I discussed the "Triangle of Accuracy" and how the Shooter, Equipment, and Ammunition all play parts in affecting the accuracy and precision that can be achieved.
All three parts of the triangle CAN be upgraded, but the factor that has the largest affect is the shooter. The shooter will have the largest degree of inconsistency of the three and we have to work on ourselves to gain every bit of consistency that we can get achieve.
Before any personal gains in consistency can be shown, we must first have a baseline to work with.
Let's be consistent with the rifle and ammo. (I'll go ahead and recommend a .22LR although this process can be used on any rifle, it's just less expensive and lower recoil than most anything else to start out with.)
Clean your rifle really well. Chamber and barrel. We are starting fresh. (You do NOT need to use copper solvent, just powder solvent and bore snake or brush/patches)
Ammo. One brand/style/box. If you have a 550 bulk pack, just use it and only it. Don't switch between different brands/makes/models of ammunition. I try to stay with the same exact LOT# as well if at all possible.
Rounds produced in a single LOT# have a better chance of being similar than rounds produced on different machines in different factories across the country 5 months apart.
Record keeping. This can be as complex or as simple as I will show you. As you go up in caliber and ballistics, you may want a lot more information than what we will be keeping during this particular series.
Here's the easy cheesy way. We'll call it the "Dope Book" going forward.
1" binder
1 box of clear lightweight sheet protectors
1 folder
1 pen
Copy Paper sized targets. It is probably the least expensive option to have your local WallyWorld or corner drugstore print them out for you. It is a lot cheaper than buying targets outright, and a lot cheaper than using your own toner/ink cartridges.
(If you HAVE to purchase targets at your local range, you should still be able to affix these targets to the front of the target you have to purchase from them. You might tell them you are working on a project and everything should be ok).
Put the sheet protectors and the folder into the 1" binder. The pen will fit in there as well. Put your targets into the folder and now you are set.
I'll be using this target a lot. It is a 1/3 scale IDPA target that will print nicely onto copy paper.
You can see it at 100yds with open sights and you can really get up close and personal with a scope.
http://home.comcast.net/~ron.crouse07/images/target12.pdf
Any target on copy paper will do as long as you can see it at ranges out to 100 yards.
There are a BUNCH of fantastic targets that you can save/print from my friends over at LuckyGunner.
Shameless plug, if you have a hard time getting .22lr....check the LuckyGunner page, if it is in stock, it's on the webpage and can ship that day and be on your doorstep VERY quickly! Check back often because new shipments of ammunition arrive almost every day.
http://www.luckygunner.com/free-targets
http://www.luckygunner.com/rimfire/22-lr-ammo
Rifle (and magazine), check.
Ammo, check.
Dope Book and pen, check (Targets are in the folder).
Range Bag/Box...some stuff that you will need in your range bag, every time you go...
Allen wrenches/screwdriver set that fits everything on your rifle. Murphy's Law. Something will come loose at the worst possible time. Blue Loctite??
Cleaning rod/kit. Cleaning rod/BoreSnake. Cleaning rod is important in case of a failure to eject or squib load where a bullet can possibly get lodged in the barrel. It is rare, but can happen.
Tape/clothes pins/stapler....targets don't hang by themselves.
Ruler. (A Multi-Tool typically has a ruler on it, screwdrivers, etc...multitask with a Multi-Tool!
Safety glasses, hearing protection.
Everything is good to go, you have everything you need, SORT OF.
You have to have a plan for the day, something that you want to accomplish or something that you want to practice. That is where I come in and where this blog comes in. You go to the range to practice. You go to become a better marksman. How do you really KNOW that you are getting better? It's hard to tell unless you have a baseline and some hard-copy information to actually prove it to yourself and that is part of what the "Dope Book" will be used for.
Our first day to the range with this process is baselines, first and foremost a baseline zero.
Since we have a nice and squeaky clean barrel with no shots through it, let's set up a target at 50 yards, aim absolute bulls-eye dead center and take 1 shot.
Commit where that first shot hit to memory, aim at the exact same absolute bulls-eye dead center and fire 9 more shots. This should put 10 shots into a grouping somewhere on the target. Go grab your target and immediately circle that very first shot. (You will ALWAYS circle the very first impact).
On the target scribble the date, approx temp, bore condition, and your shooting position. Number the targets, as well.
Now that you are done scribbling all over your target you need to figure out your adjustments to make for your zero. Remember that most optics in the U.S. are set up for 1/4 MOA adjustments. That means 1 click = 1/4" AT 100 YARDS. If you are shooting at 50 yards, double the clicks because it will be twice as much adjustment. 1" at 100 yds = 4 clicks....1" at 50 yards = 8 clicks.
Make a note on your first target that you think you need to adjust your optic __ amount of clicks up/down and then __ amount of clicks right/left and then make your adjustment on the optic.
Set up target two and do the same exact thing. Give it 1 shot, take a really good look at where it hit and commit that shot to memory or circle it if you have to walk to see it. Then follow up with 9 more good shots and go get your target.
Circle the first shot on target, Number the target and put the rest of the pertinent information on it, just like the first target. Note on the target that you already adjusted your sights per target one. Take a measurement if needed from center of your group to center bull's eye and note any fine adjustments that you need to make before your third group of 10 on the next target. If all is good and you don't need any more adjustments....we are done with our "mission" have some fun and we'll look at our targets IN DEPTH when you get home.
If you do need to make some fine-tuning adjustments, that is fine. Set up target 3 at your zero range, fire the first shot and commit the placement to memory so you can circle it. Fire the next 9 shots and at this point you should be very close to your group surrounding the bull's eye or within a click or two. We should be done with this portion of setting our baseline. File your targets into the binder and have some fun with the rest of your ammo.
What did we accomplish with the 20 or 30 rounds that we just put on paper?
Target #1 we start with a spotlessly clean barrel with NO powder fouling in it at all. You might be able to see some distance between the very first shot (which you committed to memory and then circled) and the rest of the group, regardless of where it printed on the paper. We also got started on getting the rifle zeroed in.
Target #2 we have another (very close to) cold bore shot. It probably took you a few minutes to go get target 1, then jot down all the stuff, then measure and figure out your sight/scope adjustment, then make the adjustment, set up target 2, reload your magazine, and settle in for your first shot onto the target, right?
The next 9 shots should be closer to or right on target. Any adjustments from here should be minimal pending you measured and counted your clicks properly.
Target #3 we finalized getting the rifle zeroed onto the bull, got another (very close to) cold bore shot and essentially confirmed that we were on target and zeroed for that range under those conditions and now we have proof positive in documentation to go into the "Dope Book" for future reference.
We also have an idea of how large your 10 shot groups are, with your current skill set, under those weather conditions and bore conditions.
Compare the three different group sizes.
Note on the very first group if that first shot is way off from shots 2-10 or if there is a "walking" pattern going from shot one into what eventually became the largest concentration of shots together in the first group.
Did the same thing happen on target two?
Was the group tighter on target 2 than target 1? Tighter on target 3 than 2?
At 50 yards with a .22 rifle, you may have VERY tight groups of 1" or better. You may have groups that are 6" or larger, but at least you now have documentation to show later on if you are improving as a shooter and you also have some "Dope" on how the rifle reacts after the bore is cleaned and begins to foul up (which is NOT a bad thing).
After you were done with the Dope targets, did you continue shooting and have some fun? Good deal! That is what is all about. Hopefully you are already putting more shots on target than before we started.
Your homework before the next time going to the range....FIND YOUR NATURAL POINT OF AIM.
Learn to find your NPA and make it a habit early. Small caliber rifles like the .22 are much more forgiving than the high power rigs are. When large amounts of recoil are introduced, point of impact is affected just from the recoil and barrel "hop", not to mention "flinch" associated with recoil making the shooter unconsciously jerk or push the trigger and numerous other things that happen. This is minimized by learning a fundamentally sound NPA and base.
To get you started, here are several places to get some real insight on the Natural Point of Aim.
http://the-rifleman.blogspot.com/2008/03/part-five-natural-point-of-aim-npoa.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_point_of_aim
http://www.jarheadtop.com/Free_Blue_One.htm
http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/master-class/2013/07/natural-point-aim
http://artoftherifleblog.com/natural-point-of-aim/2011/09/natural-point-of-aim.html
Achieving a NPA is one of the first major parts to shooting CONSISTENTLY. So many shooters are not taught this or neglect it altogether and it is so fundamentally important.
This is easily practiced inside your home with no ammunition. If nothing else, it gets you thinking about your position on the rifle before you begin shooting and that will help make you a better rifleman.
