Fame and fortune!

Well, neither, really. Though DURC did get a nice showing on the new Trinity TV site


The Sports Round-Up Episode 1 from Jessica Pitcher on Vimeo.

There are a few scenes in at the start, then our 10 minute segment starts at about 13.30 or so. I think it looks pretty good. The range looks about as nice as it ever has, which is impressive. This is certainly something that DURC could do with pursuing over the year as matches tend to be a bit more interesting to film than a quick training session.

And no, my name has not been changed to Mike Madigan. Some day Trinity media will get my name right. Maybe. It could help if I was still in said college, of course :P

Rathdrum Turkey Shoot, 6-12-2009

No, not shooting at turkeys, shooting for them! The turkey shoot is traditionally the last match of the calendar year and usually a bit of fun.

The scoring is based on the Macrae handicap system, which benefits those who shoot above their average, and drops points for shooting below it, thus making it in a competition where you really are shooting against yourself :)

Having sorted out one or two little things, notably weight distribution on my lower body and especially the left elbow position, just to the left of the pistol grip, I was looking good for the match. The sighters and first string were good, but then it started to get a little fuzzy with my right shoulder tensing and throwing shots left. I was having a lot of problems getting my right elbow consistent, which wasn't helping, and tensing in the cold. Things I need to work on obviously, but at least I know now. A 386 overall wasn't too bad, and the best raw score of the day.

Afterwards RRPC usually have a benchrest pistol match, but since we were the only ones there we decided to take part in that as well :D For my first time shooting .22 pistol the groups were really good, I just couldn't figure out how to sight the damn thing so they were all over the place. Seemed a bit of shame to launch Centre-X down a pistol, but what the hell :D

For the prizes I walked away with a turkey and a bottle of red wine, which isn't so bad at all! A glass or two with the RRPC lads afterwards made it a very sociable day all round :)

The day reminded me a lot of how shooting is there to be enjoyed, like all sport. Taking it with me to different levels and different places won't diminish that. People move on, but the memories remain, as do the bonds, the friendships and the rivalries.

This weekend capped off a four year career in DURC, which has had it's ups and downs, good times and bad. I've learned a lot, taught some, I hope, and will be continuing on with target shooting. So watch out, I'm on the other side now ;)

Air Rifle Training, DURC

Nope, yesterday was not enough for me, I had to come back for some more today. I decided to act on a few of the problems from yesterday, mostly my holding and balance issues.

To get better contact with the cheekpiece I dropped the buttplate another little bit, to the bottom of the carrier. I need to check that it's still within the rules, but I think it is. This lowered the rifle a little more to the target, which is another good thing, and also artificially raised the sightline.

I've all but given up on getting my head level, it's just not comfortable with the drop I have to the sights. It's much easier to cant it a little and deal with balance by making sure I sort that out with the the centre of gravity of the total system (me plus rifle) over the middle of my feat. Good practice on that one if nothing else. Or that's what I'm going with anyway :P

The end result of this is a more stable position that isn't quite killing my neck. Drilling out the 10 ring (more or less, there's always a 9) with a lovely steady hold is always a plus :)

On another note, here are some pics of my new jacket in the standing position courtesy of Sparks which show possibly a little too much material in the sides and on the left hip. Out with the knife and a needle and thread methinks <:o

Training, UCD/DURC

Well, despite the training last week the weekend didn't go so well so it's clearly time to ramp it up a little. Went to UCD on Tuesday evening for an hour or two there, followed up by a 40 shot match yesterday in DURC with Iain. Both left a bit to be desired, though when I felt right in DURC it went well. Also, I think that what I was doing when it felt right was pretty decent. Also, remembering what I did is a big step up...

Followed that up with some prone then yesterday afternoon. Shot two ten shot groups and one ten bull card. The first group was almost certainly 100/100, but a bit hairy at points, which won't do. The 10 bull followed and was a very disappointing 97/98 with a terrible 9 in there. The final group was shot over two targets with a gap in the middle and came to probably a 99 with some nice tight shots. Hopefully the higher targets in Rathdrum will leave me a little less pained at the end...

I'll crack into some more for today and call it a week at that, what with my trip down South for Friday and Saturday. Back late that night for the DURC open on Sunday morning. Fun times :)

DURC training, 12-10-2009

Training in prone is something that I've never really gotten the hang of. I tend to just get down and bang down some shots and see if I can spot anything that's going wrong. Today was no different :D

I took out the new jacket to give it a proper go in the prone position after I made some adjustments last week to my overall position and how things felt. It had already helped to sort out a few problems of my pulse bouncing the rifle and pain in my wrist.

Due to a fortunate position coming up for PhD funding, it's looking like I will be able to finance buying a rifle, not to mention training at the Munich international range in Garching. Nothing totally confirmed as of yet, but it's on the cards.

So, I have been looking at different rifles, number one of which is the Feinwerkbau 2700, or the light version of it. I'm also looking at the new Anschutz Precise, which is an excellent looking stock. Anyway, I took the chance to use a club-mates FWB today and see what it felt like. Aside from a terrible buttplate it feels really nice. The balance is amazing and the stock is so nicely rounded and thin that it sits in the hand very comfortably.

After a quick set up, the following group of, I think, 12 shots was produced;

Aside from the barrel warming shot on the left and the two nines, I'm very happy with this group, especially for a very brief set up with a dodgy buttplate.

On the other hand, my trusty Anschutz 1600 series didn't fail to respond to that with this 10 shot group;

Again, the low shot was the barrel warmer, the 9 shots above are grouped nicely though, especially for a 30 year old barrel and action. Increasing my cant has also helped quite a bit, so Anschutz are coming back up the list...

End result; the new jacket is amazing, well worth the money. Now I just need to translate that into scores and medals in matches and we're well sorted. Selection matches are welcome...