Why

[rjtfroggy]

Why is it I can go to the range and shoot less than .250 groups then go to a match and shoot the worst score I ever shot all with in 2 days using the same gun? ??? ;D

[earl39]

Does the word "CHOKE" ring a bell? We've all done it.

[Nor Cal Mikie]

If you shoot bad (like me) all the time, you'll never notice any edifference. :-[

[rjtfroggy]

I could come up with probably 5 different excuses, different ranges,concrete benches one day wood the next,the wind conditions,the fact that it is only the second time behind a trigger in14 weeks, so on & so on.
But it all comes down to the nut behind the trigger just not taking his time.
As far as choking, not really these are fun matches no real prizes other than the satisfaction of doing well(which I didn't).
We had 24 shooters all using a variety of rifles from $800 Savages like mine to $4200 customs with $1800 scopes and $600 rest.But like I said I can't blame the equipment just the shooter.
Some day I may have one of those scopes and expensive rest but I will never give up on my self assembled Savages.

[DanSavage]

I had the same thing going on, I could go to the range and shoot under half MOA at 100 yards and when I get to the match my groups would open up terribly.

What I have found that it is all boiling down to is my load. The load that I chose is awesome for up to 7 or 8 shots, then when the barrel and chamber get hot things really go south.

At my last match a guy told me " you might have a good hunting load, but you need to develop a load for a hot barrel. Try backing off the powder charge 1/10Th grain at a time until it's back in the sweet spot." I thought wow, I never thought of that but it makes a lot of sense.

Take a look at my first comp targets in this under first 200 yard F Class results by DanSavage

[lal357]

one thing i noticed is when a shoot a target with a nice orange dot i avg. .8-1.2 " groups @ 300yrds but when i practice with a mr-63 target that has no center that is a diferent color they open up to 2.5" i'm learning to bracket the cross hairs to see if this helps .i also need to take my time i tend to rush a shot in a match (i never use the full 20min to shoot more like 10).

[peterf225]

Some days I do better than others. I do shoot fast when in competition but it's when I am in a stride with good consistent winds. When I get there I will send 5+ shots downrange and not let up. I went through the same thing when I first starting shooting competition. I had a great 100 yd 5 shot group (less than .2") but would do horrible at 600 yds over 22 shots. Then I backed my load down found the accuracy node again and have stuck with that load.

[romulus]

Are we talking about losing performance at a task you have practiced so much it is mundane and the pressure gets to you or are we talking I can shoot great groups at 100 yards and for some reason it all falls apart in other situations?

[Waskawood]

That is the interseting and I must say frustrating thing about this hobby. I cannot think of another hobby that has so many variables to it. Just stop and think about all the things that go into the making of a completed round then add all the variables of the rifle, the weather, rests, bags, cold barrel hot barrel, clean barrel, dirty barrel, scope, mirage, wind, the list goes on and on. When one unknown changes where do you start? It can be very frustrating but it also makes the sport fun. I think sometimes we get so caught up on how good the target looks that we forget to have fun and that there is why I love the sport. It is FUN!!!!

[82boy]

The reason is you must pratice like a match when you shoot. I actualy shoot better at matchs than I do just going out to the range. When you shoot at the range, shoot like you are at a match. Use windflags, have a timmer set, and use the same style target. Clean the gun, and do everything just like you do at the matchs.

The biggest thing I find at matchs is when I feel rushed, I make mistakes. Get the the range early. try to set up your equipement as soon as the relay is over and give your self time. The way I make most mistakes is, to start I dont realize it but I get in a hurry and I have things set up properly, but I am not confratable. I am not sitting the right height, or right spot on the gun, or I am leaning over the bench too much, or my feet are not flat on the ground, or something to the affect of what was mentioned. I have shot my best groups at matchs, and it was when I was confratable and I shot fast.

[memilanuk]

Well... at least its good to know I'm not the only one suffering from this malady ;)

This year it seems I've been about to go nuts - I'll have a load that is showing promise, i.e. tiny groups, low es/sd, etc. during load development, then I go to the range to shoot the way I would in a match and can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn from the inside. Been a few other times where I've been just about at my wits end, only to find that something (scope ring screw, base screw, action screw, fore-end rail screw, etc.) had came loose. For some reason it didn't 'show' from a bench, but from prone it sure as heck did. Other days I believe I was over-thinking things and started shooting better when I stopped trying to hold 'perfect' and settled for 'there it is - bang'. Not jerking the trigger but not continually fussing over it trying to make it perfect either.

I will second the bit about developing a load that shoots hot-n-dirty, at least for my sport (F-class). There is no time to clean between relays, at least not properly, and you might shoot one yard line and go to the pits for an hour or more, or shoot one yard line and roll right around to shoot another one 30 minutes later. Hot, cold, clean, dirty, somewhere in between it still has to work - and usually the longest yard lines are at the end of the day, when the gun is good and fouled.

[rjtfroggy]

Thanks for the tips.
Here is what I decided to do,I'm going to shoot at IBS score targets exclusively during the off season,I will set up 2 targets and shoot 5 shots at each xring(not counting sighters)total of 50 + at each practice session.Also going to practice at both ranges(wood bench at one concrete at the other).
My loads are good off the concrete always holding .2-.3 groups so I may need to practice more from the wood bench.
I will probably try to shoot twice a week for the time being when it gets colder I'll only be shooting once a week.
The one thing I am determined to do is to make my Savages and myself competitve.