NATIONALS RESULTS - SCORES - EQUIPMENT

Consider this a confession.

This was supposed to be my first year at the Nationals.  2021 I didn't have my gear together, 2022 was a knee surgery so 2023 was to be the year.  But I bailed out a couple weeks ago when I couldn't hit a 5 gallon bucket at 200 yards. I was absolutely clueless (happens more often the older I get). To make a long story short that particulate problem was just another one of the many lessons I had to learn about subtle differences between shooting cast versus jacketed accuracy.  It this case it happened to be about the frequency of barrel cleaning.

But I'm closing in on things and I'll soon start putting back to back uneventful trips to the range.  I mean, really, there has to be a finite number of things I can trip over is. Right?  Nobody shoots cast at my clug (Stl Benchrest Club) and the closest match for me would be the weekday shoots at the Pioneer club. 

On wind conditions: The only condolence I can offer is that everyone should be shooting in pretty much the same conditions.  Most ranges have a honey hole of somewhere but rotation evens it out a bit.  I've shot jacketed in matches where you couldn't see the target much less the bullet holes because of a rain storm.  Or snow storm.  And like Bud said, I've seen days where wind flags were bouncing across he range. Once I saw Boyer go back to the reloading room with only 4 shots on record, taking the penalty because he couldn't improve on what he had.

I know it is costly and time consuming but you can't really appreciate comparing your individually shot groups/scores until you're shooting along side a bunch of others shooting in the same conditions at the same time. 

I'm glad I turned to cast BR.  With almost 1000 cast round through my barrel I'd be looking at my third barrel purchase if I were shooting jacketed.  Maybe next year.  Bill.