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4-18-02

New Groups

32 Caliber - 100 grain slugs. 50 shots @ 50 yards.


4-10-02

Note the range flag today. Too windy for 50 yard pellet groups - but these heavy 32 slugs didn't mind at all.

Range Session

 

Some of the guys on the Funsupply Airgun Forum, have agreed to do 50 yard group testing for fun. See how the conventional wisdom of what's a good group stacks up with our shooter's targets.

I got out the 32 caliber Prairie 2 this morning. Looked around the shop for slugs. Found a bag of Barnes bishops - approx. 100 grains. Sorted through and set out some nice looking ones. But, I forgot - these were for a slightly smaller bore. I sized them, about 20 of them were correct for this rifle.

I was about to go through another bag of them, when I found a tin of the last Bishops I cast from a different mold. Those were for a special bore too - alittle different. Naturally. But, I had a good many of them. I sorted and sized fifty couple of them. They looked good. I figured I'd sight in with the 20 originals, and be real close for the 50 something I'd run the test with.

Here's one of the two sight'in targets with three slugs of the 20 batch lot. I was real pleased.

Then I shot this 5 shot group. Pleased again. But , I didn't have enough of these to run the test. I figured I'd just switch to the other 50 batch for that..

Set up a card ... switched over to the other batch. POI was totally different. Never assume!

 

I noted the POA shift for this batch, and started well. But,

they were too tight ...


If you care to see what the guys are posting:

http://communities.msn.com/The50yardairgunchallenge


Range Session 4-12-02

I cast and sized two different typed of slugs. Visually sorted them at the bench. They were NOT weighed so I don't consider them to be match grade, they're my trophy grade.

The following groups were shot off the rifle's internal reservoir (just for those who felt it made a difference when I line fed the rifle at the bench).

Five shots each @ 50 Yards - Barnes Falcons out of the 32 Prairie 2.

As promised, here are the measurements of the 5 shot groups Center to Center. UL (upper left) - .918", UR (upper right) - .429", LL (lower left) - .839", LR (lower right) - .850" for those curious... 4 were inside .182" before the flier. Now THAT's a flier. C (center) - .483"

Five shots each @ 50 Yards - Barnes Bishops out of the 32 Prairie 2.

UL - .909", UR - .734", LL - .733", LR - .784", C - .484"

Commentary: These targets show evidence of my original premise - MOA @ 50 yards is not all that easy to achieve. And, it's not totally a factor of the rifle's quality alone. It's a factor of the rifle, the projectile, the conditions under which the groups are shot, the skill of the shooter, and the endurance of the shooter. In the above 10 groups - three of them are under MOA (that's 1/2"@50 yards). I also mentioned that the word "fliers" is frequently over used. Several more of these groups would be MOA if not for the one slug that pushed them over. There's one obvious real "flier" - I pointed it out above. The remaining four slugs of that group went through .182" @ 50 yards! That's under 1/4 MOA!! So, I think we can assume the rifle is capable - that particular slug slipped through my visual bench sorting.

Big bore is a different game. Real energy, heavy slugs, done the hard way (the nearly impossible way), using air for power. That's why it's a rush. Practical? No - not by any means. Amazing and entertaining - certainly.

Business Section: Prairie II - 32 caliber PCP