Mosin-Marauder said:
This match I did a lot better and a lot worse at the same time.
First off, ignore this part:
So, I finished 11th in marksman class,
Pay attention to this part:
shot a 197, 52 points better than my last score.
When starting out, where you placed against everyone else doesn't matter, all that is important is how you did compared to your past results. The only person you are competing with that matters is you.
On edit: Forgot to mention, good job.
The only change I made for this match was I handloaded my ammo instead of factory (47 grains 4064, and a 168 SMK). I didn't top 200 because of the wind and Cold, primarily the wind though, as the cold prevented my barrel from overheating (but some people say 4064 is very temperature sensitive which I haven't noticed one bit in over 2 years of using it and only it in most of my rifles, but that's just me)
It is, usually noticed as pressure increases from heat. If you are not on the ragged edge (and you aren't, that is a pretty middle-of-the-road load) you may never notice, unless it is 100º outside, and you leave the round in a hot chamber late in the string waiting on wind.
I spent a lot of time finding my zero in the first couple rounds due to the frequent and strong wind coming from varying directions. I almost certainly would have broke 210 and probably a bit higher if A) my zero was true and B) the wind wasn't so bad.
Just curious, were you off on elevation? If you were a little lower than expected, it could be temp related.
I'm not sure how well the 168 fought the wind, but I feel it fought it better than 99% of the 6mm shooters there.
Not sure what they were shooting, 168SMK is not bad, but the heavier 6mm bullets are a little better in the wind. Heavier .30 bullets will also do better in the wind, and a .30-06 should shoot them fine.
Keep in mind though, a higher BC bullet will not make you a better long range shooter, or help you better read the wind. What it will do is lessen the consequences caused by reading the wind (and compensating with hold or a sight adjustment) wrong.
All the big magnums or hot 6.5mm rounds will do for you is be a little more forgiving when you mess up your wind calls.
For example, shooting at 500 yards, when you call the wind is 60º at 8mph, but it is really 90º at 12, how bad do you miss?
At 500 yards with a 6.5 (140 SMK @ 2800) you are off by 1.5 MOA, which is just under 8 inches. A couple of extreme examples for comparison (which I have wind dope sheets worked up for) are the 30-06 150 FMJ, and .223 55gr FMJ. For the same error, the .30-06 will be off by 2.3 MOA (about a foot) and the .223 will be off by 3.1 MOA (~16").
Using the MR-65 500 yard target, if you held and broke a perfect shot, the 6.5 would still be in the 10 ring. The .30-06 would be in the 9 ring, and the .223 would be in the 8 ring.
If you get the wind right, (and break a good shot) the result is the same in any event, a hit.
On edit 2: How far are you shooting, and what is the course of fire/target?
P71pilot said:
Why?
