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<blockquote data-quote="Ian M" data-source="post: 6124" data-attributes="member: 25"><p>You can easily make your own data sheets, the only commercial ones that I know of are sold to tactical or centerfire rifle target shooters and they are quite pricey. Just start horizontal colums across the top of your page, I use the following:</p><p></p><p>a.Date/Time........... b.Rifle/Scope......... c.Ammunition/load .............. d.Shooter ........ e.Location ............ f.NOTES ........</p><p>That is the base info.</p><p>Then I also put this info in horizontal columns:</p><p>g.Wind ...........mph h.Direction ( ) (put an arrow to show wind direction relative to bullet path </p><p>i.Light Clear Sky( ) Broken Clouds( ) Overcast( ) (you can also use BRIGHT( ), HAZY( ), OVERCAST( )) </p><p>j. Mirage Light( ) Medium( ) Heavy( )</p><p>k. Temperature.............</p><p>You can also include barometric pressure if you wish, and note any other weather factors. </p><p></p><p>All this goes across the top of the page, you can ditto " info that is constant.</p><p>Then I make vertical columns with the rest of the 8 1/2 x 11 page with the following headings:</p><p>Distance Elevation Windage Call Hit</p><p></p><p>I put 25 or 30 horizontal lines across these vertical columns so that each page will hold 25+ shots, in fact we scaled down the data section and have some pages that hold 60 shots in three separate sets of columns.</p><p></p><p>I also use a small data book that I created with all this info but 10 shots per page that I give to guys who shoot in a little Advanced Marksmanship for Hunters course that I teach. My smaller books are 3 3/4" x 8 1/4" and they have twenty five pages (times two as they are printed on each side) and held together with plastic bindings. You can create something like that and get them madeup at Kinkos or Staples.</p><p></p><p>Another important aspect of our shooting (from the guys on that website who tear a strip off your butt) is firearms maintenance. If you want to do yourself and your rifle a favor, accept the fact that you have to spend real money on top quality cleaning equipment, and use it religiously. Cleaning chemicals and patches are not cheap, but they are essential for keeping that rifle shooting at its potential. We clean our barrels every 40 shots or less when on the range, and never put a rifle away dirty. Get into the habit of including cleaning in your shooting day, just like hauling enough ammo and setting up targets.</p><p>As for bullet selection - you are very restricted as to bullet choice in .25 - that is the strong point of the .30 cal. Terminal performance is very tough to predict or count on given the many variables involved. Bottom line might be that the bullets you are talking about perform better at longer range than closer distances as they will tend to fragment and shead cores with high impact velocities. There are only two bonded bullets available right now, Swift A-Frame and Speer Trophy Bonded but neither is a long range bullet. Watch for some new bullets in .25 like the Interbond, Accubond and Scirocco in the future as they will have sharp points and boat-tails for good LR performance.</p><p> </p><p>Last bit of advice - get out there when the wind is blowing and make your misses, learn from them and before you know it you will have more fun shooting in wind than you did shooting in calm air. Try to work from 10 mph wind, that is pretty common and you can cut numbers in half for five mph or double them for 20mph. Get some steel plates, spray paint them white so your hits will show up and have at it. My plates range from 1" thick and 6 inches square to 1/2" thick and two feet by four feet. Find an old swing set to hang them on and life will get much more interesting than blowing up water jugs.</p><p>Water jugs and balloons are great targets but steel is the way to get your downrange zeros and to learn what wind is doing. </p><p></p><p>Remember that wind DIRECTION is a big factor, not just velocity. I always put up a rod with some yarn on it to show me wind direction when I am practicing, but get used to throwing grass in the air etc. to figure out wind direction. Wind speed is also critical, there are wind charts that work well, plus your meter. Here is a standard chart:</p><p>3 MPH - can barely be felt, smoke will drift </p><p>3-5 MPR - can be felt on your face</p><p>5-8 MPH - leaves are in constant motion on most trees and shrubs</p><p>8-12 MPH - tops of small trees moving</p><p>12-15 MPH - trees begin to sway</p><p></p><p>Good luck with your shooting, sounds like you are doing real well. Sorry this is so long, I cut and pasted some stuff and tend to get wordy...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ian M, post: 6124, member: 25"] You can easily make your own data sheets, the only commercial ones that I know of are sold to tactical or centerfire rifle target shooters and they are quite pricey. Just start horizontal colums across the top of your page, I use the following: a.Date/Time........... b.Rifle/Scope......... c.Ammunition/load .............. d.Shooter ........ e.Location ............ f.NOTES ........ That is the base info. Then I also put this info in horizontal columns: g.Wind ...........mph h.Direction ( ) (put an arrow to show wind direction relative to bullet path i.Light Clear Sky( ) Broken Clouds( ) Overcast( ) (you can also use BRIGHT( ), HAZY( ), OVERCAST( )) j. Mirage Light( ) Medium( ) Heavy( ) k. Temperature............. You can also include barometric pressure if you wish, and note any other weather factors. All this goes across the top of the page, you can ditto " info that is constant. Then I make vertical columns with the rest of the 8 1/2 x 11 page with the following headings: Distance Elevation Windage Call Hit I put 25 or 30 horizontal lines across these vertical columns so that each page will hold 25+ shots, in fact we scaled down the data section and have some pages that hold 60 shots in three separate sets of columns. I also use a small data book that I created with all this info but 10 shots per page that I give to guys who shoot in a little Advanced Marksmanship for Hunters course that I teach. My smaller books are 3 3/4" x 8 1/4" and they have twenty five pages (times two as they are printed on each side) and held together with plastic bindings. You can create something like that and get them madeup at Kinkos or Staples. Another important aspect of our shooting (from the guys on that website who tear a strip off your butt) is firearms maintenance. If you want to do yourself and your rifle a favor, accept the fact that you have to spend real money on top quality cleaning equipment, and use it religiously. Cleaning chemicals and patches are not cheap, but they are essential for keeping that rifle shooting at its potential. We clean our barrels every 40 shots or less when on the range, and never put a rifle away dirty. Get into the habit of including cleaning in your shooting day, just like hauling enough ammo and setting up targets. As for bullet selection - you are very restricted as to bullet choice in .25 - that is the strong point of the .30 cal. Terminal performance is very tough to predict or count on given the many variables involved. Bottom line might be that the bullets you are talking about perform better at longer range than closer distances as they will tend to fragment and shead cores with high impact velocities. There are only two bonded bullets available right now, Swift A-Frame and Speer Trophy Bonded but neither is a long range bullet. Watch for some new bullets in .25 like the Interbond, Accubond and Scirocco in the future as they will have sharp points and boat-tails for good LR performance. Last bit of advice - get out there when the wind is blowing and make your misses, learn from them and before you know it you will have more fun shooting in wind than you did shooting in calm air. Try to work from 10 mph wind, that is pretty common and you can cut numbers in half for five mph or double them for 20mph. Get some steel plates, spray paint them white so your hits will show up and have at it. My plates range from 1" thick and 6 inches square to 1/2" thick and two feet by four feet. Find an old swing set to hang them on and life will get much more interesting than blowing up water jugs. Water jugs and balloons are great targets but steel is the way to get your downrange zeros and to learn what wind is doing. Remember that wind DIRECTION is a big factor, not just velocity. I always put up a rod with some yarn on it to show me wind direction when I am practicing, but get used to throwing grass in the air etc. to figure out wind direction. Wind speed is also critical, there are wind charts that work well, plus your meter. Here is a standard chart: 3 MPH - can barely be felt, smoke will drift 3-5 MPR - can be felt on your face 5-8 MPH - leaves are in constant motion on most trees and shrubs 8-12 MPH - tops of small trees moving 12-15 MPH - trees begin to sway Good luck with your shooting, sounds like you are doing real well. Sorry this is so long, I cut and pasted some stuff and tend to get wordy... [/QUOTE]
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