A Shooting Challenge

Posted on Leverguns Forum by ScottT:

Now, this is not a contest, nobody will see your scores unless you show them to somebody. But it is an experiment that I would like to see us conduct this year, just to see what can be done.

The challenge is only as expensive as you want to make it. There will be some ammo cost, but it will directly work in your favor.

Here is the challenge:

I challenge you to take ONE rifle and fire 1000 rounds through it this next year. It is preferable if the rifle is a lever gun, but not necessary. It can be a centerfire or a rimfire (saved you a heck of a lot of ammo money there!) but it should be a rifle with iron sights.

I know, I know......a number of you do not believe you can still shoot iron sight and some of you have never given it a serious try. Here is your opportunity to see what can be done. The irons can be anything that is not a scope. No glass.

These 1000rounds should be from field positions only. No bench rest here. If you want to shoot bench, that's fine, but do it with other rounds or rifles.

The target? A plain old cheap paper plate. Buy them at a discount house and the targets cost you very little.

The distance? You choose it depending upon your access to range facilities and your skill level. I'll shoot mine at 100yds. If you shoot well at 100yds, you might want to move it back to 150 or 200yds. If you have trouble with irons, you might want to move it up to 50yds. It doesn't matter, as long as you pick a distance and stick with it.

The position? Any field position you want to use. I'll do mine sitting since I take 90% of my shots at game from the sitting position.

Now this is some less than 100rds a month. But the rifle should be shot monthly. All 1000 rounds should be fired at the same sized plate, with the same load, with the same rifle, and at the same distance. Each shot should be carefully squeezed off. Call your shots as this will be a learning experience.

Shoot all you want outside of this experiment, but do not go plinking with this particular rifle. Shoot at deliberate targets and not tin cans or rocks. The paper will not lie to you.

It may be humbling at first, it probably will be if you have been shooting a lot from the bench. But I am willing to bet that if you keep up with the paper plates and put dates on them, you will see a definite improvement over the course of the year. Play with your rifle between sessions, get used to handling it and bringing it to bear on targets in your home. (unloaded of course!)

Get a good zero and stick with that one rifle.....I think you will learn something about yourself that you might not have suspected. Slow, disciplined rifle fire. I am very interested in the results.

I'm going to use my Shiloh. No point in anything else. I might shoot a lot more in working out zeroes at longer ranges, but I am looking forward to trying this out.

I like shooting steel too. But there is something about the paper that makes a difference. You can take it with you and you can know the size of your groups and you can compare over time. You cannot do that with steel.

Keep in mind that there is no real reference point on a paper plate. You hold center and squeeze.

Yes, a .22 will do as well as anything. Even a big rifle is no handicap and it will do me good to do this too.

I figure it this way. 100rds=1 lb of powder in Big Nose Kate. One box of primers and I have to cast the bullets. Seems like a small investment for a month's worth of shooting.

Peeps are fine, just no glass. Remember, this is really not a competition, but something to see what can be done with careful practice.

However many rounds per plate that you want. Just be consistant.

Post them if you want. This is not really a competition, I would rather see (1) if anybody actually does it and (2) if they see any improvement in their shooting.

I predict that there may be some improvement that is measureable on paper, but there may be a huge boost in confidence and comfort. There may be no gain at all for some people.

I'm going to do this and have decided on my Marlin 1894C but I won't be able to start until next week. I'm going to date all my plates too so that I can see what if any improvement I make.