Saturday, the last day before Boomershoot, was VERY eventful. I paid my range fees, and Major Econ graciously let me sit in on a short class for precision rifle operation, as I had missed the long class by arriving late on Friday. I remembered his key lessons to spotters, and I went to my shooting position to practice on the steel at 380 yards. Final sighting-in went well, and I practiced wind doping per the Major's instructions.
Time and pricey ammo goes by in a hurry, let me tell you!
I got the Winchester M70 (.243 WIN) and my Savage M99E (.308 WIN) smack on at 380, and moved out to 500. The wind is a HUGE deal at 500 yards. The Savage, still digesting my handloads well, soon had the steel at 500 ringing, validating my theory that it IS a MOA rifle.
Too soon, my range time, divided between spotting duty and shooting practice, was over.
It was time for boomer targets.
All the shooters safed the range and sortied down to the 380 yard berm. We observed placement of our 3 reactive targets according to our desires, and went back up to ready for the command to fire.
Aaron Neal was on the scope for me, and he called the wind and the wind overhold. I sighted, doing everything right as I was supposed to, and he gave the order, "Send it" and I began to squeeze, and bang-BOOOOOM! One shot, one boomer. That had been a 7" boomer, a 2 MOA target. I sighted on a 3" boomer next, but it took me 4 rounds (all within 6" of target center) to set it off, then I crippled my last boomer by cutting it free from it's stake and it was then half-buried in the soft dirt, making the 0.8 MOA target about a 0.4 MOA one, and THAT is beyond my capacity. I moved it twice with three more shots, but it never went off. Kevin Baker of the Smallest Minority was happily booming away next to me, and we got into a contest to see who could set off the cripples. A fun way to spend another half-box of ammo. We both left them in the dirt unexploded.
Clean up, put the gear away and head for Orofino for the Boomershoot Dinner at the VFW Hall. Some very interesting people presented short takes on what precision riflery really means, and I am even more pumped this morning, even after spending a few anxious moments in the camper as a nasty mountain cold front blew through overnight.
Hot coffee this morning, and I'm ready to rock and roll on over a thousand boomers in just an hour or so, so THIS one's a wrap, and more later, of course.
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