Using a bag under the forearm and under the butt stock and using 9 power, I can wear out the center of a target at 100 yards. But holding the forearm and using 4 power, my groups are not nearly as good. Must be the rifle, loose screws, or something else. :confused:

Curiousity got the best of me and I made my second mistake. I shoot through a chronography. My supersonic loads slowed down. Must be the weather. All my loads were down from 100 to 250 ft/sec.

Humility is shooting a few targets for the postal match or buying a chronography. I have got to go back to the reloading bench and load more shells and make a lot of copies of targets for the postal match. So far nothing worthy of entering. Or maybe, I am using the wrong gun. That's it. I knew that I would figure it out. :p

Taylor,
Try putting the rest right under the reciever (I use an old Hoppes bench rest with a sandbag on top). Hold the fore arm and grip as normal, locking your elbows onto the bench. If you have the height of the rest adjusted right, you can exert equal amounts of downward pressure on both ends of the rifle, pulling it downward onto the rest, while the elbows are anchored to the bench. Firm the rifle against your shoulder, and you are set. It is a very steady way to shoot a levergun.

And yes, chronographs are humbling. The only consolation is that I killed many critters for years before I found out many of my loads were going so slow they would bounce off! ;)

Dang chronographs.

I killed about 12-15 deer with one particular 30-06 load before I got my Pact. Then I learned that it was shooting about 300 fps slower than I thought. Developing another load with a different powder got the velocity up where it was supposed to be but for all practical purposes, the old, slow load killed them just as dead.

Like the Pact literature says . . Nobody ever returns a chrono because it reads too high.

Nothing like a little humility to get you back on track! I would say most of us on this forum shooting for the postal match have burned more than our share of ammo and targets. I have for certain. Incidentally, some of the most accurate loads are not appropriate for hunting.

Taylor ! You have to write this down in your shooting log book for when you get old ! As by then it should sound funny ! But If you are old now ! Take up golf ! JAGG

I learned last year about the difficulty with 5 shot groups and lever guns. Talk about HARD!!! I did get some pretty nice groups with my 444S using Hornady factory ammo. 1.052 was my best group if I remember correctly.

Now, this year RD has us not only shooting 5 shot groups again, but we now have to shoot as close to center of target as possible. He is downright mean!!! I haven't come nearly as close with my groups as last year.

I have noticed however that the best groups this year by far are handloads.

No telling what Michael will wnat us to do for next year's Postal Match. ;)

Dave :)

Taylor,
Do you really think a deer or any animal for that matter can really tell the difference between 2050 FPS and 2200 FPS. An arrow does the same job at what.. like 650 FPS. Way too much is made of the numbers on paper. I try to get the hottest most accurate load that I can for my hand loads, but accuracy is the key. If you have an accurate load that is a few grains below max, big deal the deer aint ever gonna know!

Like Dr A. said, about shooting a lot. More targets have gone in the trash than in the mail :mad: Dont let it get you down, sling some lead and have some fun.

Wish my bow shot 650fps! Just kidding, I know what you mean though, dead is dead, as long as you hit the right spot.

I put all my Ranch Dog targets in the mail, as you can plainly see. Now I do shoot other targets to check things but I have such a limited time at the range I have to shoot the match target and take what I get. Besides it is slow going because after the first two I have to let the barrel cool ot my 1894 starts to walk so the last three are pretty slow going. I may try a quick 5 next time out just for grins and giggles but I will probably send that one too.

The 444 has really impressed me in this match. I know we have some good shooters but the round seems to be a very accurate one for all who shoot them. If I ever wanted more umph I would have to consider the 444, because of what I have seen with the targets posted for the match.

My biggest problem is that 5th bullet. Four bullets will be nice and tight, and one bullet is high, low, left or right. I have used three different rifles and a couple different loads in each rifle. One thing, I have not let the barrel cool. I have just shot 5 straight. I normally shoot 3 shot groups and hot barrels have not been a problem. Another problem is that I have been shooting without a bench or bags to steady the gun. I have just held the gun with my hand under the forearm as I would deer hunting. Obviously, I need more practice. I just ordered more bullets. Some people golf, I like to shoot.

Taylor, I am an impatient shooter, and I have found if you are going to shoot one right after another,it is better to rotate rifles. Only with very low pressure loads can I get the groups I am looking for and shoot one right after the other. If I was patient, I would have better groups. If you take a look at my groups, it usually looks pretty good, except the bullet holes string vertically. This happens with heating of the barrel. Again, all of us have flyers. I have so many 4 shots in one hole with a flyer 2 inches away it is downright discouraging. Send'em in. You are only competing with yourself on this one.