First Match Win

[mgood]

On a very windy day, I won Smallbore Hunting Rifle with 19 of 40 (7 chickens, 5 pigs, 5 turkeys, and 2 rams).



The second best score turned in was 14 from another Hunting Rifle. Smallbore Rifle was won with a 9.

[mgood]

It also moved me from B to A.

[Bob259]

Congratulations... good shooting

[mgood]

Thanks.
It usually takes a considerably higher score to win our matches. (We don't have people shooting 40s on the little NRA targets, but high twenties or low thirties.)
I somehow lucked out and shot slightly above my average. (I can typically hit 16-18 of the little critters.)
I think there were only 9 shooters who braved the wind and came out to shoot today, and one or two of the better shooters were missing. But a win is a win and I'll take it.

[speedyrob]

Absolute win and in windy conditions. Excellent job, it should be a great confidence builder.

[edgehit]

It's tough to shoot in high wind. It usually knocks my scores down another 10 to 20% which really aggravates me. But every shooter at the match is dealing with the same conditions. So Keep shooting in all kinds of weather and you'll have the advantage on the fair weather shooters.

[Jason]

Congrats on the win! A hard-rought win in the wind is definitely something to be proud of.

[Jerry G]

19 out of 40 in the wind isn't B shooting. Way to go.

[mgood]

19 out of 40 in the wind isn't B shooting. Way to go.

My very first match with Hunter Rifle, I shot a 3 on an even windier day. (My 3 was not the worst score, there were some zeroes turned in. The match was won with a 12 by a shooter much better than me.)
That 3 made me a B shooter.
My next match I shot 17. Needed one more A score to move up to A. Wanted to do it yesterday, but didn't think I had much chance in the wind. But I shot a 19. Go figure. (Even in practice, I think 18 or 19 out of 40 was the highest score I'd ever shot. I know I've never hit 20.)
Some of those animals must've jumped in front of the bullets because I don't think it was my aiming that did it. My wobble was much larger than the target and I just tried to squeeze the trigger when the dot was somewhere in the neighborhood of what I wanted to hit.

[jneihouse]

Congratulations!! Never apologize for winning, no matter what score you shoot. You shot well enough to win, that's all that mattered. Celebrate it, you earned it.

Kitty

[cslcAl]

Way to go. Now that you have your first win out of the way, there's no reason why you can't do it again. Too often shooters will count their hits during the match ( bad Idea ) and when they get to certain point they will begin to doubt their ability to shoot above their average scores. Once you broken into this new territory, you will have the confidence to do it again with out messing with your own head. Keep 'em coming that's what we all strive for.

Al

[mgood]

Thanks, everyone.
Though I haven't posted here much, I did a lot of reading and picked up some tips here about the rifle and on technique.

Rifle is a CZ 452 Varmint .22 LR.
I've added the YoDave trigger kit and set it at about 2.5 pounds

Scope is a Leupold FX-3 25x40 with 1/2 minute dot.

Securing the scope to the rifle is a hodgepodge of hardware. (Which I cooked up myself and I will not blame members of this forum for my scope mounting system )
Adapter rail fro CZ-USA.com adapts from 11mm dovetail to Weaver rail http://shop.cz-usa.com/P-19008/Weaver-A ... etail.aspx
Weaver Picatinny Riser set for an extra 1/2" http://www.weaveroptics.com/rings_bases ... riser_set/
Weaver dual-extension see-through rings http://www.weaveroptics.com/rings_bases ... fault.aspx
(I need the extension rings to get it closer to my eye, otherwise I end up tilting my head forward to get the full field of view.)
It's just about impossible to get a caliper in there for a definite reading, but best I can tell, the bottom of the scope tube is about 1.48"-1.49" above the reciever.
Not as slick as a set of BKLs, but it works for me.
I need to weigh it on a good scale. I don't believe it's over 8.5 pounds, but close. 8+ anyway.
So far, I've only shot local matches where no one gets out calipers and scales or even weighs triggers. But who knows? Raton is an easy day's drive from here.
I want it to be legal for Hunter.



I shot Eley Target ammo. First match with that ammo = first match win.

[mgood]

. . . Too often shooters will count their hits during the match ( bad Idea ). . . .

No kidding. It's a mental game. Even a rookie like me can see that. It's not really that hard to hit those targets. It is very difficult to stay focused to do it over and over again.
Saturday I was shooting a non-NRA match. Same basic format but with larger silhouettes.
I've never gotten ten in a row with any size.
I started on chickens and knocked down the first five just easy as can be.
Started the next set of five and hit the first one just as easy as the other five went down. Then I thought "I'm going to get my first 10 in a row right here." Of course I missed that one.
I got nine. The only one I missed was when I let my mind wonder to something other than what I should have been focusing on, THAT ONE, the only one that matters is THAT ONE I'm shooting RIGHT NOW.

[kevinbear]

Mgood,I just looked on the map to see where you live, pretty good jaunt up to Raton for nationals but easy driving, country highways the whole way. You thought about going?

[mgood]

Mgood,I just looked on the map to see where you live, pretty good jaunt up to Raton for nationals but easy driving, country highways the whole way. You thought about going?

The thought has crossed my mind.
Several people I shoot with in Hobbs, NM will probably be going. I'll have some vacation time I could take.
I've made that drive a number of times before. I spent a couple of summers working near Cimarron, NM (just a little ways south-west of Raton).