Magic Feathers

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  • Last Post 18 August 2018
Brodie posted this 12 August 2018

I'm sure we all remember the movie "Dumbo" where the little elephant calf with huge ears first finds out he can fly, but only by holding onto a "Magic" feather.  Joe B's BS lists have had the effect of taking away a lot of "Magic" feathers.  It is very hard to be completely honest with ourselves.  Nobody wants to admit to ALL of their failures.  Let's face it, doing so hurts, and if it hurts we don't want to do it again, because it may hurt again.  So, when we are pursuing an activity we find pleasurable (cast bullet shooting) and our results do not measure up we look for an excuse or reason why.  This is especially true If you feel that you are good at the particular activity. 

Americans are some of the worst BS'ers about why the shot didn't hit the target, just ask any guide or outfitter.  They have heard them all.  Our greatest problem with shooting performance in this country is equipment.  There is always a better piece of gear that will solve all our shooting problems.  Bench rest shooters have to be even more susceptible to this phenomenon, after all they usually use the most accurate rifles, sights, and loads they can get their hands on.  So when the bullet goes wide of the group or the bull and you failed to call it what or who do you blame?  Do you blame the rifle, the sights, the bullets, lube, bore condition, a wind variation you failed to notice, this list can go on for a long ways, but ultimately the fault lies with the shooter, the reloader, or the bullet caster.

I submit that those of us who have gotten "peeved" with Joe B over the content of his BS lists are mostly upset because he is taking away our protection and making us examine ourselves more than we are willing to.

 

 

 

B.E.Brickey

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RicinYakima posted this 18 August 2018

Well, stand on your feet and shoot at 40 rods. That will fix that issue.

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joeb33050 posted this 17 August 2018

The problem with the string measure is accurate guns. If I adjust sights to hit center, the target gets hit as I shoot, making it increasingly harder to see/aim at the damaged target. I set the sights to hit off side l or r, and up or down. With relatively inaccurate guns, string works fine. Example

Why don't you guys know this? 

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RicinYakima posted this 17 August 2018

They did it by centering the shot target over a new target. Then if the center of the X was gone, you could still see the X on the target below. All of the matches were off hand, so there weren't that many tight of the X's groups. These were all hillbilly guns, WW2 surplus and bring backs, 30-30's and old muzzle loading pea shooters.

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BigMan54 posted this 17 August 2018

Back the late 1960's my family belonged to a TRAP Club.

There was a guy that 3,4,5 times a year he would show with a new gun. A KREIGHOFF, an old REM 3200,  a BT-99,  a WIN Model 12 Black Diamond Trap Gun.

And so on, every "NEW" Gun would make him bust that 25 straight. "Really smoke 'em he'd say" . I don't remember him breaking better then 23 at 16yds.  

Long time Caster/Reloader, Getting back into it after almost 10yrs. Life Member NRA 40+yrs, Life S.A.S.S. #375. Does this mean a description of me as a fumble-fingered knuckle-draggin' baboon. I also drool in my sleep. I firmly believe that true happiness is a warm gun. Did I mention how much I HATE auto-correct on this blasted tablet.

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Ed Harris posted this 16 August 2018

We Had to stop the string method here cause,everybody was arguing the missing center's location.
Here the stat officer's word is the law and there is no argument permitted.  The alternative is to have EVERYBODY fire one more shot at their target from the STANDING position and then all of the targets are re-scored.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Shopdog posted this 16 August 2018

We Had to stop the string method here cause,everybody was arguing the missing center's location.

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rhbrink posted this 16 August 2018

String measure is still being used out here in Missouri and a Big match sometime in the Spring in honor of Sgt. Alvin York in Tennessee I think, muzzle loaders of course!

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Ed Harris posted this 16 August 2018

My friend Joe has a famous saying he uses a lot: "It is not whether you win or lose, but how well you place the blame."

Jim, I am in favor of using "string" measure for bench rest matches; total distance of each shot from the center of the target. Shortest string wins. My hillbilly relations and their friends were still using that into the 1960's.

It is still used locally here in West Virginia for patched roundball BP muzzleloading rifle matches.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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pat i. posted this 16 August 2018

Of course, Joe is free to nominate me to be the award's first recipient and I would gladly accept the recognition, but I do believe there are more worthy candidates than myself.  

Man I could come up with a couple of candidates right quick.

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RicinYakima posted this 16 August 2018

My friend Joe has a famous saying he uses a lot: "It is not whether you win or lose, but how well you place the blame."

Jim, I am in favor of using "string" measure for bench rest matches; total distance of each shot from the center of the target. Shortest string wins. My hillbilly relations and their friends were still using that into the 1960's.

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Ed Harris posted this 16 August 2018

I recommend that the CBA initiate a Magic Feather Award to the biggest BS'er who pontificates without participating in matches or setting any National records.  I am not sure whether the most appropriate feather trophy would be from the crow one has eaten, or from the Christmas turkey which is famous for producing large piles of guano.  Or perhaps the buzzard which picks upon the dead who can no longer defend themselves.  I leave the choice to our beloved readers.  Of course, Joe is free to nominate me to be the award's first recipient and I would gladly accept the recognition, but I do believe there are more worthy candidates than myself.  

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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Scearcy posted this 16 August 2018

Shooting bench rest is a curious sport. Very much like golf, the success of your efforts will be determined not by your best shot but rather by your worst. We likely would be well served if we saved the worst group each match rather than the best. That pesky 20th shot can render the other 19 moot if it gets away from you.

Jim

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Brodie posted this 16 August 2018

We should probably issue feather pillows to them and require their use. 

If I haven't heard all the excuses I have at least heard most of them.  I am sure you all have as well.  It is the ones that don't obsess over their equipment and spend more time making up excuses than they do practicing or figuring out what THEY, the shooter, did wrong that get better each time, and win the matches.

B.E.Brickey

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Ed Harris posted this 16 August 2018

I agree with the statement about American shooters being the biggest BS'ers.  Every time US teams would go to a British Commonwealth country to shoot the Palma Trophy Match, they would draw the next rifle in turn off the rack and be issued a quantity of ammunition.  Americans would stay up all night tinkering, adjusting and rebedding their rifles, weighing cartridges, spinning and sorting them. 

Then they would get up exhausted and tired the next day to shoot the match, getting their arses soundly pummelled by the Brits, Canadians, Aussies, South Africans and New Zealanders who limited themselves to the Queen's Issue of rifles and ammunition, and a ceremonial rum, stout or lager before going to bed at 2300 hours after singing God Save the Queen.

Being expert in the Johnson School of Musketry Coaching (1945) beats making excuses and blaming the equipment.

 

 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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pat i. posted this 13 August 2018

Then we have the flip side of the "magic feather" which are the "magic bullets" (not to be confused with the Kennedy conspiracy bullet) I keep hearing about which always fly true out of any rifle under any conditions. As for the "magic feather" every society or activity has "magic feathers". Might be a rabbits foot, religious symbol, going so far as thinking you NEED to wear a certain hat or pair of pants to do well. Bottom line is it builds confidence and confidence improves results. One, some, or all of Joe's list might or might not produce actual improvements but if a shooter believes it will then it will and hurts nothing.

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David Reiss posted this 13 August 2018

Poor accuracy or missed shots today are attributed to one thing, shooter's error. Either at the time of the shot or in poor ammo selection, or errors made when handloading it. Our factory ammo and reloading components have never been better so there is no reason for poor accuracy. If you are always striving for sub moa groups that is much different from real world accuracy of under 2" at 100 yards.  My grandfather and father judged accuracy as being real good if you could consistently hit the "poor man's target" conveniently printed on the bottom of the cardboard carton a case of beer can in.  

David Reiss - NRA Life Member & PSC Range Member Retired Police Firearms Instructor/Armorer
-Services: Wars Fought, Uprisings Quelled, Bars Emptied, Revolutions Started, Tigers Tamed, Assassinations Plotted, Women Seduced, Governments Run, Gun Appraisals, Lost Treasure Found.
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RicinYakima posted this 12 August 2018

Mostly true, but not always. If I am shooting sub 1 1/2" ten shot groups with my match 03 and one shot goes out to make it two inches, I look else where. I either "flinched, blinked, jerked the trigger" or messed up some how (misjudging the wind). Shooting that same load for 22 years tells me that if it is a bigger group than 1 1/2" it is me.

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