Note to self: shoot the small one first... then shoot the big one

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Well, I went to the range yesterday to do a little fine tuning and to get some much needed practice time in. My big mistake was to start the
session out by shooting the 9.3x62 Black Bear. When my shoulder said enough of that, I pulled out the fancy new .223 Rem with the fancy big scope
and proceeded to put bullets all over the place. No matter how hard I tried, I could settle myself down enough to shoot a group worth talking about.
Admittedly, I'm not the best shot, but yesterday I was so disgusted with my 100 yard results that I didn't even bother taking one shot at the 200 yard
targets I had set up. It's a good thing I didn't bring my .22LR along. ;)
 
My MO is to start shooting a rifle that is only bore sighted at 25 yards. One shot of centerfire and one magazine of 22 rimfire, repeat..... Shooting repeated shots of centerfire is harmful to accuracy and barrel life for some of my magnums. Shooting too much rimfire can get you with poor habits for large rifles.

I have had days were i just cant settle down and shoot worth a ____. Mostly i am happy to be at the range and need the rimfire to get over my excitement and hyper nature. The few shots at short range with boresighted centerfires i dont hold myself to a high standard, am often using ...rounds with deformed softpoints as often happens with Nosler partitions. I just want to get to the point of hitting paper at 100 yards for a proper zero.
 
I can start anywhere, top, middle or bottom! I'm not a fan of recoil and I draw the line at 30-06 as my top gun! Not to say I wouldn't shoot the 300 Wby and some others that are sitting around here, the odd time.
 
I usually shoot the one that heats up most, or that's its most important that it be cool first, or needs to be shot the most. Then I can play with the others knowing that it has the best of cooling off. Sometimes I'll take on a distant gong with the most likely to make that hit, depending on who is with me or how bad I want to start out on a high note. There's a definite boost to starting with a cold gun, cold shooter, longest available distance and no sighters to drill a gong on the first shot. That's what its all about for me. Recoil doesn't factor in at all.
 
Personally, I find shooting the 9.3x62 to be very similar to shooting the 450 Marlin Guide Gun I used to own: form a standing, or kneeling position it gives you
a good shove to the shoulder, but nothing overwhelming really. Shooting off the bench, however, it's a totally different beast to handle: having your upper body
more firmly planted on the shooting bench, a session with 9.3 (and the 450 Marlin) can wear you down very quickly - or should I say that it wears me down very
quickly being I'm of average build. What surprised me was the length of time that the tension, and I guess adrenaline, you build up in anticipation of the next shot
stayed with me after I was done. Mind you, if I hadn't shot off 60 rounds it might have been less severe. ;) On my future visits to the range, the 9.3 won't come out until
the later part of the day and I'll be doing more shooting from field positions where I still require a lot of practice. And there might be a lead sled in my future if I start
developing loads for the 9.3 like I hope to.
 
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I find the opposite; after shooting a .375 Ultra or a .458 for a spell, then dropping down to a 9.3X62, the 9.3 feels like a pellet gun, and the .30/06 feels like nothing at all. The key is to keep your exposure to the larger rounds low until you've accustomed yourself to the bump on the shoulder.
 
I was meandering through Drumheller AB & happened to wander through an antique / junk shop where I picked up a shooting jacket. Shook my head at all the money I wasted...til it's time to shoot my 9.3 X 57 husqvarna or 375 Weatherby Magnum from the bench. At what point it is worth every $$$ spent.
Made for Kerr's of Hollywood and still sporting the patches awarded in the 1940's and '50s. W.R. Hearst 1st place team in '44 and a couple NRA smallbore patches from the '50s.
Maybe it's got some Mojo left in it...
But it sure turns down the flinch anyhow.
Somewhere I've a picture and story of the original owner too.He shot a 30-06 Springfield IIRC
 
A small hand towel folded and draped over the shoulder between gun butt and shoulder sure helps to make life easier, especially shooting big bores from a bench....
 
Not lounging in bed with the tablet now, can post pic's
Very stylish, no? Definitely very functional, got a hook on the left shoulder for sling placement too. Was like 100 $, which is about what a box of good 375 H & H is worth? Don't know 375 price, because mine came with 100+ rds.

Good leather pads, almost like a baseball glove.
 
The most important thing to remember when shooting heavy recoiling rifles off the bench is to sit up. Getting all hunkered down behind one, like you would shooting a target rifle, is just asking for a beating.

Set the rest up high, sit with your back in a more vertical position, and handling the recoil is not a lot different than shooting offhand.
Ted
 
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My personal rule is "shoot the ones with the worst trigger first".

Ever try and get groups out of anything Russian after spending some quality time with a sweet Swiss rifle?
 
Boomer: I hear ya. After the shooting the 9.3, the .223 Rem was like a pussycat, but I was too amped up to do any useful work with it.
I have since put a Limbsaver recoil pad on the 9.3x62; that hard piece of rubber that Sako puts on such a light rifle leaves a lot to be desired. And you're right,
more practice at a less intense level wouldn't hurt.

Tokguy: Cool jacket dude! You're going to have to take up smoking a pipe, change your name to "Biff," or something like that and start hanging with the
Hollywood crowd when you wear that. ;) The sad part, is that it's older then I am and looks to be in much better condition - it could use a Dry Cleaning though.

Dogleg: Can't argue with that, but do they even make them like that anymore?

Silverfoxdj: I totally agree and I have a beautiful little BL-22 that is my absolute favourite rifle and should be the one rifle that comes along on every trip
to the range. My biggest problem, is that I have no problem convincing myself that I "NEED" this rifle, or that rifle, then I end up with a lot rifles that I either
don't shoot, or shoot so little that I never become very proficient with them - and I'm a firm believer in "Practice makes perfect." I am going to try to keep it down
to only four rifles ( BL-22 included ) and even at only four I find it hard to get the amount of practice I would like with each of them. Well that's the plan, we'll see
how long that lasts. :)

Superted:I definitely wear a jacket for my elbows and shoulder when shooting off the bench. Now I'll be giving the Limbsaver recoil pad a try, but I'm
pretty sure it'll be an improvement over the stock Sako implement of torture.

Why not? Duly noted Ted, I'll be cranking that rest way, way up. I should have thought of that myself, thanks for the pointer.

Grelmar: Your method would fit right in with what I plan to do. Even though all the triggers on the four rifles I plan to keep are really
quite good, I'd have to say that the Sako (9.3x62) is probably the best and the BL-22 is probably the worst - although calling it the worst isn't
really fair, as I am quite happy and comfortable with it.
 
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