Yesterday was my second day in a competition. I went there carrying 2 different loads. One was my tried and true 530 grain bullet. The other was a more risky 405 grain hollow base. I new the hollow base setup wasn't as good, yet there was an emotional attachment as I had cast these myself. Sure enough, I made the emotional choice and ended up with a poor score. I should know from motorcycle racing you compete with the best proven setup. Testing is relegated to practice days.
On the plus side, I'm certain my hold and stability were improved by the cheek piece and hand grip addition. I managed to improve my score in the offhand segment despite my poor ammo choices. Next month will bring improvment again, I'm sure of it.
My current shooting cost is $4.42 per shot, with 10.6% being shipping costs.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
All it takes is a little money.
I've taken the unfortunate step of recording every penny I've spent on shooting this rifle. This is usually a bad idea for any project and is proving especially bad for this one. I knew it would be a bit spendy. New ammo in the box runs over a dollar shot, but it was fairly amazing how quickly it all added up.
To try and make some sense of things, I created two calculated numbers. One is the average cost per shot of every shot I've fired. Right now that is running right at $6.44 per shot. At times in the past it was as high as $9 and I'm expecting it to drop below $5 the next time I go to the range. Understand that this cost isn't just ammo. It includes range fees, tools, and anything specifically needed in the shooting of this gun. Obviously, the major flaw in this calculation is the fact that reloading supplies are generally bought in bulk. I have components to make about 700 rounds of ammo. The only problem is, if I'm not happy with the ammo I'm making now, then 700 rounds of the same won't help me. All it takes to make me happy is a little more money.
The second calculated number is a rato between shipping costs and actual parts. That number is currently running at 12.1%. This is a huge number. I can admit, a bit of it is due to heavy "haz mat" charges for powder and such, but most of it is just the fee for ordering small little parts from various vendors. I've started to be more aware of these costs when judging the local gun shop's prices. Sometimes it really does pay to support the small retailer.
An example of some silly expenditures? Here's three:
The aperture sight to give crystal clear sight picture was $110 and $14 shipping
The leather comb riser to give repeatable cheek location was $30 and $9 shipping
The bolt on pistol grip to give me repeatable trigger pull with rock solid follow through was $55 and $12 shipping.
Worth every penny I tell myself, but it adds up to $230, of which 15% was shipping. I'm not sure my groups will improve $230 dollars worth. I'm off to the range in a couple days, so we'll see.
To try and make some sense of things, I created two calculated numbers. One is the average cost per shot of every shot I've fired. Right now that is running right at $6.44 per shot. At times in the past it was as high as $9 and I'm expecting it to drop below $5 the next time I go to the range. Understand that this cost isn't just ammo. It includes range fees, tools, and anything specifically needed in the shooting of this gun. Obviously, the major flaw in this calculation is the fact that reloading supplies are generally bought in bulk. I have components to make about 700 rounds of ammo. The only problem is, if I'm not happy with the ammo I'm making now, then 700 rounds of the same won't help me. All it takes to make me happy is a little more money.
The second calculated number is a rato between shipping costs and actual parts. That number is currently running at 12.1%. This is a huge number. I can admit, a bit of it is due to heavy "haz mat" charges for powder and such, but most of it is just the fee for ordering small little parts from various vendors. I've started to be more aware of these costs when judging the local gun shop's prices. Sometimes it really does pay to support the small retailer.
An example of some silly expenditures? Here's three:
The leather comb riser to give repeatable cheek location was $30 and $9 shipping
The bolt on pistol grip to give me repeatable trigger pull with rock solid follow through was $55 and $12 shipping.
Worth every penny I tell myself, but it adds up to $230, of which 15% was shipping. I'm not sure my groups will improve $230 dollars worth. I'm off to the range in a couple days, so we'll see.
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