| Date | Location | Offhand | Sitting | Rapid Prone | Slow Prone | Aggregate | |
| 5/2/02 | Racine | 91-1 | 99-2 | 97-1 | 194-3 | 481-7 | 96.2% |
| 5/4/02 | Bonfield | 191-5 | 193-7 | 198-8 | 199-11 | 781-31 | 97.6% |
| 5/5/02 | Bonfield | 98-3 | 99-4 | 98-1 | 198-7 | 493-15 | 98.6% |
| 5/18/02 | Milan | 191-0 | 196-8 | 198-12 | 188-2 | 773-22 | 96.6% |
| 5/23/02 | Racine | 91-1 | 94-1 | 100-3 | 192-3 | 477-8 | 95.4% |
| 5/25/02 | Lodi | 96-1 | 100-4 | 100-6 | 95-5 | 391-16 | 97.8% |
| 5/26/02 | Lodi | 187-3 | 197-6 | 196-5 | 375-5 | 955-19 | 95.5% |
| 5/30/02 | Racine | 95-4 | 98-3 | 100-4 | 188-6 | 481-17 | 96.2% |
| 6/1/02 | Milan | 190-4 | 194-6 | 197-2 | 192-4 | 773-16 | 96.6% |
| 6/6/02 | Racine | 95-1 | 98-0 | 94-2 | 193-7 | 480-10 | 96.0% |
| 6/8/02 | Bonfield | 181-2 | 193-6 | 183-0 | 197-10 | 754-18 | 94.3% |
| 6/9/02 | Bonfield | 95-1 | 100-4 | 91-1 | 192-5 | 478-11 | 95.6% |
| 6/16/02 | Racine | 182-2 | 199-8 | 194-7 | 180-3 | 755-20 | 94.4% |
| 6/20/02 | Racine | 91-0 | 97-0 | 99-5 | 181-3 | 468-8 | 93.6% |
| 6/22/02 | St. Louis | 181-0 | 199-12 | 195-4 | 193-5 | 768-21 | 96.0% |
| 6/23/02 | St. Louis | 92-2 | - | 99-4 | 96-1 | 287-7 | 95.7% |
| 6/23/02 | St. Louis | 96-1 | 97-4 | 96-2 | 190-5 | 479-12 | 95.8% |
| 6/27/02 | Racine | 97-2 | 99-5 | 91-0 | 194-9 | 481-16 | 96.2% |
| 6/29/02 | Van Meter | 93-2 | 99-1 | 98-3 | 194-5 | 484-11 | 96.8% |
| 6/29/02 | Van Meter | 94-1 | 99-4 | 96-1 | 195-5 | 484-11 | 96.8% |
| 6/30/02 | Van Meter | 191-4 | 197-14 | 194-5 | 384-7 | 966-30 | 96.6% |
| 7/6/02 | Lodi | 189-1 | 196-11 | 191-4 | 190-6 | 766-22 | 95.8% |
| 7/7/02 | Lodi | 95-0 | 99-5 | 96-0 | 189-5 | 479-10 | 95.8% |
| 7/7/02 | Lodi | 93-0 | 98-4 | 94-1 | 184-2 | 469-7 | 93.8% |
| 7/11/02 | Racine | 95-1 | 98-3 | 100-2 | 192-6 | 485-12 | 97.0% |
| 7/13/02 | Racine | 94-2 | 97-3 | 92-1 | 196-11 | 479-17 | 95.8% |
| 7/14/02 | Bonfield | 97-4 | 99-1 | 97-1 | 194-7 | 487-13 | 97.4% |
| 7/21/02 | Bonfield | 99-4 | 98-5 | 96-2 | 192-3 | 485-14 | 97.0% |
| 7/27/02 | Milan | 188-3 | 196-4 | 195-2 | 192-4 | 771-13 | 96.4% |
| 7/30/02 | Camp Perry | 96-2 | - | 96-0 | 99-4 | 291-6 | 97.0% |
| 7/31/02 | Camp Perry | 94-4 | 98-3 | 98-2 | 198-7 | 488-16 | 97.6% |
| 8/2/02 | Camp Perry | 93-0 | 97-1 | 100-5 | 194-5 | 484-11 | 96.8% |
| 8/4/02 | Camp Perry | 93-0 | 100-4 | 100-3 | 195-3 | 488-10 | 97.6% |
| 8/6/02 | Camp Perry | 187-0 | 199-11 | 193-4 | 187-4 | 766-19 | 95.8% |
| 8/7/02 | Camp Perry | 156-2 | 192-3 | 193-6 | 191-7 | 732-18 | 91.5% |
| 8/8/02 | Camp Perry | 179-0 | 199-7 | 193-2 | 196-7 | 767-16 | 95.9% |
| 8/17/02 | Bonfield | 185-2 | 200-6 | 197-4 | 199-3 | 781-15 | 97.6% |
| 8/29/02 | Racine | 93-2 | 98-4 | 99-5 | 193-4 | 483-15 | 96.6% |
| 8/31/02 | Milan | 188-1 | 197-7 | 192-3 | 196-7 | 773-18 | 96.6% |
| 9/1/02 | Milan | 184-4 | 197-7 | 195-4 | 195-5 | 771-20 | 96.4% |
| 9/2/02 | Milan | 96-1 | 100-3 | 98-1 | 195-7 | 489-12 | 97.8% |
| 9/8/02 | Bonfield | 95-3 | 98-3 | 95-1 | 194-5 | 482-12 | 96.4% |
| 9/21/02 | Milan | 191-3 | 196-7 | 192-2 | 193-5 | 772-17 | 96.5% |
| 9/28/02 | Bonfield | 190-4 | 199-8 | 187-0 | 197-10 | 773-22 | 96.6% |
| 9/29/02 | Bonfield | 189-0 | 194-6 | 198-7 | 193-5 | 774-18 | 96.8% |
| 10/6/02 | Bonfield | 91-1 | 98-5 | 96-1 | 198-9 | 483-16 | 96.6% |
2001 was a very good year for my improvement as a highpower shooter. By devoting a lot of time and effort I succeeded in accomplishing several goals that I had set, including the President's 100 tab and the Distinguished Rifleman's badge. Because of the order that match scores were sent to the NRA I still have a Master classification.
During the winter, at the insistence of my wife, I had purchased a dedicated upper chambered in .22 LR from CLE. This allowed me to shoot indoor smallbore with the same trigger and rifle form factor that I use in highpower. My feeling is that this helped me develop a more consistent position and better acquisition of natural point of aim. Even if it didn't help me at all it was a pretty cool toy.
I hope to shoot as much this year as last year with an elevation in my performance all around. My immediate goal is to get a High Master classification as early in the season as possible.
After getting rained out in April I was finally able to shoot a full match during the Thursday night league. It was very windy with gusts going from 1 o'clock to 9 o'clock. This made for a wobbly offhand hold. I was happy with my rapid fire groups and my slow prone sight picture consistency. Offhand 91-1x, Sitting 99-2x, Rapid Prone 97-1x, Slow Prone 194-3x, Aggregate 481-7x.
A beautiful day to shoot. Not a cloud in the sky with just a slight breeze. For offhand I kept clicking right and established my canted zero with about 10 clicks of right wind. I tried to use a different mat position in sitting but it only made things worse. My first string of prone rapid was a clean with five. Slow prone was good with a relaxed position. I ended up winning the match by x-count. Offhand 191-5x, Sitting 193-7x, Rapid Prone 198-8x, Slow Prone 199-11x, Aggregate 781-31x.
The weather was perfect today as well. My last shot in offhand was a nine. I corrected for elevation from my sighters in rapid prone and dropped two out the bottom. I should have stuck to my regular zero. Slow prone was pleasing because it showed that I'm able to get a good sight picture consistently. I was match winner by seven points. Offhand 98-3x, Sitting 99-4x, Rapid Prone 98-1x, Slow Prone 198-7x, Aggregate 493-15x.
Slightly cool but the clear skies and sun made the day very nice for shooting. Offhand was fair. I got some gas in my eye in sitting and that blurred my sight picture. My groups were very tight in rapid prone with one shot in each string getting out in the nine ring. By the time we shot slow prone cloud cover would hide the sun and then reveal it. This changing light really played with my elevation. Offhand 191-0x, Sitting 196-8x, Rapid Prone 198-12x, Slow Prone 188-2x, Aggregate 773-22x.
A four gun 600 for some slow prone practice. Light was a problem for me much like yesterday. While I didn't do as bad at 600 as yesterday it was not the performance I was looking for. The score was good for second service rifle. Match 1 193-4x, Match 2 193-5x, Match 3 195-9x, Match 4 195-7x, Aggregate 776-25x.
The skies were dark and the wind was blowing on this Thursday night. It was difficult getting a decent sight picture because of the lack of light. The target was gray and I was straining to keep the front sight sharp. I suffered from the effects of wind in offhand but I felt my hold was good and the shots were on call. My sitting group was low but I've been very happy with my rapid prone groups. I came off the 600 yd. line with 12 clicks of right wind on but it was the lack of light that caused me to lose the most points. Offhand 91-1x, Sitting 94-1x, Rapid Prone 100-3x, Slow Prone 192-3x, Aggregate 477-8x.
The Triple Crown Regional weekend at Lodi, WI. Today is the team match. It rained for the entire morning and we didn't get started until 12:30. Because of the delay, slow prone would be shortened to only 10 shots. I felt comfortable for most of the day and got some good coaching. Slow prone felt a bit off with shots going from the nine ring to the x-ring. Offhand 96-1x, Sitting 100-4x, Rapid Prone 100-6x, Slow Prone 95-5x, Aggregate 391-16x.
A 100 shot Regional. We started with two matches at 600 and it was a disaster. I struggled to get comfortable and get a good sight picture. Rapids were fair but not what I was expecting. Standing had some wind and I had to try to wait out the gusts. Not the best of days since I shot the same score last year with a better x-count. Offhand 187-3x, Sitting 197-6x, Rapid Prone 196-5x, Slow Prone 185-2x, Slow Prone 190-3x, Aggregate 955-19x.
A Palma match. I'm certainly not a regular long-range shooter but when I do I like a challenge. Because I like shooting service rifle I shot my M1A. 800 yards was good with calm conditions and a slight overcast. By 900 the sun came out and made the targets hard to see. By the time we shot 1000 yards the wind was not blowing hard but it was switching a bit. My biggest concern was seeing the right target so that I wouldn't cross-fire. It's fun to do this once a year and I actually ended up shooting my long-range card. 800: 148-4x, 900: 139-3x, Rapid Prone 136-0x, Aggregate 423-7x.
My slow prone scores have really gone down the toilet recently. I was down seven points going back to 600 and proceeded to drop 12 back there. It's certainly more elevation than windage with some corner eights possibly indicating a trigger control problem. I found that if I bring the post up to the target and break a good shot quickly it usually winds up a ten. I'll just have to keep practicing. Offhand 95-4x, Sitting 98-3x, Rapid Prone 100-4x, Slow Prone 188-6x, Aggregate 481-17x.
This is the Illinois Highpower Open Championship. Standing was fair but I expected to shoot a couple of points higher. I had problems in sitting that caused my first group to be out at the right. I've been doing well in rapid prone and I was hoping to clean it but I ended up dropping two on the first string and one on the second. Slow prone was frustrating with no clue as to what I am doing wrong. The only consolation was that a lot of other people had problems as well. Offhand 190-4x, Sitting 194-6x, Rapid Prone 197-2x, Slow Prone 192-4x, Aggregate 773-16x.
A perfect day to shoot a good score. The sky is clear and blue with no wind. Offhand was uneventful with all shots within the nine ring. My last shot in sitting was fired as the targets were dropping so that gave me an eight. I didn't think about my 300 yd. zero in these light conditions and shot six 9's at the bottom of the ring. All shots in slow prone were in a band that was no wider than the ten ring but it stretched from the bottom of the nine ring to one shot in the eight ring at 12 o'clock. Trigger control was good but I think my sight picture was causing the elevation problems. Offhand 95-1x, Sitting 98-0x, Rapid Prone 94-2x, Slow Prone 193-7x, Aggregate 480-10x.
Quite possible my worst single day performance in recent memory, and on my birthday too. I was shooting consecutive eights in standing, had low groups in sitting and rapid prone looked like it was fired with a shotgun. My only saving grace was slow prone with a decent x-count. It's days like this that cause me a lot of frustration. Offhand 181-2x, Sitting 193-6x, Rapid Prone 183-0x, Slow Prone 197-10x, Aggregate 754-18x.
Another hot and humid day with light wind conditions. Offhand was about average and I managed to eke out a clean in sitting. When I shot my rapid prone it looked decent and I thought I may have dropped a point. The group turned out be about nine ring diameter high and on the left side. Slow prone had a series of nines out the right side. Offhand 95-1x, Sitting 100-4x, Rapid Prone 91-1x, Slow Prone 192-5x, Aggregate 478-11x.
Things are going from bad to worse in slow prone. My calls are nine-ring but my shots are going out in the seven-ring. I've checked my prone wobble using an electronic Rika system and the wobble area is about the size of the X-ring. We shot this morning facing east so there was all kinds of glare on my front post and a hard to see sight picture. Sitting went well with the first string being a clean with five. The first rapid prone group had six nines at six o'clock. I came up 2/3 moa. and shot a clean with five for my second group. My slow prone score was my worst since the Rumbold match last year when I cross-fired. Offhand 182-2x, Sitting 199-8x, Rapid Prone 194-7x, Slow Prone 180-3x, Aggregate 755-20x.
Hot and humid with no wind and a hazy sky. Offhand was a series of nines because I was jerking the trigger when the sights settled on the target. The rapids were fair with decent groups that weren't centered. In slow prone I was very consciously concentrating on getting good front sight focus. If the focus was not there I would take a breath and start over. My position didn't feel quite right and my shots were between 3 o'clock and 5 o'clock all the way out to the seven ring. Offhand 91-0x, Sitting 97-0x, Rapid Prone 99-5x, Slow Prone 181-3x, Aggregate 468-8x.
The Missouri Service Rifle Championship just west of St. Louis. Hot and humid weather and I was sweating even before I started shooting. Another miserable offhand performance. Second string of sitting was a clean with eight x's. I tried using a center of mass hold for slow prone and it seemed to work fairly well. I could hold elevation but trigger control was still a problem. Offhand 181-0x, Sitting 199-12x, Rapid Prone 195-4x, Slow Prone 193-5x, Aggregate 768-21x.
Today's team match would be the 30 shot President's course of fire. Standing started off well but went downhill. Rapid prone was a good group with a called nine at four o'clock. Center of mass seems to be working for me in slow prone. Offhand 92-2x, Rapid Prone 99-4x, Slow Prone 96-1x, Aggregate 287-7x.
Shooting Leg matches when you're already distinguished is a lot of fun. Things are relaxed and I don't feel as rushed. I was at ease in offhand but my rapids were not what I was expecting. Slow prone was an improvement over how I have been shooting but still not where I need to be. Offhand 96-1x, Sitting 97-4x, Rapid Prone 96-2x, Slow Prone 190-5x, Aggregate 479-12x.
My performance seems to be coming around. I'm more relaxed and starting to get my confidence back. I slouched more in offhand and that slowed down the movement of the front sight. Sitting was good but I tried to use a looser relaxed position in rapid prone. I should have shot it tight like I have been doing it. While not spectacular, my slow prone is definitely showing signs of improvement with a decent x-count. Offhand 97-2x, Sitting 99-5x, Rapid Prone 91-0x, Slow Prone 194-9x, Aggregate 481-16x.
Team match in Van Meter Iowa. The range faced east so I had a lot of sun in my eyes for offhand. As the day wore on it got hotter and more humid. Sitting was just OK. Rapid prone was a bit low and I broke some bad shots in slow prone. I think our team won the match. Offhand 93-2x, Sitting 99-1x, Rapid Prone 98-3x, Slow Prone 194-5x, Aggregate 484-11x.
By the time we started shooting this leg match the hot weather was oppressive. I had a fair offhand and another shot out in sitting. A sub-standard rapid prone was followed by a decent slow prone. The center of mass hold has really been working out well for me. I ended up winning the Leg match by one point. Offhand 94-1x, Sitting 99-4x, Rapid Prone 96-1x, Slow Prone 195-5x, Aggregate 484-11x.
The Iowa Regional Championship. Two eights turned a good offhand into a mediocre one. My second string in sitting was a 99 with 8 x's. Rapid prone felt better than it was on target. While my slow prone sight picture has improved, my trigger control is causing me to throw some shots out. The wind was switching around but I helped it along by moving the rifle as I broke the shot. Offhand 191-4x, Sitting 197-14x, Rapid Prone 194-5x, Slow Prone 386-7x, Aggregate 966-30x.
The Wisconsin Service Rifle Championship. I'm having trouble consistently breaking through the 95/190 barrier in offhand. I shot an eight and a seven. My first string of sitting had seven x's, one ten, one nine, and one eight. Rapid prone was out at eight o'clock. Slow prone was disappointing. Offhand 189-1x, Sitting 196-11x, Rapid Prone 191-4x, Slow Prone 190-6x, Aggregate 766-22x.
For the team match we just wanted to get correct zeros and have people comfortable with pair firing and the coaches. I ended up coaching a pair of shooters in slow prone. I was too slow and felt like I was always making a bad decision. As a coach, reading condition changes is the easy part. It's getting into a rhythm with the shooters and getting their confidence in you as a coach that's difficult. Offhand 95-0x, Sitting 99-5x, Rapid Prone 96-0x, Slow Prone 189-5x, Aggregate 479-10x.
This Leg match started at the 600 yd. line and moved forward. In slow prone my shots were going to the left and the right but seldom the middle. I lost six nines out the right in rapid prone. Standing had a bunch of nines. I dropped two out the bottom in sitting. With the Nationals coming up I have been hoping to be shooting better than this. My rapid prone groups have really opened up since the beginning of the year. Slow prone has been very frustrating as well. Offhand 93-0x, Sitting 98-4x, Rapid Prone 94-1x, Slow Prone 184-2x, Aggregate 469-7x.
I performed a bit better than I have been recently. All my dropped points in standing came on the last four shots. Breaking the 95% barrier seems to be difficult for me. Sitting had two shots low. Rapid prone had one of the sloppiest cleans that I've ever had. I had a couple of elevation shots in slow prone but I felt relaxed and broke some good shots. Offhand 95-1x, Sitting 98-3x, Rapid Prone 100-2x, Slow Prone 192-6x, Aggregate 485-12x.
We had a team practice and shot a 50 round match. Offhand and sitting were nothing to write home about. I lost a lot of points in rapid prone with some sloppy shooting. I tried a new hold for slow prone and it helped me to be more relaxed. Offhand 94-2x, Sitting 97-3x, Rapid Prone 92-1x, Slow Prone 196-11x, Aggregate 479-17x.
In offhand the shots were going into the ten ring but were not on call. Sitting was fair. Rapid prone was disappointing because I had some shots out low. I was guessing at a 300 yd. reduced zero for slow prone and I finally got it figured out but I still didn't break 20 perfect shots. My performance for the day was good but I was still 10 points down from the match winner. Offhand 97-4x, Sitting 99-1x, Rapid Prone 97-1x, Slow Prone 194-7x, Aggregate 487-13x.
We decided to shoot a six-man team practice to get just a little more ready for Camp Perry. It was a new personal best for me in offhand with my trigger control being very good. My only nine was on the last shot. The rapids were loose and sloppy but I think I realize what's wrong with them. Because of the heat today, my sights in slow prone were wobbling all over the place. I just wanted to get done and out of position. My overall score was decent but I was still low man on the team today. Offhand 99-4x, Sitting 98-5x, Rapid Prone 96-1x, Slow Prone 192-3x, Aggregate 485-14x.
Another Regional Championship. Rainy in the morning. Standing was disappointing after the last couple of weeks. The rapids were fair. Slow prone was very uncomfortable with a deteriorating position. The rifle slides around on my jacket and it's difficult to get a firm position. Offhand 188-3x, Sitting 196-4x, Rapid Prone 195-2x, Slow Prone 192-4x, Aggregate 771-13x.
Now it's off to Camp Perry for the National Matches. I'm going with some trepidation because I'm not shooting at a level that I expect. But, I'll go and do my best for the two weeks that I'm there.
The President's match went well. I was down one point through the first seven shots in standing and shot three nines on my last three shots. As I shot rapid prone the wind went from across the range to almost in my face. I ended up over-doping by 3/4 m.o.a. I started slow prone with an X. My score was good for number 42 out of 1310 shooters. Offhand 96-2x, Rapid Prone 96-0x, Slow Prone 99-4x, Aggregate 291-6x.
I don't have to worry about trying to get Leg points any more but I really wanted to break 490 in the National Trophy Individual. Offhand had a good x-count but I dropped too many points. The rapids were uneventful. My slow prone performance was good and long overdue. Offhand 94-4x, Sitting 98-3x, Rapid Prone 98-2x, Slow Prone 198-7x, Aggregate 488-16x.
Six man team day. My offhand was very disappointing and sitting didn't help matters any. Just like last year's six man, I had a clean with five in rapid prone. We were second civilian team, again. This time to Georgia. Offhand 93-0x, Sitting 97-1x, Rapid Prone 100-5x, Slow Prone 194-5x, Aggregate 484-11x.
The Rumbold team match. I can't seem to get it together in offhand. The rapids were a pleasant surprise as I haven't been able to clean both of them since May. Offhand 93-0x, Sitting 100-4x, Rapid Prone 100-3x, Slow Prone 195-3x, Aggregate 488-10x.
The first day of the NRA Highpower Championship. I continued the pattern of a mediocre offhand. Sitting was solid and felt good with my first string a clean with seven. Rapid prone felt OK but ended up in a huge group. Offhand 187-0x, Sitting 199-11x, Rapid Prone 193-4x.
The wind came out this morning and just kept on blowing all day. People were shooting multiple misses in offhand. I didn't have any misses but I was getting blown all the way out to the five ring. The wind still kept pushing me around in sitting. Offhand 156-2x, Sitting 192-3x, Slow Prone 187-4x.
Chilly and breezy. Sitting 199-7x, Rapid Prone 193-6x, Slow Prone 191-7x.
Not as windy for offhand as on Tuesday but still enough for me to get frustrated. I tried shooting as fast as I could in slow prone to avoid any wind changes. I shot 22 shots in about seven minutes. I felt like my performance was lacking in this year's championship but I left with some things to work on for next year. Offhand 179-0x, Rapid Prone 193-2x, Slow Prone 196-7x, Aggregate 2265-53x.
For some reason my offhand has really gone in the toilet since the beginning of CMP week at Perry. I had multiple eights and my wobble area was huge. Sitting was sloppy but I eked out a clean. Rapid prone didn't feel very tight but I dropped three points on the first string and cleaned the second. Slow prone was a revelation. I spent extra time getting a comfortable position and it seemed to have paid off although I have to improve my x-count. Offhand 185-2x, Sitting 200-6x, Rapid Prone 197-4x, Slow Prone 199-3x, Aggregate 781-15x.
Back to Thursday practice matches. I lost most of my points in offhand on two bad shots. I have to stop making those. Rapids weren't outstanding because my sitting position wanted to cant over. I need to spend more time getting comfortable before I shoot slow prone. Offhand 93-2x, Sitting 98-4x, Rapid Prone 99-5x, Slow Prone 193-4x, Aggregate 483-15x.
This was the Illinois Service Rifle Championship and I was looking forward to shooting this weekend. The dry firing that I've done for the past week didn't seem to help much today. Neither did that six that I shot. I cleaned the first string of each of my rapids but couldn't put it together for the second one. Slow prone was not as good as I expected but that didn't hurt me too much. State champion was John Holliger with a 789. Offhand 188-1x, Sitting 197-7x, Rapid Prone 192-3x, Slow Prone 196-7x, Aggregate 773-18x.
Today is the 4-Man team match. I cross-fired an X for my 11th shot in offhand. It was a pretty decent score considering I threw away ten points. I couldn't decide whether to shoot with a cant in sitting or not. At the end of the day we finished up as the second place team. Offhand 184-4x, Sitting 197-7x, Rapid Prone 195-4x, Slow Prone 195-5x, Aggregate 771-20x.
Since this is a Leg match I only get to compete for the top three medals. I have gotten a stable standing position but I shot an eight because I held too long. My clean is sitting was a little loose but I'll take it. I was just out to the right in rapid prone. I have no idea why. Trigger control cost me an eight at 600. My score earned me the Bronze medal. Offhand 96-1x, Sitting 100-3x, Rapid Prone 98-1x, Slow Prone 195-7x, Aggregate 489-12x.
300 yd. reduced course match. Offhand felt more wobbly than normal. This may have been due to the way I had my feet planted on the firing point. My sling slipped down my arm in rapid prone which caused my shots to go everywhere except the center. Slow prone was just plain frustrating with elevation nines. Offhand 95-3x, Sitting 98-3x, Rapid Prone 95-1x, Slow Prone 194-5x, Aggregate 482-12x.
This match is an opportunity for experimentation. I tried a center of mass hold for offhand. It seemed to make my trigger break more automatic by letting me break the shot without thinking of where the post should be under the black. When I get into a good sitting position it makes me want to cant moderately to the right. I just need to get a good zero for this. My 300 rapid felt good when I broke the shots but the groups fell out to the left. Offhand 191-2x, Sitting 196-7x, Rapid Prone 192-2x, Slow Prone 193-5x, Aggregate 772-17x.
A 4-Gun 600 for more slow prone practice. The wind was gusty but going downrange for the most part. Light had a much bigger effect. I have found that getting a bright, well lit sight picture helps me discern a sharp front sight post. When this doesn't happen I have elevation problems. I think I wound up with a similar score to the other top service rifle shooters. 193-8x, 195-6x, 192-5x, 192-5x, Aggregate 772-24x.
I'm still continuing with a center of mass hold for standing. Now that I'm getting used to it, my calls have really improved. That image of the sights as the rifle is going off is very clear. I also tried center of mass for rapid prone without any zeros. It has potential but I need to focus on the front sight more. Not to mention get good zeros. Offhand 190-4x, Sitting 199-8x, Rapid Prone 187-0x, Slow Prone 197-10x, Aggregate 773-22x.
Team match today. I had fantastic calls in offhand. I even knew that the seven that I shot was going to be out. Way out. Sitting was pretty sloppy with a pair of 97s. I again used a center of mass for rapid prone. It felt good even with only an approximate zero. For slow prone I held elevation about 3/4 of the ten ring diameter. But I was left and right. Offhand 189-0x, Sitting 194-6x, Rapid Prone 198-7x, Slow Prone 193-5x, Aggregate 774-18x.
Breezy and cool with overcast skies. The wind moved me just enough to increase my wobble area and I didn't have confidence in my offhand hold. Sitting was the same story from this year with the majority of shots going in the middle and a couple getting thrown way out in the nine ring. For rapid prone the group was decent enough but out to the left. Slow prone went well with seven x's on my first ten shots. Offhand 91-1x, Sitting 98-5x, Rapid Prone 96-1x, Slow Prone 198-9x, Aggregate 483-16x.
Well, that about wraps it up. This year's highpower season was filled with mixed feelings for me. On the one hand I'm happy with getting my High Master card, another President's 100 tab and having overall match consistency, especially at the end of the season. But there were also a number of disappointments. While CMP week at the nationals went fairly well, NRA week, with the exception of the Rumbold, was not quite what I had hoped for. My performance level was about the same as last year and I didn't feel I improved greatly from the previous season.
I hope to spend this winter being competitive in 4 position indoor smallbore. While it's not with the same type of rifle, the time I spend working on shot execution should benefit me in highpower.