Box Elder Wildlife Federation

[chuckshoun]

Most of us shoot the 100 m/yd range from the new concrete benches. It's fun, and I, personally, want to thank all the folks who up-graded the bridge and the range. I just wish I wasn't so old and feeble to participate. Anyway, I went up to the range the other day to shoot my Russian-Capture Mauser. After the shots that reminded me that I had to set the rear sight for 100 meters, things went pretty well. All shots were in the 10 and X rings. Then, I noticed that my front adjustable rest were too near the top -- there were not many threads left before I would have lost the whole thing. So, I tried two of the concrete slabs, and put my rest on them. I didn't remember to measure the height of my original rest, but I did think I had a good position (at least I thought I did). The results were that the last 8 shots were high, in the 8-ring. I had changed my position, and was not concious of the fact that I did.
This experience taught me a good lesson when shooting from a bench-- especially when I want to zero a rifle. Anything you do to change anything, be it a rest, position, scope adjustment (I never use a scope), or any change you make when zeroing a rifle, or a pistol, for that matter, will mess up your efforts to zero your firearm.
As I have mentioned before, zero in the position you plan to shoot. If hunting, bless you if you carry that concrete bench with you, because any change will affect your sifht alignment or sight picture.
I know some guys "sight in" with maybe five rounds, of cheap ammo, and then hunt with the "good stuff", and shoot from a position far different from the position they "Zeroed" from. If you get your game, you are lucky, not a good shot.
There are some guys I know who say, "I got my deer last year with this ammo and this sight adjustment, so I'm ready for the next deer." Some- times that works, and sometimes it doesn't. Wind, temperature, maybe a different rock you are sitting on, can have an effect on yout zero, and your sight picture. So, don'talways blame the rifle or the ammo, sometimes the problem is that loose nut behind the butt-plate.
No, I don't hunt, never have. But I do know from target shooting from 200 to 1,000 yards, that the smallest change in anything you do can mess up a score, or a hunt.