How do we see the leaderboard? Is there a link, or is it just updated throughout the threads, or maybe upon request? I'm trying to figure out when I make it on.
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30-Yard Challenge
- Thread starter tcarlson777
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ThomasT
Member
- Apr 25, 2021
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Hello @Lightyear68
I believe that @tcarlson Tom is updating it every Sunday and it will be a post that follows this one. I do not see that you have posted a photo.
ThomasT
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@Lightyear68 - Here is the current leaderboard. I generally post it once a week, unless activity is way down, like it is during winter. Let us know if you have any other questions.
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I bought a tin of JSB 14.35g for my Weihrauch HW110 - as I tuned the power down to about 18 ft/lbs… the HW110 didn’t like them.
So I tried them in my Benjamin Cayden. It liked them at 900 fps. I dialed it back and shot this card - 33 degrees and breezy.
11Xs is the most I’ve hit so far. My Cayden.22 and Akela .177 are very accurate “budget” rifles. Cayden actually slightly outshot my Daystate Huntsman today, lol.
So I tried them in my Benjamin Cayden. It liked them at 900 fps. I dialed it back and shot this card - 33 degrees and breezy.
11Xs is the most I’ve hit so far. My Cayden.22 and Akela .177 are very accurate “budget” rifles. Cayden actually slightly outshot my Daystate Huntsman today, lol.
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Hi Guys,
It has been a while since I have contributed to this thread. That's mostly because my shooting hasn't been so great. Can't seem to break 190 nor about 7 X's. I have tried to attribute that to shooting the 13.4 grainers at too low a speed (around 820 fps). I do that because I am using my HFT rifle and don't want to change the settings. But I think a good bit might be me. Anyway, I have been getting all "wrapped around the axel" about this. Am considering buying another rifle, better scope, etc, etc. Then yesterday (a very cold but still day) I again shot an unsatisfactory card, a 186 with 6X's. I was looking at the card tonight and decided to analyze it (uh oh - here comes Excel). Attached is my analysis. Seems the zeroing of the scope wasn't bad (centroids are way less than .25 MOA off), but I had two bad flyers (of course in the same blocks as two X's), but overall just not real good.
After looking at the analysis a bit I decided to try something. I took the graph and scaled an image of a dime to the graph and got this:
22 of the 24 shots from the "not very good" target could be covered by a dime. Maybe I am just being to hard on myself (and rifle). That really ain't bad in any context but target shooting.
It has been a while since I have contributed to this thread. That's mostly because my shooting hasn't been so great. Can't seem to break 190 nor about 7 X's. I have tried to attribute that to shooting the 13.4 grainers at too low a speed (around 820 fps). I do that because I am using my HFT rifle and don't want to change the settings. But I think a good bit might be me. Anyway, I have been getting all "wrapped around the axel" about this. Am considering buying another rifle, better scope, etc, etc. Then yesterday (a very cold but still day) I again shot an unsatisfactory card, a 186 with 6X's. I was looking at the card tonight and decided to analyze it (uh oh - here comes Excel). Attached is my analysis. Seems the zeroing of the scope wasn't bad (centroids are way less than .25 MOA off), but I had two bad flyers (of course in the same blocks as two X's), but overall just not real good.
After looking at the analysis a bit I decided to try something. I took the graph and scaled an image of a dime to the graph and got this:
22 of the 24 shots from the "not very good" target could be covered by a dime. Maybe I am just being to hard on myself (and rifle). That really ain't bad in any context but target shooting.
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Hey Greg - you might be a little hard on yourself/rifle.
“A think a good bit might be me. ” This rings true for me as well, and I can relate.
I know if there are any Squirrels reading this post, they would not feel too good being that “dime” at 30 yards.
Yeah, 7’s and 8’s are score “destroyers” for any paper target challenges at 30, 50 and 100 yards. A little over 20% of your shots were in that category. But, about 80% we’re 9’s and 10’s!
A big majority of us have all been there with the 180’s syndrome.
A couple of things I am trying to work on myself: I’m trying to slow down and shoot slower. If I shoot an ‘8’ or below, I stop. Take a few breaths, and even sometimes stand up walk a few steps and sit back down. Then I shoot a sighter or two. Then resume and try and adjust.
Scoring Strategy - my personal goal is to try for cards that have only 9’s and 10’s. Try and eliminate the 8’s and below for each card I shoot. Easier said than done, but mentally I’m trying for mid 190’s or better for every card. Any amount of wind can and will move my pellet. I need to know when to stop and when to shoot with any wind over 1 mph. If my holds are good on my sighter with the wind, I’ll take the shot with a good wind call.
Trigger release technique gets me in trouble when I’m not on my game. It seems when I slowly squeeze and follow thru, the 10’s come more frequently.
There are several guys with .177’s who are shooting killer scores in this challenge. I wish we had their secret sauce.
Tom
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@NAProf - I have been there buddy! When I started this challenge with a Taipan Vet Long in .22 the best score that I ever shot with that rifle was a 186. The average score was in the 170s. Not knowing if that was a good score or not, I started this challenge to see what others would score. I quickly realized that the Vet was not up to par, even after many tuning sessions, barrel polishing, etc. My scores improved immediately with a new rifle, the FX Wildcat Mk3 BT. Now I shoot a FX Crown mainly. My history with each rifle is attached. Keep in mind that shooters only submit cards of their best scores. There are a lot of scores shot in the 180s that just aren't submitted!
View attachment 30-Yard Challenge History - Sheet1.pdf
View attachment 30-Yard Challenge History - Sheet1.pdf
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Thomas
Your last two sentences are especially relevant also. There were some occasions when I would post all cards shot to show the path towards having a good card. But, most of the time I would post one or two of the best cards.
Greg - something I thought of to test the accuracy of your rifle. I try and shoot 5-8 five shot groups at 30 yards. I want/strive for 1/2 MOA or approximately 1/4” CTC at 25-30 yards. Essentially a ragged hole. On balance, most of my target rifles can shoot that at 25-30 yards. I do this also to point the finger at my shooting technique vs. thinking the gun’s accuracy or tune might be suspect.
Tom
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ThomasT
Member
- Apr 25, 2021
- 3,860
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Hello @NAProf
Your shooting is excellent, period. Most people that shoot paper targets looses sight of the overall picture and begin to think that their last "card" ( target shot ) was not good because every pellet did not go in the same hole. In some way it is not a bad thing, to always try to improve is good. However to loose sight of a really good over all score because it is not "perfect" is not good. I shoot a lot of paper, and I am often way too hard on myself when I judge my results so here is what I have learned to do: save all the targets shot that "session" and come back later ( one hour or even a day ) and re-evaluate the results. Almost ever time I see a whole different set of results and most of the times I am pleased with the results.
ThomasT
Your shooting is excellent, period. Most people that shoot paper targets looses sight of the overall picture and begin to think that their last "card" ( target shot ) was not good because every pellet did not go in the same hole. In some way it is not a bad thing, to always try to improve is good. However to loose sight of a really good over all score because it is not "perfect" is not good. I shoot a lot of paper, and I am often way too hard on myself when I judge my results so here is what I have learned to do: save all the targets shot that "session" and come back later ( one hour or even a day ) and re-evaluate the results. Almost ever time I see a whole different set of results and most of the times I am pleased with the results.
ThomasT
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A lot of good feedback guys. Much appreciated. I am going to buy an FX Crown in .177 to use as my target rifle. About to finish a couple of cabinet/furniture jobs in my "retirement shop" so I can pay for my "getting more expensive" airgun hobby.
Cheers,
Greg
Cheers,
Greg
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Great choice, Greg! As you can see in my scoring history, my .177 and .22 Crown barrels are tied neck and neck. I thought for sure that the .22 would be more accurate, because of all the negative comments on AGN regarding FX's .177 barrels, but found that they are very near equal. My .177 is the 500mm and the .22 is a 600mm. @ThomasT has a .177 600mm Crown barrel that is magic!!
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I don’t own/have a Crown, but I see a lot of very accurate scoring cards ( 30-yard challenge and N50 match results) with both the .177 and .22 calibers. If you want some reassurance, check out the 2022 N50 match results from Sunnyvale in Ca. Take a look at that “Crown” that always posts some awesome scores. Just search the Benchrest category under N50 results. The shooter is pretty good too!
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Just a few other bits of info:
1) Trying to hit this target at 30 yards is similar to trying to hit the tip of a chap stick at 100 yards (actually a little smaller). Doing that 24 times in a row is tough!!
2) For a time I was considering buying a very expensive one-piece rest (Randolph). Thanks to @thomasair , who let me know that using a one-piece rest would not be much more accurate than properly using front a rear bags, I saved over $1,000 by NOT buying the rest. I use a Caldwell Rock front rest, and rear bag.
3) As said many times, don't even think about shooting a good score if the wind is over 3-5mph.
4) For those shooting .177 JSB 13.4g MRDs, sorting by head size and weight is suggested.
5) Clean those barrels often! It has always improved my scores. Barrel polishing is a good idea as well. It makes cleaning the barrel go much faster.
1) Trying to hit this target at 30 yards is similar to trying to hit the tip of a chap stick at 100 yards (actually a little smaller). Doing that 24 times in a row is tough!!
2) For a time I was considering buying a very expensive one-piece rest (Randolph). Thanks to @thomasair , who let me know that using a one-piece rest would not be much more accurate than properly using front a rear bags, I saved over $1,000 by NOT buying the rest. I use a Caldwell Rock front rest, and rear bag.
3) As said many times, don't even think about shooting a good score if the wind is over 3-5mph.
4) For those shooting .177 JSB 13.4g MRDs, sorting by head size and weight is suggested.
5) Clean those barrels often! It has always improved my scores. Barrel polishing is a good idea as well. It makes cleaning the barrel go much faster.
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All good points. Re. #3 - Total agreement and for me any wind even under 3 mph, presents a high scoring challenge. That said, how many of us can cherry pick a no wind day given outdoor conditions? It’s rare if I get no or slight wind conditions.
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Here's my first submission. This is Fun! I would like to make sure I've scored correctly.
Thanks, John
Thanks, John
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Hey @JohnL57 , Thanks for submitting your card. A few of your 9s look like 10s. The best way to score it is to hold a pellet skirt down, centered over the hole, and then if the edge of the pellet touches the outside of the 10 ring, it's a 10. The #11 box left hit looks like a 10, as does box 5 left. What rifle are you shooting? Also, taping the target to a cardboard backer helps make the holes cleaner, as does printing the target on heavy paper stock.
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Thanks for the replies, I'll use a pellet next time. I need to renew my cardboard backer and I am printing on card stock. I'm shooting an FX Royale in .22, JSB 18.1s straight from the tin.
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