Initial Set up and first shots

Saturday 14th April 2007

Erwin fits the new 32" high adjustable-rib barrel to a black K-80 action. We have picked out a nice blond category 002 stock and forearm with lacquer finish. The contrast between the black action with simple K-80 logo and the nicely figured blonde wood looks great. Erwin then tweaks the trigger pulls to be short and crisp but not light. I tend to hang onto the trigger blade as I chase a target and light pulls go off early on me. I don't like any creep and a heavy pull weight is easier to make crisp anyway. He then eased the opening and cured a slightly sticking top latch. Whilst he is doing this work I notice that the height of the middle bead is more than I like. Erwin removes it and resets it lower into the rib. I check the fit and decide on 3mm of right cast on the adjustable comb with the height all the way down. A quick mount and all looks perfect. Erwin sets the rib adjustment back to zero although we are conscious that altering the middle bead height will have affected the factory test pattern setting by slightly lowering the point of impact. As I hope to pattern shoot before trying on actual targets, zero is a good place to start. Chokes in the barrel are #2 and #3, factory steel and that is exactly what I want to shoot.

Delayed in the office by IT guys configuring new server. Eventually got away at 2:30 and home by 2:50. Searched for shooting gear and eventually found most bits and pieces. Found a part 250 box of DTL 300s under the dresser, threw them into the car and away. Arrived at 3:25 just in time to join a squad of friends - perfect. Quick scramble for glasses and then lens colour - vermillion - ear plugs, shell pouch and hat. Noted mentally that shell pouch needed the belt making a notch longer, Damn It! Had no time to pattern or even fire a test shot but straight in. Lucky enough to draw peg 4 to start. Broke the first and was pleasantly surprised by the apparent low recoil and total lack of muzzle flip. Visibility over the barrel was superb.

Soon realized that I had a problem though because breaks with the bottom barrel were very scrappy. Top barrel seemed right on as second barrel kills very decisive. After first two pegs I was four barrels down. Made the long walk to one for more of the same. Impression was that first barrel was shooting low. Progressed much the same through 1 and 2 and then onto 3. Last Peg and looking good at least for a 25. I really do know better and no sooner thought it than my 24th target was roundly missed with both barrels. I can make all the excuses in the World but the bottom line is that I was thinking of having broken a 25, albeit a scrappy one, first time out, when there were still two more targets to shoot. Pretty disgusted I knuckled down and broke the 25th for a 24/65, which is simply not good enough.

Back into clubhouse for a sulk and realized that there was no time to shoot another line. Decided this was probably good and called it a day. Possibly the gun is shooting low with the first barrel but just as likely is my quitting on the target. I have always felt that the wrong hanger in a K-80 should only mean that you do not centre the targets but you should still be close enough to break them unless you are stopping the gun, what I call quitting on the target. The mental computer should identify differences between aim point and impact point and make appropriate corrections. The fact that I was not shows that the long lay off has had an impact. Funny how one does not shoot for a couple of years but still imagines that it is possible to pick up the gun and shoot a 100 straight. I was definitely not comfortable with the gun and felt I was fighting it the whole way through. Complete loss of muscle memory meant that I was not able to "boss" the gun and never felt comfortable at all. Immediately prior to my going down the line David (Ball) had checked my gun fit and pronounced it fine but even so I felt I had to work consciously to maintain head position. Seemed to be looking in the right place and I think my foot and body position was fine. There is some hope then.

Back home that night I noticed the expected marks from the pad. I had shot in only a thin cotton shirt with no pad, and the face of the recoil pad on the K-80 has teeth! The serrated rows were clearly visible but further out towards the arm than they should be. Raising my arm to shooting position confirmed that the gun had indeed been too far out. With a little thought I realized that the stock was a little too long and to absorb some of this length I had turned my left shoulder towards the target and mounted the gun more across my body. Result is that the pad inevitably goes too far out towards the arm. Must check the stock length.

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