First HP match done. Hooked.

[jrebelo]

I finally got my first crack at high power yesterday, shooting at the Port Alberni gun club here on Vancouver Island, Canada. It was a hoot and an instant addiction, as I knew it would be, but I found it to be even more fun than I I could have expected. You don't get to fly around on a quad runner in smallbore!

I am AA in both smallbore categories and I shot 17/40 for an A in standard HP and 19/40 for AA in hunter HP. I was hoping to pull off a 20 point game my first time out, but I'm quite happy to have made a AA anyway. There's a heightened satisfaction to be had from dropping the larger, heavier high power animals compared to 22s. The need for cooperation with a spotter is an interesting variable as well, though I worry it would really spoil a day if someone unfortunate was caught without any spotter.

Possibly the most compelling aspect of HP silhouette for me is the much greater control we have over our game with regards to loading our own ammo for our particular gun. I really enjoy reloading and HP silhouette is an excellent platform to benchmark my progress in that regard also, since it will keep me constantly trying to improve the ammo results.

To add to that, I'm also only shooting my own cast bullets. Casting my own bullets was something of a prerequisite for my entry into high power. Partly because of the cost of shooting match jacket bullets is unappealing to me, but perhaps even more so because of the added involvement I have in the whole process leading to my match results.

I'm shooting a Ruger M77 Mk2 in 308win that I picked up about a month ago and started right away by slugging the bbl and getting my casting equipment set up to cast for this gun. I shot my first match with an old Bushnell scope because I had been waiting for the Burris weaver adapters and signature zee rings for my gun before mounting my Sightron SII Big Sky on it. I won't put my nice scopes into anything other than signatures anymore! I also had some problems with the RifleBasix trigger job I did on it at yesterday's match which I resolved later that night. Next month the gun will be in much better shape, and I'll have worked a bit on my bullets and loads and will be shooting for 20s or better!

[Bob Mc Alice]

I knew you would get hooked when reading your post from a few weeks ago. Cast bullets, eh? Tells us more about your loads and performance on targets. Nice scores, welcome to the addiction my friend.


I regret posting the negative SB comment, apologies.

[jrebelo]

I knew you would get hooked when reading your post from a few weeks ago. Be careful, though. Living close to a HP range can be very costly. Worst case addiction, like me, you won't even think about small bore any more. Cast bullets, eh? Tells us more about your loads and performance on targets. Nice scores, welcome to the addiction my friend.

Thanks, Bob. The costly factor isn't really an issue for me. With casting, 100 shots costs me well under $15 in components. I'll definitely still be heavily into smallbore, because there are two monthly matches conveniently close by. But I can see smallbore quickly becoming a tide-me-over between HP weekends.

My casting currently isn't anything terribly fancy. I'm using cheap Lee aluminum block moulds. I started out testing a 160gr boolit (309-160-R) but didn't have very spectacular performance. It also had a terrible BC which would have made it unsuitable for full distance courses (most of my shooting will be on a reduced course, as that's all we have on the island). So, I started to experiment with a 200gr bullet (309-200-R Lee) and instantly saw much better results in my first paper tests. Sizing it at .311" (bore is .3085"), I got a 10-shot group inside 1.5" using 18gr of SR4759. This was with the factory trigger still on the gun and with a 10x scope that was on it previously. I am confident the same formula would be tighter with the gun as it sits now. I am also going to experiment with .310" sizing to see if there's any measurable difference between the two. The bullets are checked and lubed in an RCBS Lube-a-matic 2.

I tested 4227 and 4198 for the reduced standard loads but found 4759 performed the best and also ran through my Chargemaster Combo the best. I have a large amount of Varget that I have tested briefly and will return to when I start preparing a 500m ram load for the provincials, but for now I am not doing any work with that while I tweak my lighter load for the 200-325 range.

Once I do some side by sides and nail down which bullet diam. I will stick with, then I will continue experimenting with some other variables, including dacron fillers and filling more/fewer lube bands.

Here are what the other shooters were calling my ICBMs:

[Bigfoot]

Justin thanks for sharing the pic. Those sure do look like icbm's!

If you feel like shooting a standard hi power match join us down here in Washington at Pe Ell Sportsmens club. It's probably about a 4 hour drive from bc but there are a few good hotels in Chehalis (I stay at the holiday inn express when I come down from Seattle) and your then only 25 minutes from the range come morning.

Steve Wooster of Wooster rifle stock fame runs one heck of a match on the first Sunday of each month other than dec/jan. I just shot there this Sunday and had a great time.

[jrebelo]

Got down to the range for some load testing and practice and am seeing some nice performance from these ICBMs with light 4759 charges.

Unfortunately my part of the equation is dreadfully lacking. Even with a light 2.5lb trigger I seem to be dropping the gun really badly on break. I have to break over the back of the chicken to make a body hit (when I make a hit at all). So, LOTS of work to do behind the trigger yet...

[Sancho]

Justin,
What is the name of that scoring/ group size measuring app you have?

[jrebelo]

Hi sancho. It's called Ballistic. It's a popular app tha does WAY more stuff than know how to or care to use. For the group measuring feature alone, the basic version was worth it for $10 for me. It can also be used to calculate moa drops over distance based on bullet bc, muzzle velocity, etc.

I should note that doing what I did with Ballistic was not easy or intuitive! I searched youtube and found a useful video teaching how to score and measure groups with ballistic. I'd suggest doing that to help decide if you want to buy the app.