This morning was unremarkable, windy as usual, but the odd calm spell encouraged me to set up my 100 yard target and have a crack with the .22 Falcon. I decided to use my new one-piece shooting bench which is now being widely manufactured under licence

Anyway, I shot a horrible 1.368" group in the shifty wind, then another couple of random shots before the wind died. Then I shot in earnest and put 3 shots into the target, looking real close, before I had to refill my mag. Of course, the wind came up and I spent 5 minutes looking agonisingly at the tiny 3 shot group (on the right, yes there are 3 shots in those 2 holes) before, in slightly less ideal conditions) I added two more shots (to the left) to make the 5 shot group. It ended up like this:

The first 3 went into .127"; the next 2 swelled the group to .502", just barely sub 1/2 MOA (1/2 MOA = .5235", I think). You can see below how one of the first 3 slugs entered the same hole as another, and flattened it well and truly...

Been waiting for this opportunity for over a year, since I last got close!

Cheers from NZ

Neil

Neil,


Love your post. I agree, someday will have to have a shoot there.


I like getting up in middle of night or early morning and find a post here, usually from you. Dory

Thanks Dory
I've been a bit quiet shooting-wise over the Christmas break and haven't really touched my big bores due to having too much else to do, but it was easy to pull out the Falcon first thing yesterday morning, as I can shoot it without waking the family!
Back to work tomorrow (Monday our time)
Cheers
Neil

Nice job Neil,

Great group. Yes, those miracle groups leave you not knowing what to do ... 3 shot, or five. I like to snap a pic of the great three shot before going to five. Isn't it funny, how many good groups contain a double? You'd think, just from the math, that a double would nearly never occur. Yet, it's almost normal.

Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/18/2009 03:53PM by barnespneumatic.

Thanks Gary
You are right, I can think of a few good groups I have shot with 2 in the same hole. Put it down to..umm...Murphy's Law?
Regards
Neil

Great shooting Neil! Your 1/2 MOA group has been added to the favorites. 1/2 MOA at 100 yards with an airgun. That's some shootin' right there son!

Cheers Jerry! I'm now itching to shoot my big bores some more too, and over the next few months I hope to be able to tether to a tank while shooting, saving on the hand-pumping
Regards
Neil

Yes Neil; you are seriously delinquent in shooting and posting .454 groups!

Jerry,

The new American Rifleman has an article on a new European 50BMG bench gun. 40 pounds. And, the groups @ 100 yards? Smallest was 2.2" - worst 6+" and a 4" average!!! Man .. THEY need a Justice Smoothie!!! haha.

Gary

A .50 BMG cartridge at 100 yards and all they can get is 4" groups? That is serious bad. I'm wondering when you might even use a .50 at that close a range tactically; maybe an ambush scenario. The SEALs and some other units use the .50 BMG for long range sniping on radars and vehicles and occasionally on personnel. I can't imagine the Barret they use shoots as bad as that European version, at least not after the SEALs' ordnancemen are done with it.

I guess the guys who want the European version Would be better off with a Justice! If they can get within 100 yards of a hard target they could use a rocket launcher and if they needed to hit something smaller the justice would be more accurate!

Jerry,

I had scanned the article before ... and felt I better read it carefully, because the info. sounded so crazy. I was correct.

It's a Serbian "Black Arrow" M93 .50BMG. Imported by European American Armory.

Actually, I see a few things, right off the bat, that they did wrong. Well, things I would not have done. And, this accuracy stinks so bad ... that I think I'm correct.

Yes - what's the point of shooting a thing like that @ 100 yards! Something like that is supposed to be for 1,000 yards!!! They actually said ... "As a long-range shooter, the Black Arrow exhibits considerable potential." Wow.

Oh ... and I loved this part ... "Accuracy improved at 200 yards as the bullets stabilized". Huh??? Accuracy sucks at 100 yards, but it gets better farther out? I guess by 1,000 yards, it should be 1/2 MOA?

Gary

Gary et al:

Marine Gunny Sgt. Carlos Hathcock logged the 20th Century's longest combat kill with a 2,286 meter kill (1.42 miles) with a Browning M2 .50 BMG during the Vietnam War. His record has since been broken in Afghanistan by a Canadian sniper team in 2002, but their kill took two shots (2,430 meters -- the first shot blew the water bottle out of a Taliban fighter's hand, and the second was lights out).

I guess we'd need a bigger range.

-- Jim



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/19/2009 10:50PM by Jim.

Nice one

Gotta get the wife out on the range, keep our end up......

It would be interesting at, our velocities, if they would even go that far.

Gary would have to either build a real high scope mount to shoot over barrel or build one that sits off the side. Dory

So when will we see the Barnes Ultra Long Range Bench Rest Model?(the BULRBR......)

I dont know how those guys do it.... I cant see a pop can at 50 yards........

Actually it is not uncommon for a rifle that shoots long for caliber bullets to be more accurate at 200 yards than 100 yards. I have a 6.5 X 55MM that shoots 3 shot 1.25 to 1.50 inch groups at 100yards but will consistantly place 3 in under an inch at 200 yards. I'm not looking to upset anybodies applecart here but you can ask just about any long range shooter, they will tell you that you learn very little from 100 yard groups.