Front dust cover rest in the wind on Friday with the P-09 at 100 yards

[Joe L]

I always struggle in a cross wind shooting long distances like 100-200 yards with a pistol.  This is because I usually rest the gun on the magazine base plate and leave the muzzle end free.  This is great when one wants to learn to shoot the gun without moving the gun, but a cross wind can move the gun a little left or right.  The movement is visible to the shooter as the dot jiggles around just enough to throw the shots off usually left or right while trying to line up the shot. 

Today I improvised a front dust cover rest to use in addition to my usual wrist rest.  The purpose was to provide a little resistance to lateral movement of the gun by adding a second point of contact.  The weather conditions today were nearly identical to what I experienced on Wednesday, gusty cross winds from the 3-4 o'clock direction to the line of fire.  I shot 20 rounds on the first target using my usual wrist rest support, and had some a little high and some to the right, just like Wednesday.  For the second target, I improvised a rest just in front of my usual 4x4 plus rag support using a fat round rear squeeze bag for rifle shooting.  No other changes.  I could tell just from the view through the red dot that this was going to work well, as the dot settled to what I see on a calm day.  The groups from target 2 were good but a little low right, but the experiment was going well. 

For target 3, the only change was 1 up, 1 left on the Burris Fast Fire 3 to move the groups a little closer to the x ring.  I think it took a few rounds for the sight to settle in, but the last 12 shots for the day were good except for one when I flinched slightly when the 30-06 two tables away went off just before me.  So 11 of the last 12 shots were in a 4-1/2" group, albeit still a little low right.   Here is the video of all 60 rounds, three targets.

https://youtu.be/gGD8O43w3vc

So, I think the concept of adding a second point of contact looks very promising.  Just don't use a bag as large and as soft as the one I used.  The muzzle sank down too low in the bag and the muzzle blast shredded the canvas bag material.  I'll use something different next trip out.

I still think that the best way to refine one's trigger control and finger tension is with the gun only supported at the magazine base plate and/or wrist rest.  But, in windy conditions, that isn't enough, at least for my somewhat weak grip.  Perhaps folks with vise grip strength won't see much improvement in a cross wind by adding the second contact point.  And I didn't have the rear of the gun solidly on the block any longer, because I still had to have some freedom to line up the dot vertically, so the magazine base plate was floating with the dust cover on the bag. 

Yes, I'm going to clean the barrel.  I won't shoot the gun again for a while and it goes back in the safe after a bore clean and oil. 

Joe L

[Joe L]

A few more notes...

1.  I'm going to add some explanatory notes and bullet circles to the video above, might be done late today. 

2.  A little Gorilla Tape sealed the sand in the sandbag but I won't be using that bag with the pistol ever again.  I didn't use it often with the rifles as a rear bag as it was a little too fat and hard to grip.

3.  I am still pleasantly surprised to see how well the IMI 9mm 115gr JHP shoots in all the 4" and 4.5" CZ pistols.  I'm no longer thinking I am at a disadvantage using the IMI ammo instead of the Atlanta Arms 115 gr JHP, which is ALWAYS out of stock! 

4.  While I was editing the video above on Friday afternoon, I got a "Back in Stock" notice from Atlanta Arms that the 115 JHP ammo was available again, for the first time in well over a year.  I ordered two cases, so 2k rounds.  I think I'm set now.  I have maybe 1500 rounds of the IMI also.  It is only the 3.5" barrel P-10S that really needs the AA ammo, the rest can go with either.  The zero shifts slightly so it is a pain to change from one to the other, so I try to stick with one when I can. 

5.  I ordered a Caldwell pistol rest to try next week that might work at least as well as the squeeze bag.  It will be here Sunday.  But I don't plan on using it often.  My opinion is that two points of contact will restrain the gun a little too much!  By this, I mean, the shooter can have a less than perfect trigger pull and the two point rest may mask it, thus preventing the shooter from improving and resulting in the agony of the shooter when he shoots poorly off hand or standing two handed without the rest.  I will use the rest when I need the trigger time on a windy day, or when I'm testing a pistol or ammo or sight, but it is a crutch in my opinion.  Great for minimizing influences like wind and pulse rate and less than perfect trigger control, bad for shooter skill improvement.

Joe L

[Joe L]

I've added the bullet holes and some annotation to the video first linked above.  This version is more complete and informative, I hope. 

https://youtu.be/MfLtf17RyCs

Joe L

[Joe L]

Received the Caldwell rest and tried it on Wednesday with good results.  It is kind of flimsy but a more rigid one would be difficult to get the dot on the target from one shot to the next. 

I also received my shipment of 2k rounds of Atlanta Arms 115 JHP ammo.  I've been on the wait list a long time, shooting the excellent IMI ammo for nearly a year.  I also cleaned the bore and lock up surfaces a little more thoroughly than usual and added a 0.005 mil shim to the barrel to tighten up the lock-up at least a little.  Too many fliers on Wednesday.  So new ammo to test, cleaner pistol, shim, new two point support, what can change?  Zero, wrist tension, recoil impulse, lock-up, weather, etc. 

I'll shoot it again today, Thursday, and see what effect all the changes have made on the old gun and old shooter.   I just hope to get the zero dialed in before my eyes or cameras shut down.

Joe L

PS--Now that I have some AA ammo, I can go back to shooting the P-10S, maybe after today if all goes well with the P-09.  That will be fun.  But not until I've got the new rest sorted out.