Bench rest attributes

L

Little-e

New member
I've got a rather vague question for you bench rest guys.
Do you do anything different when you go from shooting 100 yards to 200 yards?

Reason I ask is while shooting 100, I can routinely get .5 MOA and some times better with reloads in my Rem 700 VS in .308. Scope is a Leupold Vari-X III 6.5-20x50. When I go to 200, it turns into .75 to 1 MOA and sometimes worse. I don't have any bench rest schooling and basically do everything I can to let the rifle shoot itself - supported on both ends, shoulder barely touching the butt, and firing hand lightly gripping the stock.

Any suggestion on what I'm missing?
 
How many shots are in your group? If it's 5 and you don't allow yourself any "flyers", then you should be instructing us instead of asking how to improve. :)
 
Sometimes it's 3 and sometimes it's 5 rounds. Just depends on what day it is and how much ammo I've loaded. Last time it was three and I got one hole groups on three of the targets and a little bigger than that on two. That is, until I moved to 200 yards.

I don't go for the idea of "flyers," even if I know I pulled one. Either way, the shot's off.

There's got to be something I'm doing to cause the difference.
 
Little-e,

It does not necessarily have to be anything you are doing. As distances increase so do the inherent flaws in the rifle and loads. No bore is perfect - no handload is either - there are slight variations in all of them and distance is the limiting factor. The further you shoot the more they show up. That's why a rifle's accuracy potential is not a linear factor, like 1 MOA at ALL distances. There are LOTS of good 1 MOA rifles at 100 yards but damn few at 200 and they get real rare at 300 and beyond. Every gun/load combo starts to "fall apart" at some distance.

There are other factors like optics, mirage and, of course, the human factor but you are doing quite well.

Mikey
 
Little-e,
One factor that shows up at longer distances is that sighting becomes more and more imprecise. I was thinking of a good experiment you could do to see if this is occuring for you. If your range setup allows, you could fire at 2 targets, 1 at 100 yds and 1 at 200 yds with both of them in alignment and with no backing on the 100 yd one. Using only the 100 yd target as the guide, fire a group. If you get a .5 MOA group on the 100 yd target, if everything else is ideal, then you should also get a .5 MOA group at 200 yds. You can then fire another group at another 100 yd target that doesn't go through the 200 yd'er, and a group aimed at a 200 yd target. This should be done at about the same time of day as the previous test so you have the same wind, temp, etc. If the 200 yd group is worse than the 100 yd group then it is the more difficult sighting at 200 that is at fault.

I hope my description of the experiment is a little clearer than mud. If you do try this, I, for one, would like to know the results. It should be interesting. I have no easy access to a range greater than 100 yds.

Also, if you feel the target material might influence the experiment, you could fire the first group without a target at 200 yds and then put up that target and fire another group at the 100 yd target. If all shots go through the same .5 MOA hole (this time there is no target material to interfere), then the group at 200 should be a good group.
 
If you are going to be a competitor then you have to learn to shoot at 200 as that's where the match is won or lost. You would think that the spread would be the same but it is not . You will hear competitors talking about conditions. That is the complete story. We will consider that your equipment is first rate and your bag technique is correct and your load is right and your bullets are correct. Then there is conditions!!! I have a little training instructions on my web page you might like to read and try. Its guaranteed or you get your money back (ha ha) www.mcmfamily.com
 
I like Mal's idea very much. Solid shooting position 20' above grade, targets at 100 to 1000 in 100 yd intervals. Targets of rice paper perhaps? 200 would be a better starting point but what the heck! You could use a light emiting diode as an aiming point and dial the sights off enough as not to hit it!
This test would prove quite a bit about the entire equation! Keep pulling the rice paper targets down until the entire series has been fired while aiming at the 100 or 200 yd sighting point.
Anyone have a range to pull this off at?
Hank
 
I like that idea too. Unfortunately, at the range I use, the 100 yd. targets are about 6' high while the 200 yd. targets are about 2'. I might be able to rig something though.

Does anyone have a quick run-down of correct bag technique? I use the rear bag for major adjustments and all windage, and the front rest for fine tuning the elevation. I basically try to have the crosshairs on the target without touching the rifle.

Also, how much body contact do you guys have with the rifle and how much pressure do you put on it?
 
Little E :I use about 8 ounces of shoulder pressure against a fore end stop and about 8 ounces of down pressure with the thumb on the pistol grip with just the thumb and trigger finger touching the rifle. Pound the bag s down and don't pinch more than a ¼ inch to get on target. If it takes more reposition the bags and start over. Free recoiling is the toughest way to try to shoot. And you will be guarantied to get vertical groups. Due to the uneven sticking of the bags
 
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