Disappointed at range today

308plinker

308plinker

Zero SD
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 23, 2013
128
32
55
Tennessee
#1
I know practice, practice, practice is the name of the game when it comes to shooting long distance. But today I behaved like a total rookie! First it was flinching, then rushing. I never really got settled good behind my rifle today. I'm going thru load testing right now for a new rig. .308 with 26" Bartlein barrel. I know it's not the rifle, it's definitely me. I put 30 rounds down the tube today, and tried 3 different loads of 10 rounds each. But to be perfectly honest, I wasted my time. Don't you just hate those days when you get so pissed at yourself and wish you had just stayed home! Today was one of those days......
 
#3
Take your time. If it's mot right then don't shoot. It's not like your being shot at. Use the time as an advantage. Get behind the rifle and take the time to have your firing position right before you commence to shooting. I understand what your talking about when I get on a bench. I have to set me rifle up different when shooting from a bench. It takes me much longer than say prone or ever sitting. Once you get in a good position you will shoot great, once your in a poor position you won't be even close to your potential. Good luck
 
#5
Load testing should be done in a "vise" or something similar. Maybe find a smith and put your unit on his rail. Then you can work on yourself. Just my $.02
 
#6
RANCH 532 said:
Load testing should be done in a "vise" or something similar. Maybe find a smith and put your unit on his rail. Then you can work on yourself. Just my $.02
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I don't agree. If your a ammo manufacture of something then maybe. Quality rifles now days I believe should be fired how they will be used. THings might not act the same way when changed. Barrel harmonics can be tricky. In my 70# benchrest rifles it's like shooting in a vice but its how its shot a LR matches. It's similar to load development before/after a suppressor. Might change, might not. Develop how the rifle will be used for the majority of it's life.
 
#7
There are a couple ways to get more out of range visits that have really upped my own productivity and enjoyment. The first is that you should doing a lot of dry firing drills at home. The more I'm behind my gun practicing good form, trigger squeeze, grip, stock pressure, cheek weld, and follow through, the better I shoot when I go to the range. And yes, my first 10 shots at the range are all dry fires. It's more to get my head in the game than anything else.

The second is that I always always always take another platform (pistol, carbine, or shotgun) to shoot in case my main rig is having issues (scope, load, etc.). I'm a pessimist by nature so I never go to the range without a couple options for cathartic range therapy. It's really handy, even if you've just had a bad day on the rifle range, to go shoot sporting clays or punch the center out of a pistol target with a 45.

Hang in there, man. We've all been there, and will probably be there again soon.
 
#8
OP's talking about "flinching and rushing" and your talking about "barrel harmonics" like I said "just my $.02" but I'd bet my pay check against yours that this case human error is the victor over barrel harmonics. Happy Shooting
 
#10
308plinker said:
I know practice, practice, practice is the name of the game when it comes to shooting long distance. But today I behaved like a total rookie! First it was flinching, then rushing. I never really got settled good behind my rifle today. I'm going thru load testing right now for a new rig. .308 with 26" Bartlein barrel. I know it's not the rifle, it's definitely me. I put 30 rounds down the tube today, and tried 3 different loads of 10 rounds each. But to be perfectly honest, I wasted my time. Don't you just hate those days when you get so pissed at yourself and wish you had just stayed home! Today was one of those days......
Click to expand...

Yep, been there, done that; these kind of days suck.
Years ago, I use to keep on shooting...and shooting...and...getting frustrated.
Now I give myself 2 options
First one is clearing everything in my head until there is absolutely nothing, nothing but my rifle, the target and I.
If it doesn't work, option #2 comes in effect, pack and go.
I still hate these days but it is what it is.
Good shooting.
Ombre noire
 
#14
Hi 308plinker,

I totally sympathize. The best strategy I've found for slowing myself down at the range is consciously making myself lie there behind the rifle as if I were going to take a shot at my toughest target and then, for each and every trigger squeeze for the next ten or fifteen minutes, do nothing but dry fire. It really helps me build up my patience and attention. As always, YMMV.

Yours,

David
 
#15
I agree with zlbubba's idea of bringing additional guns to the range. If I'm not "on" that day with my precision rig, I stop and stow it away before wasting too many rounds. Having my Sig 220 or my AR15 really helps drown out the frustration and still make great use of range time. I always leave the range relaxed after doing the additional shooting. Lots of ways to adjust your range therapy and leave satisfied.
 
#16
I have lots of those days usually the days i do load development. Just always seems to be that way for some reason. Guess i "try" to hard to shoot perfect.

For initial load development i know try to take "me" out of it heavy bagged front bagged rear from a bench with as little manipulation from me as possible.
It usually works out. Once i find the few loads i want to expand on then i get set up in the prone and work them that way.

Everyone will do it differently, but i always do the last few steps while in the prone the way i would shoot the rifle.

Its worked well for me so far.
 
#17
I have had those days also. Bullets going all over hell. What I did to help myself was to get behind my rifle every day. Just get in postition. Well get in to practice getting into position. Once you have that I like to stay in position until I do not want to be there any more. The goal is to stay there longer each time. If your goal is to just be there for 22min then if you can do 30 with out a problem 22 is easy. It really helps. That and not drinking a small boat of coffee.
 
#18
RANCH 532 said:
Load testing should be done in a "vise" or something similar. Maybe find a smith and put your unit on his rail. Then you can work on yourself. Just my $.02
Click to expand...

A vise would not be a good idea for load testing. Your rifle generates recoil and that energy needs to go somewhere. If you lock down a rifle in a vice then you are going to get excessive vibration. There was a write up on accurate shooter sometime ago involving testing this will the 100+ pound BR rifles.
 
#19
Try dry firing first in the position your going to be shooting from before any loading. Do this until you can pull the trigger and know that your eye hasn't moved and your still even staring at the crosshairs on target. Take your time as there's really nothing to prove. Your only wasting money and (now days hard to come by) ammo by rushing.

The cool thing about the whole thing is the more and more you shoot. You'll come to notice that your bad days now are still better than your best days then.
 
Last edited:
#20
I hate it when this happens. I tell you what helps me, shooting my .22 bolt rifle before to warm up. Then before I get on the trigger practice going through your mental checklist and dry fire a few times. I've felt like wrapping my rifle around a pole a few times. Don't sweat it.
 
#21
bring a .22 bolt gun. when the centerfire has you strained, switch to the rimfire. I don't think I've ever had a "bad" day at the range, even when I'm shooting poorly. but a .22 can definitely make the best of an otherwise non-ideal outing
 
#22
ZLBubba said:
There are a couple ways to get more out of range visits that have really upped my own productivity and enjoyment. The first is that you should doing a lot of dry firing drills at home. The more I'm behind my gun practicing good form, trigger squeeze, grip, stock pressure, cheek weld, and follow through, the better I shoot when I go to the range. And yes, my first 10 shots at the range are all dry fires. It's more to get my head in the game than anything else.

The second is that I always always always take another platform (pistol, carbine, or shotgun) to shoot in case my main rig is having issues (scope, load, etc.). I'm a pessimist by nature so I never go to the range without a couple options for cathartic range therapy. It's really handy, even if you've just had a bad day on the rifle range, to go shoot sporting clays or punch the center out of a pistol target with a 45.

Hang in there, man. We've all been there, and will probably be there again soon.
Click to expand...

+1^^^^^^ good advise!
 
#23
Easy to slip into a rut when you are doing load development and intend to fire lots of rounds. You get out of the mindset of shooting 1 round at a time and making that one count. It happens, best way I can think of is to stop worrying about new loads and switch to something you know works. Concentrate on making 1 shot at a time, dot drill maybe and talk yourself through the fundamentals until your back on track, 1 round at a time.
 
#24
I try and bring a few rifles to the range any time I go including at least one I dont mind blowing ammo on. If I feel I am just really off I will break out a rimfire or the mosin or something of that nature just to get myself out of the funk or at least so I dont waste my expensive ammo just so I dont feel like I drove to the range for no reason. Shooting is fun sometimes you just have to remind yourself of that fact.
 
#25
I know and hate that feeling... Specially feel like I wasted all that time to reload then mess up at the range..

Like my dad told me when I was a kid. A bad day at the range beats a good day at the office!
 
#27
RobertB said:
Sorry, but I don't agree. If your a ammo manufacture of something then maybe. Quality rifles now days I believe should be fired how they will be used. THings might not act the same way when changed. Barrel harmonics can be tricky. In my 70# benchrest rifles it's like shooting in a vice but its how its shot a LR matches. It's similar to load development before/after a suppressor. Might change, might not. Develop how the rifle will be used for the majority of it's life.
Click to expand...

I am new to LR shooting and bolt guns. I am just beginning to work on my loads. I bought a 5k DTA Covert. My First 1911 was a Wilson Combat that cost me 3k. The reason I buy the best is so that when I shoot, I know it's my fault when the bullet does not reach my POI. Therefor, using a vise is the best idea for someone like me. I'm a 1 MOA shooter at 100 yd but my rifle has the potential of shooting .25 MOA with the proper load. I would never find that proper load without a vise. You're idea is probably the best when a master is working up a load, but a good percentage of us are not yet at that level, nor will we ever be by using improper loads on cheap guns.

Do you really have a 70# gun? Man that would suck to carry out in the field. I bet you are a hell of a shot at XLR with it though. Lets see some pics of this beast and what it can accomplish in the right hands.
 
#29
The guy is right. load testing should be done in something to take as much human error out as absolutely possible. you wont' know the true potential of your rifle, or your ammo until you do that.
 
#31
Seems to me it's all part of the learning curve.
When I have a lousy day at the range, I can reflect later on the things I know I was doing wrong and what I can do to improve on them.

There is no teacher like experience I always say.

Joe
 
#32
I like ZLBubbas attitude. Sometimes things just don't go the way you have them planned. I rarely take only 1 gun to the range. If I am struggling with the bolt gun, I can always have a blast with the .357 or the .44 mag or the LAR-8 or the 10/22 or the .54 smoke pole or whatever. I Love a day at the range no matter how frustrating it may start out.
 
#34
308plinker said:
I know practice, practice, practice is the name of the game when it comes to shooting long distance. But today I behaved like a total rookie! First it was flinching, then rushing. I never really got settled good behind my rifle today. I'm going thru load testing right now for a new rig. .308 with 26" Bartlein barrel. I know it's not the rifle, it's definitely me. I put 30 rounds down the tube today, and tried 3 different loads of 10 rounds each. But to be perfectly honest, I wasted my time. Don't you just hate those days when you get so pissed at yourself and wish you had just stayed home! Today was one of those days......
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. Sometimes it just seems like you can't get things to feel right. The concentration is just not quite seamless and shots seem to slip though your fingers. I seem to have this problem more shooting skeet than long range rifle. I have also noticed it particularly shooting rimfire 3 position. In 3 position, particularly when kneeling, it is hard to keep it together enough to make all the shots your best.

I don't think that it is a complete waste of time but damn if it doesn't feel like it.
 
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