J
Jeff Welker
Guest
I wanted to share my experience shooting the new 8208 XBR in a recent competition. This past weekend we shot a Sporter and LV match at Visalia. The temps ranged from the low 50's in the morning to high 70's in the afternoon. Humidity went from the high 80's in the morning to the mid 30's in the afternoon. Winds were generally light (2 to 6 mph); however, it was switchy each day and there was the usual "noseeums". The mirage in the afternoons was tricky at times.
I shot XBR for both classes at each yardage the entire weeked. I was using Lot 4773. While tuning on Friday, I found that 30.4 grains, .030 off jam, and strong neck tension worked the best. I was shooting a 66 grain BT bullet made by Chuck Miller and a 205M primer. I played with seating depth a little during the match; however, it did not seem to make much difference.
I had my best results ever in a match. I finished 3rd in the Sporter 100, 2nd in the Sporter 200, 2nd in the Sporter Grand, 13th in the LV 200, 1st in the LV 100, 6th in the LV Grand, and 2nd in the 2-Gun. I only list my results to illustrate how XBR either helped or did not hurt my aggs.
Here are my impressions. I believe XBR wants to agg very consistently and competitively. In looking at my targets, I shot 4 "one's" at 100 yards that ranged from .129 to .190. I shot 2 "three's" and 2 "two's" at 200 yards. I also shot some very stupid targets (normal for me) and got fooled by the conditions several times. While I'm not a "dot" shooter like some (I try very hard), I would also note that I don't think XBR is going to yield a bunch of zero's or screamers - it seems to just agg.
Let me qualify all this by saying I am relatively new to short-range benchrest shooting (3 years) and I am certainly not qualified to make any definative statements about XBR. I don't use a chrono so I don't have that information. I have the good fortune to be mentored by Tom Libby and abused by Gary Ocock. Accordingly, I let my targets tell me how my components are working. So far, I give XBR a "thumbs-up" and would use it again in competition. If I understood correctly, Bill Summers was using XBR and I believe there was one other shooter also using XBR.
By the way, Dennis Tinkham kick our collective butts this past weekend.
I shot XBR for both classes at each yardage the entire weeked. I was using Lot 4773. While tuning on Friday, I found that 30.4 grains, .030 off jam, and strong neck tension worked the best. I was shooting a 66 grain BT bullet made by Chuck Miller and a 205M primer. I played with seating depth a little during the match; however, it did not seem to make much difference.
I had my best results ever in a match. I finished 3rd in the Sporter 100, 2nd in the Sporter 200, 2nd in the Sporter Grand, 13th in the LV 200, 1st in the LV 100, 6th in the LV Grand, and 2nd in the 2-Gun. I only list my results to illustrate how XBR either helped or did not hurt my aggs.
Here are my impressions. I believe XBR wants to agg very consistently and competitively. In looking at my targets, I shot 4 "one's" at 100 yards that ranged from .129 to .190. I shot 2 "three's" and 2 "two's" at 200 yards. I also shot some very stupid targets (normal for me) and got fooled by the conditions several times. While I'm not a "dot" shooter like some (I try very hard), I would also note that I don't think XBR is going to yield a bunch of zero's or screamers - it seems to just agg.
Let me qualify all this by saying I am relatively new to short-range benchrest shooting (3 years) and I am certainly not qualified to make any definative statements about XBR. I don't use a chrono so I don't have that information. I have the good fortune to be mentored by Tom Libby and abused by Gary Ocock. Accordingly, I let my targets tell me how my components are working. So far, I give XBR a "thumbs-up" and would use it again in competition. If I understood correctly, Bill Summers was using XBR and I believe there was one other shooter also using XBR.
By the way, Dennis Tinkham kick our collective butts this past weekend.
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