2020 Creedmoor Cup Lodi

[Distant Thunder]

I just walked in the door at home and everything is a jumbled but as best I can remember we had some rain on Thursday, not too bad and fairly mild winds with very subtle changes that I had to watch very closely to see. Then Friday I started with all kinds of trouble at 1000 yards, it was dark and damp and I ended up with no prep period. I laid down just at the "Your time starts now!" and looked through my spotting scope and it was all fogged up so I couldn't watch the mirage if it was there. I turned to the flags and went with them for the day. At 900 the reverses came quick and while they didn't require as much correction as it looked like they would they could really mess with your score if you got caught and I did once.

Friday was a bit trickier winds, but I was able to stay with them for the most part.

Saturday and Sunday are pretty much a blur, but we did get rained out on Sunday and my best score with the .44-77 had to be thrown out because not everybody got a chance to shoot. I will say that if you think 3 sighters and 10 shots for record in 20 minutes is fast paced I found unlimited sighters and 15 shots for record in 30 minutes a hard pace to keep up with. The winds both days were rather challenging for most shooters.

For me Saturday and Sunday were all about working with my .44-77, getting sight settings and figuring things out as best I could. I was also able to shoot it with my scope and that went well. I got a sight setting for the scope and proved it will work on the 30 inch barrel. While I have not been a fan of the scope for Creedmoor I would NOT have been able to shoot at all on Sunday without it. My eyes are changing and I have an increasingly hard time seeing the bullseye when it gets a little dark. I had brought the scope along as a last minute thought and I shot my first 2 sighters of the 2nd relay on Sunday with iron but I wasn't even on the target with the second shot.

I told Bob Wood, my spotter, that I couldn't see the target and couldn't continue shooting. Then I remembered the scope. I ran to the car and grabbed the scope from behind the seat. I removed the tang sight and screwed on the scope. I looked at the sight settings from 600 to 1000 with the iron sights and did a bunch of math. I laid down and turned in my estimated 1000 yard setting. A quick look through the scope and I was looking right through the front sight but could see just fine and even better I could see the target! I told Bob to, "Watch wide!". I got a reasonably steady hold and let one fly. To both our amazements the target went down. When it came back up it was a 7 at noon! I shot a few more and ran out of time before finishing my record string.

The plan then was to try my one other load with Swiss 1 1/2 for the last relay. After 3 relays in the pit I returned and Brent Danielson was my spotter and I told him the plan. I only had 14 rounds with Swiss so I would get on target with my Goex 2f loads, take one shot for record and then switch to Swiss and hope I could get back on paper within a few shots.

To my surprise, using the scope, the Goex actually started to group fairly well so we decided to stay with the Goex. Again, I ran out of time and did not finish my record string. The last relay never happened because of the rain and my best shooting with the .44 got tossed out.

The scope saved the day, I was pretty frustrated that I was not going to be able to finish with the .44-77 as I hoped, but when I put the scope on it allowed me to keep shooting and see what I could do with the loads I had. I wish I could have tried the Swiss load but maybe next year. All in all I had a bunch of fun shooting the .44. The scope worked very well. With irons I was like a blind man trying to thread a needle. I know the time will come when a scope will be the only way I will be able to shoot. Although with my Hepburn and my 10-ring seeking bullets I seem to do just fine!