated unsupported out to 250yrds.

My training mainly consisted of modified NRL hunter drills (up to 2 shots/target on several steel plates with all gear on my body), Kraft challenge, LOTS of dry fire in my garage, random drills I made up to practice from different positions, and when a friend would occasionally join me to shoot on public land we would turn shooting into a game of H.O.R.S.E.

 

[Formidilosus]

Thank you. I learned how to quickly and effectively build a field shooting position so I could confidently make a shot on game, spot my impact, and send a follow-up shot if needed.

After 1500 rounds, I was getting over 80% hit rate on 8" steel plates from prone off a bipod or pack at 500yrds. Shots at 350yrds at the same 8" steel plate from seated supported (both off my pack or tripod) were above 90%. My wind calls drastically improved over the past year and my ability to get first round impacts went way up. I also learned from your drill that I suck at offhand shooting.

By far the most important thing I learned was having good body position to be able to manage recoil and spot my impacts and this has translated well to when I shoot my 6.5CM.

Given everything I trained for and learned, I was confident in my ability to make any shot in the field on game from prone out to 350yrds, seated supported out to 300yrds, kneeling and seated unsupported out to 250yrds.

My training mainly consisted of modified NRL hunter drills (up to 2 shots/target on several steel plates with all gear on my body), Kraft challenge, LOTS of dry fire in my garage, random drills I made up to practice from different positions, and when a friend would occasionally join me to shoot on public land we would turn shooting into a game of H.O.R.S.E.

If every hunter would do this, a lot of silliness would go away.

 

[yycyak]

A random question for you: what kind of ammo did you use? Just regular bulk milsurp stuff? Match? Handloads?

Once hunting season is over I'm planning on loading up on 223 ammo (if I can find it...), and was thinking that for field shooting/practice, bulk ammo would probably be fine. But seeing as you've already "Been there, done that" I figured I'd ask what ammo you used for running your drills and avoid reinventing the wheel.

Took the advice of some on this forum and bought several cases of .223 ammo to practice with this year....

 

[TheUgly]

A random question for you: what kind of ammo did you use? Just regular bulk milsurp stuff? Match? Handloads?

Once hunting season is over I'm planning on loading up on 223 ammo (if I can find it...), and was thinking that for field shooting/practice, bulk ammo would probably be fine. But seeing as you've already "Been there, done that" I figured I'd ask what ammo you used for running your drills and avoid reinventing the wheel.

All ammo I shot was factory ammo.

Off the top of my head, around 1,200 rounds were with Hornady Frontier 75gr HPBT (FR320) which was fairly easy to find in bulk. The rest was shot with Black Hills 77gr TMK.

 

[yycyak]

Embarrassed to post this. Oh well..

Got in a range session today. Tough conditions, about 6 degrees (F) out with wind blowing into my face. Switched out the 10x SWFA for the LRHS I had on the shelf. Much easier to shoot offhand at 6x than at 10x. Not that I improved at all: 7/20, with two not even on paper. I suck.

The time pressure really is something. Trying to transition from standing with all my gear on to prone-off-pack and two shots fired, all in under 20 sec, is tough. Blew the last prone shot (#444) too - 3 sec left before I timed out and threw out a hail mary.

Oh well. Lots of room to improve. I think I need to go back to "no timer" and focus on getting most of my shots in the circles consistently.

 

[TX_Diver]

Embarrassed to post this. Oh well..

Got in a range session today. Tough conditions, about 6 degrees (F) out with wind blowing into my face. Switched out the 10x SWFA for the LRHS I had on the shelf. Much easier to shoot offhand at 6x than at 10x. Not that I improved at all: 7/20, with two not even on paper. I suck.

The time pressure really is something. Trying to transition from standing with all my gear on to prone-off-pack and two shots fired, all in under 20 sec, is tough. Blew the last prone shot (#444) too - 3 sec left before I timed out and threw out a hail mary.

Oh well. Lots of room to improve. I think I need to go back to "no timer" and focus on getting most of my shots in the circles consistently.



View attachment 348332

My last round also put me in the single digit club.

 

[Sandstrom]

All ammo I shot was factory ammo.

Off the top of my head, around 1,200 rounds were with Hornady Frontier 75gr HPBT (FR320) which was fairly easy to find in bulk. The rest was shot with Black Hills 77gr TMK.

I have had very good luck with the Hornady Frontier 75gr HPBT 5.56 in my Tikka 223. It constantly shoots right around an inch for 10 shots.
Ryan

 

[Lawnboi]

First time behind the rifle since early November. Rushed by an appointment, slapped my 17hmr t1x in a mcmillan stock after some dremel work for the bolt stop, got a sloppy zero off my pack and shot the drill in the woods. Going to go for once a week from here on. Probably going to stick with the 17 for a while before moving to 223.

I do need a shot timer.

 

[Castle Rock]

Oh well. Lots of room to improve. I think I need to go back to "no timer" and focus on getting most of my shots in the circles consistently.



Yep, work on the technique and the speed will follow

 

[Lawnboi]

Finally got out. 103 yards with the 223 and 60 tmk. I suck freehand badly. Everything else feels solid, only shot I’m beating myself up over is the seated miss I pulled.

 

[Lawnboi]

I have to confess Iv cheated based on the first post a bit. Iv been using a bipod on my bigger guns and a bag, that said the bipod always comes along on a hunt if a prone shot is possible, and the bag always comes regardless. I’ll not cheat too much and use the tripod though.

 

[Formidilosus]

I have to confess Iv cheated based on the first post a bit. Iv been using a bipod on my bigger guns and a bag, that said the bipod always comes along on a hunt if a prone shot is possible, and the bag always comes regardless. I’ll not cheat too much and use the tripod though.

Nah. If you start the timed stages with the bipod as it’s carried, and the bag exactly as it’s carried it meets the intent completely. However, if you store the rear back in your pack while hunting for instance, yet start with it not in the pack fir the drill; then you’d be short changing your learning and practice.