Getting things shipshape

Working hard to get things shipshape on the home front before heading off for a few weeks.

Today is getting my home office sorted (still not unpacked from my move in March!). Tonight, working on ammo prep so I have a lot of brass ready when I return.

I'm also going to load my match ammo for the BCTR season-end Championship that happens a week after my return.

Really feeling a bit ansy having not gone to the range to train for several days. Hopefully, doing some Scatt over the next few days will help a lot with that.

I've increased my trigger weight to 3lb 8oz to cope with Bisley's required 1.5kg but I still haven't entirely adapted to it (still losing a shot a string down in the 4-5 o'clock region).

Training progressing well.

Training is going pretty well. My rifle is feeling very comfortable, I'm gaining confidence in the mount to the shoulder being right every time and the trigger is as good as it has ever been at this weight. It must be close to 60ozs right now but the break is crisp and probably under 2 lbs.

This is today's 2nd target at 600yds after getting a zero. At the advice of a really good coach, I've added some material to the back of grip to help it fill my hand more to compensate for the heavier trigger pull (and to level my trigger finger). Today's tests suggest that I'm moving in the right direction.

I feel that this is much better than it looks. The 7th shot was caused by me moving the elevation knob the wrong way. I was sitting at the top of the V and wanted to come down 1/4 minute to bring it into the X ring. Shot 9 was called high (lost focus). Always a challenge to keep it going.

I'll shoot two days in Canada this weekend before taking a break and that will be a good confirmation test. After that, it's simply pack and re-pack gear to get it down to weight (23kg per bag) and to rest and relax until my July 8th departure.

Oh, and of course, look for a new job. That's pretty important.

Her Majesty the Queen's Prize

Here is a couple of nice YouTubes on the Queen's Prize (the finest 100 riflemen in the world).

The competition is completely equal between men and women, one of the few sports where he compete head to head.

Here is a long BBC show that gives some history (from the mid-1980s).

Here is an excerpt from last year's competition (produced by the NRA of the UK).

The match is fired in stages.

Well, time to start the blog for the new year (2016) at Bisley. I'm once again on the team (I was on the waiting list, not having competed at Connaught last year).

Very much looking forward to it. I've learned a lot since last year. Much more comfortable with my Gemini, my new jacket is broken in and like a 2nd skin, my mental process is much better. Still lots of room for improvement (mental approach and triggering) but I will spend the next several weeks before departure shooting groups at low intensity and frequent Scatt (which frankly I've let languish all winter because of the difficulty of getting it set up).

This target was my third of yesterday. Preceding were 75.8.2, 75.8.1 and this one. Testing different loads, making a final determination of what I will shoot in the BC Championships. These matches come up the weekend after my return from the UK, so I have to load my ammo and leave it on the bench for my return.

Fortunately, this is a brilliant load and I've selected it for those matches.

I leave on July 8 out of Vancouver and am really looking forward to this year. Here's hoping it is mostly dry weather (the forecast is quite decent).