Zen shooting

[bladeracer]

Had one of those rare "Zen" sessions this arvo
With the JW21 lever in .22LR practicing offhand, open sights on the silhouettes.
Wind was 6mph to 9.5mph from eight-o'clock, about 40mm hold to the left at 50m, just enough to ensure a clean miss on the turkey if the wind suddenly drops to nothing

Occasionally you take a shot which feels like the front sight is just stuck where it needs to be, despite you feeling like you are trying to correct it. The post just stops "floating" around the target. It almost feels like you could let go of the rifle and it would just stay in position fixed in place somehow with the target. Today I had a lot of this, very unusual, for me at least. Usually I'm floating the sight around where it needs to be and judging the trigger release at precisely the right time.

Just wanted to share

[Wm.Traynor]

I too, have had one of those moments. The blade (no pun intended) just hung there and the rifle fired. Bang. Flop.
On another occasion, years later, at a Prize Meeting at Mudgee, I recall being unable to find my gear, which I had placed just before the mound at 300 yards. On my return after some time (a break of some sort or perhaps I was very early), the entire contingent of shooters had done the same thing, with the result that I could not find what was mine in the proliferation of shooting bags, mats, spotting scopes and rifles. So there I was, running round like a mad maggot in a pile of manure, retracing my steps, searching hither and yon, growing more frantic with each second. My name was called. My gear showed up. I threw myself down and fired off a possible with no recollection later, of how I did it.

[bladeracer]

I too, have had one of those moments. The blade (no pun intended) just hung there and the rifle fired. Bang. Flop.
On another occasion, years later, at a Prize Meeting at Mudgee, I recall being unable to find my gear, which I had placed just before the mound at 300 yards. On my return after some time (a break of some sort or perhaps I was very early), the entire contingent of shooters had done the same thing, with the result that I could not find what was mine in the proliferation of shooting bags, mats, spotting scopes and rifles. So there I was, running round like a mad maggot in a pile of manure, retracing my steps, searching hither and yon, growing more frantic with each second. My name was called. My gear showed up. I threw myself down and fired off a possible with no recollection later, of how I did it.

That is bloody hilarious, but at least you got a great result out of it

Happens sometimes at motorcycle race meets too, though it's more likely you'll dump some of your gear in a pit bay then go to bring your bike down, to find somebody else has pushed your gear aside and settled himself in there, gotta be quick, but you also have to hang on to what you can grab

[Oldbloke]

I too, have had one of those moments. The blade (no pun intended) just hung there and the rifle fired. Bang. Flop.
On another occasion, years later, at a Prize Meeting at Mudgee, I recall being unable to find my gear, which I had placed just before the mound at 300 yards. On my return after some time (a break of some sort or perhaps I was very early), the entire contingent of shooters had done the same thing, with the result that I could not find what was mine in the proliferation of shooting bags, mats, spotting scopes and rifles. So there I was, running round like a mad maggot in a pile of manure, retracing my steps, searching hither and yon, growing more frantic with each second. My name was called. My gear showed up. I threw myself down and fired off a possible with no recollection later, of how I did it.

That is bloody hilarious, but at least you got a great result out of it

Happens sometimes at motorcycle race meets too, though it's more likely you'll dump some of your gear in a pit bay then go to bring your bike down, to find somebody else has pushed your gear aside and settled himself in there, gotta be quick, but you also have to hang on to what you can grab

Zen and the art of motor cycle maintenance.

A book I read once many years ago.

[bladeracer]

Zen and the art of motor cycle maintenance.

A book I read once many years ago.

I was given a copy thirty-five years ago.
Never have managed to read it though

[Oldbloke]

It's "different" Would like to read it again one day.

[bladeracer]

Took the JW21 out again today just because the wind was strong, and it's an opportunity to study it.
Went with S&B Standard and put 15rds on each silhouette. I started with two consecutive hits at 40m and thought I'd have an easy session! Not great results, with just four hits on the chicken at 40m, eight hits on the pig at 50m, five on the turkey at 77m, and only four on the ram at 100m.

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Then I put a 10rd offhand group on a steel plate at 50m, just to see where it's actually shooting

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Aiming at the centre of the plate the first few were well left, then the wind dropped to almost nothing, and the rest grouped fairly centred.

Having seen that I felt it'd be easy enough to put ten shots on the gong, resulting in just two hits - bugger

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Overall, I'm fairly happy with that. I struggle with the turkey on my best days, so I'll take 5/15 in these conditions I think I was lucky on the chicken and pig as it turned out the ammo was pretty close to zero elevation at 40m to 50m. The ram was very difficult as I was holding out in space about 200mm high and 200mm right of the head.

I put up a rudimentary wind "flag" yesterday of a four-foot length of bed sheet, four-inches wide. At 10mph it lays horizontally on the wind and gives no further indication of higher winds (I saw 14.6mph at one point today). It's better than nothing though. The wind was constantly flitting between 5.5mph and 10mph while I watching the meter. Far too many times I saw the perfect sight picture disappear just as I squeezed off the shot, and a few of those perfect shots but just as you fire you realise you haven't made a wind allowance, those suck

Just under 1000rds down-range since Saturday arvo, and the rain has just started here.

[Wm.Traynor]

That's the way bladeracer, have fun with those toys

[bladeracer]

That's the way bladeracer, have fun with those toys

No point having them if I'm not going to play with them

The rain never got going as threatened, just a couple hours of light drizzle, and it stopped.